Read on to witness Lilypaw's first hunting trip after joining ThunderClan, and the first of many with a certain unlikely friend...

Lilypaw's POV

Chapter 1

"Rise and shine, sleepy-mouse!"

What in the name of...?

My eyelids immediately flew open at the voice that had stolen me from sleep. And I felt as if I was still asleep when I didn't open my eyes to find myself in a cat bed, in a kitchen... in a house.

Instead, I was lying in a neatly-woven moss nest, in the apprentices den, in ThunderClan's camp... in the forest, holy heck! The entirely of yesterday had felt like a dream – leaving my housefolk and their nest, making my way into the forest, being found by a patrol of wild cats, and then joining them and receiving an apprentice name - so no wonder it had taken me a moment to even process where I was.

My name is Lilypaw now! I reminded myself as I stirred in my moss nest, shifting so that I was lying on my back. I nearly had to suppress an excited squeal, and I felt my heat welling up with so many wonderful feelings. And I'm a ThunderClan cat.

My eyes then slowly widened as I slowly noticed the pale, purple and pink light that was leaking through the woven brambles. And Lilypaw the ThunderClan cat has just been woken up incredibly early!

Suddenly significantly more alert and awake, I turned so that I could take a glance at the den entrance, hoping to see who had decided to wake me up at dawn my first full day in a Clan.

And sure enough, I immediately recognized the taller, muscular figure standing before me. I could never forget those piercing blue eyes from yesterday... "Thornclaw?" I whispered, rolling over so that I was now on my belly, and letting out a yawn.

My grogginess then completely faded away for a second time, being replaced by sheer excitement as I quickly realized why the golden brown tabby tom was here. After all, I remembered our first encounter from the day before very clearly.

I finally stood up, taking a step closer to Thornclaw and trying to keep my tail from twitching back and forth. "Is it time for hunting already?" I then asked, flicking my tail towards the small rays of light leaking from the den's roof. "My goodness, it's so early!" You really meant sunrise when you asked to hunt at sunrise, didn't you?

I then heard Thornclaw sniff, and as he walked deeper into the den, away from the shadows, he revealed his narrow-eyed, smug expression. "Exactly," he muttered.

Although I was well-awake now, I couldn't help but let out another yawn after a small purr of amusement. "Wow..." I then breathed, taking another glance around the den and staring wide-eyed at all of the other sleeping figures surrounding us. "Even when all of the other apprentices are still asleep?"

I looked back at Thornclaw to find him looking back at me with the same expression, except that now, he'd raised a single eyebrow. "They aren't going to be too far behind you," he replied to me, giving me a small flick on the ear with his tail.

Then, without waiting for my reply, he turned and began to leave the den. But he only paused after a moment and looked back at me, his pale blue eyes glinting with humor. "And anyway, if you really want to be a Clan cat, you're going to have to learn that you can't sleep in through sunhigh every morning."

I couldn't help but let out a shocked gasp. "Oh my gosh, I didn't-" I then quickly cut myself off, realizing that the golden brown tabby warrior was right, whether his comment had been a joke or not. Warriors don't have time to sleep! Not me, at least! Not when there's so much to see here... so much to learn!

I could see Thornclaw's whiskers twitching out of the corner of my eye as I shook out my fur, lifted up my chin, and then proceeded to give him a single sharp nod. "Okay!" I meowed cheerfully, but quietly as I ran up to stand just behind Thornclaw. "Let's go, then!"

Thornclaw was still looking back at me, his gaze full of a surprising amount of warmth. Then, with my words, he let out and amused sniff and beckoned me forward with his tail. "Alright," he purred softly. "Come on, Lilypaw."

Then, as the warrior began to lead me out of the den, I followed very excitedly right behind him. And while we passed through the almost eerie-looking ThunderClan camp that felt so strange and unfamiliar, but comforting at the same time, I found that my eyes couldn't leave the golden brown tabby tom in front of me - the golden brown tabby tom that I found just as interesting and intriguing as I had when we'd first met yesterday.

Thornclaw had been one of the last cats I'd met in ThunderClan just the day before, but our encounter would have been just as crystal clear even if I'd met him first, or even days before. Luckily not too similarly to some of my new Clanmates, he'd initially seemed very reluctant to welcome in an outsider like me.

