The forest hummed with the noise of countless song birds and tiny, furry creatures. In the ShadowClan camp, the cats had gathered around Bonestar for a special ceremony.

"From this day forward, your name will be Smokepaw! And I, Bonestar, will be your mentor!"

Smokepaw's chest swelled with pride as her father stooped down to touch noses with her. Her Clanmates joyously called out her new name, "Smokepaw! Smokepaw! Smokepaw!"

Tornsky, the deputy, dipped his head to the new apprentice. "Hopefully Bonestar doesn't go too easy on you," he teased. His orange and black fur shivered as he let out a breezy laugh.

Bonestar shouldered him away, his eyes like daggers as he glared at Tornsky. "I will train her to be the best warrior ShadowClan has ever seen," he grunted.

The other apprentices, Hivepaw and Shadepaw, slid forward from the crowd. Smokepaw exchanged a friendly purr with them both. "It'll be nice to have someone new in the apprentice den. Hivepaw snores," Shadepaw giggled.

Hivepaw snorted angrily beside her. "And you don't?" he retorted. Shadepaw crouched down, her haunches wiggles behind her. Hivepaw got into a similar stance, his eyes narrowed at Shadepaw.

But just as they were about to leap, their mentors padded over. Smokepaw tried to remember their names. The black tom is Slimepelt, and the orange she-cat is Goldenbreeze, she reminded herself.

Slimepelt hovered close beside Shadepaw, their similarly colored pelts seemed to blend into each other. "Bonestar had wanted us to lead a hunting patrol," he explained, "hopefully this time you'll actually catch something."

Smokepaw noticed his gaze was fixed on Hivepaw. Goldenbreeze snorted, her tail flicked in contempt. "Like Shadepaw can hunt any better," she sneered.

Bonestar cleared his throat and his tail twitched irritably at his side. The two warriors both looked over at him. "I expect you two to act civilized," he growled, "you're supposed to be setting an example for Hivepaw and Shadepaw."

Slimepelt narrowed his eyes while Goldenbreeze replied, "Of course, Bonestar."

As the other warriors dispersed and went on with their daily duties, Starlingsong padded forward. Her eyes glowed with pride for her kit. "Is Bonestar going to take you out for your first patrol?" she asked gently.

Smokepaw looked up in excitement at her father. "I get to see the territory?" she squeaked.

Bonestar's whiskers twitched with amusement. "Of course you'll see the territory! That's the first thing you must learn," he purred. Smokepaw tried to imagine what the lake would look like. She had only ever seen puddles, gathered in the camp clearing after a hard rain.

Starlingfeather loved to tell Smokepaw stories that pertained to the lake. The adventures she had, the memories she shared with her Clanmates. She remembered a particularly cheery tale, of when Starlingfeather and Bonestar snuck away from camp and went for a swim in the massive body of water.

She was snapped from her thoughts as Bonestar swept his white tail across her muzzle. "You better be paying attention! We are leaving now," he ordered.

Starlingfeather leaned forward with a throaty purr. She licked Smokepaw's forehead, right between her ears. "You'll have to tell me all about it once you get back."

"I will!" Smokepaw chirped as Bonestar began to lead her away towards the camp entrance. She mentally braced herself for what the forest would look like. What sort of smells will there be? What kind of prey are out there?

Bonestar remained quiet as he slid out of the entrance and padded out into ShadowClan territory. Smokepaw gazed about in wonder, taking note of the hearty pine trees and the boggy, peat smell of the ground beneath her paws.

Just as she felt her paws were about to soak through from the damp mud, they arrived to a dirt clearing. It was ringed with pine trees, and riddled with long tendrils of ivy. Bonestar flicked his tail, drawing her attention to the center of the space. "This is where ShadowClan typically come to practice their fighting moves, or to practice their shadow shifting techniques," he explained.

Smokepaw scanned the tiny, barren oasis. It was a welcome change from the endless marsh. And she could see, the earth was riddled with claw marks. Most likely from two warriors having a mock battle.

Bonestar padded to the far end of the space, his tail held erect. "Now we will head to the RiverClan border," he informed her as she rushed over to his side.

RiverClan, the cats who control the water. She had heard stories of them. Mostly about how they could twist and bend the water at their will. "I want you to stay close. RiverClan are always looking for a reason to launch an attack."

A shiver passed over Smokepaw's fur. She couldn't imagine RiverClan trying to attack them for simply traveling along the border. But there's a lot I don't know, she realized.

The pair set off, once more turning their paws onto marshy terrain. The trek to the border took a lot longer than she expected. It felt like they had walked for an eternity. The landscape had been marred with swamp-like puddles and rotting trees. Bull frogs croaked in warning as they padded by. But, soon the air was filled with the scent of pure, crisp water. The wilted trees parted to reveal a grassy bank at the edge of a thin, winding stream.

Smokepaw raced to the tree line and stuck her nose straight into the air. "Mmm... it smells so good out here," she purred. The refreshing breeze brought the smell of lush grass and damp, muddy sand. She noticed that the bank was bare of trees, with only shrubs and tall reeds for shelter.

