A/N: This chapter took some time to update. Truth is I had my phone stolen; in there I also had story ideas and a few details of this story which I didn't backup since I kept them in an app.

Lesson learned: Phones are super easy to lose, don't keep important stuff there. For this particular story I remember the ideas I had though so that's good.

Back on schedule.

Chapter 4

The next morning, Tigerpaw woke up with the sunlight shining on his eyes in between a clump of leaves. The tabby yawned, then jolted awake by the unfamiliar scents around him. Right—ThunderClan. The memories of the previous day were fresh in his mind and a rush of adrenaline got rid of all the weariness and laziness of sleep.

Nearby, Graypaw and Dustpaw were snoring soundly, and while Sandpaw was nowhere to be seen, her scent lingered. She had left recently, possibly for her training session with Whitestorm. Tigerpaw approached the den entrance, unsure, and stuck his head outside. Many cats were walking about, in and out of camp for hunting sessions, the tabby guessed. Once more Tigerpaw was amazed at their muscular bodies, and how confidently they traversed the terrain that, for a house cat like him, was unfamiliar and difficult. He wondered for a moment if there was something he was supposed to be doing, until the golden warrior Lionheart approached him.

"Up this early?" he meowed gutturally, his face revealing his approval. "Is Graypaw up yet?"

"Yes, Lionheart!" Graypaw's hurried meow came from deep in the den. He was blinking quickly, flustered. "I'm up and ready!"

Lionheart purred in amusement. He made no comment on Graypaw oversleeping; instead, he addressed Tigerpaw.

"Bluestar has not assigned you a mentor yet, as she is unsure of your potential," he explained. "However, until Ravenpaw is out of the medicine den, Fireheart has expressed interest in being your temporary mentor."

Fireheart? Tigerpaw recalled the young warrior with a flame-colored pelt, his wise forest-green eyes staring at nothing in particular. He wondered what kind of warrior he really was.

The trio left the apprentices' den, meeting with the orange warrior at the camp's entrance. Tigerpaw could feel the curious eyes of the other ThunderClan cats staring at the back of his head, and he did not dare turn back to confirm. They left the area, arriving at a small clearing surrounded by trees and covered in soft grass.

By the scents and sounds here, Tigerpaw felt an overwhelming sense of calm. This, unlike his home, felt natural to his feline instincts. Licking his lips, he relished in the taste of prey he ate the day before.

"Now, Tigerpaw," Fireheart began with coldness in his voice. "Can you smell anything?"

Tigerpaw tasted the air once more, trying his best to filter through the scent of leaves and mud in an attempt to catch anything. Nothing piqued his interest. Pointing his nose upwards gave away nothing. Then he sniffed the forest floor; many new scents came up, including one that was faint, but made his mouth water.

"Something was here," he began, unsure under Fireheart's green gaze. "But it left a long time ago."

The warrior scented the floor as well, and nodded. "Correct. This is the scent of mouse, but it's gone now."

Tigerpaw sighed in relief.

Lionheart continued. "You will have a hunting training session at a later time. For now, though, we will seek to improve your battle skills."

Graypaw was listening attentively. All of this was perhaps old news to him, Tigerpaw thought. After all, the gray apprentice did put up quite a fight when they first met.

Fireheart motioned with his tail to the two apprentices. Lionheart continued talking as they got in position. "As a warrior, you must be ready to protect your Clan with your life if necessary. You never know when a predator or an enemy Clan might attack. Our rigorous training will provide you with the skills needed to fend off any trespasser."

Graypaw and Tigerpaw stood face-to-face, idly and waiting. Fireheart was the one to break the sudden silence. "Tigerpaw, our training requires your claws to be sheathed," he meowed staring at the apprentice's unusually long claws. "We don't want to harm our fellow Clanmates…and your claws could leave quite the deep wounds."

Tigerpaw retreated his claws, lowering his ears in mild embarrassment. Graypaw, however, let out a purr of laughter. "Even with those claws, you wouldn't be able to beat me in battle!"

