AN: Grr another short chapter! Oh well, what can you do? I decided that this story will be about sixteen chapters long. I'm debating whether or not there will be a sequel, because I wasn't planning on writing one. But if this story gets popular enough, than I might write one. I'm still going to work on Scarlet after this is finished, so you don't have to worry about that. If you haven't seen the preview for Scarlet, than check it out on my profile. Anyways, thanks tufted titmouse for reviewing!

-CHAPTER 8-

Birds sang in the sunhigh air. A warm blanket of heat had wrapped itself around the lake after another torrent of rain fell during the night. The leaves had changed from pale green to a darker shade almost overnight. Whitepaw's whiskers brushed against the needles of a pine tree that had begun to sprout during leafbare. They felt warm and soft against her muzzle as she passed the needles.

She'd been out in the forest since the early morning after Robinflight told her they would practice tracking. Confusion had swept over Whitepaw when she saw the look that Robinflight gave her. The dark brown she-cat had been acting strange since the day she caught most of the prey in one sitting.

The sunlight that gleamed through the trees turned Whitepaw's pelt a faint golden color. Her paws were itching to move across the undergrowth. She wanted to see the territory once again and track every cat that had passed through the area. Robinflight had told her that tracking was the one thing that made a cat a good hunter. Hunting was already an ability that had come easily to Whitepaw. If she could become a good hunter, than perhaps this would prove to Robinflight that she wasn't useless.

She stopped when they reached the base of an ash tree. Robinflight's whiskers twitched with anticipation as she saw the wisps of clouds that streaked across the blue sky. A warm breeze caused the branches above to shake and rattle while the two she-cats stayed under the tree. Her fur stood on end when she heard a screech of pain echo across the forest.

Jadepaw must be swimming, she thought as another wave of guilt washed over her.

She'd heard the argument Applewhisker had against Oakfire. The two cats had squared each other off, eyes blazing with anger as they looked at Jadepaw. Her sister had been the center of their argument. Applewhisker was convinced that water would be the best solution for Jadepaw's problems. But Oakfire was concerned about the possible threat that RiverClan posed towards ThunderClan. He'd made a good point by saying that ThunderClan territory held a bit of the lake in it. Applewhisker had grudgingly agreed that it would be best for them to train there.

Whitepaw shook her head as she thought of the many things she could say to Jadepaw. If only their parents hadn't passed away. Maybe life would have been different for the both of them.

"Whitepaw, are you listening to me?" Robinflight's mew made the white-furred apprentice look up in surprise. She'd been so busy thinking about what had happened over the past couple of days. Robinflight sighed and shook her head. Annoyance gleamed within her eyes when she held Whitepaw's stare. "If you're done spacing out, we need to work on your tracking skills," she muttered. "Now, tell me what you can smell."

"Sorry," Whitepaw quickly replied. She opened her jaws to taste the air. Rich scents filled her lungs, telling her that the wind was blowing from RiverClan's direction. She could pick up the tangy trace of fish that RiverClan cats loved. "I can smell RiverClan, because the wind is blowing from their territory," she meowed after trying to figure out what else was out there. "And ShadowClan's stench is always easy to pick out," she added as her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Very good," Robinflight purred. "Now tell me what you can hear." She looked at her apprentice expectantly.

Confusion spread through Whitepaw until she suddenly understood what Robinflight meant. Scenting was one thing, but hearing would allow her to find out what sort of creature was near. Mice would be almost silent if it wasn't for the pattering of their tiny paws. A cat sounded soft and just as undetectable to Whitepaw. Badgers and foxes were easy to tell because of the heavy steps they took.

As she listened, her ears pricked forward for any sounds of danger.

Robinflight waited until her eyes opened. Her nose pointed towards a grove of alder trees. She knew that there was a bird flapping its wings against the leaf litter that covered the forest floor. It was likely searching for insects.

"There's a bird over there," she murmured. "And squirrels are fighting in one of the trees," she added after hearing claws scrape against the bark.

Squirrels were noisy creatures that constantly fought over food. Whitepaw had once seen a pair of squirrel quarreling loudly enough for a WindClan cat to hear. Despite their noisy nature, squirrels were often the hardest prey to catch aside from birds.

