Chapter One

Shrewpaw pulled himself out of the apprentices den, his thick fur snagging gently on the side of the bush. The brown tabby twisted his neck to fix it, only to feel a she-cat at his side, gently undoing the tangle.

He looked over, expecting to see Squirrelpaw, but his chest heaved in disappointment when he saw that it was only Whitepaw. Mumbling a thanks to the white she-cat, Shrewpaw padded off, his amber eyes alert as he searched the camp for his friend.

Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw had just returned to tell Firestar that ThunderClan must move before the Twolegs destroy the forest. The small tabby still wasn't sure what to think about that. While it was undoubtedly true that things had changed in the forest, was it okay for them to just leave behind so many seasons of Clan life and start fresh somewhere else?

He didn't want to think about that now. What Shrewpaw wanted was just to go hunting and practice battle training with Squirrelpaw just like they did before she had to leave. They could laugh and purr and share tongues without a care in the world, if just for the day.

This was all only if he could find her.

A squeak from the nursery distracted him as he padded out into the clearing. Shrewpaw turned to see a golden brown she-cat throwing herself towards him, her paws outstretched as she attempted to trip the tom.

He gently raised his paws as she came sliding in front of him, landing on her belly. Then the little she-kit picked herself up and looked at him, purring amiably. "Morning, Shrewpaw!" she squeaked.

"Hey, Larchkit," Shrewpaw greeted his sister. The young kit's pelt was glossy and her eyes were sparkling with cheerfulness. She was still thin, he realized with a pang, but she was healthy and she was growing.

When Hollykit had died of starvation, the whole Clan had expected Larchkit to die as well. But his sister had pulled through, and Shrewpaw and Spiderpaw had worked their paws off hunting for her. For all his brother's rudeness, he was a strong cat who cared deeply for his family. Shrewpaw had no doubt that Spiderpaw would one day make a strong ThunderClan warrior, and he felt the same way about Squirrelpaw.

Even Cinderpelt had called it a miracle that Larchkit had survived. Ferncloud and Dustpelt were relieved, and it was easy to tell how much they loved Larchkit and Birchkit whenever they saw them. Shrewpaw could picture his mother's green eyes lighting up with warmth and his father licking his chest fur embarrassedy so no cat would see how happy or contended he truly was.

"I beat up Birchkit," she informed him proudly, puffing her chest out. While Shrewpaw cared for his two other siblings, he had grown exceptionally close to Larchkit, and she was always telling him about her latest adventure.

"Shrewpaw!"

The small brown tabby looked up to see his mentor, Thornclaw, waiting for him by the camp entrance. The golden brown tom was lashing his tail impatiently, his amber eyes narrowed as he waited for his apprentice.

Shrewpaw said his goodbyes to Larchkit and licked her gently on the head before padding off, his head bowed respectfully as he approached Thornclaw.

"Are you ready to go hunting?" asked his mentor, his tone kinder than his gaze. The two had grown close, though Shrewpaw never forgot that his mentor was older and far more experienced.

The tom flicked his tail to signal his agreement before pausing. "Thornclaw," he ventured unsurely. "I was wondering if Squirrelpaw could come hunting with us."

Thornclaw's eyes flashed disconcertingly. Sighing, the warrior shook his head. "I think Squirrelpaw already went out with Brambleclaw."

"Oh," mumbled Shrewpaw, crestfallen. He couldn't help the small stab of jealousy that ran through him at the thought of Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw together. Emitting a soft sigh, the young apprentice tried to push it aside.

Thornclaw placed his tail on his apprentice's flank comfortingly, as if he could guess what the young tom was feeling. "Come on," he murmured. "Let's go hunt."

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Shrewpaw wearily padded over to the tall oak tree where he had buried his mouse. He had scented it almost the moment they stepped out of camp, and had caught it soon after. Thornclaw had watched, a proud gleam in his eyes. That had put them in a good mood, but it soon turned to foulness as no more prey scents reached them.

The sun had risen and the fur in Shrewpaw's back was beginning to prickle with the heat. It felt like they had been hunting for moons, but far the mouse was the only thing that he had caught. Shrewpaw had carried it with him as they padded out to where they would focus their hunting before burying it and dropping back into his crouch.

Thornclaw pressed his pelt against the younger cat's. "Don't worry about it," he said reassuringly. "None of the other Clans are finding prey either. Your mouse will feed a warrior or two."

Looking down at his paws, Shrewpaw wasn't so sure. The mouse was a tiny thing, and he knew that it would never satisfy one of the warriors.

"I should have been able to catch more!" he wailed, scuffing the ground with his paws. "I caught that mouse right away but then I couldn't find anything else!"

Thornclaw nosed him gently. "Shrewpaw," he said firmly, causing the tabby to look up. "There wasn't anything else left to find. Grab your mouse. Let's get back to camp."

Shrewpaw knew that his mentor was right. They were all the way on the other side of the territory from Sunningrocks, and the day was beginning to heat up. He dug up his mouse and clasped it gently in his jaws. The strong flavour made him salvitate, but the small brown tom held himself back from eating. It was one of the principle rules of the warrior code. Kits and elders must be fed first.

