"Sometimes a JOKE is not intended to make you LAUGH It is intended to make you THINK"

"Then he strikes when their guard is down!" Bright green eyes flickered at the entrance of the apprentices fern. Mousepaws eyes widened with fear as her pupils dilated. Stonepaw jumped and ran behind Mistypaw. Mistypaw purred. In the dead of night Mousepaw was telling them a scary story but Mistypaw knew those green eyes from anywhere.

"It's only Thrushpelt." she meowed to her cowering siblings and den mates. Thrushpelts eyes were glaring though which scared Mistypaw the most. Her father never got angry much, mostly at Mosspaw. Mistypaw wished her younger sister was by them but she was found a few nights ago bloody in her nest. Featherwhisker said it was as bad as getting bit by 5 adders but without the poison. Mistypaw sighed, her sister must have not been thinking by going out of camp doing what ever the apprentice does.

"Yes ONLY Thrushpelt, I can give you nightmares for moons, I am not ONLY Thrushpelt; you should be terrified." he meowed with pride, Mistypaw tried not to laugh but it came out. Stonepaw nudged her from behind and the familiar black dappled coat of Leopardfoot came from behind the two's father. Mistypaw sighed. Leopardfoot was a cat not to mess with.

"What about Leopardfoot then? Best female fighter in ThunderClan! Thrushpelt, Tigerclaw told you to quiet the apprentices not make them louder." she shifted her gaze to meet Thrushpelts. Leopardfoot was younger than Thrushpelt, their mother Bluefur had grew up with Leopardfoot; and Thrushpelt was a bit older than their mother to it was safe to assume.

"Now you kits, sleep and the last one to get to sleep will have to clean elders ticks by themselves till the medicine cats leave at half moon." she meowed and stiffly turned and headed out the ferns into the dark endless night. Thrushpelt looked after her sighing as he followed silently in a stalk. Runningpaw was already snoring by time Mistypaw looked back. Mousepaw nudged her brother and purred.

"We should put dung on his fur then when he wakes up, he will smell bad." she meowed. Mistypaw glanced to her brother was was nudging Runningpaw wondering if he would awaken from the slight push of his paw. Mistypaw shrugged.

"You heard Leopardfoot, and believe me she does not mess around. She once said that if I did not bring back 3 mice I would have not eat the next day." I look up remembering the memory with was only about a quarter moon ago in early apprenticeship. "I brought back 2 mice and I did not eat the next day. I am not doing the ticks, go ahead." she continued as she rolled into her nest swiping her tail and tucking her large body inside. Stonepaw nodded.

"I am glad I have Thrushpelt as a mentor." meowed the tom as he curled up next to his sister as his blue eyes were slowly covered by his eyes. Mistypaw did not notice it but she had fell asleep next to the comfort of her brother.

...

"MOUSEPAW!" Mistypaw perked her ears at Runningpaws loud meow. She flicked her eyes open. She had already got up and the four apprentices lined up. She felt like she was going to fall asleep on her paws. No apprentice could get up in the morning because of the late night of storytelling. Now it was battle training.

"So Mousepaw will be cleaning the elders tick until half moon?" Leopardfoot asked as she paced in front of the cats. Bluefur stood beside Thrushpelt and Rosetail on the other side.

"Yes, because I woke up with dung on my fur and Stonepaw said it was Mousepaw!" Thrushpelt purred beside Bluefur and she nudged him playfully. Mistypaw loved how her parents acted with each other. They were always friends and seemed in love. Although her mother was scary without her father near. Mistypaw took a step towards Runningpaw and sniffed his fur. She nodded with disgust.

"Mousepaw, you know you are a mousebrain right?" meowed Stonepaw as he leaned toward her. She lowered her ears in embarrassment. Her mentor Rosetail sighed as she placed her ginger tail on Leopardfoots shoulder.

"Let's see how they do in battle practice tired, it could be good practice." meowed the she-cat glancing at the apprentices. Mousepaw let out a breath of relief and Rosetail padded up to her with a glint in her eyes. "This is not letting you get out of elder duties Mousepaw." she meowed to the apprentice with a flick of her tail. Mousepaw sat down grumpily. Rosetail purred in amusement.