But it only seemed to have taken him a moment to open up a bit more, to my excitement and relief. And by the end of the encounter, he actually gave me a warm welcome, seeming to genuinely believe all of the enthusiastic words I'd given him about how thrilled I was to be in a Clan. He'd even asked me if I'd wanted to hunt with him at sunrise. Hence, why I'm awake with him at sunrise! I thought, shaking my head slowly as I continued to stare back at Thornclaw. But I suppose that I'm not complaining at all.

There was clearly more to this tom, and more than he was originally willing to show, than what met the eye. And even though he seems more open-minded to me being here, he's clearly still trying to test me... I realized, my eyes narrowing as I smirked. He wants me to prove myself to him, and I'm going to.

I then abruptly stopped in my tracks. Just as soon as I take a little stretch and yawn again.

Thornclaw soon noticed that I had stopped, and simply watched with narrowed eyes as I stretched out my forepaws and let my jaws widen into another yawn. "Hm, too tired to hunt?"

There was that testing again – I could read it through Thornclaw so easily already.

So, I quickly stood back up, shaking my head enthusiastically. "Nope!" I answered before shaking out my fur. "I'm just fine!"

I then ran forward so that I was almost walking beside the tabby tom. If you can take little teasing jabs at me, I'm going to have a go at taking them at you! "Well, what about you, you tough, early-rising warrior?" I purred quietly as he led me through the ThunderClan camp entrance. "Aren't you tired at all from having to get up this early?"

I looked back at Thornclaw to see him giving me a small, sheepish shrug. "Well, to be honest," he began to reply, "this isn't exactly new for me."

I couldn't help but widen my eyes with amazement as we then made our way into the forest and began to walk through the trees side by side. "No way!" I breathed. "Really? You've gotten up this early more than once?"

"I like to when I can," Thornclaw answered, his whiskers beginning to twitch once again, as if he were amused by my surprise. "Brambleclaw picks me for the dawn patrol quite often..."

I then couldn't help but purr as he seemed to lift up his chin with pride. "But even when he doesn't, I like to be on call, and be prepared for any of my Clanmates' needs that must be tended to."

I actually felt my heart lifting with the tom's words, and I found that I was staring back at him with immense admiration hearing about his dedication to his Clan. "That's... that's so thoughtful of you," I meowed warmly. "Does it always feel worth it to get up that early for your Clanmates?"

Thornclaw nodded, his eyes continuing to glow with pride. "No doubt about it," he answered. I then raised my eyebrows as he seemed to hesitate for a moment before leaning in towards me, his muzzle close to my ear. "And I have to admit that getting first pick of the fresh-kill pile isn't too bad, either."

I burst into laughter at those words. "I'm sure that's infinitely worth it!" I purred, then letting out a sigh. "But goodness, it's sure going to take me a while to get used to getting up with the sun like this. How do you manage it?"

I raised my eyebrows with intrigue once again as Thornclaw let out a snort, flashing me a half-exasperated, half-amused look. "Oh, when I was an apprentice, Mousefur would have me up earlier than this," he breathed, shaking his head slowly. "Sometimes it felt like she watched for moonhigh, waited a few moments, and then ran back to the apprentices den to wake me up just heartbeats after I'd gone to sleep!"

I continued to purr with amusement as Thornclaw told his story. "Oh, wow, what a mentor she was..." the tabby tom then murmured, his eyes wide. "Sometimes I'm not sure how I got through my apprenticeship in one piece!"

I flicked my ears, sniffing. "Oh, dear... that's reassuring!" I joked, causing Thornclaw to actually purr with amusement as well. I then gave the tom a light nudge, and I was actually surprised that I felt comfortable enough to even give the gesture. "And even though she clearly did something right in your apprenticeship, that totally seems like a Mousefur move."

With my words, Thornclaw glanced at the ground shyly for just a moment. "Ah, well..." He then looked back up at me, looking amused and confused at the same time. "But how can you tell that that would be a Mousefur move? You only met her yesterday!"

I simply gave the tom a sharp nod. "Precisely."

Thornclaw then let out another purr of amusement. "I have to say, that doesn't surprise me one bit," he meowed, his voice full of laughter.

I then was surprised yet again as he glanced down at the ground once more, then looking back up at me to reveal shy, yet mischievous and teasing eyes. "So..." he began hesitantly. "Was she the cat that stuck out to you most yesterday, then?"

Interesting... not bad at all, but interesting...

