Lionpaw's paws dragged on the ground as he plodded into camp. It was well past moon-high, but there was no sign of dawn quite yet. He was ready to collapse into his nest and sleep, but he knew it would be a bit longer before the camp calmed down enough for any rest.

Though it was clear some cats were still concerned over the issue of deputyship, the whispers began to sound excited as the Clan returned home. Everyone was glad to have Graystripe back, even if it did leave them in a perplexing situation.

Cinderpaw came racing up to greet the returning party. "How was the Gathering?" she asked.

Firestar halted. "You should be in your nest," he meowed. "You'll be too tired for training tomorrow."

"Sorry," Cinderpaw replied, though she hardly looked ashamed. "We've all just been wondering how the gathering was."

Graystripe looked amused. "I can still remember the times we stayed up as apprentices, Firestar," he purred.

Cinderpaw finally noticed him. "Who's this?" she asked, leaning forward to sniff him.

"I'm Graystripe," the tabby tom meowed.

"Graystripe!" Cinderpaw exclaimed. For a heartbeat, her jaw went slack. "Oh! Oh, I have to go get Cloudtail!" She spun around on her paws and raced for the warriors den. "Cloudtail! Cloudtail!" she yowled.

Moments later, the fluffy white warrior came stumbling out. "Fox-dung, Cinderpaw, you're waking up the whole den!"

"Look, Cloudtail!" Cinderpaw demanded, with an excited lash of her tail.

Cloudtail blinked a few times before he spotted Graystripe. "G-Graystripe?" he stuttered.

Brackenfur padded out of the den. "What?" he meowed. And then, his eyes widened with joy. "Graystripe!" he gasped. "Oh, StarClan, I never thought I would see you again!"

More cats started to creep out from the warriors den. Stormfur was the next to see him. "It's really you!" he meowed, before he charged across camp to greet his father. "Firestar always said you would find us again!"

"Stormfur!" Graystripe purred. "I never thought I would see you in ThunderClan, of all places. Firestar says you're living here now?"

"That's hardly important!" Stormfur huffed, before he butted his head against Graystripe's shoulder. "You're alive!"

Lionpaw watched as his Clanmates crowded around Graystripe once more. Those who had not yet seen him pressed against him, and the camp thundered with loud purrs.

Finally, Sandstorm stepped in and ushered them away. "Graystripe and Millie are exhausted," she meowed. "They can share their story tomorrow. For now, I want them in a nest and resting."

"Millie?" Mousefur echoed. "Who?"

Millie found her way to Graystripe's side once more. Graystripe met Mousefur's gaze. "She's my mate," he meowed. "She helped me to survive the journey here."

Lionpaw's whiskers twitched curiously. Mousefur was a crotchety old elder—what would she have to say about that?

Mousefur's eyes narrowed for a heartbeat before she huffed and rolled her eyes. "Still breaking the rules, I see."

Lionpaw felt a tail on his shoulder, and glanced over to see Brightheart standing beside him. "You should go to your den," she murmured. "I think things will be winding down soon, and you've got training in the morning."

Lionpaw looked back at Graystripe for a moment before he dipped his head. He still wanted desperately to know what exactly was going to happen with Brambleflower and Graystripe, but he was far too tired to stay up a moment longer. I doubt Firestar is going to start making any decisions in the middle of the night, he told himself. "G'night," he mumbled, before he found his way through his Clanmates and towards the apprentices den.


Hollypaw awoke early the morning after the gathering. She was surprised to find that she wasn't all that tired, despite having been up late the night before. She lifted her head and yawned before she stretched out her forepaws. Heatherpaw was just behind her, while Breezepaw and Jaypaw were curled up together to her side. Past them were the rest of the apprentices—all soundly asleep.

Hollypaw sat up slowly and gazed around camp. It seemed everyone was still sleeping. The only cat not passed out was Owlwhisker, who was on sentry duty. She watched as the young warrior slowly padded around the perimeter of the camp, pausing every so often to yawn and shake himself a little.

Maybe I should go out and hunt for a bit, she thought. But I don't know if I can… I guess I could ask Owlwhisker. She stood up and carefully stepped over her sleeping Clanmates as she approached him. Owlwhisker spotted her quickly and beckoned her closer with his tail.