Tigerpaw hissed, offended. However, the disapproving looks of his temporary mentors warned him to control himself. "Anger is a useful emotion in battle, Tigerpaw," Lionheart began, "but being calm has its advantages as well."

At Fireheart's command, the apprentices began wrestling. It didn't last long until Tigerpaw realized Graypaw was going easy on him; the flurry of paw swipes was much slower than before, and Tigerpaw was able to dodge each one with ease. Despite that, each time he went on the offensive, Graypaw was able to dodge and block with impressive skill. Tigerpaw's swipes only grazed Graypaw's long and thick fur, an advantage the tabby did not have.

He crouched down, dodging a kick from the gray apprentice. His mind was racing, coming up with an infinite number of strategies in a moment; immediately after Graypaw exposed his chest to an attack, Tigerpaw sprung up, aiming at that area. The tabby's intimidating stature was enough to knock the apprentice over, making him expose his belly.

The adrenaline rush didn't stop. Tigerpaw opened his jaws, revealing sharp and shining canines ready to snap at the neck of his opponent…

A body of orange fur knocked him over before he could deal the decisive blow. Tigerpaw rolled over, his head spinning. It took him a moment to regain his composure and realize Fireheart had attacked him, his eyes were piercing at his own.

"That's enough," he meowed, standing tall. "Tigerpaw, you do not hesitate in battle, that will be a great asset someday." The apprentice's eyes shone with the praise, a light that died out when Fireheart continued. "However, I am also concerned by how ready you were to harm a fellow Clanmate."

Lionheart nodded in agreement. "Tigerpaw, our warrior code dictates that we do not need to kill in order to win. Only cats with no honor would resort to such tactics."

Tigerpaw knew that this was a time for being offended, or at least, embarassed at the disapproving looks of the two warriors. Instead, something in Lionheart's words got him intrigued.

"What is the waarrior code?"

The two warriors exchanged a look. This time it was Graypaw who replied. Usually, even the youngest kitten would know of the warrior code; for them, it was hard to forget Tigerpaw was not Clanborn, and everything about warrior life was foreign. Despite this, Graypaw, in an attempt to gain his mentor's approval, replied happily.

"The warrior code is what separates us from rogues!" he began with shining eyes. "All warriors must obey the rules of the warrior code, it's a dishonor to break them!"

Lionheart nodded. "It would do you good to learn it, Tigerpaw, for you will have to live by it from now on."

Training ended early that day. Graypaw already knew some moves, and Tigerpaw had proven to be a natural fighter, as well as naturally aggressive. Fireheart sighed, revealing that battle training was his idea after he had seen Tigerpaw's fight with Longtail, but he soon realized that it was far too soon for that. Instead, Lionheart suggested to show both apprentices around, giving his apprentice a chance to explain to the newcomer and prove his knowledge. Graypaw dipped his head, his tail barely able to contain the excitement; his respect for Lionheart showed in every hair of his pelt. Fireheart eyed him quizzically, but followed the young cat in silence.

It took them until dusk to cover the entirety of ThunderClan. With Graypaw at the head of the party, they arrived at the Thunderpath, the border between them and ShadowClan. Tigerpaw stared at it, remembering the multiple Thunderpaths he had to cross back at his Twoleg nest. Smudge would call them roads, but he made a mental note to remember Clan terminology, just to fit in better with the other warriors. At the other side, a pair of glowing eyes was staring back at them, but quickly disappeared in the shadows. He wondered what kind of cats would live in that dark and solitary territory; it was nothing like the lush forest of ThunderClan. A shiver went down Tigerpaw's spine, but it was a feeling the tabby welcomed.

Then they arrived at Sunningrocks, the territory they had lost to the neighbor RiverClan. They were resting, hunting, and to the tabby's shock, swimming. Fireheart stared at them with narrowed eyes, making sure to rub against every tree in the area. He advised the other cats to hide in the bushes and not be seen; there would be time for confrontation, but with a young apprentice and a kittypet, they would be more vulnerable.

