A/N: Here's the next chapter, enjoy!

Chapter Twelve

Sparrowwing was sitting as still as possible on a stray boulder near WoodClan territory, muscles tense as she ignored the scent of the grass around her, the sky covered with what promised to be yet another New-Leaf storm, as she observed the visitor MeadowClan Territory had. She had never seen a moose this close to Camp, before. It was truly massive, bigger than any creature she had seen, with dark brown fur and large, curving horns the color of the soft wheat grass. It observed her with dark eyes as it grazed, but it seemed more bored than interested. Cautiously, Sparrowwing climbed down from her perch, and moved back towards the Camp.

She had no desire to see what would get the moose interested.

Slipping through the grass that surrounded the main Camp, she paused and glanced around, taking in which cats were there and who was off patrolling or hunting.

Foxtail was speaking with her new Apprentice, young Whitepaw, who was still a quiet tom as he had been as a kit, his white fur thick and bright, his eyes a bright blue. Sparrowwing had been honestly surprised when WhisperStar had made his only surviving kit Foxtail's Apprentice, but, then again, it was against the unspoken code for a parent to mentor their own kit, unless there was a severe lack of Warriors available, of course. Lostfoot and Thornclaw were curled up and sharing tongues, while blinded Stonefang was munching on a vole while Pebblepaw (who had flourished in her position as Medicine Cat Apprentice when she had returned from her required visit to the Star Pool, returning much more confident and relaxed then she was when she left) carefully pulled ticks from his fur with some help from Stormpaw, who was grimacing around the wad of mouse-bile soaked fur she held gingerly in her teeth.

WhisperStar was listening to Palestripe, who had no doubt just returned from his patrol border nearest to the Junk Yard, where a large number of Rogues seemed to be hiding out. There had been a number of skirmishes over the last moon, not only in MeadowClan territory, but in the others as well. CreekClan had seen less than the others, but they had also found a larger number of dead cats in their waters, so that most likely explained why.

Windclaw was lounging near the Medicine Cat Den as Rainstorm applied cobwebs to wounds he had gained from an eagle that had attempted to grab up one of his kits, only for the Warrior to put himself between the large bird and frightened Mosskit. The eagle's talons had cut him badly, but had flown away without prey and missing several tail feathers. With the emergence of New-Leaf, more and more predators were appearing. There had been three separate badger sightings in the last moon, the scent of foxes was strong around the WoodClan Border, and now there was a moose in the territory, which meant the larger predators would be venturing closer as well, and Sparrowwing had no wish to see a wolf or bear so close.

Padding towards WhisperStar, she waited as he gave Palestripe orders to stay in the secondary Camp for a night or two, and patrol the CreekClan border while there, before he finally turned his bright yellow eyes on the tabby queen.

"There's a moose grazing in our territory, near the corner of the WoodClan territory closest to the Star Pool," she informed him simply; WhisperStar blinked, obviously not expecting it, before his whiskers lifted in amusement.

"Startling, aren't they?" he asked her hoarsely; Sparrowwing bobbed her head in agreement, her own whiskers lifting, before he nodded her towards the Apprentice Den. "Take Flowerpaw out hunting, would you? She's been bored and lazy since Windclaw was injured." Sparrowwing nodded in agreement, and slipped away as the MeadowClan Leader turned to go speak with Foxtail about the reports he'd been given. Sparrowwing poked her head into her old den, feeling a twinge of nostalgia as she noticed her old nest was still in its place at the very back. Blinking away the feeling, she quickly focused on the dozing yellow queen lounging about.

"Flowerpaw," she meowed clearly; the younger queen's ears perked and she sat up quickly. "You're coming hunting with me," she told the Apprentice firmly; the yellow queen mewed her agreement, and Sparrowwing pulled back and waited for the Apprentice to appear, which she did, scrambling out of the Den and peering up at her hopefully.

"Let's go," Sparrowwing told her, and led the way out of Camp, ear twitching as she noted how loud the Apprentice's movements were, unused as she was to the tall grass that rustled clearly with each movement. Silently, she made note of all she could, to report to Windclaw when they returned, knowing the older Warrior would appreciate it, even if he did make the tabby wary, with his strange actions and evasive answers to any questioning whenever he was sighted where he wasn't supposed to be. He now tended to get a little snappish with Sparrowwing, because she had begun keeping a closer watch on him.

