A/N: Hey everyone! I am SO sorry for the very long hiatus! You see, my old laptop decided it was going to die, and I lost ALL of my progress and info on this story, among many other things. On top of things being rough in general, I had little to no motivation to write. But alas, I am back! I plan to finish this story soon, and I hope if you're still around, you'll enjoy what is to come of this fic :)

Chapter Thirty-Five

The bright newleaf sun warmed Shadowheart's pelt as he emerged from the warriors' den. Giving a nice long stretch, he gazed around camp. It was still early morning, the dawn patrol having just returned. Suppressing a yawn, he headed towards the brambles that made up the apprentices' den. Peering in, he could make out Minkpaw's sleeping figure near the back.

"Hey, sleepy-paws!" he called cheerfully. "Time to wake up! We have some hunting to do."

Minkpaw stirred, a piece of moss on his muzzle. "Wha-?"

Shadowheart gave a snort of amusement. "Training," he repeated. "Meet me by the fresh-kill pile."

Leaving the den to let his apprentice to wake up, Shadowheart padded towards the fresh-kill pile. It was pitifully small, only a few mice remained. I'll eat later, once I'm done hunting with Minkpaw, he decided. As he glanced around camp, he realized very few cats were around. Foxstar had been vigilant about border patrols, in fear of another ambush by the rogues. He had hoped he'd run into Firelight, since the two of them hadn't patrolled together in quite some time. Shrugging, he sat down and gave himself a quick grooming.

"Hey Shadowheart!" Yellowsky's voice called from nearby.

Pricking his ears, Shadowheart looked up to see his Clanmate standing near the camp entrance with Daypaw beside her. He gave a tiny purr to see the young apprentice looking as eager as ever to run off into the forest.

Yellowsky padded over to him. "Is Minkpaw awake yet? I was thinking we could take them hunting together."

Shadowheart gave a nod. "I just woke him a few moments ago," he answered. "But good idea, I was thinking the same thing."

Just then, Minkpaw came racing out of the apprentices' den, skidding to a halt in front of the two warriors. "Sorry!" he panted.

Flicking the scrap of moss that still laid on his muzzle with her tail, Yellowsky gave a tiny purr of amusement. "Let's go then."

As Shadowheart followed Yellowsky out of the camp, Minkpaw kept pace beside him. "Where are we going?"

"I was thinking we could try hunting near the PineClan border," Yellowsky answered him. "I heard from Ivyfrost the other day that there was a new rabbit borrow."

Daypaw lifted her tail up with excitement. "Rabbit! I hope I catch it!"

"Not if I do first!" Minkpaw challenged, running ahead.

Daypaw gave an indignant yowl, as she chased after him. "Hey! No fair!"

"Don't go too far ahead!" Shadowheart called after them, worry spiking his pelt.

Yellowsky gave a mrrow of laughter. "I remember when I did that with Ivyfrost," she purred. "It feels so long ago now."

Shadowheart gave a tiny purr. Despite everything going on, it felt good to relax with his Clanmates like this. Although he knew it wouldn't last. Hawk and his rogues hung over all the Clans like a thick fog. He winced when he remembered how the last battle was; when the Clans had launched an ambush on the gorge. Shadowheart had been certain the Clans would win that battle. However, they had been heavily mistaken—and Shadowheart shuddered as he remembered almost dying from his wounds. Will we ever be free of them? He wasn't sure how long this could go on. Something had to be done, but how could they kill a cat that seemed impossible to kill?

Shaking himself, Shadowheart brought himself out of the gloomy thoughts. There was nothing he could do about Hawk right now, and the best thing he could do was provide for the Clan.

Catching up to the two apprentices, Shadowheart sniffed around for any scent trails. He tracked the trail of a mouse in some nearby bracken, and quickly motioned with his tail for the others to be quiet. Minkpaw and Daypaw quickly stopped their play-fight, and padded over to him.

"What do you scent?" Yellowsky prompted them quietly.

