Chapter One

Freezepaw crouched into hunting position, stalking the black shrew. She licked her lips. She could almost taste the juicy and fat shrew. She stalked the shrew and pounced. But a millisecond before she pounced, the shrew noticed her. It ran, and Freezepaw landed on the leaves.

"Mouse-dung!" Freezepaw cursed.

"That's the second time you've lost a piece of prey today." Firesong, Freezepaw's mentor, sighed.

"It's not my fault!" Freezepaw retorted.

"Maybe you're just not built for hunting? You can go on a border patrol. Maybe you'll be better at that." Freezepaw made a face and sulked back to camp.

"I'll be the best they've ever seen." Freezepaw muttered. Firesong rolled her eyes.

"Just go." She sighed. Freezepaw stalked off, feeling a bit rejected. Her white and blue fur shimmered ever so slightly in the moonlight.

"Why are you sulking?" A voice behind me meowed. Freezepaw whirled around to find Falconpaw, the eldest of the apprentices, talking to her.

"I just hate that Firesong treats me like nothing! I can hunt, Firesong's just a bad mentor!" Rage filled Freezepaw as she spat Firesong's name.

"I can teach you," Falconpaw offered.

Freezepaw hesitated. On one paw, saying yes would make her seem weak, but on the other paw, it was Falconpaw.

"Okay…" Freezepaw meowed, but quickly added, "Only if you don't tell anyone else." Falconpaw looked amused.

"You're funny." Falconpaw teased. Freezepaw blushed. She looked into Falconpaw's eyes. Freezepaw has to admit, he was handsome. Freezepaw and Falconpaw walked back to camp. They saw Foxstar and Fernpelt talking.

"Freezepaw! Falconpaw!" Featherpaw called.

Falconpaw's sister padded over to us. "Flypaw, Flowerpaw and Finchpaw are all

looking for you." She winked at Falconpaw. Falconpaw glanced at me.

"Tell them I'll be with them in a minute." He meowed. "I need to talk to Freezepaw."

Featherpaw widened her eyes. "O-okay." Featherpaw stammered. She bolted off to her group of friends.

"You're not the only she-cat padding after me." Falconpaw meowed. "Anyways, meet me at the training hollow at sunrise." Then Falconpaw waltzed off towards his admirers.

"I'm not padding after you." Freezepaw mumbled.

Just then, the hunting patrol ran into camp. Fallowjay, Flowertail, and Foxdawn raced into camp, with scratches on their pelt. Fallowjay was the injured the most, with one long deep gash on her pelt. "F-fox i-in foorrest!" Flowertail wailed. Suddenly, Fallowjay fell to the ground.

"Get Frigidjaw!" Cried Fadingfur. The white she-cat on cue entered the semi-circle with a bundle of leaves. Fogkit and Fishkit, whimpered as they saw this dramatic scene in front of them.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Flinttalon paced around. "The fox could have followed them here!"

Fernpelt approached Freezepaw. "Foxstar wants you to take the other apprentices and kits out of camp, in case the fox attacks." The clan is in chaos as warriors tense for a fight.

"How many foxes were there?" Fernpelt asked. Flowertail looks blankly at Fernpelt. Freezepaw pads over to Falconpaw and his crushers.

"Falconpaw, Finchpaw, Flypaw, Featherpaw, Fennelpaw, Ferretpaw... Fernpelt told me to take you out of camp." Freezepaw meows dryly. Falconpaw got up immediately, with his sister getting up next. Finchpaw and Flypaw looked at me with jealousy.

Fishkit and Fogkit bolt towards Freezepaw. Falconpaw grins at me expectantly. Oh! We'll be able to do our hunting lesson! Freezepaw thought.

"Falconpaw!" Flypaw meowed, trying to get Falconpaw's attention. Falconpaw turned around, and Firesong padded up to me.

"Foxstar said you could come on the patrol to practice your skills. It took a bit of convincing, but now you can practice your skills, since you seem to be horrible at hunting. Come on, let's go." Oh no, what will Falconpaw think? Freezepaw thought.

"Actually, all the apprentices are going on patrol together." Falconpaw meowed. Firesong's eyes widened.

"Good luck." She meowed. The nine of us walk in silence with heavy awkwardness and unrest. Fishkit doesn't seem to get the message and squeaks.

"What was that?" Fogkit jeers. "Was it a mouse?" Instinctively, Freezepaw picks Fogkit up.

"Now it is not the time to be bickering." Freezepaw soothes. "As soon as we're back at camp I'll give you a Badger ride." Fennelpaw glares at me.

"Yeah," she adds. "The warriors will take care of the foxes." Fishkit and Fogkit look at Fennelpaw blankly. Falconpaw ear perk up.

"I hear yowling in the distance." Falconpaw reports. "We should see what's happening. The other apprentices nod quickly. Finchpaw rolls her eyes.

"Fine. I don't think we should go near the foxes, but it looks like I'm out-voted." Freezepaw sighs. Suddenly Freezepaw smells the bad breath of a fox. "It's right behind me. Isn't it?" Just as the fox is about to strike, a blur of orange fur flies past me. Firesong. The fox strikes at her belly. Firesong bites the fox's neck. The other apprentices leap at the fox, with Falconpaw taking the lead. Freezepaw stands there in fear. Eventually the fox collapses. Firesong staggers to the ground. "Firesong?" Freezpaw squeaks. Firesong's warm amber eyes stare at me.

"I'll be okay Freezepaw… it's my time." Firesong purred. Freezepaw stared at her in shock.

"Frigidjaw will heal you." Freezepaw felt desperate to make sure her mentor came out of this alive. "Firesong?" Her mentor stared blankly at the ground. "Firesong!"

"I'm so sorry." Falconpaw swallowed. Freezepaw didn't reply. She never even caught a mouse for Firesong, and now she was dead. Falconpaw wrapped his tail around me, gently pushing in the direction of camp.

"Attention, ThunderClan." Foxstar yowled. "Today we have lost a great warrior. She. We shall mourn in her absence. But, we also have a new warrior in our ranks. Falconpaw, some of the other apprentices have told me how greatly you fought off the fox. From this day forward, you will now be known as Falconblaze, for your strength and loyalty." The clan murmured in surprise.

"Falconblaze! Falconblaze!" They yowled. Freezepaw could feel Featherpaw's jealousy.

"I'm his sister." She muttered unhappily.

"We will also need to appoint a new mentor for Freezepaw," Foxstar continues. "Fallowjay will be Freezepaw's new mentor."

"Tonight also happens to be the Gathering. Falconblaze, Fallowjay, Frigidjaw, Freezepaw, Fernpelt, Fadingfur, Flypaw, Fuzzyivy, Fennelpaw, Floodbright, Ferretpaw, and Finchpaw will come." Foxstar continued.

Featherpaw groaned. "Really?" She murmured unhappily. But Freezepaw didn't really hear her. It's my first gathering!

"Come on, follow me." Foxstar said, leaping off the high rock. Freezepaw followed.

Later, they started crossing the log bridge. Although it hadn't rained, the log felt slippery and wet. Weird… Freezepaw shook the thought out of her head. StarClan must be doing this. Falconblaze was right behind her, wobbling a bit.

Finally, they came to a stop at the Gathering place. Freezepaw stared up at them in awe. "Let the Gathering begin!"