"Focus Brokenpaw, focus on me not them." Brownoak's voice dragged Brokenpaw back to reality, once again staring over the border at the starving RiverClan warriors.

He stared down his mentor as he braced his posture for attack. Lunging forward and slamming into the brown tom's side, trying to knock him over. But Brownoak's sturdy frame resisted and he flung Brokenpaw over his back and into the sand.

Brokenpaw sneezed the sand out of his nose, and struggled back up onto his own paws; before Brownoak slammed into him, knocking him over and onto his back. "Lucky shot." Brokenpaw heaved, a laugh escaping his jaws.

"You should work a little more on your stance, but your attempt was good; just that stance and recoil is all that needs improvement." Brownoak deduced, but Brokenpaw could see the kind look in the tom's eyes.

Brokenpaw dragged himself out from under the tom, his hind paws gripping the ground with unsheathed claws. As he prepared for the next move from the tom, who paced in front of the reddish brown tabby tom; his paws delicately moving over the ground in a way that Brokenpaw hasn't mastered yet.

Brokenpaw kept his stance, but kept his front facing his mentor at all times. Both green and amber remained locked on each other as they awaited the other's next move.

Brownoak made the next move; sheathed claws swiping downwards as Brokenpaw hastily avoided it with a harmless blow to the side. This time getting a reaction from Brownoak as the sturdy dark brown tom reeled back and skidded through the sand to be a fair distance away.

The toms once again locked eyes as they refused to turn their backs on the other, whilst pacing in a circle around the other trying to get the upper hand.

Brokenpaw saw his chance, and lunged forward to grab ahold of Brownoak's back with strong paws. he held on as Brownoak tried to shake him off. Brokenpaw held this grip, and eventually Brownoak gave up and fell down. "Good, that's a whole lot better."

"Can we hunt?" Brokenpaw inquired.

"Certainly."

…

Brokenpaw returned to camp with a mouse dangling from his jaws, setting it down at the fresh kill pile while the elders were making their choice. He turned to head over towards their den when he was stopped. "Hey Brokenpaw, want to patrol with me?" he turned his head at Lightpaw's call, the small pale golden she-cat smiled warmly at him.

As he stepped towards the she-cat, he heard a grunt from behind. He turned slowly to meet eyes with Twisted who nodded to the vole at her paws. signaling for him to come over.

"Sorry Lightpaw, maybe we can hunt later?" he offered turning back to the other she-cat, before turning tail and taking off towards Twisted.

"Oh, okay…"

Brokenpaw bumped into Brackenpaw, reeling back and coming to a halt. "Hey Brokenpaw, I wanted to show you a new technique." He meowed, dropping into a crouch.

Brokenpaw shook his head. "Sorry Brackenpaw, maybe another time." He meowed, pushing past the golden brown tom.

He settled down beside Twisted who twined her tail with his. "Nice day isn't it my dear." She meowed, her voice unreadable as her face.

Brokenpaw shook it off, his eyes remaining on what was before him. the she-cat started on the vole, and Brokenpaw joined her on the meal. Content, yet something was unsettling him. He found his eyes wandering over to Lightpaw who was sticking beside Bubblepaw, his heart ached and he breathed out a harsh breath; but he returned his eyes to the mouse as Twisted gave him a questioning look. "You know, it's drawing a lot of attention where our nest is right now; I was thinking of moving it deeper into the den," Twisted meowed, "I made a nice little secluded area for us, nicely dug out in the back."

Brokenpaw nodded, his eyes staying on the mouse at his paws. "Oh, okay."

Twisted's tail untwined with Brokenpaw's as she stared at him. "So now that we're alone, how about that past of yours?" Twisted meowed.

"I-i…"

"If you do not tell me now, I won't stop pestering you."

Brokenpaw sighed. "I wasn't born in ThunderClan." He answered, "Believe it or not… my father was the RiverClan Deputy and my mother and sister are still over there."

Twisted continued to keep her neutral gaze on him, her pelt blowing slightly in the wind as her face remained cold. "So your father is Darkstar, I heard that the deputy becomes the clan leader."

Brokenpaw shook his head. "Darkstar's my father's brother, my dad was killed because I disobeyed the warrior code and left the camp as a kit; I led the pack of dogs to where he died."

Twisted lifted a eyebrow. "So how did you get here?"

"A dog chased me over the border, a ThunderClan patrol found me; when I was going to return to RiverClan Darkstar found out the truth, I ran and ran as they chased me out."

Twisted nodded, her eyes seemed distant. "What kind of cats would give you such a foul name though?"

Brokenpaw stared down at his paws. "My name in RiverClan and when ThunderClan found me… was Oakkit actually," He meowed, "Because I broke the code, I chose to name myself Brokenkit; then as an apprentice I became Brokenpaw."

Twisted still remained stone faced, but something flickered for a moment in her eyes. but she shook it away, and they returned to their meal.