Graystorm, a dark gray tabby tom padded across the rocks toward the river, the ground was covered in the first snow of Leaf-Bare. After taking a drink, he noticed something, a feeling as if he were being watched. Suddenly, a fox sprang out of the bushes, caught him off-guard, and knocked him into the rocks. It prowled toward him as he scrambled to gain his footing. After a few moments, another cat came to the rescue, jumping at the fox's neck, and another joined the battle with a loud his, by this time Graystorm was back on his paws. After a while of clawing, batting, and kicking, the fox finally leapt up and ran away.

Graystorm looked up at the three other cats, "Thanks, you saved my life." He mewed as he noticed red snow and a long cut on his front right leg. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by another cat rushing towards them, who was obviously a medicine cat, with herbs in her mouth. She dropped the herbs and ran to sniff Graystorm's wounds, "What happened?" she asked, sounding alarmed. He told her about the fox attack, and noticed yet another cat who was just coming out of their hiding place between some tree roots that he must've not noticed earlier. She had obviously been fighting, because of a large gash in her shoulder. "Thank StarClan that's over!" she meowed.

After she had patched up Graystorm, the medicine cat padded over to the one with the gash in their shoulder. She rapped it in what looked like her last bit of cobwebs, "Roll in some wild garlic, it'll keep infection out." She mewed.

Looking at the four others he noticed that he didn't know who they were. "I don't think I caught any of your names, but I'm Graystorm.

"I'm Treepaw, I'm a medicine cat apprentice", said the brown-and white cat who had been fixing them up.

"I'm Icepaw, nice to meet you", said the pure white cat with yellow eyes.

Graystorm looked at the now four cats who had come to his aid, "I think I've already said this, but thank you very much", he said "and by the way, are you all from a clan?"

Just as soon as he finished talking, a fifth snowy white cat appeared from down the river.

"Is everyone all right?" she exclaimed. Immediately, she looked over at Graystorm. "Thank goodness you had Treepaw here to help; that wound would have killed you in a few days," she said. "Oh, how rude of me, my name is Frostpaw. I am also a Medicine cat apprentice. I am from Snowclan. Where are you from?"

Graystorm sat for a moment looking confused as he licked the cut on his leg. "Well, that's the tricky part, you see, I was separated from my clan a long time ago, I've never seen them since." he meowed sadly. "I had no clue I was so close to a clan territory, otherwise, where else would all of you have come from?"

Just as Graystorm noticed one or two of the cats leaving the site, another one took their place, while licking her pelt she meowed, "Well, not to interrupt, but I am Tanglethorn. I'm a Rouge, and do not ask why. It's my business" The young she-cat told Graystorm, her whiskers giving a light twitch. It would have sounded rude, had she not thrown in the playful wink. She threw him a toothy grin, before her eyes started traveling from cat to cat in the group.

Tanglethorn then started a conversation with Treepaw about which type of prey was best. He could see how well they were getting along.

Graystorm was nervous, he thought to himself, didn't mothers always tell their kits to be careful around strangers? He wasn't sure if they should be making friends with this rogue so soon, but, she didn't seem to mean any harm, so he was fine. "Alright, lets not just stand here, how about you show us where your den is Treepaw." he said.

His gaze travels from Tanglethorn to Treepaw. "If you don't mind," he looks around at everyone," could I stay with some of you? You all seem like good friends, and I don't h ave anywhere good to live."

Treepaw looked at him, "You may stay with me, my den may smell funny but you get used to the scent of herbs before long. I live close to the river in a gigantic Ash with its roots tangled to look like a den. You can't miss it." she mewed.

Graystorm saw that Frostpaw looked upset and padded to sit beside her, "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Umm, nothing," said Frostpaw, jumping in surprise and wiping a tear from her eye. "I'm fine, Scartail."

Treepaw got to her paws. Looking over to Graystorm she flicked her plumy mud brown tail, "Come on I'll show you my den." She mewed as she started in a different direction.

The group trudged through the undergrowth and not far from where they were Treepaw spotted her den. She raced along the bushes and disappeared down the den with Graystorm and the others hot on her tail. They appeared in a den that had a large grassy clearing, the sun dappled the ground through the tangles and in the back was a crevice that smelled of strange plant scents. "Welcome to my den," Treepaw purred.

Graystorm followed the others into the den and tasted the air; the smell of the den was quite bitter to the nose, an array of different herbs that made a strong, yet also rather pleasant and homely scrunched up his face, "You where right about the smell, but I could get used to it." he said with a smile.

Treepaw meowed, "It's the cost with living with a medicine cat apprentice, but you can also get healed of sickness if you live with one."