CHAPTER 1

Frostpaw blinked uncomfortably against the bright rays of sunlight in the season of Green-leaf. She stood up and shook scraps of moss from her pelt. Rootpaw was still sleeping, but there was an empty nest where Grasspaw used to sleep. Frostpaw stepped out of the apprentices' den and looked around the clearing. She saw her mentor, Thistletail, talking to Grasspaw. She couldn't resist a purr of amusement and sat down, her tail wrapped neatly around her paws

Thistletail must have seen her, for his tail twitched uncomfortably and meowed something rapidly to Grasspaw, who nodded, before bounding over to Frostpaw. "Talking to my pretty little denmate?" Frostpaw couldn't help teasing him with a mischievious glint in her eye.

"Come on," Thistletail meowed, giving her a friendly cuff behind her ear. "you have to practice your fighting moves." He stood up and headed to the thorn tunnel that led out of camp, waving his tail for Frostpaw to follow.

"Okay." Frostpaw jumped up. She knew that Thistletail was only deliberately changing the the subject.

Frostpaw's hind legs scrabbled helplessly against the soft sand in the training hollow, but at last managed to regain her balance. She stood there, panting. She felt breathless after this practice fight with Thistletail and thirsty because of the hot season of Green-leaf.

"No, Frostpaw," Thistletail instructed. "Your move was good, but your eyes betrayed where you were aiming. Now, try again, attack me."

Frostpaw crouched, bunching up her hind legs and got ready to spring. She looked at her mentor's paws, but really aiming for his shoulders. She sprang and landed awkwardly on Thistletail's back. Her front claws clinged to his shoulders, but her hind legs scrabbled in the air. Thistletail flung himself backward, trying to throw Frostpaw off, but she hanged on tightly to his shoulders. Frostpaw felt her claws slipping off and panicked a little. Suddenly, Thistletail spun around and Frostpaw lost her grip. Feeling relieved that it was the soft sand that she had fallen so heavily on, Frostpaw tried to stand up. But befor she could do so, she was pinned down to the ground by her shoulders and she felt sand seeping into her mouth. Then, the weight on top of her vanished.

"Yuck!" Frostpaw spat. "I've got sand in my mouth!"

Thistletail let out a purr of amusement. "Let's get back to camp, we'll hunt on the way." Frostpaw opened her mouth to protest but then realized that it was past sunhigh so she just nodded.

Frostpaw and Thistletail emerged for the thorn tunnel, their jaws full of fresh-kill. It has been a successful hunt. Rootpaw bounded up to them. "More prey?" Rootpaw purred when they had added their catch to the pile. "Great! I really could do with a mouse or two!" He picked a plump mouse and added to Frostpaw. "Want to eat together?"

Frostpaw shrugged. "Sure." She picked a vole and for herself andfollowed Rootpaw beside a clump of ferns where the apprentices eat. Frostpaw took a bite and let the juicy prey scent of Green-leaf seep into her mouth. Soon the season of Colored-leaf would would come and prey will become scarce.

Frostpaw finished her vole in a few, swift bites and swiped her tongue around her lips. Rootpaw was crunching on some mouse bones. Frostpaw couldn't help twitching her tail in amusement. Rootpaw sensed that and he scrabbled up to lick his chest fur. A sudden squeal came from the nursery and Milkkit tumbled out of the sheet of bramble that protected the nursery. Snowkit, her brother, came pouncing on her. "Gotcha!" he mewed triumphantly.

"Let go of me, you stupid furball!" Milkkit mewed with a flicker of amusement in her voice and wriggled beneath him. Bluepelt, their mother, stepped out the nursery. "Quieter, you two! Sandstripe's kitss are sleeping, don't wake them!" The kits followed obediently after their mother back to the nursery. Frostpaw heard a purr of amusement from Rootpaw. "Kits!" he meowed. "Some times they are cute sometimes annoying!"

Frostpaw felt amusement well up her chest. "Like you!" she mewed teasingly.

Rootpaw pretended to growl angrily. "They will be apprenticed soon, won't they?" Frostpaw added.

Bluestripe, the clan deputy, padded up to them."If you don't talk quietly, I'm going to send you to the elders to look for ticks!" she meowed with an edge of amusement in her voice.

"Oh, come on, Bluestripe!" Rootpaw mewed."You wouldn't want your only apprentice to go look for ticks instead of training?"

"Maybe I would!" Bluestripe moewed. "I could do with some free time!"

While those two were talking, Frostpaw saw Spottedpelt, a beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat, who is the clan's medicine cat, emerge for the fern tunnel that led to the medicine cat's den. She looked around nervously and then Frostpaw saw releif in her amber eyes. Was she afraid of somthing? Frostpaw took a few steps towrds her, but Spottedpelt vanished back into the fern tunnel. Frostpaw stopped, it couldn't be very important anyway, she decided and retreated back to Rootpaw. Bluestripe had already left. Frostpaw pressed her flank onto Rootpaw's and she saw a flicker of joy in his eyes and something else. They shared tongues and groomed each other's fur.

When the stars of Silverpelt began to show, Frostpaw stood up and stretched her stiffy limbs. Her belly felt hollow with hunger and she padded to the fresh-kill pile with Rootpaw behind her. Frostpaw picked a starling and Rootpaw chose a squirrel. They ate together and Bluestripe padded to them again. "Frostpaw, I want you to go on dawn patrol tomorrow with Flowertail and Seedfur."

"Sure." Frostpaw meowed, happy to be on patrol again.

"So get some sleep, if you want energy tomorrow." Bluestripe called over her shoulder as she padded away.

Frostpaw got up, circled in her nest once and settled down. Curling her tail over her nose, she was glad of the warmth of Rootpaw's fur beside her and she drifted off into sleep.

How do you like it? Was it too long? Maybe it was a bit boring...but still plz review! Thx a bunch!