This is continued off Squirrelflight's story from the point they leave camp until... well, I'll let you read that. And Juniperpaw's story will go from the end of this one. Please send requests, I love writing these stories, but I want to write stories that other people want to read.


Dandelionpaw walked alongside her sister, brothers, and their mentors as they showed them the Shadowclan border and taught them the scents around them. Alderpaw seemed really nervous at first, but after a while, he relaxed and even began to enjoy learning new things about the territory. Dandelionpaw found it quite easy to remember one scent from another and her time in the medicine den when she was a kit with Juniperpaw had taught her which herbs were good for special types of healing.

Dandelionpaw named each one in her head and what it was good for. Catmint for whitecough and greencough, burdock roots for infections, borage leaves for bring down fever and increasing a queen's milk, juniper berries for stomach aches, marigold for infected wounds, and even poppy seeds for easing a cat's shock or stress and keeping their mind off of the pain.

The Shadowclan scent by the border was overwhelmingly strong, as if a patrol had just left. All four apprentices wrinkled their noses.

"Eww!" Sparkpaw complained. "What's that awful stench?"

"That's Shadowclan scent." Ivypool explained. "Know it well. They are the ones we must be careful of." she said grimly.

"But, don't we have to protect our territory from all the clans?" Juniperpaw asked.

"Of course we do." Ivypool touched the tip of her tail to his shoulder. "But Shadowclan cats have a history for disturbing the peace in the forest."

"Not all Shadowclan cats." Dovewing growled.

"I didn't say all of them, just that Brokenstar trained kits to kill, Tigerstar tried to destroy the clans, several times, and almost half of the clan ends up in the dark forest." Ivypool meowed.

"Times have changed Ivypool, you of all cats know this." Cherryfall said kindly. Dandelionpaw and her littermates hadn't be alive for the Great Battle against the Dark Forest, but she'd heard enough stories from the elders to imagine how bad it truly was. She'd heard about how Hollyleaf had given her life to save Ivypool, how Ferncloud had died protecting her kits and Brightheart in the nursery, how Sorreltail and Foxleap had died of their wounds, Mousefur, and Firestar who'd given his last life to save the clans.

"How about we go patrol the Windclan border?" Juniperpaw suggested softly.

"Yeah, we haven't been there before." I meowed encouragingly.

"Cherryfall and Molewhisker will take Alderpaw and Sparkpaw to the Windclan border and Dovewing and I will show them the lake, then we'll switch spots and head back to camp together." Ivypool spoke as if this had already been discussed. All the cats nodded and the two warriors bounded away with their apprentices following close behind.

"Oh, but we haven't finished talking about how cruel Shadowclan is." A hiss sounded from the other side of the border. All the cats in the patrol stood their ground as a cream-furred she-cat walked out of the shadows. Then came a glossy, silver she-cat with white chest fur, a dark brown tom with tufty fur on his head, and a ginger she-cat with blazing yellow eyes.

"We'll show you how fierce Shadowclan warriors truly are." the silver apprentice leaped across the border and tackled Dandelionpaw, knocking her backwards, sending the two she-cats into a roll. Before Juniperpaw could jump in to help, he was pinned down by the ginger she-cat. He saw the cream she-cat tackle Dovewing and Ivypool leaped back in time to dodge the dark brown tom's swinging paws.

Dandelionpaw pushed the she-cat off with her back legs, but the apprentice pursued her, swinging at her with unsheathed claws, but only striking air as she kept dodging her attacks.

Dandelionpaw dodged to the she-cats side and swung her paw, claws unsheathed. She scratched the silver she-cats cheek, making her yowl in pain. The mottled she-cat jumped onto her opponent's back and dug her claws into her shoulders. The she-cat let out a shrill yowl that hurt Dandelionpaw's ears making her loosen her grip.

The she-cat rolled onto her back, crushing her and stood over the apprentice's exposed belly, her claws sinking into her chest. Dandelionpaw growled and struck the she-cats muzzle.

She stumbled back and Dandelionpaw stood up and snarled at her. "Leave our territory."

Juniperpaw had the ginger she-cat pinned down and Ivypool and Dovewing chased off the she-cat and tom side by side.

Juniperpaw chased the apprentice to the border and watched her retreat into Shadowclan territory. "We'll hurt you when you least expect it." the ginger she-cat said before disappearing.

Dandelionpaw turned to her opponent, who reared up and scratched the side of her face, digging her claws into the flesh. She yowled in pain as blood ran down her face onto the grass below. She screwed her eyes shut and heard screeches and hissing.

Half her face seared with pain that felt like her skin was on fire. Her legs crumpled beneath her and she wailed in pain. She felt teeth grip her scruff and the earth disappeared from beneath her. The breeze rippled her fur and her long tail dragged on the forest floor as someone carried her away from the border, the scent getting fainter with every heartbeat.

She felt the prickle of the brambles and the familiar scents of the camp surrounded her, but she yowled in pain as another wave of searing pain washed over her face. Drops of blood fell into her mouth as she cried out in pain.

She could barely scent the herbs around her over the scent of blood as she was brought in the medicine den. She was set down on a moss bed.

"It's going to be okay, Dandelionpaw, but I need you to relax." she heard Leafpool's soothing voice and swallowed hard, forcing herself to relax. Gritting her teeth as Leafpool applied cobwebs to her wounded face. She ate a couple poppy seeds and was soon dozing off as Leafpool continued applying cobwebs.