As I felt my stomach begin to flutter – not for the first time that morning, might I add – I narrowed my eyes back at Thornclaw. "Hm, who's asking?" I purred, tilting my head to the side. "The tom that threw a hissy-fit as soon as soon as he laid eyes on me?"

I continued to purr with amusement as I watched Thornclaw let out a huff and roll his eyes – definitely not a shocking response, considering I was teasing him about his initial behavior towards me the day before. "Oh, please!" he muttered. "Hissy-fit is a strong word."

"Ah, so you admit that it was some form of a hissy-fit, just on a different level!" I continued to tease, lightly touching the tip of my tail to Thornclaw's shoulder.

Although the golden brown tabby tom's gaze was sharp as he looked back at me, the amusement that was also there was clear. "Hey, even if there was a so-called 'hissy-fit', as you so immaturely like to call it, it didn't last long, did it?"

I looked away from Thornclaw and gave a small shrug. "Long enough to where I could call it a hissy-fit."

"Great StarClan," Thornclaw breathed, and I looked back towards him to see him rolling his pale blue eyes once again.

But then, they seemed to slowly wash over with guilt. "But... I suppose that I've been a bit tough on you, haven't I?"

I immediately flashed the tom a reassuring look, not wanting him to feel even one single twinge of shame. Yes, his initial hostility threw me off at first, but he has all the right to be wary of random cats that his Clanmates bring in from the forest, and even though his behavior had already changed significantly since then, I understood it completely. "Hey, it's okay! Really," I tried to meow comfortingly to Thornclaw, putting the tip of my tail on his shoulder and holding his gaze. "Look at you now – you're taking me out on my first hunting trip, and you barely know me!"

Thornclaw's eyes seemed to be glowing with genuine appreciation and warmth as he looked back at me. At least, for the one moment he was able to look back at me. It was only a couple of heartbeats before his eyes flitted back towards the ground. "Ha, I suppose so," he murmured. "But... I mean..."

He then slowly raised his head to meet my gaze again, his gaze revealing wariness. "I..." he then hesitantly went on. "I hope that that can change?"

I felt my stomach flipping upside down once more, and I found that my heart's beating pace began to quicken. "Oh, yeah?" I nearly whispered. I then found that I was comfortable enough to take a step to my side, closer to Thornclaw. "Are you this kind to every cat that you first meet?"

The tom flashed me another teasing look. "Hm, it depends," he murmured, narrowing his eyes. "Maybe I was just annoyed to death by all of your kindness, and I had to give into you."

I let out a snort. "Hm... I can't tell if that was supposed to be a compliment or not," I purred in reply. And then, after the two of us shared another purr of amusement, I held Thornclaw's gaze once again and meowed more softly, "Either way, I really, really appreciate the gesture."

This time, Thornclaw didn't look away, and he meowed to me just as softly, "Of course."

And for yet another moment, we kept our gazes right where they were, and I found that there wasn't the least bit of tension left between our two pairs of eyes anymore.

I mean, that had been the case this entire morning, I suppose. The latter part of our conversation yesterday really had set things up for how things were going to go this morning. The conversation has felt so comfortable... it's as if I've been speaking to a cat I've known for moons, and yet... I then shook my head, so softly that I'm sure Thornclaw wouldn't notice. Goodness, there really is way, way more to this cat than what I first saw of him yesterday, and I continue to be amazed by it.

Then, after a few heartbeats, I shyly looked away from Thornclaw's alluring blue eyes. And as I heard Thornclaw let out a purr, my heart continued to fill with warmth as I continued to realize just how excited for this hunting trip I was.

I then looked back up at Thornclaw, my pawsteps light as we continued to make our way through the forest. "So, where are we going to hunt?" I asked eagerly.

Thornclaw twitched his whiskers back at me. "We're hunting here in the forest," he purred. "What, do you think that we just sit here and wait for the prey to leap into our jaws?"

"Well, no..." I admitted. "But that'd be neat, wouldn't it?"

The tabby tom purred with amusement at my words. "Neat, and... unfortunately only fantasy out here in the forest."

I nodded in understanding with those words, already knowing very well that being a wild cat meant that I couldn't exactly get everything I wanted... when I wanted – food, drink, it was now all up to me to obtain it. "Well, it will take some getting used to for sure, but that's okay!" I reassured myself as much as Thornclaw.

I then gave the tom another nudge. "You're going to help me learn, right?"

I then narrowed my eyes with confusion as Thornclaw seemed to hesitate. "Well, I'm certainly going to try, but..."

