"Shh!" I hissed, my eyes wide with panic. "They will hear us!"

Rosepaw's look of triumph did not change. "I never thought I'll see the day when you finally became the one who disobeys orders!" she sniggered.

My pelt burned with embarrassment. "Can we talk about this another time?" I pleaded, casting frantic looks towards Sunningrocks, half expecting Strikestar to walk out and scold me with a look of disapproval on his face.

"Guess who's going to be punished!" Rosepaw continued, ignoring my words.

"At this rate, both of us will be punished!" I yowled.

The forest fell silent. I gulped, realising that my yowl probably alerted Strikestar and he was going to check it out.

I turned to Rosepaw. "We should-"

I stopped as I found out that I was talking to air. Rosepaw had already ran off.

"Frostpaw?"

I froze, bracing myself for the end as I made eye contact with the cat who spoke.

Bramblefang stared at me. "What are you doing here?"

While I was instantly relieved for a moment that it was not Strikestar, I soon realised that Bramblefang would inform Strikestar of my actions later. I could ask you the same question, but I shouldn't say that.

"I-I..." I sputtered.

The ThunderClan warrior sighed. "Whatever the reason, I have to tell Strikestar and your mentor about this," he meowed sternly.

I nodded, keeping my head low.

"Follow me back to camp. I wouldn't want you to get into more problems," he murmured.

"That is not necessary, Bramblefang."

Time to face the music. I swallowed the growing lump in my throat and slowly turned to face the ThunderClan leader.

His amber eyes revealed nothing as he dismissed Bramblefang with a wave of his tail, instructing him to head back to camp.

After Bramblefang left, I glanced at Strikestar, expecting a harsh statement.

"What you did could have ruined the meeting," Strikestar mewed calmly. "Luckily, Flowerstar trusts us enough not to suspect anything."

"I was just curious," I meowed quietly, ashamed.

"This type of curiosity gets us killed," he mewed. "I'll inform your mentor about this, and she will decide your punishment. Meanwhile, I believe you have a hunting assignment to attend."

"Y-yes, Strikestar," I mumbled, feeling my pelt burn in embarrassment for the second time that day.

Having my mood ruined, I could not concentrate well on my hunting assignment. I returned pathetically with a starved mouse and a bird with a broken wing.

All it took was one look at Streamripple's face of disapproval told me that I would have to work even harder if I wanted to pass my warrior assessment.

I was stuck with doing apprentice chores for a quarter moon as part of my punishment. Due to Fangstar's threat, Strikestar decided that I could not have my warrior training delayed any longer.

Feeling irked and ashamed, I settled on gathering moss by the roots of a great tree. The snow was unwelcoming beneath my paws as I sluggishly dug up whatever moss I could get.

Carrying the freezing balls of moss in my jaws, I turned to return to camp. As I neared a bush lined with frost, I caught a glimpse of a russet pelt.

A fox! I realised, slowly backing off. I had been so distracted that I didn't scent the danger right in front of me.

My hopes were dashed as the fox noticed my presence. It advanced with a snarl and leapt towards me.

I stumbled backwards, the moss dropping out of my jaws. In its haste, the fox crashed into the bush, its fangs tearing the leaves off.

I took the chance to sprint off, only to barrel into a cat with a spotted pelt.

"Watch it!" Spottedpaw yelped, shaking the snow off her pelt.

"What's wrong, Frostpaw?" Cinderflame, Spottedpaw's mentor, asked.

"There's a fox in our territory," I informed the yellowish pelted tom. "In the direction I just came from."

"Is your mentor nearby?"

"No, Streamripple is on a patrol," I meowed with a pang of fear. One warrior and two inexperienced apprentices were not enough to handle a full grown fox.

Cinderflame nodded. "Frostpaw, find the hunting patrol. I saw them near the Sandy Hollow. I will lure the fox away from the camp."

"What about me?" Spottedpaw's eyes were wide with fear.

"Go with Frostpaw," her mentor instructed.

There was no time to waste. Without waiting for Spottedpaw, I ran towards the Sandy Hollow. She will catch up.

I pushed all other thoughts out of my mind, focused on finding the patrol. Multiple pawprints on the snow confirmed that a patrol did pass by, and recently too.

Somehow, I managed to find a scent and followed it. I found Woodspots climbing down a tree with a dead bird in his jaws.

"Woodspots!" I yowled. "There is a fox heading towards the camp. Cinderflame is luring it away."

The ThunderClan deputy looked surprised, but he reacted immediately, calling the other members of his patrol promptly. They must have been hunting nearby.

After burying his prey in the snowy ground, Woodspots turned to me. "Lead the way."

However, before we could make a move, a sharp cry of help pierced through the frosty air.

"Spottedpaw!"

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After months of the book being on hold, I'm back with another chapter. Exams have finally ended for me and I hope to resume updates every Friday.

I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, and do leave comments about what you think might happen next. :)