Chapter 1

The brown tabby she-cat stalked through the undergrowth, nose scenting the air. She was small, about seven moons, and had trouble navigating the forest floor, but she did so silently. Her eyes scanned over every leaf and plant, and when she finally located her prey, she all but pounced on it in her enthusiasm, barely missing it by a few mouselengths.

Thankfully, said prey was a plant, and therefore, completely unbothered.

"Fireleaf! I found some marigold!" Fallowpaw called out, looking around for her mentor. The golden tom appeared seconds later, his mouth already full of various other herbs they had already collected. His eyes shone with fondness for his apprentice, and he chuckled, placing the herbs down to speak.

"Nice find, Fallowpaw. We don't need any right now, though, so remember where the plant is. We can always come back when stocks get low." She beamed at her metor's praise, nodding and puffing up proudly. She had only been an apprentice for about a moon, but she felt like she was learning more than she ever thought possible from Nightclan's medicine cat.

She took the lead once more, padding through the dense foliage, head held high. She kept alert for any other herbs she had learned, while simultaneously drinking in the sights, smells, and sounds of the forest. She remembered thinking Nightclan's camp was huge, but the territory was even bigger than she could have imagined! She jumped a bit when Fireleaf's pelt brushed hers, and beamed at the larger cat, who smiled back and began leading her back through the forest.

"It's almost the half moon again, Fireleaf, aren't you excited? Do you think Hornetfur's chosen an apprentice yet? He said he was thinking about it! I hope he does, that way there will be a younger medicine cat, and I can teach them about all the herbs I know! And-" she broke off, stiffening at a sudden distant yowl. "What was that?" She felt Fireleaf tense beside her, and watched as the larger tom turned and darted off without saying a word. She watched him for a moment, perplexed and afraid, before racing after him.

When they arrived at the source of the sound, Fallowpaw wished she had gone back to camp instead. The edge of the forest was a writhing mass of biting, clawing, and screeching cats. She stood, frozen in horror, scanning the fighting with wide eyes. She recognized her own clanmates- Sedgepool, pinned under two lithe tabbies, Cherryclaw and Aspenpaw slashing at a white tom, Shrikepelt with his teeth locked in a tortiseshell's shoulder as a black she-cat battered at his hindlegs furiously. The border patrol, she realized, tensing and taking a step back. What should she do? She hadn't had any battle training yet! Panic clenched her heart as she saw her own mentor, who hertbeats ago had been smiling at her with all the love of a father, terror on his face as a massive grey she-cat slowly backed him into a tree.

"Don't hurt him!" she screeched, launching herself at the she-cat without a second thought. She was half the other cat's size, but she had the advantage of catching her off guard, sinking her teeth into the she-cat's spine and holding on for dear life as the larger cat spun and twisted, trying to dislodge her.

Fireleaf screeched in terror, and Fallowpaw's spinning vision made it hard to see what he was doing, but the second she caught a glimpse of him, it was obscured by smothering grey fur. The she-cat had rolled over on her! She flailed wildly, trying to escape the crushing weight, only to have it dragged off her.

Fallowpaw gasped, spots clouding her vision, then picked her head up to look at her savior- a scrawny black and white tom, wearing a collar studded with what looked like teeth, who had the grey she-cat by the scruff. Glancing around, she realized all the fighting had stopped, the stranger cats backing away from her clanmates. Fireleaf leaned over her, blood dripping down his face, eyes wide.

"Fallowpaw? Can you hear me? Are you okay?" His voice cracked, and he glanced her over, checking to make sure she was still breathing.

"I feel like I got hit by a monster," she joked weakly, picking herself up. "Did I get sat on by a cat, or a horse?" Fireleaf stared at her, then purred, rubbing his cheek against hers and breathing out a soft, "Thank Moonclan."

She turned her gaze back to the rogues; the black and white tom and the identical tabbies had all seemingly ganged up on the grey she-cat, hissing at her crossly as they slunk away. She couldn't make out quite what they were saying, but she caught 'don't hurt kits' and 'big as a dumpster', whatever that meant. Everything was silent as the strange cats crossed the thunderpath and vanished from sight.

"Is everyone okay?" Sedgepool asked, picking himself up carefully.

"If you can all walk, I want you all in my den," rasped Fireleaf. He didn't seem to notice the cuts lining his face and ears, only concern for his tired, worn clanmates. Fallowpaw felt her heart swell with love and admiration for her mentor. I'll be just like him one day, and protect my whole clan, she silently vowed.

"And I want you in our den," Fallowpaw teased quietly. "Can't have our Medicine Cat bleeding out, can we?"

He blinked at her in surprise, then purred weakly, licking her head. "I'm sure we can arrange that. My life is in good paws. Come on, Fallowpaw, let's go home."

It wasn't until they were halfway to camp Fallowpaw remembered what had brought them out into the forest to begin with. "The herbs!" Fireleaf glanced at her, confused, and she rushed to explain. "You dropped them when we heard the fighting. I'll go get them!" Without waiting for a response, she raced back through the woods, all the way to the edge of the Thunderpath where the fight took place- only to discover the dropped herbs were no longer there;

and in their place was a single large, white tooth.

And if for some reason she took that tooth home, and kept it tucked safely in her nest as a memento, well, nobody would have to know.