Frustration built up inside her as Dappledfur's eyes flashed. "No, no. Wishpaw! Any enemy worth their salt would turn you into crowfood if you keep stopping like that. There's no time for rest in battle!" she whipped her tail furiously, before dropping it and sighing.

Wishpaw was breathing hard. She was worn, weary, and shame burned at the backs of her eyes.

They'd been practicing for hours, and every problem she solved seemed to cause twelve more. It was discouraging and infuriating.

Dappledfur lifted the young cat's chin with her tail. "I know you're trying your best. But it's not good enough- not yet. Listen, Wishpaw," she walked a bit closer to the she-cat, "I don't know if any of the other apprentices have told you yet, but WindClan is in more than a bit of trouble. Everything's- well-" She gestured helplessly around.

"You've heard of the other clans?" Wishpaw flashed back to her talk with Lightpaw when she'd first met her. She nodded. "Well, there were five."

"Lightpaw told me when we first met by the farm. She said SkyClan was taken over, and that there were other clans, ShadowClan, ThunderClan, and… WaterClan?" she meowed, winded. Her mentor let out an amused purr.

"RiverClan is the one you're thinking of." she flicked her ears, but her solemnity quickly returned. "However, the first thing you mentioned is what I wanted to talk about. You see, Wishpaw, for generations there have been five clans." Dappledfur shuffled uncomfortably. "SkyClan was a bit newer. But ThunderClan's leader, Stripestar, has decided to 'unify' us all. Or, in other words, drive out, take prisoners from, or kill the others. You may have seen Jaysun in the medicine cat's den. She was attacked while on patrol, and has been recovering for a quarter moon. There's quite a bit of gravity here." she gave Wishpaw a comforting lick, noticing her nervousness.

"It's a strange new world, isn't it?" she meowed gently. "Come on. You need a break. I'll show you around the territory and we can hunt a bit. We haven't really had a moment to slow down yet."

Dappledfur bounded into the wild and lonesome moor, long grass surrounding her. "I also have some more WindClan things to show you. Like Moor-running!" "Moor-running?" Wishpaw meowed curiously, intrigued. "Moor-runners are our warriors, fast as the wind we're named for. Speed counts for quite a lot here. After we finish I'll test you on it, but you're a little too tired right now."

Wishpaw blinked gratefully. "Thanks, Dappledfur. Sorry."

"No need." Moss and bracken felt cool under their paws, and Wishpaw tripped clumsily as her foot caught in a hollow. Nose-first, she hit the soil. For a moment, she was mortified. Then she began to laugh. Dappledfur looked momentarily concerned. "Are you alright?" she meowed, worry and amusement sharing equally in her tone. "Fine! Just embarrassed." "Oh. All right then. You're in a strange mood today." Her mentor shook her head in confusion, chuckling.

"To the south, you'll find the gorge. But, Wishpaw, you shouldn't go that way. It's very dangerous, alright?" she pointed to the grass near a distant forest, trees barely appearing in the distance. Wishpaw tilted her head to the side curiously, curling her tail around her feet. "Come on. Let's keep going."

Wishpaw got to her feet. She shook her short multi-colored pelt, fur rippling down to her tail. They trudged through outcrops of crow-berries and cotton grass, causing the young cat to marvel at the flowy white flowers. It was just a short, uphill walk to Dappledfur's next destination.

A large boulder, several tree-lengths tall, stood on the edge of the breezy, open land. "Wow." Wishpaw meowed, awestruck. She caught a strange cat-scent from above, and craned her head upwards to see a warm-colored tabby. "Goldenrod!" Dappledfur bellowed loudly above the gale as she leaped higher. The sheer face of the smooth rock intimidated Wishpaw, but if other apprentices had made the jump, she could too.

Crouching in the sweetgrass, she angled her body. With precision and poise, she cleared herself the first small ledge, swallowing slowly. The second ledge was further, peeking around the corner of the rock. It gleamed from yesterday's storm, slippery and dangerous. In between the two, a spiky air plant clung to the near-vertical slope.

