"Stonepaw, you will be mentored by Thornclaw," Ashstar meowed. 

Jaykit's brother touched noses with his mentor.

Ashstar turned to look down at Millie. "Jaypaw-" He didn't look at her, "You will be mentored by Millie," He meowed. He blinked slowly as they touched noses.

"Well! What about the deputy? Will we have one?" Hazeltail yowled.

Jaypaw's pelt prickled with irritation. Ashstar would show weakness if he didn't appoint a deputy.

Every cat was eyeing Graystripe.

"The deputy shall be Thornclaw," Ashstar sighed.

"Thornclaw! Thornclaw! Thornclaw!" The clan yowled.

"Now! I need a hunting patrol!" Ashstar called. He looked at Thornclaw and Stonepaw. "Thornclaw, organize some patrols!" He meowed. He turned to look at Millie. "Millie, take out your apprentice."

"Yes, Ashstar," Millie dipped her head.

"What will we do first?" Jaypaw asked her mentor. "Hunting? Fighting?" Jaypaw sounded excited. Her voice then sounded boring. "Exploring?"

"You'll see once we get out," Millie told her.

Millie crouched down. The mouse still didn't see her. "So, watch me carefully," She whispered.

Jaypaw narrowed her eyes, making every move burn into her mind.

Then Millie sprang and the mouse ran towards Jaypaw. It was so frightened that it didn't notice her. Jaypaw awkwardly slammed her paws down on the mouse and hooked it in her claws, killing it.

"Nice!" Millie meowed. "We don't always use teamwork, but I guess this was the right time!" She meowed.

Jaypaw looked at her mouse. Her first kill! She wondered if Stonepaw was hunting.

"Now, bury your prey and lets go," Millie meowed.

Jaypaw buried her prey and followed her mentor. They were in a silent clearing that was surrounded by fat, tall trees.

"I will teach you two battle moves. Just in case we run into an enemy or a fox," Millie meowed.

Jaypaw listened and watched Millie carefully. It was boring, but she was excited.

Dawn had come by the time they started to head back. Jaypaw had learned how to hunt and how to fight- well, she only learned two moves.

Jaypaw and Millie entered camp. Millie sat down her mouse in the fresh-kill pile. "You can rest if you want," She meowed.

Jaypaw watched as she padded away.

"Jaypaw!" Stonepaw's voice called her.

Jaypaw darted to her brother. He was crouched over a brown lump of fur. It was smaller than him, but barely. Jaypaw realized that it was a rabbit.

"Look! I caught a rabbit!" He meowed. He breathed deeply and Jaypaw almost thought she heard his heart thumping.

"Cool! But....what's so important about it?" Jaypaw asked, irritated. Her paws itched to know. She thought he was hiding something. A secret.

Stonepaw leaned on her shoulder, his voice barely a whisper. "I hunted it on WindClan territory. So, it's the good kind!"

Jaypaw shot her brother a look that was mixed with anger and worry. "Stonepaw!" She lightly cuffed him over the ear. "Don't do that! That's against the warrior code!" She hissed.

"I- I didn't know!" Stonepaw meowed. "Ash-Ashstar told me to hunt there!" He complained.

Jaypaw gasped. Her eyes widened. Her father must not have respected anything. Ashstar, her own father, didn't love her or care for her. He always snapped at her.

"J-Jaypaw?" Stonepaw meowed.

Jaypaw leaned on her brother's shoulder. "Ashstar doesn't like me!" She hissed.

"Same!" Stonepaw growled. His eyes narrowed. "What was the point of him having Cinderheart as a mate when he had kits that he never cared about!" Stonepaw slid out his claws. He flattened his ears. "I'll show him!"

"Calm down. Maybe we have to prove to him?" Jaypaw meowed.

"We can't prove ourselves!" Stonepaw meowed. A growl was rising in his throat. "Remember what happened to Swiftpaw and Brightheart?" He asked. "Swiftpaw died and Brightheart lost half her face! And, Cloudtail is her mate. But, Cloudtail is dead. Brightheart couldn't live with that. She became a medicine cat."

Jaypaw's heart had skipped a beat. Her mind clouded with the viscous dogs who tore the cats apart. She closed her eyes and slid out her claws and pricked her ears. The sound of cats shrieking and dogs howling with triumph filled the hollow. She snapped her eyes open and everything was gone. The peaceful noise  of camp roared in her ears. "I've never seen a dog, but I don't want to meet one!" Jaypaw meowed. Her tail fluffed out and her neck fur was bristling.

"I have!" Stonepaw meowed. "Just today!"

Jaypaw gasped. "What? You never told me! Tell me, what happened?" She meowed. Jaypaw curled her tail neatly over her paws.

"Well, I-I was just...." His voice trailed off and it grew cold. "....Alone," He meowed. His eyes narrowed.

Jaypaw felt hurt. "Go on," She gently nudged her brother's shoulder with her nose.

Stonepaw swallowed his fear. "I heard barking," He meowed, his voice full of confidence. "I turned my head just in time to see the dog. The loud creature was just a fox-length away from me," Stonepaw meowed. His tail swept the ground. "I started running, since I didn't know any fighting moves. I was running and came across the thunderpath," His eyes widened. "I-I didn't know what to do! It was a death or death choice! I would get torn apart by the dog or I would get hit by a monster on the thunderpath," Stonepaw twitched and pricked his ears. "Thornclaw wasn't there."

