Chapter 2

"So, what are we going to do first?" Leopardpaw asked, "Go hunting, battle training?" She swatted the air with her paws and turned to her mentor.

The silver and black she-cat let out a mrrow of laughter, "No, no. Right now, the only hunting we're going to do is hunting for dry moss for Kinkwhisker's nest." Leopardpaw flattened her ears and let out a long moan of disappointment.

Featherclaw's whiskers twitched, "Don't worry, we'll make it fun. Maybe Duskpaw and Mossclaw can come with us."

Leopardpaw's eyes brightened and she smiled. "Why don't you go find your sister and ask her if she wants to come?" Her mentor suggested.

The spotted apprentice nodded and rushed off to find Duskpaw, though it wasn't much of a challenge as she was sitting beside Skyfall. Leopardpaw ran to her side, "Hey Duskpaw, do you and Mossclaw want to come with Featherclaw and me to gather moss for the elder's nests?"

Duskpaw's tail flicked, "That doesn't sound like much fun."

"But we're going to make it fun! And we'll also be going out of the camp for the first time!"

There was a pause, then their mother broke into the conversation, "Oh Duskpaw, it was the first thing I had to do when I was an apprentice. Go with her!"

The dark apprentice sighed, "Alright, Skyfall." She got up and ran to her mentor. The two talked a little with each other then turned to Leopardpaw.

"I think it's a great idea!" Mossclaw mewed. He padded over to Featherclaw and beckoned the two with his tail.

"Wow, the territory is so big!" Mewed Leopardpaw.

Featherclaw nodded, "Once you know your way around, it won't seem as large."

"Is it all pine trees?" Asked Duskpaw, looking upwards at all of the thick pines hiding the cloudy sky.

Mossclaw tasted the air for prey or danger, then responded, "Mostly. If we head to the ThunderClan border, the pine trees will thin out and become deciduous trees, like those in ThunderClan territory."

"Are we going there now?"

"No. Actually, we're heading away from the border, towards the heart of our territory. I know a good place there where we can find moss." The muddy ground squelched under their paws.

Leopardpaw asked her mentor, "Do you know any ThunderClan cats?"

Featherclaw smiled and replied gently, "Well of course I do. I know cats from every clan! Willowsplash and I always shared tongues with each other at the gatherings and have lots of fun!"

Duskpaw turned to the silver and black warrior, "Does that mean we can be friends with cats in other clans?"

"I'm friends with Willowsplash, during the gatherings, any other time, we're enemies. If your friends with cats in other clans outside of the gathering, it will show weakness. Especially in battle. You can't be going off during a fight and playing around with another cat from the enemy clan." Featherclaw explained to the apprentices.

"Are all of the clans enemies?" Leopardpaw asked.

This time, Mossclaw answered, "Not all of the time. You see, sometimes we need the other clans. Muddystream needs the others all of the time, since he's a Medicine Cat. Like what if it's the middle of leaf-bare, and we all catch greencough, and he's out of Catmint, Chickweed, and Tansy because he used it all up? He'll go to the other Medicine Cats for help."

The apprentices nodded.

"Here we are." The aging grey warrior mewed. In front of them stood a very large and very old pine. Its trunk was wide and its bark thick. Moss grew on the roots, which jutted out of the side of a small hill. Its branches were gnarled and ragged, stretching out in all different directions and were lacking needles.

"This is a very old tree, the oldest in the territory. It was here a very long time before the clans arrived at the lake. Most of the other trees that are here now were not." Mossclaw explained.

The four stared up at it for a while. But then Mossclaw leaped onto the hummock then balanced himself on a root covered in moss that protruded out of it, "Featherclaw, if you would be good enough to come up here and help me show the 'paws how to collect moss?"

"Sure." The tabby she-cat leapt up beside him. Leopardpaw and Duskpaw sat at the base of the hummock since there wasn't enough room on the root.

Mossclaw held up his paw, "Push out your claws as far as they can go, stick them into the moss, then quickly drag your paws toward yourself and the moss should come cleanly off the root." He touched his tail onto Featherclaw's shoulder, "Show them."

She did exactly what Mossclaw had explained. The gray tom flicked his thin tail towards the other side of the tree, "There's another root there with moss, try out what we have shown you."

The two apprentices nodded, "Race you!" Duskpaw mewed and dashed up the hummock. Leopardpaw hissed and followed, but Duskpaw had beaten her onto the root.

"That was unfair!" The spotted apprenticed panted, "You had a head start!"

"Warriors should always be ready for anything!" Her sister sneered, "And besides, you're just jealous that I'm faster!"

"Am not!"

"Am too!"

The two were interrupted by Featherclaw, who had followed them, "Warriors don't argue. They do as their told and collect moss!"

They hung their heads, "We're sorry, Featherclaw." They chorused.

"Yes well, I'm sure you two didn't intend on keeping that up for long. Now, get to collecting moss."

They nodded. Leopardpaw tried using the technique Mossclaw had taught them, but it was proving to be quite the challenge. This is harder than it looks. She thought to herself. Her claws tore at the moss, but ended up shredding it. She glanced at her sister, who was trying to get bark covered in moss from the root unstuck from her claws.

"It takes practice." Featherclaw commented at their failed attempts, "Duskpaw, your claws are in too deep, Leopardpaw, yours not deep enough. Watch closely." She carefully stuck her claws into the moss and with a quick, clean jerk of her paw she managed to remove a scrap of moss.