Luckily, her exhaustion from her training had faded quickly. With fiery determination, she sized up her task. Although difficult, it wasn't impossible, even for one as small in stature as her. In position, she hurled herself through the air, dashing her shoulder against the side. Dappledfur looked down, concerned. "Wishpaw!" she yelped at the young she-cat, startled. "StarClan's kits, be careful. There's a much easier ridge on the other side, you know." Goldenrod looked at her friend, giggling a bit. "Kittypets. I suppose it only makes sense that they're not too bright, don't really have to use your wits much in that lifestyle." She laughed, and Wishpaw felt her whiskers twitch with embarrassment. She made the last hop with ease, it was only a single tail-length above her, but didn't feel all too accomplished as she surfaced at the top.

"Mmm… She's not all that unintelligent. She demonstrated some remarkably quick-thinking in her battle with Nightstreak." Dappledfur winked at Wishpaw, and she weakly dipped her head. She forced a cheery expression to show she wasn't bothered, although her chest had tightened with anger and shame.

"That's Nightstreak though. My cousin's about as smart as the boulder we're sitting on." Goldenrod patted it for emphasis, rubbing the wet moss with her white forepaws.

"Wishpaw." Dappledfur signaled for her to sit beside her. "This is Overlook Rock. Look off from over here!" Dappledfur announced, keeping her voice even and avoiding Goldenrod's gaze. Wishpaw padded forward, feet against warm, wet stone.

It was beautiful. Sweeping landscape and rolling hills stretched all around, violet heather clinging to the sandy soil. WindClan's camp was hidden, but she was still able to recognize it by the gorse tangle's yellow flowers bright along an old, dusty Twoleg path. Her former home, the farm, stood tall in the distance. She could see the entirety of the moors from here.

"It's amazing." Wishpaw remarked, purring. "You're Shadepaw's mentor?" she inquired to Goldenrod, turning to face her. The tabby, who had been licking her wind-blown shoulder fur, looked up in surprise. "Yup."

"Just curious. Is Nightstreak Heatherpaw's?" "...Yes. Why?" Goldenrod's voice was confused.

The two sibling's contempt for her began to make sense.

"It doesn't matter, just curious. Dappledfur, can we try working on that some hunting?" Wishpaw queried, and Dappledfur's ears flicked with surprise. "Sure." she shot Wishpaw a bewildered look before plunging over the side and down to the grass below. Using the other side for descent this time, she was able to trod down the gentle slant with ease.

"Are you all right, Wishpaw?" Dappledfur's concerned meow echoed as she walked side-by-side with her apprentice. "I'm fine. Just looking forward to showing her, someday." Wishpaw intoned. Dappledfur shook her head. "I know that was really cruel of her, but don't get too competitive. Remember, they're still our clanmates. And soon we'll have to face true enemies, and we need to be loyal as a pack of wolves."

She was right. Wishpaw let out a breath, feeling a bit overwhelmed. "Yeah. Let's work on some hunting, then."

The tantalizing scent of hare wafted on the eastern breeze. The small animal was nibbling on the vegetation, unaware of the two she-cats stalking it. Keeping low to the ground, she crept forward. Here, she was in her element.

Focused, she put her weight into her haunches as she prepared to pounce. Power surging through her, she soared through the air, alerting the animal at the last moment. It took off across the moors. "After it, Wishpaw. Run!"

She was soaring, wind to her back. Her tail streaked behind her in her mad dash, faster then she'd ever gone before. Her shadow lengthened as the sun emerged from the cloud cover, overcoming the hare as she drew closer. She ran further, gaining momentum even as her tired legs screamed at her. With a final burst of speed, she caught it between her claws, gasping for air. She picked it up with her mouth, dropping it in front of Dappledfur with pride before rolling over onto her side.

"You're fast as any WindClan warrior. Well done, Wishpaw. You're a natural." she purred with approval. "Thanks!" Wishpaw exhaled, the shadow of a bird above passing over her. "Great StarClan, I'm tired though." she moaned. "I see you've been picking up on some expressions. Has anyone told you about StarClan, Wishpaw?" Dappledfur asked, laying down a little distance away from her. "No." the young calico responded.

