Jaypaw padded into camp, carrying a fat vole. It was almost leaf-fall. Leaf-fall meant leaf-bare.

Rowantail had taught her the basics of hunting, and Jaypaw had caught on quickly.

Today was the day. The day after the Gathering. Jaypaw needed to meet Leafpaw.

The ShadowClan apprentice dropped the vole, meeting her mentor at the entrance to the warriors' den.

"Jaypaw. Hello." Rowantail mewed to his apprentice between licks at his ruffled fur. "Did you enjoy the hunting patrol with Blackpaw and Newtspeckle?"

"Very." Jaypaw murmured, eyes drifting to her paws. "It was nice. To spend time with Blackpaw."

"Wonderful." Rowantail mewed. "What did you catch?"

Great StarClan, what's with all the questions?Jaypaw thought bitterly. "I caught a vole. A fat one."

Rowantail nodded. "Good catch. You'd better go to check on the elders."

Jaypaw nodded back at her mentor and padded to the den that sheltered the elders.

Mistwind and Tawnyberry were sharing tounges in their den. Jaypaw knew that the two elders were long-time mates.

Tawnyberry looked up from where she was grooming Mistwind's pelt. "Ah, hello, Jaypaw. Here to change the bedding?"

"Yeah." Jaypaw purred at the elder, making sure to show the older cat respect. "Do you mind moving over?"

"Not at all, darlin'." Mistwind mewed, shuffling over until they were off the moss. Tawnyberry did the same.

Jaypaw clawed at the old moss and grabbed a couple pawfuls and a mouthful, the smell making her gag.

Jaypaw nodded to the elders and padded outside the ShadowClan camp, burying the moss beside a dead tree.

She ripped moss off of a nearby oak tree beside a stream, grabbing pawfuls and a mouthful, the same way she did with the old moss.

Jaypaw made her way back to the ShadowClan camp, which wasn't too far away. Padding to the elder's den, she started to put the moss in the right place.

When she finished, the den smelled better, and looked better. Jaypaw turned to the elders as they settled into their new nests. "There."

"Thank you, Jaypaw." Mistwind meowed as he switched positions with Tawnyberry and began to groom her fur.

"You're welcome." Jaypaw mewed politely as she walked out. Jaypaw looked at the sky as she padded to the apprentices' den. It was already almost sun-down

Jaypaw had only started the hunting patrol right after sun-high. She didn't realize that so much time had passed.

Jaypaw padded into the apprentices' den, greeting by Tigerpaw and Nightpaw. "Hi." Nightpaw murmured, as Tigerpaw flicked his tail in greeting.

"Hello." Jaypaw greeted, curling into her nest and sighing silently. Closing her eyes, Jaypaw slept.

∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆

The dream was back. Jaypaw ran as fast as she could, paws pounding against the grassy ground.

The same lithe white she-cat was surrounded by a wall of brambles. Jaypaw knew this was Leafpaw. It was a perfect copy of the ThunderClan apprentice.

Jaypaw ran up the same tree, surrounded by pines and clutching the branch with unsheathed claws.

A shadowy figure passed right by Jaypaw, and she felt her fur bristling in fear. It was a cat's silhouette. A cat with black fur, and yellow eyes.

Jaypaw jolted awake, heart pounding. Ivypaw, Wolfpaw and Cedarpaw were curled up in their nests ahead of Jaypaw, and at her sides were Blackpaw, Tigerpaw and Nightpaw, all asleep.

Jaypaw was the only one awake. The ShadowClan apprentice looked at the entrance of the apprentice's den.

It was nearly midnight.

Jaypaw quietly scrambled out of the den, her ears pricked for sounds.

She hid behind brambles beside the apprentices' den, poking her head out of the spiky plant.

Dawnberry was yawning, eyes tired, sitting at the entrance to guard. Jaypaw couldn't exit through there, unless she had a good excuse for being outside of camp at midnight.

Her gaze landed on the dirtplace tunnel. There! No one will suspect it! Jaypaw's heart raced as she stood up.

Acting as if she was tiredly leaving the apprentices den to make dirt, Jaypaw faked a yawn. Dawnberry only gave her a nod as Jaypaw ducked through the dirtplace tunnel.

She gagged at the smell, but padded forwards, and eventually passed some prickly bushes, getting her pelt nearly caught on brambles.

Jaypaw shook her fur, bristling as she pelted towards Fourtrees. Jaypaw never knew the way there, but everyone's scents still lingered in the air from the Gathering, so Jaypaw simply followed the smell.

Jaypaw soon found the four, tall oak trees that formed the Gathering place. Every cats scents still hung in the air. The RiverClan cats fishy-scent was everywhere, and Jaypaw nearly threw up.

"Leafpaw?" She called into the silence, hoping there wasn't a midnight patrol anywhere. She watched for the bushes to rustle, but nothing happened.

"Leafpaw?" Jaypaw called again, breaking the silence once more. This time, the leaves behind a hazel bush twitched.

"Leafpaw!" Jaypaw exhaled with relief and ran over as the lithe ThunderClan apprentice poked her head out of the bushes.

"I'm here!" She panted, paws shaking. "Why did you want me to come here, Jaypaw? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Jaypaw answered with a shake of her head. "I-I just wanted to see you."

"You broke the Warrior Code to see me?" Leafpaw questioned.

"Yeah." Jaypaw scoffed. "Yeah, I did."

"That's..." Leafpaw trailed off, her bright green eyes blazing into Jaypaw's fur. "Interesting."

"Hey, you broke the Warrior Code too!" Jaypaw protested. "You had a choice to meet me tonight!"

"I know, I know..." Leafpaw sighed, padding forwards and sitting in front of Jaypaw.

Jaypaw felt her heart skip a beat. "So...how's ThunderClan?" The ShadowClan apprentice asked.

Leafpaw shrugged. "Same old, same old." She meowed, ears pricking up. Jaypaw guessed she was self-consciously listening for midnight patrols around Fourtrees.

"ShadowClan has been doing well...Prey's running good." Jaypaw mewed, tail tip twitching.

"That's wonderful." Leafpaw trailed off, as if she was listening to something.

"What's going on?" Jaypaw asked, brushing her tail over Leafpaw's flank.

"A patrol! A patrol!" Leafpaw hissed into Jaypaw's ear. Jayfelt felt her tail twitch.

"A patrol?" Jaypaw echoed with a shaky mew. "You have to get back to your Clan!"

"I'll see you at the next Gathering!" Leafpaw whispered a goodbye. "Goodbye, Jaypaw!"

"No!" Jaypaw nearly yowled, before hissing her words. "Meet me here. Tomorrow. Every night!"

Leafpaw simply nodded and scampered away into the bushes towards ThunderClan territory.

Jaypaw quietly padded out of Fourtrees and back to the ShadowClan camp, her ears pricked for a patrol.

Padding back into the camp through the dirtplace tunnel, Dawnberry was still on guard. "Hey, Jaypaw," she called.

Jaypaw turned her head to the senior warrior. "Hm?" She murmured.

"Where were you? It doesn't take that long to make dirt!" Dawnberry asked, her eyes playful.

"I- um...I wanted to hunt. I...I didn't catch anything, though." Jaypaw excused herself.

"Aw, bad luck! Anyways, Rowantail and you are scheduled for dawn patrol, so you'd better get some rest." Dawnberry mewed.

Jaypaw nodded meekly, padding into the apprentice's den. Curling into her nest around the other, still asleep, apprentices, she tried to get sleep.