Quailpaw plucked at the stiff grass beneath his paws from where he waited at the bramble barrier. He looked up at the sun hanging high in the sky. It was almost noon, where was Loudstorm? The gray warrior had come by the apprentices' den this morning saying they'd go hunting today. He'd said that Quailpaw should wait here at the camp entrance while he went to check something with Willowfur.

A pang of frustration hit him when he'd thought about what had happened last night; he and Cedarpaw had probably set a record for the shortest apprentice confirmation in Clan history. This morning hadn't been too great either; Cedarpaw had woken up with a case of the sniffles, so to prevent him catching a serious cold, Doepaw had taken him over to the medicine den to see Finchspeck. Quailpaw had wanted to take him over himself, but he was still adamant on avoiding the medicine cat.

At least until he apologizes for yesterday...

"Hachoo!"

Quailpaw looked over to see Cedarpaw coming up to him, sniffling. "Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Cedarpaw said. "Finchspeck said I should reinforce my nest so it's warmer at night, and Loudstorm said I could come hunting with you guys."

"Is Willowfur coming, too?"

Cedarpaw shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know if someone's go to take over sentry duty for him, though."

"Don't worry about him."

Quailpaw and Cedarpaw turned at Loudstorm's mew.

"Where's Willowfur?" Quailpaw asked.

"He was relieved from sentry duty this morning," Loudstorm answered, already heading through the camp entrance. "He's resting now in the warriors' den, so today it's just going to be the three of us."

Alright! I'm going hunting! Quailpaw dove through the brambles after him. When they emerged onto the moor, he couldn't help but charge ahead a little. His fur stood on end from excitement; he couldn't wait to get a juicy rabbit into his claws.

"Don't get your hopes too high," Loudstorm warned as he and Cedarpaw caught up to him. "This is your first hunt, and there's still a lot you have to learn."

I'm ready for this! Quailpaw felt confident, despite what happened last night.

"Where are we hunting?" Cedarpaw mewed as Loudstorm led them over the moor.

"I thought we could hunt in the northern part of the territory," Loudstorm responded.

Cedarpaw gasped. "You mean, by the PineClan border?" At the older cat's nod, he gave a little happy skip.

Quailpaw smiled. His brother hadn't gotten to see the PineClan border yet, so he would see it for the first time today.

Hopefully we don't run into that apprentice with the attitude from yesterday...

The three of them picked up their pace to a steady trot as they made their way north. With leaf-bare right on their heels, the weather had been getting colder and gloomier with each day that passed. But today, while it still was cold, the pale sky could be clearly seen, with skinny gray clouds streaming by overhead. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than it had been.

Reaching the top of a small slope, Loudstorm halted. "This is a good spot."

Quailpaw looked into the distance. Far away, he could see the tops of the pine trees poking out from behind a tall hill.

"Now," Loudstorm began, turning to face them. "When it comes to hunting, the first lesson you need to learn is patience."

Cedarpaw tilted his head to the side. "Patience?"

"Yes, prey isn't going to come out of hiding just because you want it to. A good hunter needs to know how to wait for it to come out into the open." Turning away, Loudstorm padded forward and lowered into a crouch. "When you spot the prey, you have sneak up on it slowly and silently, so you don't alert it to your presence."

Quailpaw watched his mentor closely as he crept forward, keeping his belly and tail raised above the ground to not let them brush the grass and make any noise.

"Speed is important for the next step," Loudstorm continued. "When you're sure you're close enough, you want to leap out and quickly pin it down. Then you'll be able to deal a killing blow." He demonstrated this by using his powerful hind legs to launch himself forward, covering a large distance in a single pounce. Once he landed he turned back to his onlookers. "Want to give it a shot?"

Nodding, both Quailpaw and Cedarpaw lowered themselves into a crouch, and tried to closely follow Loudstorm's example. Quailpaw struggled a bit with the stalk, as no matter how high he raised his belly and tail, his long fur kept brushing against grass. While he did okay with the leap, Cedarpaw missed his landing and fell on his stomach. And neither of them could jump the distance Loudstorm had.

"You'll get it with more practice," Loudstorm told them reassuringly. Suddenly something caught his attention, and he swiveled his head around, ears pricked.

Quailpaw stood up and pricked his ears as well. He could hear faint voices sounding from over the hill. Were they PineClan cats? A patrol?

StarClan, please don't let it be that bratty Hawkpaw!

Without a word, Loudstorm padded quietly padded up the hill, beckoning the two apprentices with a flick of his tail. They followed, and the three of them crouched at the top of the slope. It was then that Quailpaw spotted an opening in the ground on the ridge not too far away.

"What is that? A badger set?" he asked.

"No," Loudstorm said, keeping his voice a low mew. "You'll see, just wait."

As soon as he said that, a group of figures emerged from from the opening. Taking a closer look, Quailpaw realized what they were.

Cats!

There were four of them; in the lead was a skinny brown tabby, followed closely by a cat with long white fur, a long-legged, black-furred cat, and the cat bringing up the rear had a dark, smoky pelt.

"Who are they?" Quailpaw hissed to Loudstorm.

