A/N: Hey guys! Thank you all so much for the recent support on my warriors fanfic! :) I'm glad you guys all seemed to like it. I love reading all your comments! <3

      Luna wove her way through the forest, her pawsteps silent as the soft grass tickled her paws. She narrowed her eyes, staying hidden in the shadows. She peeked through the dark grass blades, the smell of pine and moss causing her to sigh happily. 

     Underneath a shaft of sunlight, Luna could make out the figure of a young tom with black spotted fur and grey-tipped ears. The tom, Silver, sat on a log in the clearing, his tail tucked neatly on his paws. His parents, Snow and Caramel, had joined Luna and her mother many moons ago, when Luna was barely a moon old. Since they were kits, they had rolled around in the warmth of their den, learning battle moves from Silver's father, Snow. 

      Silver's ears were pricked, muscles tense as his sharp blue eyes scanned the trees. Luna froze when his gaze seemed to linger on the bush she was hiding under, and she let out a soft sigh of relief when his eyes passed over her. 

     Luna saw him flick his tail, his eyes scanning the bushes on the other side.  She crept forward, making sure to stay downwind like Snow had taught them in the morning so he couldn't scent her. Her black paws expertly avoided the sharp branches, even though her eyes were fixed on the silver tom rather than the ground. She was just a few fox-lengths away now. Luna's tongue swept over her muzzle, her paws twitching in anticipation before she flew at Silver with a teasing hiss. 

    She was careful to keep her claws sheathed, so when she landed on him, there was only a dull thud and an outraged cry from Silver. 

   "I should've seen you," he yowled, laughter dancing in his eyes. "Hmph. I knew you would try something like that. Your stalking skills are getting better, Luna," he meowed, purring.

    "Do you think I'll be able to stalk a thunderpath monster one day?" Luna asked, her eyes shining with excitement as she let out a mrrow of laughter. 

    "Why do you call them 'thunderpath monsters'?" Silver asked her, his head tilted. His eyes were inquisitive, holding no sign of mocking or cruelty.

     The calico she-cat sniffed, raising her head. "My mother calls them that, " she said. 

    Silver purred. "Well then, I suppose your skills are good enough to catch one. Though I can probably catch two." He purred and stretched his tail, showing off the powerful muscles' he'd built from training with Snow. The white tom that was Silver's father was extremely strict with training, constantly telling them to work harder on their battle moves, in case their group faced an attack. 

     Amusement danced in Silver's eyes as he batted Luna lightly with his paw, before resting a tail on her shoulder. 

     Luna licked her white chest fur. "I doubt it. Although, thanks for practising with me" she said, shifting her paws. She glanced around the sun-filled forest, remembering with a purr the last time she'd been here. It'd been barely two moons ago when she was watching the stars. Now, she'd grown older and leaner, able to run longer distances and hunt for her mother and Marble, as well as the new kits that had just arrived a moon ago. Dawn took care of them when they went hunting or scavenging for two-leg scraps.

    She winced when she thought about her mother, Dawn. Her mother had grown progressively weaker as the moons passed, and instead of running through the forest with Luna, she stayed in her den. Luna's tail sliced through the air, her ears twitching with concern as she paced the floor. She was only dimly aware of Silver, who was talking about hunting. The young she-cat closed her eyes briefly. It had been a few moons ago, but she'd been sure that she had seen a memory of her mother's; a personal one, when she was just a young kit. But the memory was dull now, and Luna wasn't sure whether it had just been a whisper of her imagination, or something more...

    Ice gripped her heart when a thought struck her, making her shiver even under the warm sunlight of new-leaf. What if her strange powers were somehow the cause of her mother's illness?  What if she had accidentally made her mother sick?

    Luna tried to push aside her worries, realizing that her claws had been digging into the dirt. Sharp gouges were scratched onto the soft soil, and Luna winced. Silver tilted his head, staring at her in confusion.

     "Are you alright?" he asked, concern in his grey eyes.

     "I'm fine," Luna replied brusquely, turning away. 

     Luna was just about to suggest for him to try stalking her so she could work on her scenting and tracking skills when Marble's sharp yowl echoed through the forest, followed by pounding footsteps. 

     Before Luna could speak, a streak of white rushed into the clearing. Marble skidded to a stop, her flanks heaving as she bounded up to Luna. Silver exchanged an expression of confusion with Luna, and she pressed her muzzle to Marble's, steading the Queen. 

    "What is it?" she asked frantically. "Is it the kits?" Marble's kits had arrived half a moon ago, though they had seemed healthy and strong. 

    "No," She said, fighting for breath. Her eyes were wild as she panted. "It's your mother. I think she's really sick."