Both toms turned to leave, Shrewpaw's head barely reaching up to Thornclaw's shoulder. His size was something that he wasn't proud of, though he did appreciate that it seperated him from the rest of the Clan. He was Thornclaw's shoulder-height, but Thornclaw wasn't even close to being the largest cat in the Clan. The golden brown tabby paled in comparison to Graystripe, or even to Brambleclaw.

Brambleclaw.

He didn't know what to think about the large dark brown tabby. He had remianed for the most part indifferent to the tom before the destruction of the forest had begun, but once Brambleclaw had left, he had begun to consider him a traitor to the Clan, abandoning the warrior code when times where rough.

But now that Brambleclaw had returned, Shrewpaw knew that that wasn't the case. He still felt the same animosity towards Brambleclaw, but now it was for different reasons.

Now it was because of Squirrelpaw.

Ever since they had been little kits, Shrewpaw had always stuck close to Squirrelpaw, despite the fact that he was older. She had soon grown to be bigger than him, and he had found himself running to hide behind her instead of the other way around.

Still, he had considered her his best friend, even closer to him than Spiderpaw. They had trained together, fought together, and hunted together. When she had returned from her journey, Shrewpaw had been estatic. Now they would get to go hunting together all the time, just like they had when they were both young apprentices.

But now she wanted to go off hunting with Brambleclaw.

And he had to help Ferncloud take care of her kits.

"Shrewpaw?" asked Thornclaw hesitantly. He nosed his apprentice's flank.

Looking up, Shrewpaw saw that his mentor's eyes were flush with concern. "Let's go," he said through the mouse, his tone soft but firm. The tom looked away and began to pad back towards ThunderClan's makeshift camp. After pausing for a moment, Thornclaw followed and quickly overtook his apprentice.

After two pawsteps towards Sunningrocks, Shrewpaw stopped. He had scented something. The little tom dropped the mouse, prompting Thornclaw to turn around. "Are you okay?" asked the tom.

Shrewpaw nodded silently and dropped into a crouch, opening his mouth to scent. So he had been right. There was prey nearby. Thornclaw must have scented it too, for he fell silent and took a step back to watch his apprentice.

The young brown tom crept silently in the direction of the Thunderpath. Through the yellowing bracken, he could see the dark plumage of a large bird. He took another step and –

A twig cracked. The pheasant bolted, but Shrewpaw tore after it. It was large, but it was slow, and Shrewpaw found himself catching up. He just needed a little more time.

The Thunderpath loomed up in front of him, but Shrewpaw didn't stop. As his feet touched the harsh black dirt, he leapt through the air and dug his claws into the bird's sides.

As he landed on the other side, a sharp rush of air accelerated him forward, and Shrewpaw tumbled down into the grass, the bird still in his claws. He rolled over once on his side, landing with a dull thump. The pheasant cooed pathetically and he silenced it with a quick bite to the neck.

The tom pulled himself off the ground, ignoring the ache in his side wher he had hit the ground, and turned around to see Thornclaw watching with wide eyes. Shrewpaw frowned. He had never seen his mentor look so frightened.

He followed the tom's eyes to see the receding lights of a monster as it sped off into the distance, and suddenly Shrewpaw realized what that rush of air had been.

He could picture the monster a fraction of a second away from his body and realized that if he had hesitated a moment longer before leaping, his neck would have collided with the monster as it drove past. The small brown tom should shock-still, blinking as he realized how lucky he had been. His fur still felt ruffled from where the displaced air had pushed it, and the fur on his flanks felt singed with heat.

He padded back over the Thunderpath more carefully this time, dropping the pheasant at Thornclaw's paws.

"This could feed half the Clan," purred Thornclaw shakily. Neither of them needed to discuss how close a call that had been.

Looking down at the pheasant, the small brown tom imagined the scene when he brought it back to camp. Squirrelpaw would purr and congratulate him by nosing him, Dustpelt would look at him with gratitude, and Larchkit and Birchkit would be allowed the first bite.

The thought of his sister gaining strength and enjoying her share of the pheasant warmed the apprentice, making the risk and near death-experience feel worth it. His legs shook from relief as he gazed down at it, thanking StarClan for the prey.

StarClan was there for them. Shrewpaw had never doubted his warrior ancestors for a second.

He looked at Thornclaw, and the two of them exchanged glances. Though his mentor still looked rather startled, the tom's amber eyes glowed with pride, and a warm feeling rushed over Shrewpaw from his paws to the tip of his tail.

The tom looked down at the pheasant and picked it up in his jaws. Thornclaw followed suit, quickly grasping the mouse in his jaws. Without another word, the two cats padded back to ThunderClan camp.

- - - x - - -

A/N: Hey guys! The story is going to start out a little slow, detailing how they all get lost on the journey, but I promise that it'll pick up from there.

Also, if you read, please leave a review :)