"Come on, slow poke!" Fawnpaw teased. "Just because you're gonna be a medicine cat doesn't give you the right to sit around!" Fishpaw scrambled over the rocks to catch up with his sister. "I can run just as fast as you!" he yelled.

   "Nuh-uh! The only cats faster than me are the cats from Windclan!"

   "Yeah right, chubby!" He stuck his tongue out as he sat in front of Fawnpaw. "You do nothing but follow that kittypet around and eat fish."

   "Cocoatail is  not a kittypet!" she shouted, her brown fur standing on end. "I don't follow him around all day, and I have a perfectly balanced diet. You, on the other hand, treat Frostshadow like she knows everything."

   "She knows what I need to know. I'm going to be the medicine cat, remember?" He flicked his tail in annoyance. "Besides, I thought we were exploring, not bickering."

   "Exactly. We don't wanna be like Darkpaw, right?" Fishpaw laughed at the mention of their brother. The dark tabby apprentice had become a little stuck up after Icestar chose to mentor him. Suddenly, Fawnpaw jumped off the rock pile. "Race you to that tree!" she called.

Fishpaw leaped after her, his paws a grey blur beneath him. I feel alive. He smiled as he ran. I could run to the Moonpool! Over the thunderpath! Through- He felt a sharp pain in his paw, and his concentration was broken. He tripped, and his face ended up in the dirt. The sound of paws coming to his aid caused his gaze to rise. "That was quite a tumble!" Fawnpaw said. "You ne-" her voice cut off suddenly. Fishpaw lifted his head. Fawnpaw was staring at his paw. Glancing over, he saw his fur turning red with blood.

   "It's nothing," he said hastily. "I probably just scraped in on a stone." He flexed his claws and winced. Not only did it hurt, but one of his claws was missing. "Oh Starclan," he muttered in shock. Being careful not to put weight on his injured paw, he stood up and turned around. A trail of red lead to an odd sight: his detached claw, tangled in a thin red string.

   "Ew," Fawnpaw exclaimed. "Twoleg trash. No wonder it pulled your claw out."

   "Thanks," Fishpaw grumbled. " Really reassuring." He limped over and grasped the string between his teeth. He gave it a sharp tug, and the string came loose from the ground, along with a large clump of dirt.

"Hey! Look at that!" Fawnpaw exclaimed. She walked over to examine the clump of dirt.

"It's just a clump of-" He stopped as Fawnpaw brushed the object off. A small pouch, the color and size of a mouse, now lay on the ground. "Oh cool!" Said Fishpaw, his pain forgotten already. He laid his head against the ground and peered into the opening. He wrinkled his nose. "It reeks of twolegs," he noted. "Do you think they lost it?"

"If they did, I doubt they remember it," said Fawnpaw. "Is there something inside?"
    Fishpaw shrugged and stuck his paw into the pouch. He searched for a few seconds, and pulled out a shiny clear ball. He tilted his head in confusion. Since when did ice have blue stripes? He thought. And why isn't it melting? It's almost greenleaf!
    Fawnpaw nudged Fishpaw. "Come on," she said, growing impatient. "Let's just leave it." She turned to leave, but stopped when she saw that Fishpaw wasn't following. His gaze was transfixed on the shining orb he had found. Slowly, he pushed the orb back into the pouch and picked it up.
"I want to keep it," he said flatly. "Maybe it could be useful."
"Useful? You've got to be kidding me."
"Aw come on. I can store herbs in it! Or a snack!" Fishpaw trotted off, not caring if Fawnpaw followed him or not. He crossed the stepping stones into his camp and padded over to Sweetrose, his mother. "Hey mom! Look what I found!" He held up the pouch, but that wan't what his mother was staring at. Sweetrose shrieked and picked him up by his scruff.
"What were you doing out there? Your poor little paw is bleeding badly!" Fishpaw closed his eyes as he was shaken about. "Was it a fox? Or did you get attacked by a Thunderclan cat? Did you cross the border? Are they invading?" He ignored his mother's frantic questions and the worried glances cast by his clanmates. Fawnpaw trotted behind him, trying to explain what happened in short bursts. The red string was dragging along the ground with his detached claw still tangled in it. Sweetrose dropped him in Frostshadow's den and went off to find the medicine cat. Meanwhile, Fawnpaw had gathered the other apprentices.
"Did it hurt?" Dustpaw inquired, sniffing his paw.
"Of course it did, mouse brain," Owlpaw answered. She turned to Fishpaw. "Did you really fall on your face?" She asked, giggling.
"W-what? Who told you that?" Fishpaw stammered, his fur growing hot. He glared at Fawnpaw, who was off to the side, laughing.
"I don't understand what the fuss is about," Darkpaw muttered. "Cats lose claws all the time. You all are just making a big deal over it. It's mousebrained."
"Alright, out of the way," a light grey she-cat said as she walked in. She carried a mouthful of herbs and wore a bored look on her face. "You four can bother him later."
The apprentices padded out of the den, giggling. Fishpaw looked up at his mentor. "Sorry, Frostshadow," he started. "I was running and I tripped on this thing." He held up the pouch with his undamaged paw.
"Well, I'll go get rid of it for you."
"No!" Fishpaw exclaimed, wrapping his paw around the trinket protectively. "I want to keep it. It... I don't know why, but I feel like I should keep it."
Frostshadow shrugged and started chewing up some of the herbs she collected. She smeared them on a sheet of cobwebs and set it in front of Fishpaw, as if expecting him do something. Fishpaw grinned. This was a common test Frostshadow gave him. He gave the herbs a sniff. "I smell marigold, of course," he said after a few moments of thinking. "There's comfrey too."
Frostshadow smiled. "Just as expected of my nephew. You're going to be a great medicine cat, just you wait."