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Wingpaw opened her eyes and groaned, Mousewhisker had called her name. Drowsy, she stood up and walked out of the apprentice den. "What?" she grumbled, feeling a cold breeze that made her still nursery soft fur turn stone cold. She felt shivers crawling up her legs from the ground, until they covered her body.
"You used to wake up late, didn't you? Not anymore, from now on, you're an apprentice, which means you get up early, and go to sleep early." Mousewhisker laughed. "Now, anyways, we're going on a patrol."
"But I already saw the borders." she complained.
"Wrong, you saw the ShadowClan border. Today we're seeing the WindClan border."
"Alright." Wingpaw yawned.
"Come along, it's leaving now." With that, Mousewhisker hurried off. Slowly, Wingpaw followed him. Wingpaw saw the other cats on the patrol. Birchfall, his apprentice Toadpaw, and Brightheart.
"Hey Wingpaw, how did you enjoy your first night in the apprentice den?"
"Long." she muttered grumpy. She'd never waken up so early in her life. She'd fallen asleep when she wanted to, and woke up when she wanted to. She was never told that she had to wake up, or that she had to go to sleep.
"My first one was too. You get used to it though. Hey look, a vole!" The apprentice looked toward Birchfall, his eyes pleading. "Birchfall, can I catch it?" he asked.
After a pause, the warrior nodded his head. "But bury it, we can pick it up on the way back to camp."
"Yes Birchfall!" the apprentice mewed, and dropped into a hunters crouch, in one swift movement he caught the vole. With the limp animal still in his jaws, he dug quickly, and dropped the prey into the small hole.
"I hope you watched carefully Wingpaw. Soon you'll need to be catching prey." Mousewhisker mewed.
"Yes Mousewhisker."
As the patrol moved on, they passed by a strange smelling place with roaming fields of grass. Wingpaw suddenly saw something strange. Three cats, that Wingpaw didn't recognise, were on their side of the ThunderClan border.
"WindClan." Dustpelt growled, he ran over, followed by the rest of the patrol. "Tornear!" he yowled toward the leader of the group. "What are you doing on ThunderClan territory!"
"Taking what should be WindClan's!" the leader of the group yowled, and the battle begun. The smallest of the cats went for Wingpaw. It was a pale ginger she-cat. She was bigger than Wingpaw, and tackled her right away. Wingpaw tried squirming out of the cats grip, but couldn't. Then a flash of black and white fur tackled the cat over.
"Wingpaw! Run!" Mousewhisker grunted, wrestling the one called Tornear.
"But," she started to object.
"Wingpaw!" he growled, and the gray she-cat ran away, into a thick bush.
She watched the battle. A gray tom tackled Mousewhisker, and Toadpaw swirled on the ground, wrestling with her. Then Tornear attacked Dustpelt. Then things changed, the WindClan cats started to run away. The gray tom ran away first, a long gash down his side that was bleeding. Then the she-cat that had attacked her, then finally Tornear.
"Come on, we need to get back to camp." Birchfall mewed, limping.
"Alright." Mousewhisker agreed, he had a small cut that was bleeding on the side of his head.
Wingpaw walked out, "I can grab the vole if you want." Wingpaw mewed, looking at Toadpaw who had a thick gash down his side. The apprentice nodded, and do did Dustpelt.
"Would you like me to go with you?" Mousewhisker asked.
"No, I remember where it is, and I know where the camp is." she mewed. Mousewhisker reluctantly nodded.
As she walked to get the prey, she heard a voice. She recognised it as Swirlpaw's. She froze and listened.
"Please Spottedleaf, you have to tell me!" There was a long voice. The next time she spoke, pain filled her voice. "Please. I just want to know. When will I have to go? You've told me I'll know when the time comes, but I want to know now." There was another long pause. "Don't trust the tiger with the dock? But a dock is a leaf, Leafpool showed me that... Wait, you're talking about Dockpaw, aren't you? Is he in danger?" A shorter pause this time. "You have to tell me! I need to protect my brother! Or warn him, I can't let him go around! Please, tell me. Don't go, please."
Swirlpaw turned around after a pause. "Wingpaw, were you listening?"
"Yeah, sort of. Who were you talking with?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean. You were talking about somebody named Spottedleaf, and then you were talking about Dockpaw! Please tell me, you can trust me."
"I'm not telling you anything." she mewed sadly. "Well, I'll see you later." Swirlpaw mewed, with fake joy.
Wingpaw watched her go. "I wish you would trust me." she whispered after her sister. As she watched her disappear, she mewed. "Whoever you are Spottedleaf, please, tell Swirlpaw to trust me. I want to help her. But she won't trust me. If you tell her, maybe she will. Or tell me, I want to help. Please."