Chapter 1

Dawn had just broken out. Weak rays of yellow, amber-tainted sunlight coloured the sky, spilling onto the horizon. A stiff breeze ruffled the close-packed patch of ferns nearby. Hazelfur was lying sprawled across a muddy bank, the soft rippling of water to be heard close by. Half-asleep, she lay alone, exhausted, and reluctantly opened one eye. She blinked, and her senses flooded back to her, and she gazed around, taking in her seemingly unfamiliar surroundings.

The bare, boggy ground stretched out in a thin strips of line in both directions. A tight pack of overhanging ferns closed in nearby, the tips of the dropping leaves wet by water. All across one side, golden, light-tainted water stretched out as far as the eye could see.

...Where am I? she thought to herself, confused. Her mind was dulled to slow, sluggish numbness, and a weak buzz crackled in her ears. Stirring, she felt her fur sticking together in clumps. It was then that she became aware that she was lying on something soft and boggy, and scrambled up at once, alarmed, shaking scraps of mud from her matted fur.

"Eaurch! Mud!" she spat, clawing angrily at the slippery surface with her claws unsheathed. It was well-known in her Clan that Hazelfur hated anything wet, even for a ThunderClan cat. Once, as a kit, she had fallen into a gorge and almost drowned. The ancient memories stirred up in her mind, but she pushed them away. How had she gotten here? The last thing she remembered was falling into that bottomless pit with the exploding yellow light.

Oh. That pit—the StarClan warrior—the mission—the accident—it all washed back into her mind like a painful collision. Her heart hammered inside her chest. There were more important things to think about. How had she come to be here, for instance?

She was on a bank which stretched out far, with thick reeds poking out of the marsh. Behind her she could hear the steady lapping of water, and she turned to see a lake that floated out into the horizon—the lake. Relief washed into her and her fur sagged. At least she was not far from home. She must be in another Clan's territory, that meant. Huffing, she turned to look up at the land rising behind, which was soft and led out to a field with several trees, thickets and brambles in tall grass. The land was plentiful. She opened her jaws and tasted the air—humid, dewy stenches—RiverClan. She knew her location at least. How and why she had got here StarClan only knew, but she was sure it had something to do with last night, in the cave.

That was it. She was done with this quest. It was a miracle she was alive. Wild thoughts all tumbled into her mind, as she pondered, confused. Forget it, she thought. Now all she had to do was make it back home to ThunderClan territory unseen.

Easier said than done! her conscience jeered. What if RiverClan cats scent you and report it at the Gathering? Your reputation is already done for.

She felt a low growl arise in her throat. She couldn't be bothered to listen to the taunts her mind had for her. She was still confused an afraid in this strange new place, and too tired and bone-weary to think properly.

The mud on my fur will mask my scent, she convinced herself.

Wet and tired, she began to trek, diving into brambles and reeds as shelter from prying eyes. She still hoped no RiverClan cats were here—even though her scent was mostly eclipsed dimly with mud, it could still be caught on the breeze. She chose to go through ShadowClan territory - at least that way it was quicker to camp. Stiffening, she noticed that a strange, fresh fox scent lingered in the area.

She had only been walking for a little while when she came to a clearing. Her mind was too slow to process the danger. Undaunted by the exposure, Hazelfur confidently slinked across, her paws sinking softly into the ground. The clearing was eerie and silent. A leaf crackled on the breeze.

But then, the wind changed and, with suppressed horror, Hazelfur caught the faintest trace of RiverClan in the gust—she had probably been scented all along, and watched, completely exposed to all senses.

Oh no! she panicked. An adversary! Baring her fangs, she unsheathed her claws, and arched her back, hissing, her fur standing on edge along her spine, her ears lying flat.

"Who's there?" she growled. To a RiverClan cat, she would seem like a trespasser, so she prepared for battle.

The silence stretched.

"Intruder!" yowled a voice, and faster than lightning, a little ball of gray fur leaped at Hazelfur, too fast for her to move. Taken by surprise, Hazelfur was pinned. But she was bigger and stronger, and leaped up, snapping her jaws, easily sending the gray cat flying across the clearing. He tried to scramble up, but she was too fast and so she dived upon him. The gray tomcat, still not noticing how big she was to him in comparison, tried desperately to swipe at her.

