Stormjaw sent Jaypaw to hunt until sunset, as part of a mini assessment. Jaypaw was not too pleased because it meant that he would be late to meet the others.

Jaypaw tried to clear his thoughts and focus on hunting. He saw a bird flying in the clear blue sky and he stared at it, silently hoping that it would fly down low enough for him to snatch it out of the sky.

The RookClan apprentice looked for other prey that he could catch. Jaypaw's gaze fell on a robin which was chirping loudly.

Remembering his mentor's words, Jaypaw braced himself to jump and reach out for the bird.

He leaped as high as he could and caught the robin by its wing as it began to fly off. It let out a piecing call that nearly deafen the young apprentice.

Grunting with the effort, Jaypaw managed to injure the robin enough for him to give a quick and merciful bite on its neck.

My first robin! he thought excitedly. Stormjaw would be pleased.

"Well done," Stormjaw mewed, stepping out of the shadows where he was watching his apprentice.

"You were watching me?" Jaypaw mewed, bewildered.

"Yes," his tail flicked impatiently. "Even though you managed to catch that bird, there are things you need to improve on. How do you think you can do better next time?" Stormjaw's pale green eyes bore into Jaypaw.

"Um..." Jaypaw was hesitant, unsure of what he did wrong.

Stormjaw was still waiting for an answer. Jaypaw thought about his actions, desparete to find out his mistakes by himself.

"I hesitated too long?" Jaypaw spoke up nervously.

"Yes," Stormjaw nodded. "The robin was about to take off by the time you leap. Luckily your leap is good enough to catch it."

Jaypaw felt warm inside at Stormjaw's rare compliment. "Do you know what it means?" Stormjaw asked.

Jaypaw shook his head. His mentor gave him the answer. "You are getting better in hunting. There is still much for you to learn about battle techniques, so don't think you are ready to be a warrior yet."

Jaypaw nodded vigorously. Stormjaw gestured to the direction of the camp. "You may go back to camp and take a break. We will continue tomorrow."

As his mentor started to walk off in another direction, Jaypaw stopped him. "Wait! That's not the direction of the camp!"

"I know," came the reply.

He must be patrolling on his own, Jaypaw thought. He would like to go with his mentor, but he was running late for the meeting with the other apprentices.

Jaypaw rushed towards the Oaks as the sun began to disappear completely from sight. Every cat is going to be crossed with me, he thought worriedly.

When Jaypaw finally arrived, Troutpaw looked very crossed. Sorrelpaw and Falconpaw were already there, siting on the ground expectantly.

"Sorry for being late," Jaypaw mumbled, embarrassed.

"Make it quick," Falconpaw meowed. "We won't want to be spotted out of our nests at this hour."

"It's about that rogue," Jaypaw mewed, expressing his thoughts from the previous Gathering. "There's something off about him."

"He is just over confident," Sorrelpaw mewed, dismissively.

"No... not that," Jaypaw mewed, getting worried about the fact that he may not be able to convince them. "The way he talks, the way he stood at the branch... it's so familiar to me but I can't seem to put my paw on it."

Troutpaw looked thoughtful. "It might sound crazy, but what if that rogue is some cat related to you?"

Jaypaw nearly jumped when thunder roared into the dark, cloudy sky. He shook his head in response to Troutpaw's words. "None of my parents act that way. I am certain of that."

It is going to rain soon, Jaypaw glanced at the dark clouds in the sky. Better make this quick.

"Then it is something else," Falconpaw concluded.

Sorrelpaw started pacing while Jaypaw drifted off in his own personal thoughts about the situation.

"I got it!" Sorrelpaw yowled in excitement. "Maybe it's your mentor that acts that way!"

"W-what?" Jaypaw sputtered.

"That's a possibility," Falconpaw mewed.

"You know your mentor best, Jaypaw," Troutpaw meowed. Suddenly it seemed like every cat was pressurising him. "Tell us what you know," she added.

Jaypaw hesitated. "I... know Stormjaw acts strangely," he felt defensive of his mentor, "but what you are suggesting is that he is working with that rogue."

"We are not suggesting that," Troutpaw sighed, sounding frustrated.  "This is getting nowhere."

What if they give up, just like that? Jaypaw thought, alarmed. We are so close to getting the bottom of this.

"If there's nothing else," Falconpaw spoke. "I'm returning to my Clan. Some cat is bound to miss me soon."

"I am too," Troutpaw meowed, flicking her tail restlessly.

Jaypaw felt upset that the meeting that all for nothing. His tail drooped as Sorrelpaw tried to comfort him. "I'm sure you would get it one day."

But I failed, Jaypaw thought, dismayed. I feel that I failed every cat in the Clans.