When she was closer to him, he quietly asked, "What's up? Can't sleep?"

Hollypaw shook her head. "I wanted to know if I could go hunting," she meowed, keeping her voice low. "I'd ask Onestar, but it's so early, and I don't want to disturb anyone…"

Owlwhisker shrugged. "Sure, why not? I doubt Onestar will mind. Just don't be out all day. I'm sure he'll want to do some training with you."

Hollypaw smiled gratefully and nodded. She hurried towards the camp exit and padded up the slope. My first time out alone! She thought, feeling a little rush of excitement. I have the whole territory to myself.


"Get up!" Honeypaw meowed. "Dawn patrol."

Lionpaw groaned. For the love of StarClan, why do I have to be on the dawn patrol? He flattened his ears and opened one eye to stare up at her. "Seriously?" he grumbled.

Honeypaw's eyes narrowed. "Yes, seriously! The sooner we finish it the sooner we'll both be back in our nests."

You didn't go to the Gathering last night! Lionpaw thought, feeling indignant. Was Brightheart still trying to punish him for whatever issue she had had with his fighting? Or, worse—was Brambleflower mixing things up and forgot about which cats had been up? That thought worried him. If Graystripe could be deputy again, he can't go around making mistakes!

Lionpaw rolled over and followed Honeypaw out of the den, trying to blink away his sleepiness. He was hardly feeling up for a patrol, but for StarClan's sake, if he had to, he was going to show Brightheart that nothing was too difficult for him.

By the looks of it, neither Sandstorm nor Brightheart seemed exactly pleased to be patrolling. Both mollies looked tired, Sandstorm in particular. She must have been up late to help Graystripe and Millie settle in, Lionpaw thought. Why are we all patrolling? He didn't dare ask, though.

Sandstorm blinked as the apprentices approached. "Ready?" she meowed. "Good. Let's go. I want to finish this quickly."

"Where are we patrolling?" Lionpaw asked, before he yawned loudly.

Brightheart answered for her. "We'll head to the lake first, then go towards WindClan. Cover about half the territory. Another patrol will check the area near ShadowClan."

Lionpaw nearly groaned again, but he contained himself. So much more walking! His paws were still sore from last night. He steeled himself and nodded. I have to get used to it, he told himself. I'm going to be the strongest warrior in ThunderClan! I can't whine about every patrol… even if they are completely mouse-brained ones.

Sandstorm rose and headed for the exit first. Brightheart was quick to follow. Honeypaw and Lionpaw padded along behind them.

The forest was quiet. It was too early for even the birds, it seemed, for they were silent. Lionpaw tasted the air occasionally for prey, but he caught no distinctive trails. Honeypaw, however, seemed content to just walk along without searching the air.

The patrol stopped briefly at the lakeside. They each took a drink and rested for a while before Sandstorm decided it was time to move on, and they headed back up the slope and into the woods.

Brightheart finally brought up what every cat had been thinking. "So," she meowed. "What happens now that Graystripe has returned?"

Sandstorm frowned. "What do you mean?"

Lionpaw blinked. Surely she isn't oblivious? Everyone wants to know if he's replacing Brambleflower or not!

"She means the state of deputyship, of course!" Honeypaw piped up. "Is Brambleflower still deputy or not?"

"Brambleflower is still deputy," Sandstorm sighed. "I don't know if that will change or not. Graystripe is not exactly a young cat anymore… not that I am either. However, he did not die and never retired, so…" she shrugged. "There isn't a clear answer from the warrior code. It's ultimately up to Firestar."

Brightheart narrowed her eye curiously. "You don't know anymore than that?"

Sandstorm sniffed. "I'm Firestar's mate, yes, but I don't know his every thought!" she retorted. She looked as though she were about to say something else, but she quite suddenly halted and sniffed once more. "Hold on. I smell something."

They all stopped walking. Lionpaw tasted the air. Wait. I know that scent. His pelt began to bristle.

Then he heard that familiar, startling scream. A fox burst out from the undergrowth, jaws parted as it shrieked and wailed. Its bushy tail lashed furiously, and its lips were drawn back.

"It came back!" Brightheart gasped. She snarled and leaped for it.

