Hawkpaw felt raw and frigid, a chill running down her spine. She opened her eyes to a mysterious, shadowy forest that was densely packed together, darkness clutching it. The unfamiliar place was dull and vast, a starless sky hanging overhead. The trees were dark gray with rotting bark clinging to the sides, fungus sickly growing on them. They reached so high that she couldn't see anything above them, allowing no light to reach her. Even the air was damp and cold, so thick that she felt like she was swimming in water, fog swirling around her paws. The mist was breathing the thick, sticky, bare forest floor, not a single blade of grass cushioning her pads.

The echoing silence unnerved her, where I am? Hawkpaw pricked her ears at the sound of approaching paw steps. A sleek, dark gray-and-white tom appeared out of the gloom, his large and wide shoulders swaying. She was aware that she could see almost perfectly through him, the background visible beyond his pelt. He halted in front of Hawkpaw, his broad muzzle a mouselength from her nose, making her step back in fright. Who is he? What does he want?

"Welcome to Starclan." He spoke in a gruff voice, his long, yellow fangs showing. The tom had sharp amber eyes that stood out on his white face, his shoulder blades white as were his paws. The tom eyed Hawkpaw curiously - like a hunter assessing prey. "I am Thistleclaw. I have been watching you for many moons, Hawkpaw."

Confusion racked her brain, unsure of what was happening and if she should trust this cat. How does he know my name? I never met him before so it isn't possible. Although, he did say I'm in Starclan. But wait, I'm not dead!

"Come with me," Thistleclaw meowed and trotted away back into the forest. Hawkpaw hesitated but scurried after him in the end, her ears twitching nervously while she followed him. He led her to a sluggish river, its waters shady and lifeless with no stepping stones or fallen trees to be used to cross it. When she stepped on the bank, the mud squelched and tried to suck her paw in, making her shriek in surprise. Thistleclaw purred in amusement and brushed against her, "I have been waiting for you, Hawkpaw. You are destined for many great things, and I want to help you."

"Destined for great things?" Hawkpaw repeated.

"Yes. One day, you could potentially become the leader of ThunderClan. In fact, leader of all the Clans. You just need to follow me and impressive power will be at your paw-tips. Do you understand?" She nodded vigorously, excitement flaring in her stomach. Leader!

"But why me? What makes me so special?"

He grinned, "because you are strong. I can see that you have immense strength inside you, enough to make you the greatest warrior the Clans have ever seen. What do you say?"

"Yes! I would love that!"

Thistleclaw chuckled, "you have enthusiasm, I like that, you can use it to your advantage. Just promise me one thing, you will remain loyal to only your Clan and fight to protect it no matter the cost." Hawkpaw nodded. "Good. Your training will start from tomorrow night on. Be prepared, I'll make you the strongest warrior ever." Thistleclaw's large figure started to fade away and Hawkpaw found herself in her nest once more. She shivered from the leaf-bare wind and curled tighter into a ball, tucking her tail around her body. She smiled to herself before drifting off to sleep again, I'm going to be the greatest warrior!

"Wake up! It's time for dawn patrol." Hawkpaw felt a paw brush her cheek. She wearily looked up to see Snakepaw eagerly fidgeting. "Let's go, everyone's waiting for you." She groggily sat up and walked outside. Dew soaked her paws. The sun was just rising over the distant horizon, the rays spilling over the stone hollow setting the rocks ablaze, the earth still glistening with frost. She saw Flareheart, Webfur and Snakepaw waiting by the entrance.

Webfur snorted as she walked over, "I didn't think a cat could sleep so much."

Hawkpaw's fur bristled, "it's only dawn!"

"Hawkpaw." Her mentor's warning stopped her from continuing. "Webfur, why don't you lead the patrol instead?"

"You sure?"

"Yup, I want to hang back with my apprentice," she mewed. Webfur shrugged and led the group outside. Flareheart whispered, "Ignore him, he doesn't mean to be grouchy, he's just not a dawn cat." Hawkpaw sighed and picked up her pace. They padded quietly for the rest of the time, ducking through bracken and overgrowth. The snow numbed her pads as they neared the ShadowClan border. The tall pines whispered at the cats, their branches snaking upward and covering the pale sky. They seemed ominously quiet, the only sound were the needles hustled in the breeze and their own footfalls that grew silent when they reached the scent line.

"Alright, Snakepaw and I will start to reset the markers here, you two can go ahead awhile." Webfur brusquely turned and began to mark the border.

"Let's go." Flareheart pushed through the trees and beckoned Hawkpaw with her tail. Hawkpaw sniffed a clump of bracken and sprayed it. After several minutes, she grew restless and began to lazily spray clumps. Hawkpaw wearily watched Flareheart as she investigated a scent that crossed the boundary. This is boring. She let out a breath. At this rate we'll be marking borders till moonhigh.

"Did you guys finish yet?" Webfur and Snakepaw bounded towards them.

Flareheart shook her head, "A little more left if you'd like to help. Did you find anything odd?"

"No, though I did detect stray ShadowClan scents a few taillengths across our border, but I think it was just the wind." Suspicion flashed in Flareheart's eyes but she nodded anyways.

"Can we keep moving?" Hawkpaw interrupted. Her claws itched. All she wanted to do was practice battle moves. If only they could find a rogue or predator - something she could fight.

