It was the piercing alarm call of a thrush that woke Bristlepaw. Groaning irritably, he curled up tighter in his nest, instinctively twitching his whiskers in search of Rosepaw, his sister. When he found nothing, he scrambled up, blue eyes blinking rapidly.

There were two other nests in the den. One was empty, but smelled heavily of Mousepaw. Fuzzypaw lay snoring in another nest closer to the back. There was no sign of Rosepaw.

Soon enough, the fog cleared from his mind and Bristlepaw remembered where he was. This was the apprentices den, not the nursery. Rosepaw was a medicine cat apprentice, sleeping in Dawnsayer's den.

And Bristlepaw was an apprentice warrior!

Excitement enveloped him like a great wave. Trembling from ears to tail tip, the young tom shook out his brown fur. With a little yowl of joy he shot out of the den. He just barely avoided crashing into Bramblenose in his haste.

"Hey, hey, hey!" the dark warrior meowed, reaching out a paw in hopes of catching Bristlepaw. But the apprentice was too quick, and he pranced out of the warrior's reach. To show his respect, he bounced around to address the older cat.

"Yes, Bramblenose?" he chirped happily.

The gray tabby shook his head slowly, jaws hanging open. Eventually he collected himself, saying, "Shouldn't you report to Runningheart and check for any assignments he may have planned for you?"

"That's what I was doing!" Bristlepaw's limbs twitched, eager to find his new mentor. It was an exciting thought; he had a mentor!

Bramblenose's whiskers twitched. "Now I know why Stormstar left you in Runningheart's care. I wish him the best of luck!"

Bristlepaw tipped his head to one side as the great warrior padded away. Stumpytail and Tigerfur had said something similar the sunrise before, and still he didn't know what they'd meant.

"Bristlepaw!"

The apprentice jumped at the sound of his name. He spun around to see his mentor stretching in front of the warriors den. The tortoiseshell-and-white tom was an unusual looking cat, seeing as it was very rare that males were born with a multi-coloured pelt. Bristlepaw once heard the elders muttering that Runningheart would never father kits, but he was sure that that was just a nursery tale. He knew that Shepherdheart of Riverclan had tortoiseshell fur, and his son Brackenfoot was a warrior now.

Shaking his head of his musings, Bristlepaw pelted over to his mentor. "What are we doing today Runningheart?" he asked when he was within earshot. He anxiously circled the older cat, unable to sit still.

"It's time you had a better look at what's outside camp," his mentor meowed, craning his neck to keep Bristlepaw in his sights. "You and I are to patrol the Shadowclan border."

The forest! Bristlepaw had never stepped paw out of camp before. Rosepaw had crept into the forest with Dawnsayer when they were kits, and back then a monster had been on the loose. Bristlepaw had never forgotten that, and now he was eager to even the score. "Great, lets go!" he meowed, marching toward the entrance tunnel.

"So long as you can keep up," said Runningheart behind him. Bristlepaw turned to ask the warrior what he'd meant, but only saw a blur of pale fur as his mentor sped by, disappearing into the thorn tunnel. Stumbling forward, Bristlepaw ran to keep up with him. When he burst through the tunnel, he couldn't locate the swift warrior at first, then he spotted Runningheart crouched up on the ridge above the hollow.

"You'll have to do better than that!" his mentor chastised before vanishing over the hill.

Indignation flooded Bristlepaw. I'll show him who's slow!

Picking up the pace, he raced over the hill with little problem. He spied Runningheart through the trees, which were much bigger than the oaks surrounding the hollow. Their height combined with the strange new smells of the forest made Bristlepaw dizzy. It was late Newleaf, and the forest was bursting with new life. Blinking hard to clear it all away, he raced after his mentor, who was still running steadily ahead. But no matter how hard he pushed himself, Bristlepaw's legs were simply too short to keep up with a full grown warrior. The thought pricked at his pride. He always believed himself to be a quick and surefooted cat, but next to Runningheart he was slower than a Riverclan elder.