Eventually reaching Fourtrees, the Gathering place for the four Clans. Tonight would be a full moon, Tigerpaw realized, and that would also be the time for a Gathering. He felt a sudden rush of excitement, one which died out almost immediately at Graypaw's whisper.

"Although, you've been here for one day, I don't think Bluestar will announce that we've taken a kittypet so quickly."

Fluffing out his pelt in frustration, Tigerpaw knew his denmate was right. It was clear his Clanmates thought less of him due to his origins, and revealing this kind of information to the enemy would reveal their weakness. He would have to wait, perhaps until his kittypet stench, as Sandpaw had called it, disappeared and was replaced with ThunderClan scent.

That, however, didn't stop him from whispering back to Graypaw. "That's so unfair!"

The cats returned to camp. Just as Graypaw told him, they were not allowed to leave for the Gathering just yet; only Dustpaw and Sandpaw left with the other warriors. The dark brown apprentice shot Tigerpaw an apologetic look. Sandpaw, instead, had her tail and head high, taking a quick glance at the apprentices that were left behind. Tigerpaw repressed a hiss. It wasn't worth it, anyway.

"Let's visit Ravenpaw," Graypaw suggested. "He won't be able to go either; he must be all bored right now!"

They approached the medicine den. Sure enough, Ravenpaw was there, licking his paws lazily, a half-eaten vole next to him. He raised his head when the two apprentices went in, this time, Spottedleaf was nowhere to be seen.

"Hi, Ravenpaw!" Graypaw greeted him happily.

"Hi, Graypaw." The black cat dipped his head in greeting. "Oh, Tigerpaw, was it? Hello."

"Hey, it doesn't seem like you're hurt at all!"

Ravenpaw lowered his head. "Yes… it was just a flesh wound. Spottedleaf said I can go out tomorrow." He made a pause, sighing. "I insisted on staying inside today."

Tigerpaw stared at the apprentice, blinking. "You don't seem to be too fond of training."

Ravenpaw shifted his paws and stammered. Would it be wise to confide in this stranger? "No, not really," he admitted in the end. "Fireheart is a great mentor. Bluestar thought that, if he trained me, I would become braver, but I'm not nearly as skilled." He finished with a long, drawn-out sigh.

Graypaw tilted his head, his eyes pitying his denmate and friend. "But you're just an apprentice. With more training, you'll become a fantastic warrior!"

Ravenpaw eyed him gratefully, but he didn't seem too enthusiastic about his words. "I wouldn't be so sure. I'm not a fighter, I'm a worrier…" He purred dejectedly. "Fireheart told me I have to let myself go, and defend my Clan, but I can't do that, it's not easy."

"What if we train together?" Tigerpaw blurted out. He meowed out loud without realizing it, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Fireheart had mentioned that he was a good fighter, but he had trouble controlling his aggression. In contrast, Ravenpaw was not a natural fighter, but he would never be caught up in the heat of battle. A symbiotic relationship, perhaps, where both strengths and weaknesses worked in each other's favor. "I don't have a mentor yet," he pointed out after a while. "I don't think Bluestar will have a problem if I go out to train with you and Fireheart."

"But will Fireheart have a problem?" Graypaw pointed out. "He is honorable, but he doesn't have patience. He will have to train you like if you were a kit!"

Ravenpaw was thoughtful, and a moment of silence followed Graypaw's words. Tigerpaw knew the black apprentice was considering it, and he waited expectantly.

"What do you think?"

Finally, Ravenpaw opened his mouth. "Fine," he meowed. "I will ask Fireheart tomorrow."

Graypaw rolled his eyes, but he didn't protest.

The three apprentices shared tongues, Ravenpaw sharing a bit of his fresh-kill with them, as he shared the moves he learned to Tigerpaw. Eventually, the duo decided to leave the medicine den and go to sleep. The next day, Tigerpaw promised, even if Fireheart was against it, he would help Ravenpaw out. Maybe then, the other warriors would come to see his value. Maybe.