Shadowheart turned his gaze on them, awaiting their replies. Daypaw's expression grew serious, and she closed her eyes as she scented the air. Minkpaw was less calm, enthusiastically sniffing the ground loudly.

Daypaw replied first. "Mouse!"

"Good job," Shadowheart praised her. "Now that we have the scent, what do we do next?"

Minkpaw looked up, eyes bright. "Oh! I know! We figure out if we're downwind or not."

Yellowsky nodded. "Yes, that's correct," she purred. "Now, which are we?"

Both apprentices got quiet, clearly thinking hard. Shadowheart angled his ears, listening for any other prey nearby. After a few moments, Daypaw spoke up first.

"I think we're downwind," she mewed thoughtfully. "The breeze is blowing our way, right?"

Shadowheart nodded, feeling a glimmer of pride in his kin. "That's right, which means now it's time to catch that mouse."

Minkpaw gave an excited skip, and was about to charge ahead until Yellowsky barred the way with her tail. She sighed. "You can't expect to catch prey by charging in after them."

"Yeah, mouse-brain," Daypaw muttered.

Shadowheart flicked Daypaw with his tail, shooting her a sharp glance. He then looked at his apprentice. "Alright, I spotted the mouse just under that clump of bracken. Minkpaw, do you remember the hunting crouch I taught you?"

Minkpaw nodded. "Yup! It's like this, right?" He quickly dropped down close the ground, placing his feet lightly as he had been taught. His haunches were low, and his tail was just above the ground.

"Good," Shadowheart murmured, leaning down near him. "Now, see if you can spot the mouse."

Minkpaw flattened his ears in focus, and he quietly stalked ahead. His tail shot up in excitement upon seeing the mouse nibbling on a seed just a few tail-lengths in front of them. With a glance at him, Shadowheart gave an encouraging nod. Wiggling his hindquarters, he quickly leaped. The mouse let out a squeak of alarm, running towards the bracken, but Minkpaw was quicker. He blocked off its' path and quickly pinned it to the ground with a killing bite.

"Nicely done!" Shadowheart praised, padding over to him.

Daypaw looked up at her mentor, kneading the ground with impatience. "Can I try now?"

Yellowsky gave her apprentice an affectionate nudge. "Of course," she mewed. "Let's see if we can find that rabbit borrow Ivyfrost mentioned."

Happily, the dark ginger tabby she-cat quickly bounced alongside Yellowsky as they searched. Minkpaw looked up at Shadowheart expectantly.

"Where should I put the mouse?"

Shadowheart angled his ears near a bramble bush. "Bury it right over there, we'll come back for it later."

Quickly burying the mouse under the bush, Minkpaw turned towards him, silver eyes bright. "Where now?"

"Let's try going near the foggy ravine," Shadowheart decided. "There's an oak tree there that mice often like to nibble seeds under."

"Okay!" Minkpaw chirped enthusiastically.

Leading the way, Shadowheart padded quietly beside his apprentice. A strange, yet familiar scent, wafted into his nose, and he was focused on remembering the smell. What is that scent? It smells so familiar, yet…

Quickly coming to a halt, he put his tail out in front of Minkpaw. Hackles rising, he could hear the sounds of undergrowth swishing. There was something here! Minkpaw gave him a confused look. Shadowheart shot him with a stern look, enough to keep his rambunctious nephew from bounding ahead.

Creeping forward, the scent grew even stronger. Heart pounding heavily in his chest, Shadowheart silently stalked forward. A gray tail whisked above the brambles, and instantly, Shadowheart felt his blood turn to ice. Another cat! The scent was not any of his Clanmates, or of any Clan that he remembered. Growling he leaped onto the intruder, grappling the cat with his claws. The stranger let out a screech of fear, and struggled to get away from him. Wrestling with the intruder, he quickly pinned them under his paws. Breathing heavily, he looked down to see who had dared to trespass onto LeafClan territory.

His heart froze. He knew this cat. The gray and cream tortoiseshell fur was painfully familiar.

"Lily!"