Branches pulled at Bristlepaw's pelt as he raced along, and he stumbled on the uneven trail. The ground back at the hollow was smooth and laced with many cracks and fissures, perfect grip for a cat's claws. But out here there were leaves, stones, and bushes in his path. Eventually, his paw caught under a root and he twisted it. Yowling, Bristlepaw fell into a heap, his paw throbbing painfully. As he sat up to examine what damage there was, Runningheart appeared at his side.

"Don't push yourself too hard," the warrior meowed, taking a look at the paw himself. "Its just a sprain, you'll be fine."

With that, Runningheart was off again, but this time at a slower pace. After shaking off the pain in his paw and testing it with a few tentative steps, Bristlepaw found he could match his mentor's speed, but not without some difficulty. He supposed he should be glad he had a mentor who had the stamina to push him, but right now it was a bit irksome.

Eventually, Runningheart skidded to a stop at the edge of a clearing. On both sides of the empty space, the oaks mixed with that of pines and firs. The warm familiar scent of Thunderclan was tainted with an unfamiliar stench that had Bristlepaw wrinkling his nose.

"This is the Shadowclan border, isn't it?" he asked his mentor.

Runningheart nodded. "Remember that scent, Bristlepaw. One day you will have to identify your enemies with it."

Before Bristlepaw could respond, a rustling in the sparse undergrowth across the clearing had both cats crouching down.

"Keep still," Runningheart instructed, peering out through the gaps in the ferns.

"Why are we hiding?" Bristlepaw whispered. "We're on our side of the border."

"Shadowclan wont give anything away if Thunderclan warriors are in plain sight," his mentor hissed back. "This way we can catch them at whatever they have planning."

The Shadowclan scent grew stronger before three cats appeared. The trio was led by a black-and-white she-cat, who paused on her side of the border, her ears pricked in the Thunderclan cats' direction.

"See?" meowed a red-brown tom. "There's nobody here."

The she-cat narrowed her eyes. "I could have sworn I heard something."

A huge gray tom with a shredded ear stepped up to the border. "Then lets see what those rats are up to," he snarled.

The red-brown tom's tail twitched nervously. "I don't think we should go crossing borders based on a stray sound in the wind." His voice quavered as he confronted his larger Clan mate, almost as if he feared the other tom. "So long as they stay on their side they can do what they want."

"Thunderclan is always out for our prey!" growled the gray tom. "If they're skulking right on the edge of the border, Littlestar will want to know why."

Bristlepaw's throat felt thick as he swallowed. He glanced at his mentor, who was crouched rigidly beside him. Runningheart's eyes were trained on the Shadowclan warriors. As the three of them argued further, Runningheart leaned in to whisper in Bristlepaw's ear, pointing his nose in the direction of the cats he was identifying.

"The she-cat is Sharpears, and the two toms are Mudeyes and Thorntooth." He snapped his jaws shut when there was a short lull in the Shadowclan cats' argument. Mudeyes was still adamant about remaining on their territory, but Sharpears and Thorntooth were stubbornly insisting that they take a look a tail-length across the border. "Watch out for Thorntooth. He's deadly."

"What do we do if they decide to come over?" Bristlepaw murmured breathlessly, his claws tearing at the ground. He could already imagine running them through that big tom's pelt, maybe even taking out his other ear. Then he would be called Lostears.

"Thunderclan doesn't flee from invaders," Runningheart replied. "I will confront them, and you will run back to camp as fast as you can and tell Stormstar to bring reinforcements."

Bristlepaw didn't like that. "Three against one? That's hardly fair!"

"Hush—!"

"I definitely heard something that time!" Sharpears meowed tensely, flicking her tail. She trained her eyes on the exact spot where the two Thunderclan cats were hiding. Thorntooth followed her line of sight and, without hesitation, charged across the clearing.

"Mousedung!" Runningheart cursed, bunching his muscles to spring. "Run back to camp, quick—!"

