Patchpaw was stalking a mouse. Her paws landed softly on the forest floor, and a bird's call echoed through the trees. The little she-cat licked her lips as she thought of her jaws sinking into the prey.  She heard Redpetal tense behind her as she got into a hunter's crouch, ready to spring. Patchpaw leaped at the mouse, claws outstretched. She felt her claws trap the prey and bent down to give the killing bite. She picked up her prey and turned back to Redpetal. 

   "Great catch, Patchpaw!" exclaimed Redpetal. The red warrior had been her mentor for a few moons, and the mentor and apprentice were very close. She felt a purr begin to rumble in her throat as her mentor complimented her. 

   "Let's head back for the rest of the fresh-kill, shall we?" 

   Patchpaw nodded, and with a mouth full of prey, she padded back towards the SkyClan camp. The two she-cats set their catch down on the fresh-kill pile, then Patchpaw padded over to see her litter mates. Darkpaw was the first to reach her. "How did training go?" he inquired.

   Patchpaw nodded thoughtfully, "It went pretty well. Yours?" 

   Darkpaw grinned. "Cloudwhisker told me all about all the different moves of the other clans! It was so fun! You need to see Nightpaw's pouncing. She's as good as a warrior!" 

   Nightpaw padded towards them from talking to their parents, Tallwillow and Wolfshade, up behind Darkpaw, and flicked her black tail over his ear. "Mouse brain. You did just as well,"

   Darkpaw ducked his head in embarrassment, though Patchpaw knew her brother was pleased with himself. She would be too, if she had gotten a compliment from Nightpaw. 

    "You guys hungry?" Nightpaw asked. 

   Patchpaw and Darkpaw both nodded, "Hunting is hard work!"

   The trio took off towards the fresh-kill pile. Patchpaw was about her sink her teeth into the mouse she had caught, when Redpetal came over, "Have you fed the elders yet, Patchpaw?" 

   The dark she-cat flicked her apprentices' ear with her tail when Patchpaw shook her head, her mouth watering from the delicious scent of the mouse. Reluctantly the spotted she-cat gently took the fresh-kill in her jaws and trudged over to the elders den, where Greenstorm and Onetoe were sharing tongues. She dropped the prey at the elders' feet. "Would you like to share this mouse with us, Patchpaw?" 

   Patchpaw turned back towards the elders. "Sure!" she replied, and settled herself down next to Greenstorm. "I was just telling Greenstorm about the great LionClan, would you like to hear it?" asked Onetoe. 

   Patchpaw nodded eagerly, her warm green eyes trained on the pale brown tom. The story of LionClan was one of her favorite stories, and Onetoe knew it. She was very close to the old tom, even though she had to pick his ticks, and Nightpaw despised him. 

   "So you see, then Fearless Gallantpride was exiled from the pride, and then-"

   "Patchpaw! Dustystar wants us to join the evening patrol. Get over here, right now!" Redpetal called out to her apprentice. Patchpaw laid her ears flat, "Fox dung!" she muttered under her breath. 

   "Sorry, Onetoe. Maybe we could finish the story some other time?" 

  Onetoe nodded. "Coming, Redpetal," 

  Patchpaw sighed. Onetoe had just been about to get to her favorite part of the story. Realizing the patrol was leaving without her, the white, ginger, and black apprentice quickened her pace. She cast one long look back at Onetoe, who caught her gaze and gave an encouraging nod. Patchpaw perked up as a squirrel darted along her path. She immediately pounced on it. Then she scratched some loose dirt over the squirrel. Patchpaw trotted up to walk beside Redpetal, who nodded at her. "Nice catch back there, Patchpaw."

   Patchpaw beamed at her mentor. Once the patrol reached the WindClan border, she watched as Redpetal set the scent marker. A WindClan patrol wound there way through the trees. One gray warrior stared at him, his green eyes watching her every move. Patchpaw stared right back. He seemed...familiar. She shook her head. The gray tom was just a regular warrior. Nothing else. Tallwillow stepped forward to greet Graynose, who was leading the patrol. "Greetings, Graynose. How is the prey running in WIndClan?"

   She gave him a curt nod and replied, "WindClan is doing well. And SkyClan?" A hint of defiance crept into her mew, as if she thought Tallwillow was implying something. That's silly. My father would never do that she thought.

   "SkyClan is also doing well," A few WindClan warriors snickered. Patchpaw glared at them. Tallwillow raised his tail over his back,  signaling for them to leave. As Redpetal began to follow him, Patchpaw sent one more glance over her shoulder at the gray tom. He was still staring at her. Recognition marked his hazel eyes. Weird. Patchpaw shuddered. As the rest of the cats started  walking, Patchpaw drew close next to Redpetal. "Who was that gray and brown tom?" she asked.

   "That was Duskflight," her mentor replied. Patchpaw held back a hiss of annoyance. His name didn't help her much. Maybe Onetoe will know thought Patchpaw. 

   Later that night, when Patchpaw was curled up between the apprentices' den's hard bracken wall and Nightpaw's black flecked fur, her dreams were confusing. First she saw Tallwillow attacking a white and ginger she-cat. She saw herself nuzzling a handsome dark tabby tom. She saw herself, herding around three tiny, beautiful, wide-eyed kits. And finally, she saw herself old, with silver hairs tinging her muzzle, battling a huge ginger tom, and watched herself grow limp as he clawed mercilessly at her belly. Patchpaw shuddered in her sleep and Nightpaw flicked her ear with her tail. 

   Patchpaw awoke the next day to find Redpetal standing over her, prodding her with one outstretched paw. She sat up so fast that Redpetal and her heads' collided. "Took you long enough!" yowled her mentor, rubbing a paw over where Patchpaw's head had collided with her's.

   "You better get up soon, Patchpaw. We have the dawn patrol,"

   Patchpaw groaned and sat up to stretch her legs, yawing. She sighed, knowing their was no  way to avoid going on the patrol. But, as it turned out, that day the dawn patrol was quite beautiful. At the edge of the lake that lined SkyClan territory, the sunrise was fully visible to the SkyClan cats. Patchpaw gasped at the view. 

  On the way back to the bracken hollow where SkyClan made there camp, the patrol stopped to catch a few pieces of fresh-kill. Patchpaw caught a blackbird and two mice.  She stepped into the apprentices den to find Darkpaw snoring like a dead hedgehog, his dark brown tabby tail flopped across his nose. Nightpaw was stretching, her claws ripping at the mossy floor. She nodded at Darkpaw, and motioned with her elegant long black tail for them to leave the den. "Hey, Patchpaw? I heard Tallwillow and Wolfshade talking about you, I just wanted to tell you,"

Nightpaw breathed in shakily, "they said you weren't our sister,"