"Where are we going to hunt?" Flowerpaw asked the distracted tabby, bringing her attention back into focus; Sparrowwing blinked away her thoughts on Windclaw, and paid better attention to her surroundings.

Distracted Warriors Are Dead Warriors, she reminded herself firmly, even as she answered the Apprentice's question.

"There is a moose in the northern part of the territories, and too many rogues to the East, so we'll be hunting between the Main Camp and Secondary Camp. There are more ravines, and Fire Ants there, but it is safer at the moment than elsewhere." Flowerpaw nodded, and Sparrowwing made a point to begin slowing down, ear twitching as the Apprentice followed; her previously loud movements quieting.

Finally, they reached a fallen tree that marked the halfway point, half-rotten and filled with mold and bugs from all the rain and humidity.

"Scent around the log first thing," Sparrowwing ordered the Apprentice softly, watching as the yellow queen slipped forward obediently. "This log is a good place for voles, shrew, mice, and small birds to hunt. Find their scents, even if they're no longer here." Slowly, Flowerpaw made her way around the log, sniffing delicately as she did so. Sparrowwing carefully followed along, staying downwind as she observed the Apprentice's actions. When the young she-cat reached the hollow end of the log, she paused, ears flickering in confusion, as she scented that area more thoroughly.

"There's a strange cat smell here, Sparrowwing," she announced, uncertainly; Sparrowwing narrowed her eyes and moved closer, breathing in the scent herself.

It was the smell of an unknown she-cat, and what smelled like kits. Sparrowwing sniffed around the ground carefully, opening her mouth to better catch the trail, before she stood straight and peered in the direction it went.

"Flowerpaw, follow me, but stay downwind," she ordered after a minute or two of consideration. In another situation, she would have sent the younger cat back to Camp for reinforcements, but the scent was fresh, only a few hours old, and she didn't want to risk sending the Apprentice back alone when this unknown cat may be close by.

"On it," Flowerpaw replied softly, slinking slowly into the grass, downwind of the scent. Carefully, Sparrowwing began to follow the trail, crouched low to the ground, mouth open and ears arched to catch whatever sounds she could. After a few minutes of careful stalking, she caught the sound of kits playing quietly, the soft purring of a queen watching them, and the scent of fresh milk, which meant that the kits had either just fed, or one was still feeding. Sparrowwing glanced in the direction Flowerpaw was to be, and nodded to herself, before she stood and stepped through the grasses to take in the scene before her.

A pretty queen with amber and black meshed fur was lying sleepily at the base of a small boulder on a nest of pine needles she had no doubt scrapped together. Two kits, looking about three moons old, were wrestling, two small toms, while a third kit, a queen, was suckling from her mothers teat. The unknown queen sat up sharply at Sparrowwing's appearance, her pink collar shifting against her fur with a quiet scraping sound. The kits scrambled behind and under their mother as she growled warningly at the Warrior. Sparrowwing ignored her growling, and eyed the kits for a moment, taking them in.

The little queen was bright orange, with dashes of white here and there. The bigger tom was a gray tabby, with a white underbelly, paws, and tail-tip, while the smaller tom was a darker mirror of his mother, with white paws and tail-tip. The mother snarled and hissed at Sparrowwing and crouched, hiding her kits from view, and Sparrowwing turned her attention to the Kittypet, observing her sharp green eyes as she did so.

"You are trespassing in MeadowClan Territory," she informed the Kittypet coolly; the cat growled at her.

"We're not doing anything wrong," she spat, shifting protectively. "My human just dumped us here. We've no where to go," she muttered, hunching unhappily as she kept her narrowed eyes on Sparrowwing. The Warrior observed her silently for a moment, before sitting down.

"Are you alone?" she asked calmly; the cat's ear twitched, before she hesitantly bobbed her head. Sparrowwing observed her for another moment, before nodding to herself. "Flowerpaw," she called; with a soft rustle of grass, the yellow queen appeared at the tabby's side, startling and frightening the Kittypet, who looked around nervously, mouth opening to scent the air even as she fluffed her fur out. "Return to Camp, and alert WhisperStar, before returning here."