Before he could finish, Thorntooth was upon them. He was a lot bigger close up, and Bristlepaw let out a little yip of surprise. Runningheart threw himself at the Shadowclan cat, and they rolled viciously in the grass.

"Wait!" yowled Mudeyes, but the fight had begun. Sharpears let out a battle cry and pelted forward to back up her Clan mate.

He knew he had orders, but Bristlepaw couldn't leave his mentor behind. With a yowl he jumped forward to intercept Sharpears before she could reach the fighting toms.

Fresh out of the nursery, Bristlepaw had only his instincts and kithood play-fights with Rosepaw to go on. He leaped for the Shadowclan cat's throat, hoping his weight would bring her down. But Sharpears was a battle-hardened warrior, and twice Bristlepaw's size. With a grunt of surprise she batted him away. Knowing that to waste any time meant defeat, Bristlepaw sprang back to his paws and blindly lashed them at the advancing she-cat. Sharpears nimbly dodged his panicked attack, and the moment he was vulnerable, she dove in to strike. Swiping his paws out from under him, she pinned him in the grass. Their bout had lasted less than twenty heartbeats.

"Thunderclan must be desperate if they're willing to throw mewling kits into battle!" Sharpears jeered, revealing a set of frighteningly sharp teeth less than a whisker from Bristlepaw's eye.

"I'm an apprentice!" He snarled, thrashing beneath her weight. But it was no use. She had him.

"For Starclan's sake!" Mudeyes meowed frantically. "You just had to start something, didn't you?" He stopped at Sharpears side, watching the fight still going on between Runningheart and Thorntooth. Bristlepaw couldn't see the battle from where he was pinned, but he could hear their snarls and the shuffling sounds of their struggle.

"What are you waiting for?" Sharpears snapped. "Go help Thorntooth!"

With a sigh, Mudeyes left Bristlepaw's sight. As new sounds were added to the unseen battle, he continued to struggle beneath Sharpears' paws.

The she-cat glanced down and snarled at him. "Give it up, little mouse. You've been beaten."

"You won't get away with this!" Bristlepaw yowled, thrashing his small body further. "We've done nothing wrong!"

"That's for us to decide."

A sudden yowl from Runningheart halted Bristlepaw's wriggling. His heartbeat quickened as the sounds of struggle quieted. He prayed to Starclan, begging for his mentor's safety.

"Now," Thorntooth panted, pausing to catch his breath. It sparked pride in Bristlepaw. I bet you wouldn't have won if you'd fought fair!

"Just what do you think you were doing, sneaking around on the border?" Thorntooth demanded.

"What we do in our territory is our own business!" Runningheart snarled.

Bristlepaw tried to crane his neck to watch the exchange, but Sharpears cuffed him with sheathed paws. "Keep still!"

"Were you spying on us, trying to find weakness?" Thorntooth growled.

"I was introducing my apprentice to your unbearable stench!" Runningheart spat. "And to remind him that Shadowclan cats are all cowardly snakes!"

There was a hiss and the rasping sound of claws running through fur. Runningheart's grunt of pain indicated that Thorntooth had struck him. Bristlepaw renewed his struggles, rage providing him with fresh energy.

"Watch what you say, Thunderclan scum!"

"Thorntooth," Mudeyes soothed. "We should let them go. We can't prove that they were doing anything here."

"I think they've learned their lesson," Sharpears agreed. She leaned down to glare into Bristlepaw's eye. "Haven't you, little mouse?"

"I say we take them prisoner!" Thorntooth declared. "We let them live so long as Thunderclan offers us prey whenever we demand it."

As frightening as that thought was, Bristlepaw was no longer listening. While The Shadowclan cats had been deciding on what to do, he'd noticed a flicker of colour in the otherwise green undergrowth. He fixed his gaze on the ferns, waiting. A heartbeat later, the tip of a black tail appeared before dodging back into the forest.

Help had arrived.

