CHAPTER ONE

Skyheart scampered across the clearing to Eagleclaw. "Come on, lazy furball! We're going to be late for Dawn Patrol!"

The silver tabby flicked her tail at the lounging warrior and pelted off to the entrance where Slitherpelt and Silverstripe were waiting for her. Just as Eagleclaw slowly rose to his paws, Falconpaw skidded to a halt in front of the waiting patrol.

"Am I late? I'm so sorry, I was tired from last night's hunting patrol! I won't do it again, I promise, Slitherpelt!" Falconpaw rambled on, even though Skyheart saw her glance over to where Eagleclaw was still stretching in a patch of sunlight. She chuckled as Falconpaw stifled a mrrow of laughter.

Finally, after a couple of licks to his ruffled pelt, Eagleclaw picked his way through the camp drowsily to the impatient patrol. "Sorry, just a little tired," He mumbled grumpily. "I don't see why Swallowstar is raising the patrols. We haven't had any trouble, and its going to be Greenleaf soon." Eagleclaw yawned, his sharp teeth glinting in the rising sun. Skyheart flicked her tail on his shoulder, then glanced at him with a spark of laughter in her eyes.

Silverstripe took the lead, but was soon pushed back by Slitherpelt. "Hey! I was leading!" Silverstripe protested, but Slitherpelt ignored her and bounded ahead of the patrol.

Eagleclaw was falling behind, of course. Skyheart and Falconpaw exchanged amused glances and the both held in their smiles as Eagleclaw looked up at the two young cats suspiciously. Skyheart teasingly rolled her eyes at him, and he shook his head. "Eagleclaw, if your not going to keep up the pace, then you might as well go tell Swallowstar why you came back, and why you freely took another mouse from the pile," Falconpaw scolded playfully. "There's no use in trailing behind when your on a patrol."

Silverstripe was trudging ahead of the three chatting cats, while Slitherpelt was kneading the ground with his paws impatient at the top of the ravine. "Why couldn't he just waited for the rest of us." Skyheart pricked her ears at the muttering, and saw Silverstripe mumbling under her breath. Abandoning the apprentice, she trotted up ahead and fell in step with Silverstripe, the dark gray she-cat focusing on the path ahead. She narrowed her eyes at Slitherpelt, and cuffed him around the ears. "You could have let me lead, and waited for us!" Silverstripe growled lightly.

Slitherpelt completely ignored the question, and flopped down in his belly. "Can we hunt and rest for a bit? That run up the hill was exhausting!" He complained, and started cleaning himself. Skyheart shook her head, and flicked her ears to Eagleclaw. He nodded, and padded after Skyheart to the TigerClan border.

"You can go on ahead, I'll stay and wait for the birds," Eagleclaw meowed, then flicked his tail as if it was an order from a leader to one of his warriors.

Skyheart nodded her head, and headed for the stream. Parting her jaws, she scented the river running somewhere around here. Skyheart padded along the sandy path until she spotted the flowing water. It was calmer than usual, and she smelled the delicious scent of fish. "Who said other Clans can't fish?" She grinned to herself. Cautiously, she padded up to the river and crouched down. Skyheart lifted a paw, and focused on the still water. What she didn't know was that a TigerClan patrol spotted her and quickly jumped into the cover of the ferns. They examined her with narrowed eyes, hackles raised.

Skyheart quickly saw a glimmer flash in front of her muzzle. She plunged her paw into the icy water, and scooped out a colorful trout. With one swift blow she killed the wriggling creature.

As if on signal, she instantly looked up as the TigerClan cats stepped out of the hiding places in the ferns. "I-I wasn't trying to steal! I didn't know you were there!" She gasped at the shocked patrol.

Without letting the TigerClan cats speak, Skyheart picked up her kill, and pelted back into the forest. She skidded to a halt where Eagleclaw had just lazily brought down a thrush. He tipped his head, then gazed at the trout in Skyheart's jaws. "Patrol saw you, didn't they?" Eagleclaw knew exactly what happened, and Skyheart nodded shamefully.

Skyheart and Eagleclaw silently padded back to the tree stump where Slitherpelt was grooming himself. He looked up eagerly at the sight of the two returning clanmates. "I'm starving! What did you two catch?"

Eagleclaw glanced at Skyheart, but she just stared back with a blank expression. "Um, well, you can have my thrush," The brown warrior offered. He flicked his tail and trotted over to where Skyheart was crouched by a patch of ferns. She looked up at him, but just lashed her tail.

Skyheart beckoned Eagleclaw to sit with her, and she shifted into a more comfortable position. "Who cares if they saw me just fish out one measly trout? As long as it feeds us," Skyheart stated casually. "Want to share this with me?" She nodded her head to the limp piece of prey in front of her paws. The brown tom took a small bite as if in response to her invitation.

"Ugh! I can't believe you dragged me into that, Falconpaw!"

Skyheart, Eagleclaw, and Slitherpelt raised their heads and pricked their ears at the furious complaint. Silverstripe and Falconpaw had just returned hunting, covered in oozing brown mud.

"What in the name of StarClan happened to you two? You look like you came from the Tribe in the mountains!" Slitherpelt exclaimed. Eagleclaw and Skyheart stared at the two cats in dismay.

Silverstripe snarled in rage. "She thought it would be best to try hand hunt for frogs down by the marshes!"

All of the LionClan warriors twitched their whiskers in surprise. "Frogs?" They all said in unison. Falconpaw scuffled her paws embarrassedly.

Slitherpelt stood up and beckoned Silverstripe with his tail. "Come share my thrush with me." His eyes darted sternly to Falconpaw. "You go hunt some real prey!" She nodded, ashamedly, and trudged off.

Skyheart and Eagleclaw licked their lips gratefully. "We're gonna go patrol the TigerClan border some more," Skyheart told the eating patrol members. She flicked her tail to Eagleclaw and padded away, the brown tomcat on her trail.

"Skyheart, I think this 'patrolling' is for you only," Eagleclaw mewed.

Skyheart stared in dismay, but the warrior had already started to pad away. She trotted and sat at the same river's edge and stared across the border. Suddenly a pair of green eyes glinted from the bushes. Skyheart twitched her ear uncomfortably as a creamy colored tom with brown and black flecks stepped out of the bushes and flicked his tail amusingly. "I'm guessing your the brave LionClan warrior who fished our prey," He remarked, almost casually. Skyheart nodded, not able to utter one word. "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Shellstorm." He dipped his head and Skyheart rose shakily to her paws.

"Skyheart," She responded, her meow growing strong again.

He flicked his tail and blinked expectantly at the silver tabby she-cat. "Well? Show me your skills, LionClan warrior." He nodded to a group of carp swimming frantically upstream. She nervously crouched down and dove her paw in. Scooping up a glimmering trout, she nipped its neck and felt it go limp. "Impressive," Shellstorm commented.

"Uh, thanks." She awkwardly tossed the kill over to him and nodded her head. "I better be heading back. Nice, uh, meeting you." She turn and trotted away, unease prickling her pelt.