Blazefur padded through the woods of StarClan, looking around. He could of sworn he had just spotted her here. And yet, she was no where to be seen. Unless...

Foxpaw burst from a clump of bracken, her eyes bright. "No matter how many times I'm here, I get surprised!"

Blazefur purred in agreement. He turned around, eyeing the forest.

Foxpaw watched him curiously. "What are you looking for?"

"A StarClan cat," he murmured, narrowing his eyes.

Foxpaw snorted. "Are you sure it was a StarClan cat?"

A shape began to emerge from the bushes bordering the clearing. Foxpaw's eyes widened as Blazefur stepped in front of his apprentice, eyes narrowed. "Who are you? And why are you on StarClan territory?"

The shadowy she-cat hissed. "My nane is Amberclaw, and I am here to warn ShadowClan."

Blazefur unsheated his claws. "Warn ShadowClan about what?"

"You have an evil cat in your presence. A cat who will do anything to get what she wants. And nothing will stand in her way." Amberclaw whispered.

Foxpaw stepped forward bravely. "Who is she?"

"Her fur is the color of the night. And when a rose grows in the night, there will be no stopping them."

_______________________________

》》》》》》》》》

Nightpaw yawned as she got up from her nest, muscles sore. The battle from yesterday had tired the whole Clan out, despite their victory. She smiled to herself. ThunderClan wouldn't forget that any time soon. She stretched and ducked outisde. The black she-cat was surprised to see that the sun was already up. Was she late?

She spotted Rosefeather padding into camp, a surprisngly large amount of prey in her jaws. The russet she-cat spotted her apprentice and smiled. She waved her tail.

Nightpaw sprinted over, wondering what her mentor had in store for her today.

"Outstanding job yesterday, Nightpaw. You have the natural skill of a warrior. Today, we'll be hunting." She laid her tail on Nightpaw's back before leading her out of camp.

Nightpaw grinned, forgetting her soreness. She was excited for her first hunting session. Judging by the size of Rosefeather's haul earlier, she would be in good paws.

Her mentor pointed with her tail towards a tree. "Just by there, there's a small stream. That's another great place for lizards."

Nightpaw nodded, eyeing the tree. It had a few distinctive markings on it. They were thick lines, all lined up. Were those... claw marks?

She padded towards them and began to study them closely, running her pad over them. Open closer inspection, she discovered that they were neat and precise. But they were far to thick to be a cat's marks. What other creature could they have belonged to?

"I noticed them too. I wanted to see if you would as well. Can you guess what made them?" Rosefeather inquired, blue eyes shining with approval.

Nightpaw stared at the tree for a few more moments before coming to a conclusion. She turned around and faced her mentor. "Badger." She stated confidently.

Rosefeather nodded, smiling. "A badger was recently on our territory. I want you to walk around and tell me if you still think it's here."

Nightpaw nodded and turned around, surveying the bushes and trees. Padding over to a flattened bush, she studied it. It was a big bush, so the badger must have come this way. She looked past the bush, surprised to see the border between ShadowClan and WindClan.

Rosefeather watched her as she reappeared. "So?"

Nightpaw swallowed, knowing that this was a test. She couldn't get this wrong. "It seems that it crossed into WindClan territory."

Rosefeather nodded in approval. "Very good. You're smart Nightpaw, and observant. Use that to your advantage."

Nightpaw flicked her tail in acknowledgment and watched as the russet she-cat sank to rhe floor.

"This is the hunting crouch. To be able to hunt, you're going ro have to perfect this. You just crouch low, making sure your belly touches the ground. Make sure you don't step on anything as you creep up on it. Keep your tail low, but not low enough to touch the ground. Stay down wind. Got it?"

Nightpaw' s head spun with all this new information.

Rosefeather straightened. "Now you try."

Nightpaw tried to copy her mentor, sinking low. She tried to creep forward, but lost her balance and fell into a heap of fur. Ears hot, she got up again.

Rosefeather nodded. "Good, but you need to get lower. You also need to watch where you're going. I've noticed you concentrate most of your weight on your right side. That won't keep you balanced. Try to even out your weight."