"This is stupid," Snakepaw muttered.

"So are you," Hawkpaw joked. Snakepaw grunted and launched a play swipe at her muzzle, but she ducked and batted his chest.

"Knock it off you two! We're patrolling the border," Webfur reminded them sternly. "You're not in the nursery anymore, so don't act like kits."

Hawkpaw frowned and stomped away. She continued spraying halfheartedly, gazing wistfully at the sky. Was Thistleclaw watching? What was her training going to be like?

In the distance, a bird chirped, its shrill voice tempting her. Maybe she could quick sneak away to hunt without being noticed. Hawkpaw peeked at her mentor. Flareheart was busily spraying, as was Webfur. Snakepaw was flicking his feet with every pawstep, irritation clear on his face. At least I'm not the only one annoyed, she thought.

Hawkpaw slunk into the woods. She paused and tasted the air. Nothing. She kept wandering until mouse-scent bathed her tongue. A small mouse was nibbling on a seed, not even paying attention to its surroundings. Hawkpaw crouched until her belly touched the snow, her tail swishing behind her. She started creeping forward when her paw accidentally crunched the snow, making the critter look up. It saw her and fled quickly. She cursed under her breath.

"What are you doing?" Hawkpaw spun around and saw Flareheart staring quizzically.

"Just hunting," she lifted her chin.

"Oh, really? I'm not sure I would call that hunting. Your posture was all wrong."

"Huh?"

"First off, your tail was all over the place. You must keep it still so it doesn't disturb leaves or anything that would give away your position. Your crouch was okay, but you have to be light on your feet. A mouse will feel the vibrations in the ground before they see or hear you. Try again." Hawkpaw crouched again, forcing her tail to remain still while she crept forward quietly, barely making a sound. "Very good," she purred. "You learn quickly."

Hawkpaw glowed with joy.

"We can practice more this afternoon, but let's head back for now."

"Okay!" At camp, Hawkpaw scurried over to her mom and dad who were sharing a vole. "Guess what? I just learned my hunting crouch, look!" She got low and demonstrated her new move.

"Very nice," Sorrelbreeze purred and Fallengaze smiled with delight.

"I'm going to show Rabbitpaw and Snakepaw!" As she was racing towards her brothers, she suddenly tripped on something and got a mouthful of snow. She spat it out and shook her head, clearing her ears. She glared behind her to see Fuzzykit sitting up and sneezing. "Watch it, Dazedkit." Hawkpaw stalked away, leaving the kit sniffling. She managed to find her littermates and showed them her move.

"Let me try!" Snakepaw squatted down and edged forward, his tail-tip flicking.

"Not bad," she sniffed.

"How's this?" Rabbitpaw asked. He was low to the floor and his tail didn't move a whisker, his whole body moving silently.

"Pretty good actually." She was taken aback. He was better than she expected him to be. It didn't matter though, she was still going to be the best.

"Thistleclaw! Where are you?" Hawkpaw ran through the forest, squeezing past trees and finally reached the river. The water gurgled and lurched with the current, yet there was no StarClan cat waiting for her.

"Hey there, little one." The eerie voice spoke and Thistleclaw appeared before her. "Are you ready for your training to begin?"

"Yes! And guess what, I learned my hunting crouch." She showed him, making sure she did everything perfectly, but he only grunted.

"Don't get cocky. That doesn't help with much, you need to learn how to fight." Hawkpaw swallowed as he continued, "now let's start. Do you know any moves yet?"

"Um, I've learned the half-turn belly rake once," she remembered Lightningmask and Moonface showing it to her when she was a kit.

He nodded, "okay. Show me."

Hawkpaw turned on her side and slipped under an imaginary enemy clumsily. She raked the air with her claws and sluggishly turned back on all fours. "How was that?"

"Terrible. You could be dead. You were way too slow and unbalanced, the enemy could have easily blocked you and brought you down. Try again, but this time make sure you are more quick when sliding and hopping up. Also, try to be more fluid." She did the move again, keeping in mind what Thistleclaw said.

"Not bad," he meowed. "Again." For the rest of the night she practiced the same move until she perfected it, her breath coming in short pants.

"Now, try it on me," Thistleclaw ordered.

Hawkpaw blinked in surprise, "are you sure?"

"Yes, now hurry up. We don't have much time left. Don't be afraid to use your claws."

"B-but, I could hurt you!"

"Oh please, I'm already dead. Just go!" Hawkpaw eyed him, her fur quivering. She slid on her side and tried to get underneath his belly, but he slammed his hefty paws down on her chest. She gasped and coughed, aching pain in her upper body. "Hmm, you need to be ready for anything. You can do the half-turn belly rake fine, but the enemy will be fighting back. They won't be sitting still for you, remember that." Hawkpaw shakily got up.

"Ye-yes sir."

Thistleclaw licked his paw thoughtfully. "We'll work on this more tomorrow night. See you then." Hawkpaw woke up in the apprentices den, her chest still throbbing. She groaned and rolled over. Get over it! she scolded herself. If you want to become strong, you need to endure this. It's only temporary. Thistleclaw is helping you, but he doesn't have to. StarClan wants you to become the leader of ThunderClan and unite the Clans, so you must go on! Don't let them down.