I tilted my head to the side. "But what?"

"Well..."

"What? I pressed to Thornclaw, my voice full of laughter.

Thornclaw then finally shrugged after leaving me hanging for a few heartbeats, letting his gaze flit around the forest. "Well, let's put it this way," he began, "You can try and get a hedgehog to fly, but you very well know that it's probably not going to happen."

I let out a gasp, pretending to be immensely offended. "Hey!"

Thornclaw's gaze immediately warmed, and he let out yet another purr as he flicked my ear with his tail. "I'm kidding," he reassured me. "You're right – it will take some getting used to, but you're going to be fine. All it takes is following my directions, and keeping in mind that you need to be aware of everything around you."

He then took one large glance around the forest, giving a flick of his tail to the trees surrounding us. "And in a forest, that's quite a bit!"

"I don't disagree with you there!" I purred, following the tom's pale blue gaze to look up at the trees in awe. Wow... "It's all absolutely beautiful, though," I then breathed. "Goodness, I could sit here and stare up at the trees for moons and moons! I've never gotten to see so many at once..."

Thornclaw seemed genuinely surprised by my words, giving a single flick of his ears. "Really?" he inquired, his eyes glowing with interest. "Was the view really so terrible at your Twoleg nest?"

I gave the tom yet another light nudge. "Well, I'm sure you'd think so!" And after the tom let out a snort, I gave him my genuine answer. "And... I suppose that it could have been a lot worse. My yard was pretty, and it had bright green, soft grass with so many beautiful flowers, but..."

I then let out a sigh as I fell deep into memories. "Nothing beat the view from the top of my fence," I went on, then letting out a sniff as I looked back at Thornclaw. "Well, nothing except actually being beyond the fence!"

Although everything I was talking about was surely foreign to Thornclaw, I was surprised to see that he genuinely seemed to be listening, his eyes sparkling as he looked back at me. Just as they did when looked at me yesterday... "I see," he replied. "Is being beyond the fence everything you imagined it would be?"

I shook my head slowly in amazement, my words being as true as anything I'd ever said in my life. "It's already so much better," I whispered before letting out another sigh, sitting down and looking back up at the trees. "You're so lucky, Thornclaw, getting to be born in a place like this."

Thornclaw walked up to sit next to me. "I have to admit, there's nothing like it," he whispered back to me. He then tried to meet my gaze. "But hey, better late than never, right?"

Before I could even reply to Thornclaw, I raised my eyebrows in surprise as I watched him flick his ears. "Great StarClan, you know what else is late?" he then murmured, his eyes wide with amazement.

I almost wanted to knead my paws in anticipation. "What?"

"Well... we're here in the forest so that you can learn how to hunt..." Thornclaw answered, his voice full of laughter as he shook his head. "But we haven't even done any hunting yet!"

I let out a gasp, taking a glance up at the sky to see that dawn was already well past, and the sun was peaking out from the trees already. Gee, I didn't even realize... I thought. We've just been talking, and it's been so... so great; I'd almost forgotten about hunting!

"Oh my goodness, we haven't!" I then exclaimed. "So much for getting up early, huh?"

To my surprise, Thornclaw didn't seem phased by the revelation he'd just made, and he simply gave a nonchalant shrug. "Hm, oh well," he murmured.

My heart then nearly skipped a beat as our gazes locked once again, and Thornclaw murmured hesitantly, "I wouldn't say that the time was wasted at all. Would you?"

I stared warmly back at him, so happy that he was echoing my own thoughts. "You were thinking that too?" I purred in reply. "Thank StarClan."

Once again, it seemed almost impossible to look anywhere else until finally Thornclaw's shimmering eyes seemed to flash with surprise, and I couldn't help but purr as I watched him then shut them, shake his head quickly, and clear his throat. "Great. Yes... t-that's great..." he then stammered as he straightened himself up. "But yes, anyway – hunting..."

I couldn't help but continue to look warmly back at him as he led me to the nearby clearing. "Yes," I whispered. "Hunting."

Chapter 2

Once we had arrived to the place ThunderClan had deemed the "training hollow", Thornclaw proceeded to teach me all of the rules of hunting, and I had listened with incredible interest, and so much fear and excitement had risen inside of me all at once as he listed off all of the different things a hunter had to watch out for – the distance you were from the prey, whether or not you're facing the wind, watching for leaves and sticks that might make noises when you step on them...