"This is our border with RiverClan," Bonestar instructed as they ventured further out into the open. The dew laden grass swept over Smokepaw's gray tabby fur. The bubbling of the brook became more apparent as they approached the stream's shore. Smokepaw glanced down the steep bank and watched as the shallow waters swept by on their journey downstream.

"Be careful," he warned, "when wielded by a RiverClan warrior, the water can be dangerous."

Smokepaw barely heard his remark. It was like the soft gurgle of the water had filled her ears. She turned on her paws and started to walk a little further down the side of the bank. Bonestar followed a few rabbit hops behind, his head low. His gaze monitored their surroundings, ready to intervene if something were to go amiss.

But there was no dangers in sight. This stream is so peaceful, Smokepaw thought wistfully. "Why can't we have streams like this in ShadowClan?" she asked. 

Bonestar flicked the tip of his tail as he responded. "We don't live near the rivers or streams. ShadowClan were meant to live in the shade shrouded marsh lands." His answer didn't satisfy her question. Surely, ShadowClan would benefit to have its own streams. Then we wouldn't have to rely on dew and rain puddles for fresh water. Smokepaw came to a stop near the crumbling edge of the bank and turned to look down at its crystal clear water.

"Would RiverClan share their stream with us?" she wondered. She heard Bonestar chuckle as he came to sit at her side.

"Shiftstar would sooner rip the fur from her skin before she willingly allowed us access to her water," Bonestar growled. 

Smokepaw curled her tail around to cover her paws. She hadn't imagined that the Clan leaders had been so cruel towards each other. And it was normal. "I'm going down to the water," Smokepaw mewed as she extended a paw to step down towards the water's edge.

Bonestar didn't object. He had turned his attention to the opposite shore, where the territory was shrouded with dense foliage. As Smokepaw took the last few paw steps down to the stream, she let her paws slip into the cool waters. It felt wonderful on her tired paws.

But just as she was about to turn back towards the raised bank, a new scent wafted over her. It smelled like mud, and the musty tang of fish. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. 

"Hello?" a soft voice drifted to her from a few more paces downstream. Smokepaw looked up to see if Bonestar had heard, but she could not see him over the lip of earth that shielded her from view. Smokepaw crouched low and started to inch towards the voice.

As she neared, a pair of icy blue eyes flashed behind a clump of leafy reeds. Smokepaw jumped and gasped in surprise as a young RiverClan cat pushed his muzzle out to sniff at her. He looked to be the size of an apprentice, but one who had seen atleast a couple moons of training. She noticed his silver and black pelt didn't just reek of fish, but also carried the faint scent of crushed leaves and juicy berries.

"I didn't think I'd see any ShadowClan cats here today," the RiverClan apprentice whispered. Smokepaw glanced back towards Bonestar, who now stood and was pacing along the bank towards them. She turned back to the tom and nudged him with her nose.

"If you go now, Bonestar won't see you," she urged. But it was too late. She fell back in surprise as Bonestar leaned down, quick as a flash, and grabbed the RiverClan apprentice by his scruff. He lifted him onto the bank and dropped him with a plop!

Smokepaw reared up and clawed her way back up onto the grass just in time to see Bonestar crouch down to look the apprentice in the face. "What are you doing on my territory!" he demanded.

Smokepaw scampered up to her father's side, her eyes wide. She noticed that the RiverClan tom trembled under Bonestar's aggressive stare. "I...I... Gingerleaf just wanted... he wanted me to gather watermint," he stammered in reply.

Watermint, Smokepaw knew the name sounded familiar. It was one of the herbs that Spikedflower used to help bellyache. Maybe that means he's a medicine cat, Smokepaw realized.

"Just, please don't hurt me," the apprentice squeaked. Smokepaw's heart twisted at his frightened plea. She lifted a paw and gently nudged Bonestar's leg. 

He looked down at her, his eyes narrowed. "Yes, Smokepaw?" he commanded.

"We won't hurt him, will we?" she asked, an innocent shimmer in her yellow eyes. 

He took a deep breath before he replied, "no, I won't hurt him. I'm sure we've already given him quite a scare."

Smokepaw looked back towards the RiverClan cat and was relieved to find that he had relaxed. She trotted towards him with her tail high in the air. "What's your name?" she mewed.

The black and silver striped tom shuffled his paws. "My name is Streampaw," he replied, "I'm RiverClan's medicine cat apprentice."

Smokepaw's tail shivered with admiration. She knew it was hard work to become a medicine cat, with more emphasis on knowledge and memory than hunting and fighting. "I'm Smokepaw," she chirped, "this is my first day as apprentice!"

Streampaw's whiskers twitched as he watched her hop up in excitement. "There's nothing like the first day out of camp," he purred in agreement. 

Bonestar shifted on his paws a fox length behind them. "Yes, and we still have the whole rest of the border to patrol," he grunted, "so we should be leaving."

Smokepaw tilted her head as a small frown creased her muzzle. "It was nice to meet you," she purred to Streampaw before she turned to bound back to Bonestar's side. The massive white tom stood as he made one last remark to the RiverClan cat. "And don't let me catch you on my land again!"