Leopardpaw watched as her sister correctly removed a bit of moss, "Great job, Duskpaw! Let's put that in a pile we can form over here." Featherclaw congratulated.

Leopardpaw was determined to get it this time. She dug her claws into the moss, jerked her paw quickly, and pulled the moss off. There was a bit of dirt and the roots of the moss but at least it wasn't shredded nor had bark stuck to it so she had to be a little bit proud of herself, "Nice!" Featherclaw smiled, "Put it over there where Duskpaw put hers."

Time passed very slowly and Leopardpaw felt that she was out there for at least a moon gathering moss. Her claws were so sore that she could barely walk. Finally, Mossclaw ran over to them, "I think it's about time we take back this moss to the camp, or they'll start worrying and send out a patrol to look for us."

The senior warrior looked at the pile of moss formed at the base of the tree, "Nicely done, you three. I did collect some moss over there, but I also went hunting as well. There was nothing out there though, we must've scared off all the prey."

The four returned to the camp with the moss. They took it to the elder's den and set it down there. "Now, replace the old moss with the new." Mossclaw ordered and walked off.

Kinkwhisker and Hollyscratch were lying in their nests, obviously not wanting to get up. "I was just settling down for my sunhigh nap! I'm not gonna move and there's no way you're gonna make me!" Kinkwhisker hissed. The two apprentices took a step backwards.

Hollyscratch was sleeping, the gentle rise and fall of his chest and the very loud and irritating snoring told them that, and they both knew that once Hollyscratch was asleep, there was no hope of waking him. Sometimes they doubted that even StarClan could wake him.

Duskpaw leaned close to Leopardpaw, "They should've called him Hollysnore." She whispered in her ear. The spotted apprentice nodded and turned to Featherclaw, who was still behind them.

She shrugged and mewed, "Well, Leopardpaw, why don't you go grab something from the fresh-kill pile and rest up a bit. Afterwards, I'll take you around the territory and maybe even show you how to hunt."

Leopardpaw's eyes brightened, "Okay! Come on, Duskpaw!"

Leopardpaw grabbed a thrush from the fresh-kill pile and sat down next to Duskpaw, "So what do you think of being an apprentice?" She asked.

"It's great! But the only thing we learned to do is collect moss." The black tabby apprentice mewed. She took a bite of the thrush.

"Yeah, I can't wait until we start battle training with the other apprentices!" Leopardpaw said. Duskpaw nodded, her mouth stuffed with thrush meat.

Once finished with their meal, the two ran off to the apprentice's den, "So this is where we're going to stay from now until we're warriors?" Duskpaw mewed.

"Yup, we might as well start making our nests." Leopardpaw said.

Leopardpaw and Duskpaw's nests were place next to each other and were soft with some of the moss they had collected for the elders, and for the first time, they settled down together, away from their mother and in separate nests. Darkpaw and Splashpaw were sleeping and Rustypaw was out hunting with Redfur.

"This is where we will be sleeping!" Duskpaw mewed. Leopardpaw laid down her head and sighed. She felt so independent. It was great! She was so excited to explore the entire territory. She was so excited in fact, that she couldn't sleep however much she wanted to. She tossed and turned so much that she expected to find half her nest in Duskpaw's and the other half in Splashpaw's! She sighed and decided enough was enough, if she couldn't sleep, she'd go outside and maybe Rustypaw would be back.

She padded out of the den and sure enough, Rustypaw was out there, carrying a plump vole in her jaws. The ginger tabby set it down in the fresh-kill pile and walked over to the spotted apprentice.

"Hello, Leopardpaw." She mewed, "Are excited about being an apprentice?"

Leopardpaw nodded, "Yeah, and I can't wait for Featherclaw to show me around the territory!"

"Just wait until you're older, Leopardpaw, you'll get to go on patrols, and fight cats in other clans." She sat down, "ThunderClan's been very defensive these past few moons. Maybe you'll get to start battle training a little earlier incase they'll need you."

Another ginger pelt appeared beside Rustypaw, "Battles are never something to get excited about." Redfur said with a hint of anger in his voice and a flick of his tail, "I don't know what ThunderClan's problem is. But what I do know is that they're getting violent, and if we keep sending Warriors into battle, Muddystream and Shrewpaw won't be able to take care of all the injured patients they'll have. And we can't afford that." He padded off to talk to Screechtail.

Rustypaw rolled her eyes, "I know he can be a pain in the tail, but he's right. I shouldn't be excited about fighting. And neither should you be."

Leopardpaw sighed and nodded. She looked up at the sky. The clouds had finally cleared and she realized how late it was.

"Almost time for the sunset patrol." Rustypaw mewed, "Maybe I'll get lucky and be able to go."

Then, as if on cue a husky yowl sounded throughout the camp, "Poppyshine will lead this sunset's patrol. Take Nettlepatch, Brackenstrike and Splashpaw with you and check the ThunderClan border."

"That was Screechtail." Rustypaw exclaimed, but then she lowered her head, "But I didn't get to go. Mouse dung!"

Leopardpaw watched as the patrol left camp. The fog was thinning so she could see to the edge of the clearing.

Rustypaw had gotten up and padded off, but was soon replaced by Featherclaw. "Ready to get going?" She asked.

Leopardpaw smiled and nodded. They headed off into the fog to explore ShadowClan's dark territory.