Jaypaw was stuck in camp for failing his minor fighting assessment. He could not shake the look of disappointment that Stormjaw gave him after he got beaten by Redpaw.

I understand, he thought. Redpaw is less experienced than me, therefore, I should have been able to take him on.

Jaypaw wondered what was happening at the Gathering. Redpaw promised to tell, but Jaypaw felt that experiencing it for himself was better. With a resigned sigh, Jaypaw lied down on his nest, hoping to get some sleep.

He heard a cough and looked up. Lionpaw was looking at him and he sat down beside him.

"Care for some company?" he mewed.

"Sure," Jaypaw replied.

They sat in silence for a while. Jaypaw broke the silence. "Why didn't you attend the Gathering?" he asked curiously.

"Well..." Lionpaw mewed. "My leg feels funny today. I don't want to strain it more."

"How did that happen?" Jaypaw questioned, pushing himself into a sitting position.

"You had a minor fighting assessment today, right? Mine and Maplepaw's minor assessment was a few days ago. We fought each other, and I ended up losing. I think I accidentally hit a certain part of my leg and now it feels very sore."

Jaypaw nodded slowly. "You let Maplepaw win, didn't you?" he meowed. "Your fighting skills have always surpassed all of us."

Lionpaw looked embarrassed. "Alright, you caught me," he mewed. "I just wanted to let her feel more confident of her skills."

"You are just deceiving her," Jaypaw pointed out. "Maplepaw can't get better if you give in to her all the time. "

Lionpaw smiled a little. "You sound like Vineheart a little."

"Really?" Jaypaw asked, not convinced.

Lionpaw's ears pricked up. "My mentor is calling for me," he meowed quickly. "Got to go!"

The golden tom rushed out, avoiding Jaypaw's question. He sighed and got up. After listening to Lionpaw speak, he felt even more awake.

He decided to do some late hunting, and hopefully he would feel more sleepy after moving his muscles.

Jaypaw headed towards the direction of the beach. He always wondered how it felt like to have sand under his paws, but crossing the borders of another Clan was against the warrior code.

With a heavy sigh, he stared up at the stars, hoping for answers. His skills at both hunting and fighting was lower than any of the RookClan apprentices, which made him even more discouraged.

How can I take on an opponent in battle if I fare so poorly even against Redpaw?

Before Jaypaw got up to start hunting, the sound of a fairly familiar voice stopped him. "Feeling troubled, Jaypaw?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Jaypaw spotted a black and white tom looking at him.

Jaypaw jumped in surprise, backing off a little. "Fang? I thought you were just a-"

"An illusion?" Fang mewed, walking towards him casually. "No, no, I am a real cat, no need to worry."

Jaypaw relaxed slightly, before tensing up again. "Wait, aren't you on RookClan territory?" he asked, unsheathing his claws.

"I am a mouse length away from your border," Fang responded.

Jaypaw checked the scent markings, before realising that the rogue was right. "Sorry," he muttered, embarrassed.

"It's fine," Fang meowed. "It happens."

"Why are you here?" Jaypaw asked. "I haven't seen you for moons and you suddenly appeared in front of me tonight. What do you want from me?"

"Well," Fang mewed, "I wanted to see how you were doing. Is that against the warrior code?"

He looked at Jaypaw, taking note of his expression. "That's what I thought," he continued.

Fang sat down and started talking, facing the direction of the Oaks. "It's rather intriguing how you apprentices look at the stars on a night like this."

"What do you mean?" Jaypaw completely relaxed, realising that the rogue meant no harm.

"I spotted two apprentices on the beach, staring at the stars. One tom and one she-cat, appearing to be littermates," Fang replied. "I would approach them to ask instead of you, but I would be trespassing, wouldn't I? You see, young Jaypaw, not every non Clan cat disrespect borders."

Jaypaw nodded wordlessly.

"I have a question," Jaypaw blurted out abruptly.

"Go on," Fang invited.

"Have you heard about a group of rogues who want to take over the Clans?" he asked, remembering the oncoming battle next moon.

"Unfortunately, no," came the reply.

Fang got up. "That's enough talk for one night," he mewed. "You should get some sleep. Perhaps the next time we meet, it could be under different circumstances."

The rogue started to leave.

"Wait!" Jaypaw called. "I need your help in teaching me how to fight!"

Fang smiled. "You have a wonderful mentor, Jaypaw, but of course I would spare you some advice about fighting. Remember that your instincts matter most in a battle, do not hesitate, because a heartbeat is all a cat need to end your life."

As he padded away, Jaypaw became flooded with more questions than before about Fang. His words left the RookClan apprentice bewildered and he couldn't help but feel that something big was going to happen to the Clans.

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Hurray! I updated! Enjoyed the chapter? Leave a vote and let me know what do you think of Fang. He seems rather mysterious, don't you think?

As for the next chapter, I'll see when I would get it out. :)