Nightpaw narrowed her eyes determinedly. She crouched again, trying to keep her belly low. Tipping slightly to her left, she crept forward. And she had to admit, it did feel better. Her ears pricked and tail low, she spotted a leaf.

"Catch it," Rosefeather encouraged.

Nightpaw leaped forward quietly, landing square on the leaf.

Rosefeather trotted over. "Better. Now, let me show you what to do when you trap your prey. She dipped her head and pretended to nip the back of Nightpaw's neck.

Rosefeather ran her paw over Nightpaw's neck. "If you feel for it, you can find a small bump. Just bite down on that to crack its neck."

Nightpaw ran a tail over her own neck, eyes brightening when she felt a bump. A sudden question sparked in her head. Her jaws opened without her consent, and she asked it.

"Is it possible to kill a... cat with the same move?" She inquired stiffly. Her eyes widened. What was that!?

Rosefeather nodded eagerly. "Yes, it is."

Her mentor turned around and continued the lesson. "Different prey needs to be treated differently. Mice and voles may be caught with a normal hunting crouch and creeping up, but you need to get a bit closer for birds and frogs and prepare your legs to jump. Unlike mice and voles, they fly or jump to escape. Rabbits, though rare, must always be caught when their back is facing up. If you flip them over, they can use their claws to scratch you." She lashed her tail. "Got it?"

Nightpaw nodded, desperately trying to suck in all this information. Belly low. Tail low. Downwind. Watch the path. Creep up. Leap.

Rosefeather sat down, curling her tail around her paws. "Now, go try to catch something."

Nightpaw nodded, narrowing her eyes. She opened her jaws and tasted the air, trying to separate the prey scent from the scents of the forest and borders. When she had finally done it, an overpowering scent hit her. Vole! And it seemed to be nearby. She traced it to a bush to her left. Dropping into a hunting crouch, she crept towards it and leaped. Her eyes widened as she saw a brown shape scurrying away.

What? She had followed Rosefeather's instructions perfectly. Belly low, Tail low, Downwind? Had she been downwind? Nightpaw shrugged it off and tasted the air again. Her eyes lit up when she caught the distinctive scent of a thrush nearby.

》》》》》》》》

Nightpaw padded back into camp, a thrush and mouse held in her jaws. She raised her chin in pride. Her first catch! She had almost lost the thrush, but the mouse was a clean catch. She set the prey down in the fresh-kill pile.

Rosefeather approached her. "Great job today. You'll be coming to the gathering. It's too late to rest before it, but don't worry. Tomorrow you can rest up."

Nightpaw felt exhilaration rush through her. Her first gathering! She was excited to see all the other Clans.

A voice sounded behind her. "So, you're going to the gathering too?"

Nightpaw's fur bristled. She turned around, eyes narrowed at Sparrowpaw. He was doubling over. "Don't scare me like that! And yes, I am."

Sparrowpaw got up, still laughing. "How about we squeeze in some battle training?"

Nightpaw grinned at him."I don't know... What if I kill you?"

Sparrowpaw cuffed her over the ear. "Keep on dreaming."

She bared her fangs and leaped at him, pinning him down. Sparrowpaw went limp in her paws, breathing heavily.Nightpaw loosened her grip just as Sparrowpaw exploded forward. He threw her onto the ground, dashing at her. She leaped and trapped his tail under a paw. He laughed. "Okay, you win, Nightpaw."

Nightpaw watched in horror as Sparrowpaw's pelt faded into gray. Just like the ThunderClan cat's. She narrowed her eyes and flipped him over, pinning him against the floor. She dipped her head, jaws open and ready to bite into his neck... ready for the blood to gush out and stain her pelt... ready for-

Suddenly, she was thrown off Sparrowpaw. She looked up to see Rainpaw staring down at her, his eyes cold. "What are you doing?" He hissed.

"W-what?" Nightpaw stammered, writhing. "Get off me! Sparrowpaw!" She screeched, but the brown apprentice had already turned around. His brother glared at her once more before stepping off her.

Nightpaw got up, dizzy and confused. What had happened? It had seemed like, for a heartbeat, she was an entirely different cat. Why couldn't she control herself? Sparrowpaw probably hated her now. She had to find him.