Lionpaw was about to run to help her, but a second fox stepped forward and let out a shriek. It threw itself on Honeypaw. This one was smaller, but it screamed as wildly as the adult. Lionpaw whipped his head around, uncertain of what to do.

He swalled as two more young foxes appeared. Four of them? He thought. This is madness!

"Don't just stand there!" Sandstorm yowled. "Fight!" She lashed out at one of the young foxes, who recoiled.

Lionpaw hesitated as the adult separated itself from Brightheart. The fox must have been the mother of the kits—he caught a whiff of milk-scent coming from her, and it only made sense as to why her three young companions were following her. She was skinnier than the last time he had seen her.

He felt teeth in his tail and winced. Lionpaw whirled around to face the fox kit that was biting his tail. It snarled as it bit down. Lionpaw drew back his lips and dealt it a savage blog to the face. The kit yipped and rolled over as it fell down. That was all it took for it to flee.

Lionpaw turned to his mentor once more, and his eyes went wide as he realized the fox was now on top of her and snapping desperately at her throat. Sandstorm and Honeypaw were both dealing with their own fox—neither seemed to notice Brightheart's prediciment. Though she was managing to hold the fox just enough away from her throat, she couldn't throw her off.

Hot fury overcame Lionpaw. Regardless of their disagreement the day before, Brightheart was his mentor and Clanmate! He leaped forward. "GET OFF OF HER!" He roared, as he slammed into the fox and knocked her away. The fox screamed once more and tried to bite down on Lionpaw's leg. He ripped his leg free effortlessly and slashed at the fox's side. He surged forward and bit into her shoulder. Then he tasted blood.

A red haze began to cloud his vision. A deep snarl erupted from him, and he ripped out a chunk of fur as he wrenched his head back. The fox shrieked, but the sound hardly impacted him. Lionpaw struck her with his paw, then struck her again. His claws sliced through flesh again and again. He felt himself sink his jaws into the fox once more, and this time, he held on for good. Lionpaw growled fiercely as he bit down as hard as he could.

Some noise made his ear twitch. Then it came once more. "Lionpaw! Lionpaw!"

Slowly, Lionpaw blinked, and he snapped back into focus.

Brightheart called again, "Lionpaw, stop! It's over!"

Lionpaw looked down. He had bit the fox right in the throat, and he was still holding her limp form by it. Hot blood coated his tongue and his chest. He dropped the fox's neck and stumbled back.

"He…" Honeypaw sounded shocked. "He killed it!"

"Great StarClan…" Sandstorm whispered. "I've never seen any cat kill a fully grown fox, let alone as an apprentice!"

Lionpaw stared numbly at the limp fox. She was riddled with scratches from where he had struck her, and tufts of her fur were scattered around the ground. With a glance at his bloody paws, he realized he had fur stuck between his claws. I… killed it.

"How did you do that?" Honeypaw demanded. She padded towards him and stared down at the fox. "I heard you beat Berrypaw, but I didn't realize you were that strong!"

Lionpaw turned back to look at Brightheart. Her eye was wide open. "Lionpaw…" she whispered. "I don't know what to say."

Sandstorm cut in quickly. "We need to report this to Firestar," she said. "There's now fox cubs wandering the territory. They'll need to be killed or chased off as well."

"Why do you think they attacked us?" Honeypaw asked. "They were at an obvious disadvantage."

Sandstorm's tail twitched. "They were clearly starving," she remarked. "And their den may have been near here." She shook her head. "Come on. I think we all got some kind of bite or scratch from them. We'll need to see Leafpool quickly."

Lionpaw checked himself over. Though his thick pelt was ruffled, he couldn't find a single mark on him. Come to think of it… I don't feel hurt. I thought the fox bit me… but maybe it didn't? He shook his head. It's all kind of hazy after I attacked it… I must have imagined things.

Brightheart was quick to turn and head in the direction of camp. Lionpaw frowned as he watched her. I saved her! He thought, with a little rush of anger. She barely said two words to me, and I sure didn't hear a "Thank you, Lionpaw!"

He pushed the thought aside as he followed them. Honeypaw was staring at him in amazement. "I can't believe you actually killed a fox," she breathed. "That's incredible!"

