Chapter 1

Stormpaw yawned in her nest. Her sister, Mosspaw, snored beside her. "Hey, sleepyhead, wake up! " she prodded her sister with one paw. Mosspaw snorted and rolled over in her nest. Stormpaw sighed, and stumbled out of her nest. She stretched her paws and ambled over to her mentor, Featherjay. "Hi, Featherjay! What are we going to do today?" she meowed excitedly. Featherjay purred at the young apprentice's excitement. Stormpaw and her sister, Mosspaw, had only been apprentices for a day. "We are going to the boundaries of our territory."

Stormpaw bounced on her paws and squeaked with joy. "Let's go!" she squealed. Then, her expression turned serious. "Is Mosspaw coming with us?" Featherjay stifled a purr, and mewed, "Of course! But you can't expect to do all your training with your sister." Stormpaw nodded. Then, she heard a rustle in the bushes near her. She snapped her head in that direction, and saw a pair of yellow eyes peering at her through the bushes. Stormpaw yelped. Featherjay looked at her with concern. "What happened? Is something wrong?"

Stormpaw whimpered and nodded in the direction of the bushes. The yellow eyes seemed to grow bigger and bigger as they came out of the bushes. A black she-cat slowly emerged from the bushes. She was limping on one foot, and she had a huge, menacing scar over her right eye.

Stormpaw regained her confidence and crouched with a snarl curling on her lips. "Who are you, and what are you doing in our camp?" she growled. The cat straightened and meowed proudly, "My name is Tiger. I'm a rogue."
"How do we know that you really are a rogue?" It was Featherjay's turn to snarl. Tiger flinched. "You can smell me," she meowed curtly, "I have nothing to hide." She was trembling with fear.

Stormpaw slowly approached the young rogue. She sniffed at her tentatively. The rogue wasn't lying; There was no scent of any clan on her. Stormpaw looked back at Featherjay. Featherjay understood, and said to Tiger, "Let's go consult our leader." Tiger nodded, as if she understood everything, and followed Featherjay up the path to the leader's den.

Stormpaw heard a rustling coming from the apprentice's den. She turned back to see her sister, Mosspaw, rushing out. "Stormpaw!" she called, "Did I sleep in too late?" She sounded so flustered and hurried that Stormpaw had to let out a mrrow of amusement. Mosspaw stopped in her tracks right near Stormpaw. "What's so funny?" she asked, "And who were you and Featherjay talking to? Was it an intruder? Where did they go?" She started pelting Stormpaw with questions.

"We were talking to a rogue named Tiger," Stormpaw replied, "She just came into camp. I think she was really scared, and she needs a home. Featherjay took her to see Pebblestar." "Oh," Mosspaw sounded a little bit disappointed. "Will I get to meet her?" she asked.
"I don't even know if Pebblestar will let her stay here. So don't ask me," Stormpaw said. "Hey, have you seen Sunpelt?" Mosspaw meowed, suddenly changing the subject.
"I think he went to make dirt," Stormpaw nodded in the direction of the dirtplace.
"Thanks!" Mosspaw meowed quickly to her sister. Then she dashed off towards the dirtplace. Stormpaw picked a vole off of the fresh-kill pile and settled down to eat.

"Hey!" Sunpelt cuffed her over the ear. "Put the vole down. We haven't been hunting today yet, and you haven't even made it out of the camp." Stormpaw looked at her paws and felt her ears growing hot.

"I'm sorry, Sunpelt. I'll hunt before I eat next time."

Sunpelt looked as if a badger had stepped on him. "I'm a terrible mentor!" he moaned. "I can't even tell an apprentice to put a piece of fresh-kill back on the pile." His shoulders slumped, and he lifted his yellow head sadly. "I should probably ask Pebblestar to give Mosspaw a new mentor." Stormpaw had now recovered from her shock, and sprang to her paws. She touched her tail-tip to Sunpelt's yellow shoulder and looked deep into his yellow eyes. "Sunpelt, you're a nice cat. You just startled me."

Sunpelt looked up in surprise. "You really think that?" Stormpaw nodded. "Yep," she replied. "Well, then thanks. Mosspaw... Well, she's ..." he broke off, looking for the right word. "She keeps to herself?" Stormpaw offered. "Yeah, I guess," Sunpelt meowed shyly. Just then, Mosspaw came bounding up. The black rouge was right behind her.

"Hi," Mosspaw meowed brightly. "This is Tigerpaw. Pebblestar's decided to let her stay. She'll train as a SmokeClan apprentice with us." "Er, hi," the black she-cat meowed nervously, a bit embarrased at seeing Stormpaw. "Sorry about...before." "It's alright. Sorry I yelped so loud and tried to attack you."

"It's fine," the newly named Tigerpaw waved it away like leaves on the moors. "Can you show me around camp? Pebblestar said you would. And can you introduce me to Bearclaw? He's supposed to be my mentor."

"That's the apprentice's den, where we sleep, that's the fresh-kill pile, and that's Mantisfoot's den. He's our medicine cat. And that's all you need to know for now," said Mosspaw, flicking her tail at each of the places as she said them.

"C'mon, slowpokes, or the prey'll take over the moors and forest while we're waiting for you," Bearclaw meowed, emerging out of the warrior's den. He glanced at Tigerpaw. "Who's this?" he said, suspiciously. "Your new apprentice," Stormpaw meowed. Bearclaw looked at Stormpaw, then Tigerpaw, then back at Stormpaw. "You're kidding, right?" "No, she's not. Tigerpaw will be your apprentice." A voice mewed from behind them. It was Featherjay. The silver and white she-cat padded up to them and looked at Bearclaw. The dark tabby's eyes immediately softened. "Okay, Featherjay. Do you want to train together?"

Stormpaw looked at her mentor, and shook her head slightly. She didn't want to train with Bearclaw if he was going to be moony over her mentor. But Featherjay purred. "Sure, Bearclaw. We were just going to the borders. Do you and Mosspaw want to come, Sunpelt?" Stormpaw let out a sigh of releif. Maybe having Mosspaw around would make training with Bearclaw better. Sunpelt nodded. "After marking the borders we can do some battle training." "Yes!" thought Stormpaw. She padded happily after Featherjay into the forest with her sister at her side.