Ever since Darkstripe was an apprentice, he had dreamed of ruling his Clan with Tigerstar someday. Together, they would ensure that ThunderClan was the strongest Clan in the entire forest. Outsiders would be chased out of their territory or killed without question, and they would be feared by all their neighbors. Even StarClan themselves would tremble before them.

Now that his dream had come true, however, Darkstripe was quickly beginning to realize that things weren't going exactly how he'd imagined they would.

Not only was he stuck being ShadowClan's deputy instead of ThunderClan's, but it also didn't feel as though he had any new power in his role at all. Tigerstar never consulted him on any Clan business, and he would often take over Darkstripe's duties without telling him. Just that morning, he had organized the patrols for the day while Darkstripe was still asleep. He wanted desperately to be able to prove to Tigerstar that he was worthy of his respect, but not being able to perform his duties made that task extremely difficult.

Maybe this is normal, he told himself. Maybe the deputy doesn't really have as much power in the Clan as they seem to.

But even so, he couldn't make himself believe it. Before he had attempted to kill her, Bluestar had always trusted Tigerstar's judgment. She had never done anything to try to undermine his authority; indeed, she gave him more free reign than most leaders. The previous leader of ThunderClan, Sunstar, had consulted Bluestar–Bluefur then–on just about every matter that fell into the Clan's paws. And while Darkstripe didn't know much about the Clan politics in RiverClan or WindClan, he was willing to bet that Crookedstar and Tallstar at least allowed their deputies to perform their assigned duties as well.

Shaking his head, Darkstripe stood up and padded out of the camp, intent on hunting for a while. If he couldn't please Tigerstar by being the best deputy in the forest, then he would do so by being the best warrior in ShadowClan. The dark tabby had always given him constant praise when he was an apprentice, and Darkstripe was confident that he could earn that favor back. Sooner or later, Tigerstar would have to take notice of him again.

As luck would have it, however, all of the prey in the marshes had apparently decided to hide for the day. No matter where he looked, he couldn't seem to find even the smallest frog. Darkstripe's pelt burned with frustration; why was StarClan so determined to keep him from pleasing his leader?

No matter, he thought. I'll just keep searching, then.

Before he knew it, he found himself at the edge of the Thunderpath, looking over into ThunderClan's forest. On the other side of the Thunderpath, a rabbit raced past before disappearing into a bush. Darkstripe wanted to yowl his frustrations to the sky; of course, the first prey he stumbled across happened to be on another Clan's territory. As tempting as it was to run across and chase after the rabbit, even Darkstripe wasn't foolish enough to risk getting caught by a ThunderClan patrol.

On the other hand, however...there didn't appear to be anyone else coming. The woods in his old home were utterly silent; a patrol wouldn't be arriving anytime soon. Just to be safe, he tasted the air. It was a bit difficult to pick up anything over the stench emitting from the Thunderpath, but from what he could gather, there weren't any ThunderClan cats in the area.

Should I do it?

He glanced back over his shoulder. None of his Clanmates were anywhere to be seen. If he was quick, he could run across the Thunderpath, catch the rabbit, and be back before anyone else noticed that something was amiss. That way, he could catch food for his Clan and Tigerstar would be proud of him.

Making a split-second decision, Darkstripe raced across the Thunderpath and in the direction he'd seen the rabbit disappear into. A quick sniff told him that his prey hadn't moved. Dropping into the hunting crouch, he padded forward swiftly and silently, pouncing at the last heartbeat and sinking his teeth into the rabbit's throat. He sat up triumphantly, the rabbit dangling from his jaws.

But now wasn't the time to celebrate. Checking to make sure that a patrol hadn't arrived, Darkstripe darted back across the Thunderpath and deep into his own territory. He didn't stop until he was sure that he was a safe distance away from the Thunderpath. His heart was pounding heavily in his chest as he tried to comprehend what he had just done.

What had he done? He had just broken the warrior code! He had stolen prey from another Clan–from ThunderClan, no less. If they found his scent on their territory, they would be out for his blood. They already had more than enough reason to despise him, and he had just given them yet another one.

"Darkstripe?" a voice meowed from behind him. "Is everything alright? You look a little stressed out."

Darkstripe blinked, then turned around to the brown-furred molly behind him. "I'm fine, Russetfur," he replied curtly.

"Okay," Russetfur meowed, clearly not entirely convinced. Fortunately, she chose not to press him any further and turned her attention to his rabbit instead. "That's a great catch you've got yourself there. Where did you manage to find something that big? I've been searching all afternoon, but I can't even find a mouse."

"Just got lucky, I guess," Darkstripe mumbled, averting his eyes to stare down at the ground.

"Don't be so modest," Russetfur scolded him. "Catching prey requires more than just luck. You should be proud; we're going to be eating well tonight. Come on, we should take your rabbit back to the camp. I'm sure Tigerstar will be pleased to see how well you've done."

Darkstripe immediately felt cheered by the russet-colored warrior's words. Russetfur was right; Tigerstar had to be pleased with him now. The rest of the Clan would surely be singing him praises alongside him too. Perhaps he had done the right thing after all in stealing the rabbit. After all, didn't the warrior code say that warriors were supposed to be loyal to their Clan above all else? What could possibly show more loyalty than going to any means necessary to make sure his Clanmates were well-fed?

When they arrived back at the camp, Tigerstar was standing beside the fresh-kill pile alongside Jaggedtooth and Rowanpaw. Darkstripe felt a surge of excitement at seeing his former mentor and friend. His head and tail held high, he strode forward to greet the trio of warriors at the prey pile. He stopped dead, however, as he picked up on their conversation.

"Rowanpaw caught his first prey today," Jaggedtooth was telling Tigerstar proudly. "A frog–a quick one, mind you, and his technique was flawless."

"Is that so?" Tigerstar asked, looking down at the young apprentice. "Well done indeed, Rowanpaw. A few more good reports from your mentor, and we'll be having your warrior ceremony in no time. The Clan has much to be proud of with you in our ranks."

Hearing his leader praise Rowanpaw, Darkstripe felt a surge of bitter resentment. He turned away sharply, taking his rabbit to the other side of the camp. If his efforts weren't going to receive the same accolades, he wasn't going to bother saying anything. The dark gray tabby took a bad-tempered bite out of his food, his pelt seething with anger.

A frog! Darkstripe raged silently. A puny, pathetic frog, and it's treated as if it's the greatest catch a cat has ever made. I caught a bigger piece of prey than Rowanpaw. That should be me receiving Tigerstar's praise, not him!

What had he done wrong? Why had everyone ignored him in favor of an apprentice? No one had even glanced his way when he came back into the camp. It was as if he didn't even exist.

Could it be that he hadn't done enough somehow? The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed that this was the answer. Even if he had managed to catch a bigger piece of prey, he had only managed to catch one piece. That was unacceptable coming from a warrior of his strength and skill set. He should have been able to bring back at least half a day's worth of fresh-kill.

Yes, he thought decisively. That must be the reason.

Feeling slightly more content, Darkstripe finished off the rest of his rabbit before heading into the warriors' den for a short nap. Today had been a disappointment as usual, but it had also been a learning experience. If he wanted to earn Tigerstar's approval, he was going to have to do more than just serve his Clan well. He had to be the best. No, more than that, he had to be perfect. From now on, even the smallest mistake would be unacceptable. He had to win every single battle and catch every piece of prey that crossed his path. Then maybe, just maybe, he would finally be someone deemed worthy of attention.