A vole fleed at the sound of footsteps. It tried to escape but it was brought down by a warrior. "Good job!" Frostleaf called to Fireclaw.

He gave a quick nod before burying it. It was leaf-fall and the Clan was getting weaker, signs of a hard leaf-bare.

Sudden rustling alerted Frostleaf. She pinned point it by scent and pounced, catching it. The prey, a scrawny rabbit, was the best she got all day.

Burying her prey along with Fireclaw's, she looked at the direction of the camp, smiling at the fact that Russeteyes was expecting Brownstripe's kits.

Soon Grassheart, Webfoot and Stagpaw would have more littermates and more warriors for ThunderClan.

"Is this okay?" Longpaw's meow broke her thoughts.

Frostleaf remembered that Longpaw's warrior accessment was coming, so she studied his mouse carefully and mewed, "It is good actually, I haven't been able to catch something better than this."

Longpaw nodded happily and set out again to catch more prey.

By sunset, they have caught a good amount of prey that could at least feed half the Clan.

"Who shall I take this to?" Longpaw asked, staring at the prey he caught.

"Take it to Russeteyes," Fireclaw instructed.

His apprentice darted off.

Frostleaf decided to take prey to the elders as Longpaw was the only warrior apprentice. Therefore, Nightstar ordered the younger warriors to help out on the apprentice duties.

When she arrived at the elder's den, Webfoot was sharing tougues with Ashwhisker. For once, the cranky elder looked happy and not complaining as Webfoot carefully picked out ticks off him.

Frostleaf called out a greeting to the slightly older warrior and he waved his tail in reply.

She offered the rabbit to Spottedpelt, who was resting in her nest.

"Do you want to hear some stories, young one?" Spottedpelt asked, smiling and taking a quick bite of the rabbit.

Frostleaf agreed and settled down beside her.

"The leader before Nightstar was called Birchstar. He was a fine leader, always thinking of other's needs before his. Nightstar, then called Nightpaw, was still an apprentice. Even as an apprentice, he was very responsible. However, because of the warrior code, Birchstar could not choose him. So guess who became deputy," Spottedpelt mewed.

Frostleaf shrugged so Spottedpelt continued, "It was your father, Oakblaze."

"My father?" Frostleaf asked excitedly. "I never seen him before."

"Yes, your father was the deputy," Spottedpelt confirmed. "But one day, his mate, not Flowerfeather, killed him because she thinks he betrayed her by getting too close to Flowerfeather. Birchstar sentenced her to exile and no cat saw her ever again. Birchstar chose a cat called Strikepelt, but he died shortly after of greencough."

"By then Nightstar - or rather, Nightflight -  was training apprentice.  So Birchstar chose him and Nightstar became the leader you know today," Spottedpelt finished.

Frostleaf left the den with her head dizzy with knowledge. Flowerfeather never told me about Oakblaze. But I was too young to probably understand, she thought, nearky bumping into Stagpaw.

Stagpaw didn't look bothered and she onky mewed excitedly, "I had gotten my full medicine cat name! Leafnose gave it to me last night."

"Congratulations!" Frostleaf replied warmly. "What is your new name?"

"Stagwind," she answered, her eyes shining with pride. Frostleaf bid her good luck and hurried to the warrior's den. She sighed, tired from the events that day, and fell asleep in the soft moss.