"Go on," Jaypaw meowed.

"But StarClan was on my side. Most of the monsters cleared so I bounded across the thunderpath. When I was safe on the other side, I turned and watched as the dog was hit and killed by a monster. It was mouse-brained to go on the thunderpath when that monster came!" Stonepaw hissed. He almost seemed glad he had escaped without becoming dog-food. "I thought I was crow-food for sure!"

"Well, it was your time to join StarClan," A voice behind them startled Jaypaw. She turned to see their father, Ashstar, padding up to them.

"H-How could you say that? You've no respect for us or you mate!" Jaypaw growled. Part of her wanted to lunge at Ashstar, but he was her father.

Ashstar slid out his claws. "Why don't you go away for some time?" He suggested. His ears flattened against his head and he hissed. He bared his lips in a snarl to reveal sharp, pointed fangs. "You've never seen the old forest. You've never heard of what the old forest was like. Why don't you go there and become kittypets so that I don't have to deal with you," Ashstar's voice was cold.

"Yeah! That's right! We could go there, become kittypets, and your clan would betray you for letting down your kits and mate!" Jaypaw growled. She felt a growl rising in her throat. "How about you become a kittypet yourself," Jaypaw was startled and almost regretted it as soon as the words were out.

Ashstar bristled. "How rude. Has any cat taught you manners? Cause I don't think so," He taunted.

"Has any cat taught you manners?" Jaypaw retorted.

Ashstar bristled and slid out his claws. "Go on," He hissed. "We can fight!"

Jaypaw's heart dropped. Fight her father? No way! He was a leader with 9 lives! He would kill her in an instant. "I don't-" She  was cut off as Ashstar sprang on her. She felt long, sharp claws rake her shoulder. No. Jaypaw couldn't let her Clan leader beat her. But she only learned 2 moves. That's it! Jaypaw would copy everything her father did.

"You're standing there like a startled rabbit!" Her father growled.  "Fight me!" He hissed.

Jaypaw, tired of his taunts, launched at him. She raked his ears with her claws, but he ducked and she hit thin air.

"To slow!" Ashstar growled.

Jaypaw felt his paw go under her. He whipped his paws over her legs and Jaypaw fell to the ground. Ashstar leaped on top of her and bit her ear. Jaypaw growled. She turned around and lunged at Ashstar. She was able to grip his chin with her paws. Jaypaw slid out her claws and raked them across his muzzle. Fresh, hot blood spattered her paw. Jaypaw ignored it.

"Huh, you think a simple scratch on my nose can kill me? You've thought wrong," Her father growled. He crouched, ready to spring.

Jaypaw twitched and braced herself. Her tail lashed from side to side.

"Stop!" A voice yowled.

Cinderheart, her mother, bounded in front of them. "Please!"

"Out of my way!" Ashstar hissed. He swung his claws and tried to rake them across her throat, but Cinderheart's sister, Honeyfern, darted in and was struck by the blow.

Honeyfern wailed in agony as blood spilled from her. Her mouth hung open and she moaned in pain. She was trying to say something. Blood poured from her throat. Honeyfern then fell to the ground.

Just when Jaypaw thought it was over, Honeyfern wailed loudly and thrashed her limbs around. Jaypaw wanted to close her ears. She wanted to curl up and go to sleep. But, no. She was frozen to the spot. Her body was stiff with fear. Her neck fur bristled with rage.  Then Honeyfern's shriek of terror was cut off as her body fell limp.

Cinderheart bristled. She starred down at her sister's dead body. "No! I lost my father! I can't lose you!" She brushed her flank with her tail, ignoring the thought that it was soaked in blood. Cinderheart crouched over her sister. "Please! Wake up!"

Jaypaw could smell the anger and pain and sorrow coming off her in waves.

Cinderheart stood up, eyes blazing. She starred down at Ashstar. "You were my mate," She began. "Now, you mean nothing to me," She hissed. Her ears were flattened. "I could care less if you died."

"You mean nothing to me as well," Ashstar meowed. Shocked gasps came from the hollow. No cat, just no cat, had ever abandoned their mate like that. But Jaypaw could agree with Cinderheart. "You can tell that to the whole of the forest."

"I could warn every Clan that there is a killer on the loose," Cinderheart meowed.

"Enough of this!" Ashstar hissed. His muzzle was stained with blood. "We shall appoint new rules."

Jaypaw's heart sank. We? What did we mean?   Jaypaw starred at her brother.

He was giving her the what should we do  look.

Jaypaw took her eyes off her brother. Her father had gone insane. Killing a cat just like that, in front of the whole Clan. Jaypaw could tell that some cats felt unsafe.

"I will get rid of the medicine cats! We shall kill them!" Ashstar yowled.

Yowls of protest rang through the hollow. Even one cat rose its voice. "Why should we trust you! You're full of lies!"

Jaypaw could almost agree with the cat.

"And," Ashstar began. "If any apprentice wants to become a warrior, they must go to the old forest and come back, alive," He meowed.

This time, no cat protested.

Jaypaw stood up and let her voice be loud and clear. "I'll make the journey! Stonepaw will come with me!" She meowed. She noticed that cats were starring at her. Oh know, she thought, did I do something wrong?

Stonepaw rose to his paws. "I'll go!" He meowed.

Bumblepaw, Foxpaw, and Icepaw rose to their paws. "We'll go!" They shouted.