Chp. 3

"Borage, yarrow, chivary, and coltsfoot." Spottedpaw listed off again. Mossfire had offered to collect herbs with her to get out of camp some. She was still haunted by her dream from the previous night and needed to talk to her sister some. "Will you know what they will look like Mossfire?" Spottedpaw asked.

"Probably not, but I can ask you." Mossfire said, looking around her. She still couldn't shake off the feeling that the clan was being watched. "So," Mossfire started while searching the bushes for herbs. "I had this dream last night,"

Spottedpaw turned to look at Mossfire, concern filling her amber eyes. "It was another message from Starclan wasn't it."

Mossfire nodded and padded on. "It was another prophecy. And it scared me. It had to do with an enemy that we couldn't see. It was 'in disguise'." Mossfire said, sniffing a funny looking plant. She pointed at it with her tail asking whether it was one they needed. Spottedpaw shook her head and moved on. "Starclan has been sending Moonfire and me dreams too. They didn't tell us anything, but it was all dark and we could just see yellow eyes staring at us."

"Mine had yellow eyes too!" Mossfire said, stopping as she remembered the eyes that had formed into a cat. She ran to catch up to her sister, and asked, "What do you think it means?" Spottedpaw grabbed the stem of some coltsfoot and pulled it out of the ground. "Exactly what it said. We need to watch out for an enemy that we can't see." she padded off towards some borage. She dug it up and put it next to the coltsfoot. Mossfire pulled at some more and mewed, "Should we tell Silverstar?"

Spottedpaw looked thoughtful for a moment then meowed, "No. I think we should wait. It could happen later on. It doesn't necessarily mean it will happen soon. I'll tell Moonfire what you told me though. She'll want to know." she stopped and tore the leaves off a yarrow plant. Mossfire sat and watched her, then meowed, "Why aren't you a medicine cat yet?" Spottedpaw paused and looked around before answering. "I don't know everything yet. I don't know all the herbs, or all the herbs effects, or the right remedies and cures for stuff."

"But your a great medicine cat apprentice! You can heal wounds and you know so many herbs!" Spottedpaw shook her head and smiled. "That's under Moonfur's instruction. I still have a lot to learn."

Mossfire looked down at the ground and then looked back up at her sister and said, "Well, whenever you become a medicine cat, I'm sure you'll be a great one." Spottedpaw purred and continued on looking for herbs. Mossfire got up and helped her, Letting her mind wander, more than happy to escape the thoughts crowding it.

"Closer, closer." Mossfire thought, creeping up on a sparrow. "Pounce!" She leapt and caught it on the wing. She brought it down and buried it by a tree. "Nicely done Mossfire!" Snowface purred, watching from a distance. She was on hunting patrol with Birchstorm and Snowface. She purred her thanks then turned and scented for more prey. Birchstorm appeared from behind a tree and went over to her side. "Good catch." he said licking her ear. She smiled, then crouched down in the bushes and began to creep towards the sound of a mouse. Birchstorm followed right by her, his pelt brushing hers. She spotted the creature sitting barley three tail lengths away. She crouched even lower and wriggled her haunches slightly. She leapt, but Birchstorm had also leapt with her, knocking her off balance. She landed behind the mouse, but not close enough to catch it. Is sat up and ran off into the tree roots where it would be safe. Birchstorm went up to the place where the mouse had disappeared and meowed, "It got away. The next one won't though." Mossfire sighed and decided against telling the brown warrior that it was his fault it got away. She leapt up onto a low tree branch and looked down into the bushes. In an instant, Birchstorm was right next to her, hardly giving her any room to move. She caught sight of a water vole bellow and crouched, preparing to jump. Birchstorm swished his tail from side to side, hitting Mossfire's flank each time. She ignored it and focused on the prey bellow. She jumped, but Birchstorm had propelled himself off with her, shaking the branch and causing Mossfire to loose her footing. She scrambled in the air for a moment then plummeted to the ground. She landed with a thud on her side and lay still for a moment letting air return to her lungs.

"Mossfire!" Birchstorm ran over to her and crouched by her side.

"I'm fine." she mumbled standing up and shaking dust off her coat. Why did Birchstorm have to be such a worry-wart about her? Didn't he know she could take care of herself?

"Where's the vole?" she asked sniffing at the ground.

"It ran off when you hit the ground." Birchstorm meowed, scanning the bushes behind them. "You need to probably get better jumps from now on." he said staring at her. Mossfire twitched her tail and growled, "I would have gotten a good jump if you hadn't jumped with me."

Birchstorm looked down at his paws and mumbled a sorry. Mossfire sighed and continued on her way. That was now two pieces of prey she had lost because of Birchstorm. She would not loose the next one though. She padded silently through the undergrowth, opening her mouth every so often to take in the scents. She looked back once, hoping Birchstorm had gone off to hunt his own prey, but he was only several tail lengths behind her. She growled under her breath and crouched down in a bush. She could smell a mouse a few fox lengths away and quietly crept towards it. As she moved out of the bush, she saw Birchstorm follow behind. She ignored him and focused on the prey. She heard a snapping twig and turned. Birchstorm had left and gone a different way. "Good, maybe now I can catch the mouse." she thought. She crept closer still and settled herself only a few tail lengths away from the animal. She bunched her muscles and pounced. She heard a noise from the bushes beside her when she was in midair and looked over to see Birchstorm flying through the air towards her. He crashed into her and they both landed with a thud, causing the mouse to scamper into it's burrow. Mossfire got up and shook herself. She had been so close and then Birchstorm messed it up again.

"Dang. We almost had that mouse." he said padding next to Mossfire. Mossfire laid her ears back and turned to face him. "No, I almost had that mouse. If it wasn't for you, I would have caught it. I would have also caught the vole and the other mouse as well!" she hissed, lashing her tail. "You're always right next to me and it's annoying. I can take care of myself and I don't need you always looking after me!" She had had enough of him always by her side, barley giving her any room to do anything. She turned and ran back towards the spot where Snowface was, leaving Birchstorm to stair after her.

Mossfire padded back into camp with her prey. She had managed to catch a mouse and a squirrel on her way back. She dropped it in the fresh-kill, keeping the mouse for herself and padding over to where Grayheart and Watereyes sat. "How was hunting?" Grayheart meowed, nibbling at her thrush.

"Fine." Mossfire answered dimly. She didn't want to talk about what had happened during hunting. "Oh look." crooned Watereyes looking towards the entrance. "Here comes Birchstorm." Mossfire looked over to she the light brown and white warrior padding towards them. He caught site of Mossfire and quickly turned away and went over to Rippedpelt. Mossfire turned her head the other way and tore into her mouse. Watereyes and Grayheart looked at her, then Grayheart asked, "What's wrong with you and Birchstorm?"

"Nothing." Mossfire answered simply, finishing her mouse and standing up. "I'm really tired so I'm going to go ahead and go get some sleep." Mossfire mewed, turning and padding off to the den. She could feel Watereyes and Grayhearts eyes on her, but she didn't turn around. When she reached the den, she chose a nest next to Grayheart instead of her usual one in between Birchstorm and Swiftstump. She curled into a tight ball and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.