Hey guys, Moonmist18 here. If this is your first time reading the story, Hi! Nice to meet you! If you're rereading it, Hi! Glad you think this story is good enough to devote more of your time to it :D! As for you first time readers, please, stick with it. The first few chapters are...not amazing. At all. Trust me, they were worse when they were first uploaded. Yes. Worse. I rewrote them, but they're still not the best. Keep reading to Chapter Four. That's where the quality reaches something half-decent. These first few aren't too long, it won't take very long to read. Hopefully I'll see you at the latest chapter!

The Vulpes Saltus

I stalk carefully, eyes silently tracking the red-brown scrap of fur before me. My tail twitches slightly, and I quickly still it. If that brushes against some bracken… I don't even want to think about it. The prey doesn't even know I'm here; it's so occupied with eating the acorn it's found. A mere tail-length away, it senses me and prepares to run. Too late. I've caught and killed it.

I doubt I'll find any more prey. It's leafbare, after all. Still, I keep my senses on high alert. At least this squirrel is fairly plump. Maybe it'll keep me fed long enough to actually hunt before I'm hungry again.

I'm nearly at my den when I smell it. The scent of another cat! Whoever invaded my den is going to pay! Growling, claws extended, and teeth bared, I stalk into my den.

Sitting within is a trembling, emaciated she-cat. She looks eerily like me—silver fur, blue eyes, and unusually long whiskers. It doesn't save her from my wrath, though.

I hiss, furious. All that trouble, preparing myself for battle, just for a half-dead cat? Why didn't I smell that before?

The cat before me cries out in fear. "P-please don't hurt me! I-I was j-just looking f-for a place to stay! I s-saw this den, and it-it looked nice, and s-so I came here," she stutters.

The cat notices the squirrel in my mouth, and has the audacity to stare at it. "So you invade my den, the expect me to share my hard-earned prey with you? No way!" I snarl.

The she-cat stares at her paws. "I-it's just, I'm s-so hungry. I haven't had anything to eat for a w-week. And that-that was just a skinny woodmouse. It would have died from starvation soon anyways.

I feel myself weaken against my will. She looks so much like me…and felt hunger like I have. I hadn't been able to hunt for a few moons after Copper, my mother, died. I'd survived by eating crowfood and plants my mother had taught me in those four moons I had with her.

I shove the squirrel over to the she-cat. "I have no idea why I'm doing this, but I am. Now eat it before I change my mind! What's your name, anyways?" I add.

"I-I'm Mist," she whispers.

"I'm Silver. Now are you going to eat that squirrel or not?" I ask. "Cause I'm plenty hungry."

Mist looks rather scared again. Great StarClan, does everything frighten her? "I'm sorry, you can have it if you want." Her whisper has become barely audible.

"I was joking. Now eat!" She finally does, taking large bites and barely chewing.

"I'm sorry for stealing your prey. I'll help you hunt," she says. Although the freshkill has clearly strengthened her—her eyes are much brighter, and she sits straighter—I doubt she's well enough to hunt yet.

"No, you stay here. I'll help you recover. Now, have any scratches, cuts, ticks, or bruises?" I ask. Good thing my mother was able to teach me about healing herbs as well.

"There's a small thorn in my left front paw, I've got a couple scratches from some brambles, and, well, I've been having nightmares," she reports.

"I'll get you some herbs. Now, make yourself a nest and lie down. Are you thirsty? There's a stream not too far from here, I can get you some water if you like," I respond.

"That would be great."

I'm soon back with a dripping wad of moss. "Drink this. I'll find some herbs for you."

Mist lies quietly in her nest, lapping at the moss ball. Before too long, I have everything I need but poppyseed. Where's the poppyseed! There was a bunch of it around here somewhere! Just then, my nose catches a whiff of its slight scent. I open my mouth slightly to catch it better.

Having finally found the poppy, I'm back with everything I need. I apply cobwebs, soaked in a poultice of chervil, comfrey, dock, goldenrod, and marigold, and pluck out the thorn. "A few poppyseeds will send you right to sleep," I tell her, shaking out three.

She laps up the seeds, and sure enough, she drifts off quickly. I tidy up the den, and go to sleep myself.

In my dreams, I once again am on my quest for the poppyseeds. But now, I notice red eyes staring at me. I jerk awake. Were those there in real life? I wonder. I think back. They were. I'd better be careful.

A/N: First story, first chapter! Read and review, please!

UPDATE: Thoughts changed from single quotes to italics, per Mothstar's request. Thanks for letting me know about that!

UPDATE 2.0: Totally rewrote this, as you can see. Made it longer, changed the perspective too. I read the original and actually winced. I feel I've improved enough over the other chapters to rewrite this one much better.