And after Thornclaw gave me some reassurance that all of that would become second nature, he then began to teach me the hunter's crouch. And just as he had told me to do earlier, I tried to follow every single direction that he gave me, making sure that I didn't miss anything at all.

And gee, it took some explaining and demonstration, alright, but eventually...

I got very close.

And luckily Thornclaw seemed to be thinking the same thing as he stared intently back at me, watching as I attempted to get into the position. "You're almost there," he meowed thoughtfully before padding up to me and setting a paw on my back. "Hold on, don't move – you're so close."

I then did as I was told, letting him gently lower my haunches. I then looked back up at him to see him giving me a nod of approval. "That's it right there, Lilypaw," he meowed to me, backing away. "If you get into that position to pounce, and you're confident in what you're pursuing, it shouldn't ever fail you."

I gave the golden brown tabby tom a nod, then shifting myself just a bit in order to become acclimated to the strange stance. "Okay..." I murmured, slowly and steadily getting used to it. "Okay!"

I then excitedly stood up, luckily growing a bit more confident in my abilities. "I think I can manage that. Thank you!"

Thornclaw then narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side. "Hm, can you?" he murmured, his gaze teasing. "Well, we'll see about that."

I let out a small huff and shook my head slowly, holding back a mrrow of laughter. "Why, you..." I purred before proceeding to flick the tom's ear and pad out deeper into the forest. "Oh, I'll show you!"

I could hear Thornclaw's purr of amusement behind me as I came to a stop in the middle of the forest, already beginning to apply what the golden brown tabby tom had just taught me moments ago. I lifted my head and gaped my mouth open in an attempt to catch wind of anything close by.

And conveniently enough, just as the wonderful scent of prey had flooded through my nose, I caught sight of a small shrew just a little ways ahead of me. Holy bricks and sticks, here we go...

I then had to take a deep breath as I began to creep towards the tiny creature. Here we go...

Luckily, I hadn't run into any leaves or small twigs along the way by the time I lowered down into a crouch, but nevertheless, I felt just as discombobulated and terrified as I would be if everything had gone wrong.

And I could feel Thornclaw's gaze burning into me as I finally decided to pounce, using all of my strength in my back legs to leap forward.

But I felt my heart immediately sink as I already could deduce that I'd fallen short.

And sure enough, I plopped back onto the ground just about a tail-length in front of the shrew, and all I could do was watch as it let out an alarmed squeak and pelted from sight. Gosh-darn it!

"Aw, shoot!" I sighed, rolling onto my back and staring up at the sunlight breaking through the leaves above me. "I think I came out worser-off than the shrew, and that's not what's supposed to happen."

Thornclaw quickly ran over to me and nosed me up. "Hey, that's okay," he encouraged me, watching me as I got back up onto my paws. "Honestly, I think that you did very well for your first try. I could see it in your eyes – you were just doubting yourself, that's all."

He then flicked my ears with his tail, his gaze reassuring. "And you don't need to be."

My ears grew hot with those words, and I had to look away for a moment. "Aw, thank you," I purred, my heart already welling up with a new hope. Thornclaw was right, and I was honestly surprised that he'd been able to read me so well. "Can I try again?"

Thornclaw gave a nod. "Of course you can," he meowed. And just a moment later, he flicked his ears, and his nose just barely twitched. "And I think you're about to get your opportunity right now..."

I raised my chin and gaped my mouth open, quickly catching what I figured Thornclaw was referring to. "Ah, yes, I am!" I whispered, turning back around towards the trees. "Wish me luck!"

Almost immediately after I had turned around, I could clearly see the small, round body of a mouse sniffing at a leaf next to some brambles.

I closed my eyes for a moment, and then slowly began to slither towards the creature once again. You followed Thornclaw's directions, and you're going to be aware of everything around you...

I then took another, very quiet deep breath as I crouched down. You've got this, Lily. Thornclaw's right – you don't need to doubt yourself.

I then pushed my back paws off of the ground once again. Go!

I could feel my heart pounding like it never had before as I flew through the air for a moment, even sending a prayer to StarClan, who I now knew to be the Clan's warrior ancestors, before outstretching my front paws.

And my goodness, did I feel more satisfaction than I would've ever thought possible when I felt my claws sink into fur. And I couldn't help but let out an excited gasp as I then slashed across its body, giving the mouse a killing blow.