Cedarpaw's eyes were wide. "Are they trespassers? Rogues?"

Loudstorm shook his head. "No, they're CaveClan cats."

CaveClan?The Clan that dwelled deep underground, in the caverns below; Quailpaw remembered them from the nursery stories Breezetail used to tell. But why were they here, on StormClan land?

"CaveClan's territory runs under ours and the other three Clans' territories," Loudstorm explained. "The caverns are vast, and they have many tunnels that lead above ground throughout the valley."

"That's insane!" Quailpaw protested. "How could the other Clans be okay with that? With those tunnels, CaveClan could invade any territory they pleased!"

Loudstorm sighed bitterly. "It's been this way for generations, and it's not like there's anything we or the other Clans could do about it. CaveClan cats are born and raised down in those caverns, so only they know how to navigate them. If we above-ground-dwellers went down there, we'd be lost for moons, maybe even forever."

When Quailpaw was about to retort, he continued, "Besides, just as we can't go underground, they don't fare any better above-ground. They usually come up here just for Gatherings, and if the prey down there is running low or becoming scarce."

Cedarpaw blinked at him. "What do they eat, anyway?"

"Rats, snakes, bats, name anything that can live in a cave, they probably eat it."

Crinkling his nose in disgust, Quailpaw suppressed a shudder. Who would willingly have snakes as a meal? Looking closer at the CaveClan cats, he spotted something strange; all of them had colored patches on one of their shoulders... was it mud?

"Is that mud on their shoulders?" he asked.

Loudstorm followed his gaze to where the CaveClan cats were and shook his head. "No, it's some kind of weird paste they make from berries or something."

"Why would they do that?"

"Take a closer look," Loudstorm said. "See that white cat? See how the patch on his shoulder resembles a paw print?"

Quailpaw looked at the white cat closer. Upon further inspection, the patch on his shoulder did look like a paw print, with claws. There was also a black paw print-like patch on one of his eyes too.

"The moment they become apprentices," Loudstorm continued. "CaveClan cats get a paw print mark on their shoulder. When they become warriors, they add claws to the mark."

"What if they have two paw print marks?"

Loudstorm blinked in confusion, then smiled. "Oh, you mean that white cat. That's Pawpelt, he was born with that mark; he's one of CaveClan's newest warriors."

Pawpelt? Wait-"Does that mean...?"

A chuckle sounded from the older tom. "Yes, until recently he was known as, 'Pawpaw'."

Quailpaw and Cedarpaw burst out laughing at that. That poor tomcat, he probably had to put up with so much teasing and heckling when he was an apprentice.

Loudstorm went on, "Besides Pawpelt, I think I know the other cats in that patrol. The black cat is Longshadow, and the smaller cat is his apprentice, Darkpaw. The tabby is CaveClan's deputy, Sparrowfeather."

Quailpaw and Cedarpaw's laughter soon died down, and the three of them watched as the patrol headed back to the opening and down into the tunnel. When they were out of sight, Loudstorm turned and padded back down the slope.

"Let's get back to practicing, shall we?"

:

:

They practiced until the sun began to slide down toward the horizon.

"I think that's enough for today," Loudstorm announced. "Let's head back."

"Aw, come on!" Quailpaw protested. "Just one more go?" He close to getting it, he was sure.

"We can come back tomorrow," Loudstorm told him, starting to pad away.

"Come on, Quailpaw," Cedarpaw said, fluffing up his fur. "It's cold and I'm getting hungry."

Quailpaw sighed and rose to his paws. "Alright."

Cedarpaw trotted ahead to catch up to Loudstorm, with Quailpaw trailing not far behind. His tail dragged slightly along the grass; he wanted to practice now. A sudden skitter of paws caught his attention, and he glanced to the side. He spotted a rabbit with grayish-brown fur munching on grass not too far away, clearly unaware of his presence.

This is my chance!

Immediately Quailpaw lowered into a crouch, careful to lift his belly and tail so they only skimmed the grass. Slowly and steadily, he crept toward the rabbit. The unsuspecting creature still didn't notice him, and continued chewing on blades of grass. He tried to keep his racing heart calm, for fear the rabbit might hear how loud it was.

So focused on the rabbit, Quailpaw didn't notice the pebble his hind paw was about to kick until it was too late. The pebble tumbled, and the rabbit was alerted to its onlooker. The rabbit spotted him and dashed away.

No!

Leaping to his paws in an instant, Quailpaw gave chase. He picked up his pace as he ran, trying to cover more distance in a single stride. The rabbit kept running a few tail-lengths ahead of him, but he could feel the gap between them lessen. Taking a chance, Quailpaw took a short pause to prepare himself. He tensed the muscles in his hind legs, then leaped.

The rabbit went to react, but he was quicker. He landed squarely on its back, pinning it to the ground with all his body weight. It struggled, trying to slip out from under him.

You're not getting away!

Quailpaw swiftly bent his head and sank his teeth into the rabbit's neck. The warm, fresh tang of blood flooded his senses, and for a moment it continued to struggle, but then it soon went still.

Loudstorm, having heard the commotion, came rushing over, pelt bristling in alarm. "What's going on here?"