Hazelfur reared back, and slashed her claws on the spot where he lay. He slid just out of her reach, hissing in loyal fury. Unsheathing his own claws, the cat drew back his lips in a snarl, and began a series of straight pummels aimed at Hazelfur's fur.

The she-cat matched him easily, blow for blow. Her mind prickled why guilt at the thought that she was attacking a cat in his own territory. I'm just defending myself, she argued. But she still didn't want to hurt him. If only he would stop fighting!

The apprentice clearly wasn't going to make this easy for her. His eyes gleamed with hungry prospects, of his Clan being safe. He bunched up his legs and shared into the sky, landing on Hazelfur's square shoulders.

Hazelfur tried desperately to shake him off, but for his small size, he was tightly fastened into her fur. She felt his teeth meet her scruff, and winced in pain. Quickly rolling over onto her back, the apprentice gasped in surprise.

Almost squashed by her weight, the gray cat struggled desperately as she now had him pinned. Faintly swiping with weak news of protest, Hazelfur raised her paw, preparing for the strike that would end this fight.

Dodging, her opponent rolled away, not looking where he was going. A crumbly ditch fell away with skittering dirt into an old, disused fox set.

The apprentice plunged into the ditch, still yowling in terror as tremors of fear passed his body. Hazelfur got up, hastily shaking herself, as his body disappeared, swallowed up by the ditch.

Stumbling, her fur standing on end, Hazelfur limbered over to where the apprentice cowered. "Foolish apprentice!" she glowered, pressing her muzzle up to his as she towered over him. She could feel his hot breath sharp against her muzzle. Something pricked at her mind when she noticed that the fox scent she had smelled earlier was stronger here.

The tom struggled in vain. "You won't hurt RiverClan," he hissed, trying to sound impressive even though his situation was impossible. "Leave, rogue!"

Hazelfur felt as though she were being jabbed by thorns. Rogue? How dare he call her that! "Call me that to my face!" she snarled. "I'm no rogue, just a ThunderClan cat."

The cat kicked and thrashed under her shadow. "Please, just leave me alone!" he wailed, finally admitting defeat. Hazelfur could see genuine fear flashing in his blue orbs.

Reluctant, she drew back. She didn't want to hurt this cat.

The apprentice sat up, his fur caked with crumbs of dirt. Hazelfur breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't seem very aggressive now. "If you're a ThunderClan cat, how come you're here? I have to chase you out."

The she-cat sighed, feeling her shoulders sag. How could she explain, when she didn't even know the answer herself? "I'm afraid this is a bit of a misunderstanding," she meowed cautiously. "I don't really know myself how I came here. Would you let me go to my territory in peace? I'm not here for prey. Let me go. I'm no threat to your Clan."

The apprentice seemed to understand that she was choosing her words carefully. "How do I know you're not here to spy?" he threatened with a hint of satisfaction.

The weight of dilemma sunk into Hazelfur's shoulders. "I swear by StarClan that I'm telling the truth!"

The apprentice was nodding slowly. All signs of aggression seemed to have faded. "I believe you."

"Before I go," she announced swiftly, relieved that she had avoided a major skirmish, "what's your name?" She didn't want to admit it, but he seemed less hostile than she had expected, but at the same time very loyal to his Clan.

The cat paused. "Minnowpaw," he confessed eventually.

Minnowpaw. Hazelfur's ears pricked. She would remember that name. "I'm Hazelfur," she admitted generously, striding up and looking back onto him.

"If you're really a ThunderClan cat, how come you smell so much of rogue?" he demanded one last time. He liked almost disappointed that she wasn't one of those legendary cats of filth he had heard so much about.

Hazelfur paused. "Rogues have scarred, matted, greasy pelts and sharp yellow teeth!" she teased.

Minnowpaw seemed genuinely scared. "What?" His eyes were wide and they wobbled like twin blue moons. Then the breeze stirred once more, and both cats stiffened. "RiverClan scent," Minnowpaw murmured. Then his eyes enlarged in a wild haze of panic. "Run!"

"Just what are you doing here?"

Hazelfur froze, rooted to the spot.

She was too late.

RiverClan patrol!