Chapter One

Greenleaf had come early this year and the Clans were flushed with freshkill. After many moons of coldness and hunger, the first moon of Greenleaf was always a time for celebration. Jayfeather was assaulted by the rich aroma of a full freshkill pile before he even stepped out of his den.

Mice, shrews, voles, a blackbird and even a rabbit lay piled in the middle of the camp. Jayfeather had to fight the urge to drool at all that freshkill. But his herb supply was low and it was best to restock it now instead of later, when all the prey in the forest would be looking for things to munch on.

Walking to the WindClan border, Jayfeather decided to start gathering the herbs farthest from the camp and pick up more as he made his way back. His whiskers twitched as he heard other cats in the trees. Tilting his head he reached out to sense who was there: He sensed Greystripe, hungry as ever, out leading a patrol. Berrynose was with him, full of himself as always; bragging about how he would bring back the most prey while Cinderheart did her best to ignore him.

Jayfeather pushed on ahead. He could smell the WindClan border markings and beyond them, the smell of the hills and rabbits. There was a clump of burdock roots not far from the border. He was just about to dig up the root when a shift in the wind caused the smells and sounds from WindClan territory to waft over the border. Jayfeather turned, the wind catching him in the face. He smelled WindClan cats, three of them. He raised his head and sniffed, searching for scent and stretching out with his other senses.

"Tornear. Ashfoot. Breezepelt." He picked them out, one by one. And they were in pursuit of rabbits. Several of them.

Jayfeather couldn't see the chase, but he could hear the scratch of claws against the dirt as they ran after their prey. He could feel the wind brushing the grass down and the yowls of the cats as they gave chase. He reached out and felt the intensity in the minds of the WindClan warriors with his own mind—and he felt something else. It was an almost tangible feeling. He sensed a mind and power not unlike his own. Jayfeather's sightless eyes widened. He had never known anyone like him before.

Frowning, he tried to focus on what he had felt. At first he thought it was one of the cats...but he soon found that it was one of the rabbits.

"I never tried using my powers on anyone but cats before." Jayfeather realized. "I wonder what a rabbit's like..."

Jayfeather's every muscle stiffened as his mind brushed against the thoughts and memories of the rabbit that attracted his attention. He was unprepared for the depth he found...it was like falling into the lake, only he couldn't feel the bottom. The medicine cat felt his mind fall in, deeper...and deeper...until—

"Watch out!" Jayfeather whipped his head around to see-"wait, see? How can I?"-Breezepelt bearing down on him, claws extended and looking much, much bigger than he normally was.

"What are you doing?" Jayfeather hollered at Breezepelt, jumping to the side. The WindClan warrior didn't seem to hear him.

"Move you runt or I'll slap your ears off!" Jayfeather turned just in time to see a large rabbit bowl into Breezebelt's flank, sending the WindClan warrior rolling over. Then the rabbit turned back to him. "Well?" He demanded sharply before cuffing Jayfeather's head. "Get a move on!"

Gasping in shock, Jayfeather was too stunned to do anything but follow—in a lopping, hopping pace? Jayfeather ran ahead, moving much faster than he'd ever gone before...and he couldn't help but notice he was much closer to the ground than usual...

"Great StarClan!" He moaned. "I'm a rabbit!"

"Hurry up!" The big bossy one snapped. "Or you'll be a dead rabbit!" Running up a hill, Jayfeather followed the big one down a burrow. The WindClan cats had given up pursuit already.

They were greeted by another rabbit, who looked at them worriedly. "Did you lose them?"

"Yeah," the big one panted. "We gave them the old slip."

"Little brother?" The other rabbit asked. "Are you alright?" Jayfeather looked confused...until he realized that the rabbit was talking to him.

"Huh? Oh, r-right, I'm fine." Jayfeather stammered. "Fine."

"Do you want to rest?" The brown eyes of his rabbit 'brother' filled with worry. "Why don't you go below and have a good night's sleep. It must've been a close call out there...you even smell like cat!"

Jayfeather bobbed his head, then regretted it when a long ear flopped down over his face. "Right...sure...see you in the morning." He lopped his way down a burrow shaft.

Nodding after him, his 'brother' called out, "Good night Fiver."