"Oh my goodness!" I then exclaimed, leaping up to my paws and grabbing my catch to carry in my jaws. I then hopped up and down excitedly as I ran up to meet Thornclaw. "Thornclaw, I did it!" I meowed, that meow then being followed by a squeal. "I actually caught a piece of prey! A piece of prey that one of our Clanmates will be able to eat!"

Thornclaw's eyes seemed to reflect the same amount of excitement and pride that I felt. "Yes, you did!" he purred as well. He then gave me a wink. "And as much as it sickens me to admit it, you did it very, very well."

"That's good enough for me!" I replied excitedly, followed by another squeal as I ran up to Thornclaw, not being able to help touching my nose to his as gratitude for the tom welled up inside of me. "Thank you so, so much, Thornclaw. I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to do this with me."

I then pulled away, all of my thoughts from the morning beginning to spill out of me. "You've been so kind and patient, and it's been so fun, and..." I then looked up to the sky, and I felt my heart slightly sink as I realized that the sun was now approaching the middle of the sky; we were going to have to return to camp very soon. And... for some reason that really disappoints me?

I then looked back down, letting out a sigh. "Great StarClan, I wish that it wasn't over."

To be honest, I wasn't sure in the slightest how Thornclaw would respond to those words, but I was both shocked and relieved to look up at him and find tender pale blue eyes. "Of course, Lilypaw. It was my pleasure, really, and..." He then gave a small shrug, and my heart began to flutter as I hoped he'd say what I wanted him to say. "I, well... I wish that it wasn't over, either."

And my heart seemed to grow even lighter as I watched his eyes brighten, and he gave a sharp flick of his ears. "But who says that we can't do it again?"

I gasped, taking a step closer to the tom. "Really?" I nearly exclaimed. "You want to do this again?"

"Why not?" Thornclaw meowed warmly, almost seeming amused by my enthusiasm. He then leaned his head in towards me, cocking an eyebrow. "I'd say that it's a must, if you ask me."

I nearly began to knead my paws into the ground. "I couldn't agree more!" I meowed cheerfully, reflecting his same expression. "We clearly have some unfinished business, Thornclaw – you still have way more to tell me about your own interesting apprenticeship with Mousefur, and how she made you into the hissy-fit tom that you are today, right?"

Thornclaw let out a mrrow of laughter at my words. "Oh, fine! I suppose we can discuss something along those lines," he purred, then giving me a nudge. "And maybe you can tell me some more about what you've always found so interesting about life beyond that fence and that little flower-flitted yard of yours, and the moment that you realized that you were out of your mind for staying there!"

I rolled my eyes, but simultaneously let out a purr. "It's a deal," I concluded. It already can't get here fast enough!

I then began to slow down in our travel back to camp, my mouse still in my mouth. "But hey..."

Thornclaw also slowed his pace, looking at me intently. "Yeah?"

"Why wait for another hunting trip?" I asked the golden brown tabby tom, coming to a stop so that I could face him. "It's getting a little later, and I'm getting a bit hungry, so..."

I slowly began to well up with apprehension and nerves with what I was about to say, but nevertheless, I powered through and forced myself to continue. "Maybe we could..." I continued to stammer. "Well, would you maybe want to share a meal with a former kittypet?"

I looked back up at Thornclaw from where I'd glanced at the ground to find that his pale blue eyes were practically glowing as he stared back at me. "Earlier yesterday, likely not..." he admitted. "But now..."

He then briefly touched his nose to my ear. "Well, let's just say that I thought you'd never ask," he meowed softly as he pulled away. And with those words, I was almost too touched to even speak. But luckily, Thornclaw went on. "But that mouse isn't going to be nearly enough for the two of us."

"Oh, yeah?" I questioned, tilting my head once again. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Thornclaw nodded to the small creature, then taking it in his own jaws. "We can give that to the lovely Mousefur over in the elders den," he replied. "For us, I know of a delicious, plump chaffinch already waiting for us at the fresh-kill pile."

My heart was filled with so much warmth, and I was already so excited about the extra time I'd get to spend with the ThunderClan warrior. This training and hunting trip had seemed to go by in just moments flat, and I had been so happy to hear that Thornclaw didn't want it all to end just as much as I did. "Sounds absolutely perfect," I purred to the tom before proceeding to nudge him with my tail, and letting him lead the way back to my new home.

And Great StarClan, we'd only known each other for about a day, but after our time together this morning, I could already tell that this tom was going to become one of my closest, if not my absolute closest friend in ThunderClan.