Thinking quickly, Bristlepaw continued to wriggle beneath Sharpears' paws, growling and hissing for her benefit. He'd never met this she-cat before, but he knew enough to safely say that there was a good reason she had such a peculiar name. Ignoring him, the three cats continued to prattle on, completely unaware that enemy warriors were closing in.

Bristlepaw kept his eyes trained on the Thunderclan forest, waiting for what might be some sort of signal to attack. He almost stopped his act when a pair of gold eyes appeared a few fox-lengths away. It was hard to distinguish in the shadows, but Bristlepaw was sure that those eyes belonged to the Thunderclan deputy, Icetalon. The black she-cat offered him one sharp nod before fading into the murky depths of the trees.

Bristlepaw knew what he had to do. Gradually, he quieted down and allowed his muscles to go limp. He even panted heavily, pretending to have given up the fight. It took several moments, but Sharpears lightly relaxed her hold on him. Bristlepaw took a deep breath, knowing he would have only one chance.
Without so much as a sound, he twisted suddenly, throwing Sharpears off balance. Without hesitation he sank his claws into her shoulder and buried his jaws into her scruff, thrashing his body back and forth.

Her shriek almost concealed the deputy's battle cry.

Icetalon, Tawnystorm, Fuzzypaw, and Bristlepaw's father, Stumpytail, exploded from the undergrowth, raining fury down upon the shocked Shadowclan warriors. As Bristlepaw fought to hold on to Sharpears, Tawnystorm pelted over to barrel her off her paws. Together the two Thunderclan cats forced her back onto her side of the border. The black-and-white warrior yowled her fury, lashing out unsheathed claws at them. After a few tense moments, however, the light of battle dimmed from her eyes when Thorntooth and Mudeyes fled into the pines. She met Bristlepaw's eyes menacingly.

"Until next time we meet, little mouse," she promised before turning tail and following her comrades.

Bristlepaw had half a mind to follow her, but he knew that it was unnecessary. He turned and ran over to where Runningheart was standing. His mentor had many wounds, but none of them seemed too serious. Yet Bristlepaw was no medicine cat, and he couldn't say for sure.

"Those cuts don't seem bad, but I want them thoroughly checked by Dawnsayer before I'm satisfied," Icetalon meowed, voicing Bristlepaw's thoughts. Runningheart nodded, his eyes dull from pain and exhaustion.

Next Icetalon turned to Bristlepaw. "We heard the racket you were making while we were hunting. We came as fast as we could."

"How are you holding up?" Stumpytail interrupted, his eyes scouring Bristlepaw's pelt for injuries. There were a few scrapes from his tussle with Sharpears, but otherwise Bristlepaw was fine. Sharpears took it easy on me.

"I'll live," he purred.

His father nodded, and Icetalon purred her amusement. "I saw what you did," the deputy meowed. "It's not every day that an apprentice on his first patrol unbalances a seasoned Shadowclan warrior." She nodded at him. "Good work, Bristlepaw."

Bristlepaw glowed under the proud gazes of his deputy and his father.

"Let's head back," Icetalon ordered, flicking her tail for her patrol to follow her into Thunderclan territory. "Stormstar will want to hear of this straight away."
Tawnystorm rested a tail on Runningheart's shoulder and guided the drained warrior around the trees and bushes.

"Bristlepaw," his mentor rasped, summoning his apprentice with his tail. Picking up the pace, Bristlepaw padded alongside the tortoiseshell-and-white tom.

"What you did back there…" He trailed off and shook his head. "You left Sharpears a scar to remember you by. Not only that, but you've also shamed her in front of friends and rivals alike. You've made yourself an enemy."

"I'm looking forward to seeing her again!" Bristlepaw growled, savouring the challenge in store for him.

"Well," Runningheart purred. "Let's just say that when you're granted you're warrior name, I'm betting Stormstar will dub you Bristleclaw."

Bristlepaw blinked at that, his pace faltering enough for his mentor to go on ahead.

Bristleclaw. He tested the name under his breath. I quite like the sound of that.