Oakstar appeared by the camp entrance, his fur rippling. "Let all cats attending the gathering follow me!"

Nightpaw watched as Sparrowpaw and Rainpaw whispered something to Dawnpaw and Duskpaw. They all glanced at her. She felt her heart break, and closed her eyes. Even her own brother? All the apprentices would hate her now.

Rosefeather padded over to Nightpaw. "Come on, we need to get going," she led her out of camp.

》》》》》》》》》》

The full moon rose high in the sky, illuminating the island below. Cats filled it to the brim, murmuring or sharing tongues. Nightpaw felt her breath catch in her throat. It was huge! All the scents of the Clans mixed. She watched as Oakstar took his place on one of the lower branches of the tree. ShadowClan had been the last ones here.

Rosefeather disappeared into the crowd. The cats she had been sitting with must be the deputies. Nightpaw looked around awkwardly. All the other apprentices had left her. Where should she go? She spotted an empty spot next to her mother and scurried over, squeezing in.

A large gray tom let out a yowl. "Let the gathering begin!"

Fawnfur dipped her head and whispered in Nightpaw's ear. "That's Stonestar. The russet she-cat is Flamestar of WindClan, and the white tom is Icestar, the leader of RiverClan."

Nightpaw flicked her ear in acknowledgement, her eyes focused on the leaders. Flamestar was the first to speak. Her pelt shone in the moonlight.

"We are stocking up on prey as leaf bare approaches. Prey is plentiful, and the Clan is well fed. That is all." She reported, dissapearing back into the shadows of the tree.

Stonestar was next. His eyes flashed with anger. "Prey is plentiful. We are still recovering from the horribly uncalled for attack by ShadowClan." His eyes narrowed.

Oakstar turned to him. "The only reason for the attack is the fact that you attacked a peaceful patrol."

Yowls of outrage rose from the ThunderClan cats in the clearing. A white she-cat stepped forward. "Why bring such a large patrol if it was "peaceful"?" She hissed.

Stonestar raised his tail for silence. "We have two new warriors. Acornpaw and Thrushpaw are now Acornflower and Thrushscar."

Icestar stepped forward, eyeing the two leaders gleefully. That fox! He's glad ThunderClan and ShadowClan are fighting!

"Prey is prominent. The twolegs are starting to leave now that the river is beginning to freeze over. A rogue was spotted on our territory, but we chased her out." He turned to Oakstar. "She's probably on your territory now."

Oakstar dipped his head and began to speak. "Prey is plentiful. We have two new apprentices, Duskpaw and Nightpaw. Honeyheart and Beetlewing have passed. The new deputy is Rosefeather. ShadowClan remains strong."

Nightpaw felt pride for her strong clan. No matter what challenges, ShadowClan would go on.

Nightpaw watched as ShadowClan began to leave. The elders, then the warriors, and then the apprentices finally made their way out. By the tense air on the way back, Nightpaw could tell her Clan was eager to leave.

She searched the crowd until she spotted a familiar brown tabby pelt. Sparrowpaw! She had to talk to him.

Nightpaw pushed through a few cats before finally reaching him. He was talking to Dawnpaw, Duskpaw, and Rainpaw. They quieted as she approached.

"Er... Hey guys." Nightpaw greeted her Clanmates, whiskers twitching nervously. Dawnpaw glared at her.

"What do you want?" The cream she-cat sniffed.

"I just wanted to talk to Sparrowpaw." Nightpaw responded through gritted teeth, trying her best not to hiss. The she-cat still got on her nerves.

"Sorry, but Sparrowpaw doesn't want to be around dangerous cats like you. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't interfered?" Rainpaw hissed, lashing his tail and turning around.

Duskpaw unsheated his claws. "Just stay away from us, Nightpaw. You're weird, and dangerous. We want to stay safe."

Every single one of their words hit her like a badger. She felt them echo around in her head. Just stay away from us... Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't interfered?

She gave a stiff nod and felt a tail curl around her. Rosefeather led her away.

"Don't care about cats like them. You are different. And no one will stand in your way." The russet she-cat murmured.

Nightpaw looked up at her, and for a moment, saw what she really was. A cat stained with blood.