"Yes, Sparrowwing," the Apprentice agreed softly, eying the Kittypet with wary curiosity, before following her orders, disappearing with another rustle of grass.

"Where is she going?!" The Kittypet snarled; eyes wide as they darted around and she crouched lower over her kits. Sparrowwing blinked at her, and remained sitting tall.

"She's gone to get our Leader, who will decide whether you shall be welcomed into the Camp, for your own and your kits protection, or escorted out of territory so that you will no longer be our responsibility," the Warrior informed her simply. "My name is Sparrowwing," she offered after a few minutes of silence. The Kittypet stared at her warily, slowly sitting up from her crouch, and letting her kits move a little ways away.

"I'm Chloe," she replied warily; Sparrowwing nodded her head, and watched the kits skulk about their mothers legs, watching the Warrior with huge, curious eyes. A hoarse yowl announced WhisperStar's arrival, and Sparrowwing immediately yowled in reply, watching as Chloe dragged her kits once more under her, as the large white tom emerged from the grass, Foxtail, Flowerpaw, Whitepaw, and Nightfur following after him.

"Flowerpaw informed me of what has happened," WhisperStar told Sparrowwing hoarsely, yellow eyes on Chloe, before he nodded, and flicked his tail at the tabby Warrior. "Return to your hunting, Sparrowwing."

"Yes, WhisperStar," the she-cat told him, before turning and catching Flowerpaw's eyes, nodding her head before she left the group, the yellow Apprentice following behind, as they returned to the log, and Sparrowwing set the young queen to once more scenting.

Through the rest of the afternoon, Sparrowwing put the Kittypet's fate from her mind as best as she was able, and taught Flowerpaw the best way to catch birds, and the difference in scent between a vole, shrew, and mouse, and the two of them returned to Camp with a decent catch, a squirrel draped over Sparrowwing's back while she carried two small birds in her mouth. Flowerpaw was struggling, with pride, under the weight of her own catch, a vole and a shrew, which she immediately took to Thornclaw and Lostfoot when they entered the Camp. Sparrowwing took note of the new scent in the Camp, and poked her head into the Nursery, purring in greeting as she took in the sight of Chloe and her kits nestled in beside Blacktail and Robinheart, the two Clan Queens purring their own greetings in return.

"Good hunting, Sparrowwing?" Blacktail asked as she stepped carefully over her playing kits to take one of the birds from the young Warrior, passing it behind her to Robinheart before accepting the other bird for herself.

"I took Flowerpaw out with me, on WhisperStar's orders," she told the calico queen easily, absently using a paw to nudge eager young Snailkit back towards Robinheart before the clever little tom could sneak out under their paws (as he had done before). "We are having much better luck, with New-Leaf. Green-Leaf will be even more plentiful." She bobbed her head towards Chloe, who hesitantly nodded back, before Sparrowwing pulled herself out of the Den opening and moved to take her squirrel to the Fresh Kill Stone, dropping it there just as Grassrunner, Blossomheart, and Tigerpaw returned from their own hunting/patrol, carrying a rabbit, three birds, and what looked like a small mole with them. The mole was, no doubt, young Tigerpaw's catch, as he was all but covered with dirt and looked proud to be so, carrying his prey with his head high.

"Have fun?" Sparrowwing asked the young tom with an amused lift to her whiskers, watching as his pawsteps faltered, before he nodded at her, carrying his catch to the Stone. "Well, don't forget to get yourself cleaned up, will you?" She told him wit a small shake of her head, wondering if she had ever looked as silly as an Apprentice, before scolding herself with the reminder that it had barely been a moon since she was an Apprentice, and she was already thinking like it had been seven.

Shaking her head again, she slipped out of the Camp to join Nightfur, Rabbitfoot, and Stormpaw on a Patrol of the No-Clan Territory Border.

They returned at Sundown, to find that Chloe and her kits had been given MeadowClan names, and that the Kittypet was now known as Pinetail. Her kits were Smokekit (the gray tabby tom), Gingerkit (the orange queen), and Volekit (the brown-black-meshed tom), and that they were all now MeadowClan cats, though WhisperStar was going to visit the Star Pool to discuss it with StarClan on the Dark Moon.

It was, all together, and interesting, yet satisfying, day.

A/N: Here, enjoy, filler!