Streampaw turned and disappeared back down the side of the bank and across the shallow brook. Smokepaw felt her pelt buzz with energy as they padded back under the rotted trees of ShadowClan territory. "That was fun!" she exclaimed.

She felt Bonestar's tail snake down to brush her back. "No, it was not fun," he muttered, "that RiverClan cat was on our territory. What if he was trying to take our land, or steal our prey?"

"But he wasn't doing that," Smokepaw huffed. 

She felt his tail tip quiver along her spine. "If you're going to be a warrior one day, you need to understand that the other Clans are dangerous. That RiverClan cat is more powerful than you think," he growled.

She remained silent as she followed Bonestar further along the border. But her good mood had been soured. She barely even paid attention as he led her along their shared border with SkyClan. As they returned to the ShadowClan camp, Bonestar held up his paw to stop her.

"You may go pick something from the fresh kill pile," he meowed, "don't tell anyone about what happened at the RiverClan border."

Smokepaw nodded and pushed her way around his paw and into the camp. Tornsky, the deputy, stood by the fresh kill pile as he waited for the Clan to claim their meals. Goldenbreeze and Slimepelt hovered near the camp wall while they watched Hivepaw and Shadepaw practice their battle moves a few paces away.

Smokepaw flicked her tail as she watched Shadepaw knock Hivepaw over with a well aimed shove in his flank. Just at that moment, Starlingsong jumped up and trotted towards Smokepaw from near the side of the warrior's den. Her teal eyes were alight with happiness at her daughter's presence.

"How was your day?" she purred as she nuzzled Smokepaw's cheek. 

"It was... nice," she replied. She noticed Starlingsong's whiskers droop at her lack luster answer. 

"Just nice? You didn't have any fun or do anything exciting?" she asked. Smokepaw shrugged. Bonestar told her not to say anything, so that would mean not telling Starlingsong too.

Her mother let out a short growl and turned to stalk to Bonestar's den. Smokepaw stared after her for a few seconds before she followed. Her father's den was sheltered beneath a cavernous boulder, propped along the trunk of a towering oak. She clung close beside the side of the trunk, her ears perked to hear what Starlingsong was saying.

"...she isn't like the other ShadowClan cats! She isn't going to understand the hostility between the other Clans!"

Bonestar's voice was raised in desperation as he replied. "Well she's going to have to learn! I can't just change ShadowClan to make it easier for her!"

It was silent for a moment but then Starlingsong bounded out of the draped leaves that covered the den entrance. Her attention snapped towards Smokepaw, who still hovered near the side of the oak tree. Starlingsong's eyes still shined with fury from her confrontation with Bonestar. "Let's find some prey and find a comfortable spot to relax for the evening," she suggested.

Smokepaw dipped her head and trotted after her over to the fresh-kill pile. Tornsky had already vanished, presumably to eat his own meal. Starlingsong bent down to sniff at the prey on the top of the pile. As Smokepaw approached, she spotted the plump body of a pigeon and snatched it up in her teeth. Starlingsong chose a frog for herself.

The two she-cats made their way towards the camp wall that stretched passed the nursery. Here, it was shaded from the sun and the ground underpaw was soft and dry. Smokepaw dropped her pigeon to the ground and stretched out her paws so she could lay in the grass. Starlingsong did the same, ready to tuck into her frog.

Smokepaw watched her Clanmates while she ate. Duskwing, Fallowfield, and Tulipshine had all settled down with their fresh-kill beside the warrior's den. Hazestep, the dusky white she-cat, had stood and padded passed the three siblings to go and rest in the den. Vipersting was quick to follow, along with Silverclaw and Nectarsong. 

I guess it is pretty late, Smokepaw thought to herself. It was hard to tell beneath the thickly interwoven trees, but the sky had already lost its last scant rays of sunlight. The ShadowClan forest was always shadowed, with barely any dim light to disturb its darkness. Smokepaw tried to take a few more bites of her pigeon, but her stomach was uncomfortably full.

"Ugh," she groaned as she rolled and plopped onto her side.

Starlingsong purred in amusement. "I'm sure your eyes were bigger than your stomach," she teased. The gray and white she-cat reached out her paw and pulled the remains of Smokepaw's meal closer. "I'll finish the rest. It's time you were off to your nest."

Smokepaw felt the force of a yawn overtake her. Yes, she was ready to go to sleep after the long day she had endured. She walked into the apprentice's den for the first time. It wasn't very big, just big enough to sleep six apprentices comfortably. But with only her, Hivepaw, and Shadepaw, there was plenty of room.

There were two cozy beds of moss near the entrance. They reeked with the scent of Hivepaw and Shadepaw, who had not yet come in for the night. Smokepaw picked her way around the nests to a shallow scoop at the back of the rounded bush. There were some shriveled leaves that covered the dirt, but it was majorly bare. After she curled up in the empty nest, she let out a strangled sigh. Hopefully, all her disappointment would be over after today.