The sandy hollow had thick speckles of sand darting it. Grass edged the clearing that stood in front of them, the heat almost burned of Mistypaws pelt. She wouldn't be surprised if the prey hid because of the bright warm sun. Even breathing through her nose only heat and the smell of something burning hit it. The grass under her paws tickled her paws and she clenched her paws with anticipation. She would win this! Her mind drifted to Mosspaw sitting bored in the medicine cat den. She wished her sister was there next to them all.

"Mistypaw!" her mothers voice cut into her thoughts as she saw Mousepaw and Runningpaw looking at her from either side of her and Stonepaw in the clearing looking at her confused. Her blue mother looked outrage. Mistypaw did not even do anything wrong! "maybe it was MIstypaw who stayed up late." Bluefur continued then flicked her tailto Mistypaw. "Come join your brother, you guys are going to learn your first battle move" she meowed. Mistypaw shookher head. SHe was tired but she was going to do this right!

"Claws sheathed, I will teach you something that could save your life if you were attacked right now," Goldenflower meowed as she looked at Stonepaw. "You go first and follow my moves that I use on your mentor."

Thrushpelt stood in front of her with a glint of playfulness in his eye. Mistypaw focused on the cats with all her might but her mind would go off every bit. Goldenflowers pale ginger coat followed her muscles. She crouched very low, Mistypaw wondered if she could even get that low. Thrushpelt turned away and Goldenflower let all her power fly through her legs as she landed square on their fathers back. Thrushpelt yelped as he collapsed under Goldenflower weight.

The four apprentices started to purr in amusement. Goldenflower got up and licked her chest fur in embarrassment. "Sorry, I guess the prey has been more lately." she meowed as she looked at her stomach which was bigger then usual but her thick fur also added on a few weight too. "You two try now." she meowed as she flicked her tail at the sblings.

"Get ready for me!" Stonepaw meowed as he charged forward and pounced landing short of her. He landed on his stomach and closed his eyes with the pain. Thruhspelt purred as he lye his tail on Goldenflowers back.

"Teaching your apprentice habits Goldenflower?" he asked. Goldenflower looked down and licked her chest again as she padded away to the edge of the clearing. Thrushpelt purred. Bluefur purred as well as she sat beside Thrushpelt.

"I am glad to have peace like this, but we need to get back to work. Let's have the older apprentices teach them, Runningpaw and Mousepaw are only a moon older but are fast learners." she meowed sternly as she flicked her tail to the two siblings who were talking in hushed voiced. The nodded in understanding as there paws swished over the sand in unison. Stonepaw and MIstypaw leave the clearing as they watch the other two.

They faced Bluefur who looked at them proudly. "I am sorry." Meowed Stonepaw to Mistypaw. She purred at her brother and placed her tail on his shoulder.

"They did not give you another chance!" She meowed as she looked at her mother who's eyes were filled with pride, but at the wrong cats. Stonepaw must have saw her mood lower and placed his tail on her back too placing his nose in her fur.

The two apprentices crouched and pounced at the same time and landed on Bluefurs back together. She shook them ff within moment but she nodded at them. "Like that!" she meowed. Runningpaw and Mousepaw look at each other purring. "Stonepaw and Runningpaw, face against each other." she meowed. Stonepaw left Mistypaw side and she watched Mousepaw skip over to her side.

"So about that story last night..."Mistypaw started. She wanted to know a few answers that were caught in her mind. Mousepaw twisted her head curiously. Mistypaw looked at her in the eye. "So tell me again just quickly." she mewed making sure she had heard it right for what she was about to ask. She nodded.

"So I heard this from Redtail, there is a tale that arose recently from cats at a gathering. They were gossiping about a rogue who had been messing with the clans. They never appeared to the gathering after that. Their friend who did come back said how the rogue had killed them because they were talking about him. He said that there was green eyes that appeared in the dark. He tortured them before he finally killed them. Now you can order him to kill who you want if you give him a dead adder and fresh prey. The more prey the more fast it would be done. Bring it to the edge of the twolegplace and yell 'BEREFT OF LIFE!' and he will appear, but only on a full moon." she finished with a intake of breath as her eyes shined from telling the story.

"So I was right...It was Bereft of Life? What does that mean?" Mistypaw asked. Mousepaw purred as she flicked her dusky brown tabby tail.

"Death."