"Mmm. That's surprising. Well, Wishpaw, StarClan is our ancestors. It's where all clan cats go when they die. Occasionally, they'll send signs or omens to guide us, but they've been silent for a while now. When you see the stars in Silverpelt, that's them. Every one is a StarClan warrior. We contact them using the Moonstone, which is closest to WindClan, over to the far northeast."

Rose had said something like that back when she'd been Bonnie, when she'd lived at the barn. She would talk about how the legends of the past would look down on them from above, and how one day they'd join them.

"Do you think I'll get to be there, since I wasn't born a clan cat?" she rolled over to look at Dappledfur. "I do. Don't let anything anyone says deter you." Dappledfur stood. "If you want to hear any stories, Bluecall will probably tell you. She's our only elder, but has enough for several generation's worth of kits. Quite a few, you know, are about outsiders who became great warriors."

"Thanks." Another rabbit-scent hung on the wind. Dappledfur looked towards it, then back to her apprentice in silent challenge. And, no matter how tired, Wishpaw wasn't one to back down from a challenge.

Smoothly dipping into a crouch, she miscalculated a step, paw snapping a dried twig. The animal bolted, leaving her silently cursing as she picked up her pace again. They were headed south, towards the sloping decline that led to the river, and west from the gorge. Wishpaw drew closer and closer to the rabbit, feeling the rush of triumph and she landed on top of it.

Unfortunately, she had a bit too much extra momentum, and tumbled down the slope into the shallow bank of the stream. Startled, she stood, rabbit swinging from her jaws. She was soaked to the bone, and silver droplets fell from her coat. An angry yowl came from the opposite bank.

A dark ginger tom crested the hill, followed by a mottled brown she-cat. "Apprentice. What are you doing on RiverClan territory?" he hissed furiously.

Wishpaw stepped back anxiously, pelt dripping. "I- I'm sorry." She flattened her ears. "I didn't know this was RiverClan's, really. I was just chasing a rabbit." her voice was earnest, and the she-cat relaxed, draping her tail across the shoulder of the tom. He looked at her for a moment before letting himself calm down.

"We'll let you off with a warning. However, since it was caught here, that rabbit belongs to RiverClan. If you hunt here again, we won't be so lenient." she slipped into the river, swimming like a fish. Wishpaw sat calmly, telling herself she oughtn't let these cats see she was scared, although she was certain they caught her fear-scent.

A white she-cat with a jagged grey marking streaked through the field. "Dappledspirit?" the tom muttered, nervous. She choked on her words, panicked. "Spit it out." the mottled brown warrior lashed her tail, turning her attention from Wishpaw. "S-Stripestar attacked." she sputtered. "They retreated... b-but Reedstar's dead." Dappledspirit was barely conscious, and once she delivered the message she collapsed to the earth. "Ruststorm?" one gasped. "Follow me, Fennelfrost. We need to get back to camp. We can bring Cherrywhisker to help her later." Ruststorm's meow was grave, and the pair bounded further into RiverClan territory, leaving Wishpaw and her rabbit alone on the grassy slope.

Dappledfur was searching frantically for her lost apprentice. She'd paused for a moment in the chase, and the tiny calico had slipped away. Her relief was tangible when she caught sight of a lithe form in the distance, rabbit swinging from her mouth.

"You caught it!" Dappledfur remarked proudly. But as the small she-cat drew closer, she noticed that she was dripping wet. Realization hit her like a boulder.

"You didn't go into RiverClan territory, did you?" she narrowed her eyes. "I did. I didn't mean to, but I ran into some RiverClan cats. And- Dappledfur, they said that Reedstar was dead." her emerald eyes were round with horror.

The dappled she-cat froze, late-afternoon sun turning her fur golden. "Reedstar's..." Dappledfur felt her throat go dry. "We need to tell Cloudstar. Is RiverClan gone?"

Wishpaw shook her head, tail curling in the air. "That's a bit of consolation." she muttered. "But Stripestar needs to be stopped, and soon. If not, he'll spell the end for the clans."

Syrupzap: Oh my goodness, I'm honored. Really glad you've liked my story!

This chapter is sort of all over the place due to there being a lot I wanted to fit into it. Hope it still makes sense, and that you all like it!