When Whitepaw looked at her mentor, Robinflight nodded in approval. "You're getting better," she told her apprentice. "Lets get back to camp," she murmured after a few heartbeats had passed.

The two of them padded through the forest without another word. For the first time in moons, Whitepaw actually felt happy. She didn't feel as though she was letting her mentor down. Robinflight had been pleased with the way Whitepaw's training went.

She wasn't surprised to see Jadepaw splashing around the lake's shore as they passed. Her sister only looked up once when their scent rolled towards her. After seeing that it was Whitepaw, Jadepaw quickly went back to working on her swimming skills.

Shame suddenly wormed its way into Whitepaw's belly as she followed Robinflight towards the thorn tunnel. Had she really been this distant from her sister? Jadepaw acted as though she didn't exist. She suddenly understood why her sister would act this way.

She'd pushed Jadepaw away from her since their parents died. All she ever did was mope around in the apprentices' den while Jadepaw strove to make herself a better apprentice. She often wondered if she could change things between them before it got worse. Maybe one day she and Jadepaw could actually get along rather than ignore each other constantly.

"A WindClan patrol." Robinflight stiffened when they reached a stream that ran through a grove of trees.

Whitepaw's fur bristled when she caught their scent. Sure enough a small group of cats made their way towards Robinflight. A ginger tom with green eyes was leading the patrol. Beside him was a fluffy looking white she-cat, whose eyes were a pale yellow color. A light brown tabby she-cat stood beside the ginger tom, tail lashing from side to side as she spotted the two ThunderClan cats.

All three looked lean and hungry as they reached the edge of the border. The ginger tom took one step forward, causing a snarl to escape from Robinflight's jaws.

"Brackenleaf," she spat. "Don't come any closer if you know what's good for you!"

"I was just going to ask how the Clan was doing," the ginger tom meowed calmly.

"We are doing fine, thank you," Robinflight growled with a lash of her tail.

Brackenleaf's eyes narrowed slightly at the briskness of her tone. He flicked his tail towards the light brown tabby. "Mudnose, do these cats look fine to you?" he asked in an icy tone.

"There's only two of them," she meowed. "An apprentice and a warrior that likes to run." She glared at Robinflight, who visibly flinched in front of them.

Whitepaw stared at her mentor in dismay. What exactly did Mudnose mean by that?

"Why say that?" Robinflight demanded through clenched teeth.

"We need more territory," Brackenleaf replied. "And since RiverClan isn't the best place for us to expand, we decided your forest would do nicely."

Anger suddenly pierced through Whitepaw as she watched several cats emerge from the hill that rose above the trees. They were lean and battle-hungry looking. Their eyes gleamed with rage when they joined Brackenleaf and Mudnose.

Robinflight stepped forward, fur standing on end as she glared at the newcomers. "What about StarClan's wrath?" she snarled. "Don't you think this is a bit too soon to forget?"

"I think StarClan understands that we need more territory than you do." A cold, sinister voice reached Whitepaw's ears. Her fur stood on end when a sleek-furred black tom stood amongst the group of warriors. Piercing green eyes met her own blue eyes when they traveled to her. "I've already asked Mothflower if this was a wise choice. She has told me that StarClan said nothing."

Whitepaw was surprised that these cats were mousebrained enough to believe him. Her ears rose when she heard the approach of a ThunderClan patrol. Her heart soared when she recognized Shrewtail's scent. She turned slowly to see the dark brown tabby rushing to Robinflight's aid.

"Great StarClan, I thought I caught that stench," he gasped when he reached the two she-cats.

"About time you made it," Robinflight snorted.

"We were held behind," he meowed anxiously.

He must be thinking of Freezemist, Whitepaw guessed as she thought of the pregnant queen. But Freezemist's kits wouldn't arrive for some time. She knew that Shrewtail shouldn't have been so worried for her own safety.

"A group of cats won't make a different," the WindClan leader snarled. "We are determined to take this forest, even if it means losing lives."

AN: Ah cliffhangers, you gotta love 'em. Greenstar is also a differently made character, because I actually gave him a personality *le gasp!* I know, I almost never give any of my characters personalities. And I believe that is the root of my problem. But on a lighter note, I want to see what you guys think of Whitepaw's warrior name:

1 ) Whitesnow

2 ) Whiteflower

3 ) Whitecloud

Please vote :D