Lionpaw didn't say anything. He glanced over his shoulder at the dead fox. He had a nagging feeling of unease, but he quickly shoved it down. I'm just annoyed about Brightheart, he thought. Why has she been such a pain? I don't understand it! He scowled and flattened his ears. I thought Brightheart would be a great mentor, but I think she hates me!


Hollypaw's morning seemed to be full of good luck. First, she'd wandered across a grouse with an injured wing, and it had been unable to escape her claws. She'd gone to hide it under a clump of heather, where she's discovered the eggs of some bird. She didn't know whether they were the eggs of the grouse she had caught, but she ate one and planned to come back later to try and bring the others back to camp. She'd even managed to catch a mouse. Hollypaw was in high spirits, and she didn't think anything would bring her down today.

It's a beautiful day, she thought to herself. All across the moor, the plants were flowering, and the land was rich in prey. The sun warmed her pelt as she padded along. She was nearing the strip of forest by the border stream. Hollypaw twitched her whiskers curiously as she continued towards it. I wonder what sort of prey I'll find there, she thought. Of course she would be careful not to cross the border… but if anything was hiding on their side of the stream, it was fair game.

Hollypaw stiffened as she heard a strange, shrill cry. She blinked and looked around curiously. It seemed to be coming from the border. Is there some cat in trouble? It didn't sound quite like a cat… but there was only one way to find out. She picked up her pace and hurried down the slope towards the stream.

Then she spotted it. A russet-colored blur darted across the stream, whining loudly, before it took off into the trees on WindClan territory. Hollypaw frowned and started to run towards it. "Hello?" she called. "Is someone hurt?"

The thing ran back out of a clump of ferns. It was no more than a few fox-lengths away, now. It stared at her, wide-eyed, before it let out a piercing scream. Hollypaw flattened her ears at the sound. What in the name of StarClan is that?

She took a closer look at it. It had a thick, bushy tail, and a long snout. Is it a… a fox? Hollypaw bristled at the thought. Whatever it was, it was clearly not a cat. Hollypaw arched her back and hissed. "Get away!" she spat. "This is WindClan land!"

The fox bared its teeth at her and growled. It was a young thing, she guessed, not much bigger than herself, but its short teeth looked sharp. Hollypaw narrowed her eyes. It had a set of claw-marks on its cheek. It's already been in a fight! She thought. It shouldn't take much to scare it away. Her pelt rippled strangely as she took a cautious step forward. Hollypaw couldn't place the feeling, but she felt odd. Her claws slid out on their own.

Stop being nervous! She told herself. Hollypaw took another step forward, but her footing was uneven, and she nearly stumbled. What's wrong with you? Snap out of it!

The fox stared at her. Its mouth was open, as though it were about to shriek again, but no sound came out. It looked as though it were shocked.

The fox looked her in the eye and stepped back with a gulp. "Wh-what on earth?" it had a high-pitched, shrill voice.

Hollypaw froze. Did… did the fox just talk? She blinked a few times and narrowed her eyes. Am I really that nervous about fighting that I'm imagining this?

Then the fox spoke again, and she knew she wasn't making the voice up. "What… are you?" The fox stepped back, shaking her head. "I don't… I thought… what?"

Hollypaw swallowed. "How can you talk?" she demanded.

"What do you mean?" the fox retorted. She whipped her tail. "You… you weren't a fox when I first saw you… what are you?"

"I—wait, what?" Hollypaw froze. 'You weren't a fox?' What does that— Then she stared down at her paws. They didn't look as they should. Her claws were dull and thick, and wouldn't sheathe themselves fully. Her feet were shaped oddly—her paws were less rounded and her toes seemed longer. "What…" She stumbled back, then looked at her tail.

Though it was still a deep black, her tail was round and bushy like the fox's.

The world spun around as Hollypaw dropped to the ground like a stone.


"Hello? Hello-oooo?"

Hollypaw blinked. The sun was shining right on her face. What happened?

Then she saw a long-snouted thing staring down at her, and it all came flooding back to her. "What is wrong with you?" the fox asked. "You just fainted."

My paws! Hollypaw remembered. StarClan, my tail! She leaped up and raced for the stream. Hollypaw stared down, hoping with all she had that she would see herself when she looked at the surface.

