Mousepaw retrieved her catches as the cats began heading back to the camp. She held the frogs in her mouth while the squirrels and rats laid on her back. None of the warriors or apprentices spoke to her. The apprentices still seemed scared, but tried their best to look brave.

"How was hunting?" Smoothpaw asked as they entered the camp. The warriors headed for a big pile of dead prey and threw their catches on to it.

"We saw her again." Goldenpaw reported through the rats in her teeth.

"What?" Smoothpaw got to his paws and his cool exterior vanished.

"We'll tell you when we're done." Crazypaw assured as he and Goldenpaw headed for the pile.

Mousepaw dropped her catches and grabbed an adder. She looked over to where a kit had peaked its head out, but was drawn quickly back inside. Mousepaw made her way to the den and when she looked in she saw two queens with five kits playing.

"Uh, I brought some fresh-kill..." Mousepaw spoke through the adder in her jaws.

"Just drop it there," one queen with a silver coat and light green eyes hissed, pointing to a corner with her tail, "just because we're queens don't expect us to be kind!"

Mousepaw glared at tge queen as she threw the adder to the side and stormed out the nursery. She then grabbed a rat and headed for what looked like the elder's den. Four ageing cats were either talking or sleeping.

"Here's your food!" She spat the rat to their paws and stormed out.

"Mousepaw?" She looked up to see Coldeye come in to the camp with a flower in his jaws. "Is everything alright?"

"Peachy!" Mousepaw shot, then made her way to the fresh-kill pile.

"You're not eating yet!" Ravenclaw hissed before Mousepaw could grab a starling.

"Why not?" Mousepaw looked to her mentor.

"We need to do battle training!" Ravenclaw answered.

"Dodge will you!" Ravenclaw ordered as Mousepaw fought Smoothpaw again, this time with claws sheathed.

"Would you shut up already!" Mousepaw yowled as she pounced on Smoothpaw. They rolled around until he was on top and she kicked him off. Mousepaw then sprang over and pinned him down.

"You need to dodge just as much as attack!" Ravenclaw shouted as Mousepaw climbed off Smoothpaw. The slick apprentice got to his paws and spat at Mousepaw before stepping up to his mentor, Blackclaw, a black she-cat with light green eyes.

"What's wrong, Ravenclaw?" Blackclaw purred. "Can't control your apprentice?"

"You need to learn to listen!" Ravenclaw instructed angrily, ignoring the she-cat. "If this was real battle you'd be bleeding to death!"

"I don't need you to tell me what to do!" Mousepaw retorted.

"I'm your mentor, whatever I say you do as you're told!" Ravenclaw spat.

"I don't want to be here in the first place!" Mousepaw yowled.

"Then leave!" Ravenclaw demanded.

"Enough!" the leader, Jumbledstar, a ruffled dark grey tom with one amber eye and a green eye pounced out with Frogstump and Coldeyes. "Blackclaw, Smoothpaw, get back to camp!" The two were still. "Now!" They pelted off leaving Ravenclaw and Mousepaw with the leader, medicine cat and his apprentice.

"What is the meaning of this?" Jumbledstar demanded.

"This ratty little kit isn't meant to be a warrior!" Ravenclaw announced. "She can't be the cat we need!"

"She is!" Frogstump stomped his forepaw. "The sooner we accept this the sooner Silversol is gone forever!"

"Get it through your thick heads!" Mousepaw yowled. "I'm a kittypet and I always will!" She began to head toward the stone wall where her real home awaited, but was stopped by Coldeyes who got in front of her.

"If we don't make her into a warrior, loyal to ShadowClan, who's fault will it be when those kits die?" Frogstump seethed.

Mousepaw turned to look at the medicine cat as Ravenclaw lowered his head. "What are you talking about?"

"Silversol kills kits and queens," Coldeyes explained, "she's killed too many to count, some who never even opened their eyes, Ravenclaw should understand this more than any cat." The medicine cat apprentice looked through narrowed eyes to the black warrior.

"Why?" Mousepaw feared the answer, but she wanted to know exactly why she was needed so badly by ShadowClan.

"Because Silversol killed his mate and unborn kits." Jumbledstar answered.