Of course, out of all the other apprentices, Bluepaw would get paired up with him for hunting practice.

Sparkpaw seemed to understand what she was thinking and huffed, "I didn't ask to get paired up with you either, you know!"

Bluepaw would be lying if she said that that comment didn't hit her right in the heart, that she didn't care what he though of her. Trying to salvage what little pride she had left under her burning pelt she venomously retorted, "Well, at least I have a clan blood and don't act like a whiny kittypet all the time!"

That was a low blow, Bluepaw knew, and felt a tad bit regretful as she saw Sparkpaw real away as if she had hurt him physically. He then turned and stared straight ahead, not talking.

Bluepaw sighed and fell silent, listening closely for anything besides the quiet crinkle of leaves under their paws. Leaf-bare was quickly approaching and tensions were already raising between ThunderClan and ShadowClan. Several border skirmishes had already happened, and each seemed to get more violent then the last.

She was broken out of her musings when Sparkpaw stopped dead beside her. Bluepaw immedietly stopped alongside him and perked her ears, listening. There it was, the heartbeat of a rabbit. She tensed and sank into a crouch. A rabbit would deffinetly help feed the clan. Bluepaw was about to spring when Sparkpaw shoved past her and knocked her off balance.

The now alerted rabbit spotted them and broke into a run with Sparkpaw at its heels. Bluepaw hissed at his mousebrained move and shot after him.

Sparkpaw and Bluepaw continued to sprint after the rabbit, who seemed to get farther ahead by the minute. Sparkpaw made a daring lunge forward, missed the rabbit…

And landed across the border…

With now two mousebrained moves the fuming Bluepaw couldn't take it anymore, she yowled at him in frustration, "Mousebrain! Stupid, stupid, mousebrain!"

Sparkpaw got up and licked his ruffled fur, refusing to come back across the border.

"I could have had it! That could have fed all the elders! Or Graywing and her kits!"

Sparkpaw got up abruptly and snarled at her, "And get all the praise like you always do! Just because I'm not of clan blood doesn't mean I'm not just as good as you!"

A small part of Bluepaw knew she should feel bad for always blaming him for his rouge roots. She knew that she should tell him to come back across the border. But she couldn't, she was frustrated and hungry, and he had missed the largest piece of food she'd seen in a while.

"If you were good as I was, you would have got it!" Blue paw hissed.

Sparkpaw opened his mouth to retort when a deep growl sounded.

Bluepaw looked up, Sparkpaw turned around, and they were both face to face with a furious looking ShadowClan patrol.

A large ginger tom who seemed to be the one leading the patrol narrowed his eyes at them, "ThunderClan apprentices on our territory. I thought Nettlestar agreed to leave ShadowClan be."

Sparkpaw looked up at the ginger tom, golden eyes narrowed, "ShadowClan doesn't tell ThunderClan what to do!"

Bluepaw let out a gasp, such a obvious disrespect would not go unnoticed. Just as she predicted, the cats of the ShadowClan patrol unsheathed their claws.

"Really now?" the ginger tom murmured softly, his eyes boring into them, "Shall we put that theory to the test?"

And the ShadowClan patrol was on them. They were outnumbered one to two, and Bluepaw wasn't the best fighter. She tried to slip under one and run to get aid from the clan but the calico she merely fell down onto her and raked her face.

Bluepaw struggled out of the calico's stern grip and blindly swung around, not being able to see through the blood. The ShadowClan cats seemed to find this most amusing.

"This is the best ThunderClan could offer up?" jeered the calico, looking pleased with herself.

"Maybe ShadowClan should tell ThunderClan to give us more territory, since they obviously can't defend it," suggested an amber eyed white tom

Bluepaw let out her pent up frustration by leaping at the white tom. However, he easily sidestepped, looking rather smug.

"What are ThunderClan teaching their apprentices these days?"

Bluepaw wasn't sure how long the battle lasted, all she knew was that she couldn't fight anymore. She collapsed on the ground as the ShadowClan cats surveyed their handiwork.

"I think this will get our messge across to ThunderClan."

Bluepaw heard them leave, and when the sound of paw steps were gone, tried to open her eyes.

She could only get one open.

And when she opened it, she wished she hadn't.

For lying in a bloodied heap of orange tabby fur and blood was what remained of Sparkpaw.

Bluepaw limped over to him to get a closer look, and felt bile rise in her mouth. She leaned close and gave him a gentle nuzzle.

Bluepaw heard the shout of her fellow apprentices Hawkpaw and Whisperpaw as they stumbled upon the bloody scene. Their sounds or horror were clear.

Bluepaw murmured gently to Sparkpaw before she slipped into unconsciousness, "Mousebrain. Stupid, stupid, mousebrain."