Staring back at her was the long, dark face of a fox.

"I still don't get it," the fox whined. "I swear, you looked like other things that I saw in the woods… but now you're a fox. How did you do that?"

"Just stop talking!" Hollypaw blurted. She stumbled away from her reflection. "What did you do to me? I don't understand!"

"Me?" The fox demanded. "I didn't do anything! You're the freak!"

Hollypaw curled back her lips. The feeling was unfamiliar—her muzzle was much longer than it was meant to be. "Don't call me a freak!"

The fox stared suspiciously at her before she skipped a few steps closer and sniffed at her. "You smell like a fox…" she muttered. "I don't get it." She shook her head quickly. "What are you?"

"I'm a cat!" Hollypaw retorted. She lashed her tail. "I'm not a fox!"

"A cat?" The fox tipped her head to the side. "Is that what those animals in the forest were?" She wrinkled her nose. "Well, cats are mean. I hate them!"

Hollypaw scowled. "Are you kidding?" she growled. "Foxes are awful! You all steal our prey and trespass on Clan territory!"

The fox laughed sharply. "Your prey? As if! You don't own anything! You stupid cats keep chasing us out of our territory." She let out a furious growl. "If there weren't so many of you, it wouldn't be a problem!"

Hollypaw relaxed a little. She… kind of has a point. She was surprised to find herself sympathizing with the young fox. Then she shook her head. Snap out of it! She told herself. Don't start thinking like a fox! That'll just make everything worse. Hollypaw sniffed and flattened her ears. "I need to go back to my Clanmates," she declared. "You better be gone by the time the next patrol gets here! We'll chase you away from the moor, too."

The fox sniffed loudly. "Clanmates?" she echoed. "Well, if they're more cats, do you think they'll let you prance back to them if you all hate foxes so much?"

Hollypaw gulped. I don't know how I'm supposed to fix this! She thought. I don't even understand how it happened. I didn't do it on purpose!

"See?" the fox quipped. "They won't care when they see you like that!" Her aggressive stance suddenly faded, and she looked almost pleased. "Why don't you stick with me?" she asked. "I just got split up from my mother. I could use a companion."

Hollypaw blinked. "Seriously?" she retorted. "You said I was a freak!" Like I would even want to stick around a fox, anyway!

The fox sat down and scratched at her neck. "So?" she said. "I've never seen one animal become another. That's pretty freaky." She looked curious. "What else can you be?"

"I don't know!" Hollypaw exclaimed. "It's never happened to me before." She lashed her tail. I don't want it to happen to me!

"Well," the fox barked. "Then you need someone to show you how to be a fox! At least until you figure out how to be a—" she grimaced at the word. "—cat." She shook herself a bit and stood back up. "I'm Fern."

Hollypaw frowned. It's… weird to know that a fox has a name. She supposed it was no different than knowing the name of an enemy Clanmate… but it was still was a strange thought. "I'm Hollypaw."

"That's a weird name," Fern said. "You're a strange animal."

"My name's not weird!" Hollypaw growled. "It means that I'm an apprentice. One day, I'll be a WindClan warrior."

Fern looked at her blankly. "WindClan?"

She doesn't even know what the Clans are! Hollypaw thought. Is it like that for other animals? She felt uneasy once more. Do… all animals think like we do? It was something she had never considered before. She had heard of Midnight the badger from her father, but aside from the intelligent badger, she had never imagined that other animals were more than just prey or predators. Hollypaw shifted her paws.

"What's WindClan?" Fern pressed. "Are those the Clanmates you were talking about?"

Hollypaw nodded. "Yeah," she said. "We're a big group of cats… like a family, but different. We hunt for each other and protect each other."

Fern yawned. "That just sounds like my family," she said. "Nothing special about that."

Hollypaw narrowed her eyes. "Of course Clans are special!" she argued. "We live by the warrior code. We lead honorable lives and protect our Clanmates until we die and go to StarClan. What do you live for?"

Fern shrugged. "For my next meal," she said. "I don't think much about it." She frowned, and began to look uncomfortable. "But… I don't exactly know where my next meal is going to come from. Mother always hunted for us… but I lost her in the woods when she tried to scare off the cats."