Quailpaw sat up and turned to face him, lifting the rabbit by its neck.

Loudstorm's eyes lit up. "Wonderful! Great catch!"

Cedarpaw appeared beside him, eyes wide with amazement. "You caught that? It's almost as big as you!"

Quailpaw puffed out his chest with pride.

"You must give thanks," Loudstorm told him. "To the rabbit who gave its life so the Clan may eat, and to StarClan for providing you with a catch."

Oh, uh... Thank you, StarClan and... rabbit, I guess...

Loudstorm purred happily. "Better get it back to camp before it gets cold."

Right, but can I really carry this thing all the way back to-

As if he read his mind, Loudstorm reached over and took the rabbit from him to carry it. He mewed his thanks and padded past him to head back to camp.

:

:

"No way!" Tadpolepaw mewed in disbelief as Loudstorm went to place the rabbit on the fresh-kill pile. "He really caught that?"

Cedarpaw grinned. "All by himself!"

Quailpaw felt his cheeks grow warm. He was really proud of himself, for sure, but he didn't want his Clanmates think he was arrogant. He made sure to sit up straight as more cats came to eye his catch.

"That's amazing!" Doepaw's eyes glittered as she came up to congratulate him.

"It's only his first hunting lesson," Starlingflight told Loudstorm. "With that kind potential, he could become one of the greatest hunters in StormClan."

"That's true," Honeywhisker chimed in. "You're lucky to have him, Loudstorm."

The gray warrior's eyes glowed at the praise, and he met Quailpaw's gaze with a proud nod.

Quailpaw's eyes flitted around the camp. Would Stormflower come over to congratulate him as well? The silvery tabby was nowhere to be seen, and her scent was stale. She must have gone out with a patrol earlier. Finchspeck came out of his den and padded over to the fresh-kill pile. He sniffed at the rabbit and turned to offer Quailpaw a slight smile, but Quailpaw looked away. He still wasn't quite ready to be on speaking terms with him again.

He felt Creekfeather press his muzzle to his head. "You did well," he purred. "I'm so proud of you."

"Just wait and see what I bring in tomorrow!" Cedarpaw said, coming over to join them. "I'm gonna catch two rabbits!"

"It's not a competition," Creekfeather told him, smiling. "What's important is that you work hard to better yourselves. Both of you." He nodded toward the rabbit on the fresh-kill pile. "Quailpaw, why don't you take that over to the elders? I'm sure Graywolf and Poolswirl would love to hear about how you caught it."

"Sure thing." Quailpaw went to pick up the rabbit, then padded over toward the elders' den. It was an old fallen tree that had been blown over from the forest during a big storm, many, many moons ago. The tree's branches stretched and splayed out onto the ground like long, hairless legs. Lichen and moss sprouted from every corner and crevice in the old wood.

Quailpaw ducked under a jutting branch, trying to keep the rabbit from dragging as he squeezed through. He weaved his way through the maze of tangled branches until he came to an open space among them. Graywolf was stretched out lying on his back, his shaggy gray fur looking as if it hadn't been groomed in days. Poolswirl was curled up next to him with her tail tip over her nose, and Windsong could be heard snoring somewhere in the back of the den.

Poolswirl lifted her head, eyes lighting up as he approached. "Oh, Quailpaw! It's been a while since you came to visit. Is that for us?"

Graywolf rolled over, ears pricked, as Quailpaw laid the rabbit out for them. He nodded.

"I caught it today," he told them.

"Oh, dear, that's wonderful!" Poolswirl mewed as Graywolf sniffed at the prey. "And it's only your second day as an apprentice!"

Graywolf bit into the rabbit. "Not surprisin', really," he meowed around a mouthful. "I caught a rabbit just as big as this one on my first day, after all."

"Hah!" Windsong sounded from deeper into the den. "When my mate, Ryefield, was an apprentice he took down a hawk! That's how Hawkfoot got her name, actually..."

Poolswirl rolled her eyes at the two of them. "Don't listen to Windsong," she whispered to Quailpaw. "She's just exaggerating about the time Ryefield almost got carried away by a hawk and his mentor had to save his tail."

Quailpaw snickered. "So... I'm not the only one that has happened to?"

"Oh, no," Poolswirl said. "Far from it, actually. Almost everyone in the Clan has been nearly taken by a hawk, it just goes to show how dangerous those birds are."

Graywolf swallowed a mouthful of prey. "We've been dealin' with those birds since that days of our founder. Good lesson to learn here in StormClan; if you can't run from somethin', you gotta stand and fight." He pushed the rabbit toward Poolswirl so she could eat, then licked a paw and swiped it over his ear. "You keep up the good work with that huntin' and Troutstar might consider lettin' you go to the Gatherin' tomorrow."

The Gathering! "You think?"

"I reckon so, given you proved your skills today," Graywolf told him. "Bet if you bring another one of these here rabbits, he'll definitely let you go."

As Poolswirl finished her share of the rabbit, she looked up at Quailpaw. "That is what you want, right, dear?"

Quailpaw nodded. Tomorrow, he'd bring in the best catch any StormClan cat had ever seen. That way, Troutstar would just have to let him go!