"That must have been ThunderClan," Hollypaw replied. "They live in the forest. You shouldn't go back there. They're warriors, too, and they'll fight hard to defend their territory." She felt a rush of guilt as she said that—she should be defending the territory, as the code said! Challenge all trespassers! She reminded herself. But… it's sort of late for that. And I'm not exactly in a state to chase off the only creature that's going to talk to me. Fern had been right—no WindClan patrol would think twice before attacking her. I don't even know if I can still talk to other cats! Her mind was swimming, and she felt herself wobble on her paws again.

Then, in the back of her mind, she heard a soft voice. Focus, Hollypaw. It was not her own inner voice, and it snapped her into attention. "Who's there?" she blurted.

Fern narrowed her eyes. "Are you hearing things, too?" she asked. "Sheesh, you really are weird."

Hollypaw felt a faint warmth press against her, almost as though another cat was pressing themselves against her. The soft voice came again. "Focus," it whispered. The voice was gentle and feminine, though Hollypaw could not see the speaker. "Hollypaw, you must concentrate. You cannot stay like this. Picture what you want in your mind, and will it into being."

Hollypaw narrowed her eyes. She could very nearly see a ghostly outline of some cat, though it was hardly there. "Focus!" the voice ordered.

Fern leaned closer. "You look like you've swallowed a fly," she grunted. "What's going on?"

"I'm…" Hollypaw closed her eyes. "I need to change myself back. I can't stay like this." Whoever you are, she thought, Please don't leave me! She took a slow, deep breath. Thinner tail, rounder paws, smaller muzzle… She tried to imagine herself as she had been before. Come on, Hollypaw! You're a WindClan cat… not a fox!

As she continued to concentrate, she felt that same, strange feeling coming over her. This time, she felt small pricks of pain across her body. It wasn't excruciating, but it was uncomfortable—it felt as though she had briars pricking her. Her claws slid in and out before they sheathed. Hollypaw rolled her jaw as it shortened. Her eyes clouded briefly before they adjusted once more, and she took in a breath as scents flooded her nose. I didn't realize my nose had become so dull!

Nervously, Hollypaw lifted a paw and inspected it. It looked exactly as it should be—small, round, with pink pads. Yes! She quivered with relief and excitement. StarClan, thank you! Thank you! I did it!

She heard the ghostly voice whisper once more into her ear, "You did very well. StarClan is watching." Then the presence and the warmth faded, and she was sure that it was gone.

Hollypaw puffed out her chest. Was that really a StarClan warrior? She wondered. I can't believe StarClan chose to help me!

Then she recalled Fern was still standing nearby, so she turned to face her once more. She found that she could no longer pick out Fern's expression as well as she had when she had been a fox. Fern barked something at her, but Hollypaw didn't understand it. I'm back to normal!

Hollypaw lifted her chin. "I don't know if you can still understand me," she meowed. "But you need to go away from here. This is WindClan territory, and if I see you again, I will chase you off!"

Fern took an uncertain step back. The fox glanced around nervously before she turned and fled, heading upstream.

There, Hollypaw thought. That's all over now. She oriented herself back towards camp and began to walk. Though she tried to put the strange occurrence out of mind, it wasn't long before she felt a sinking feeling in her belly.

Why did that happen to me? Hollypaw wondered. That… can't be something just anyone can do. I've never heard of a cat that can turn into a fox! Should I tell Onestar? Or Barkface? I don't even know what I would say!

She gulped, and felt a rush of anxiety. What if they think I'm crazy? Or worse… what if Onestar decides I'm dangerous? He could exile me! The warrior code doesn't say anything about keeping foxes around… Hollypaw's tail twitched about as she headed for the spot where she had stored her catch. Don't think like that! She told herself. You're not a fox. You're an apprentice of WindClan!

Hollypaw pulled the dead grouse out from under the heather bush, then dragged the mouse out with her paw. But… she swallowed again. Maybe it would be better to keep it a secret. Just for now… just until I understand why it happened to me. Hollypaw glanced up at the sky. StarClan guide me! She silently pleaded. Please, whoever you were… come back to me! Tell me what to do!

The ghostly voice did not return to her. Hollypaw hung her head. I'm alone in this, she thought, miserably. I'll have to figure it out myself.