It had been a few sunrises since Badgerpaw had gone to the medicine den because of her fall. Her paw no longer hurt, but her chest ached whenever she thought of something she wanted to talk to Birdpaw about.

She was walking beside Featherleg on the way to guard the border for the night. Her mentor was stalking forward through the underbrush. It was just after sunset, and they were going to take over for Amberbreeze, Fernleaf, and Harepaw.

They came to a halt at the stream. Harepaw came bounding over, his pawsteps nearly silent as he reached them. His blue eyes almost glowed in the darkness. He dipped his head to them in greeting and looked over his shoulder to motion at his mentor and father coming over the slope behind him.

Badgerpaw dipped her head to the tom and waited for Featherleg to move onwards. Her mentor flicked his tail in greeting to the other cats when they arrived and beckoned Badgerpaw as he turned to walk in the direction of the lake.

Badgerpaw followed after him, lifting her paws carefully and silently, almost as if she was stalking prey. She remembered the instructions that Featherleg had given her before they were within earshot of cats along the border.

"Be absolutely silent," Featherleg had meowed. "The goal is to scare them, and a silent predator is more intimidating than one you can hear sky lengths away."

The only sounds were chirping crickets, leaves rustling in the breeze, and the soft bubbing of water in the stream. Badgerpaw's head faced forward, but her eyes glanced over the border. She kept them narrowed in an attempt to warn any WindClan cats that were crouched on the other side that she was ready for a fight, if it came to it.

Badgerpaw nearly jumped out of her own fur when she heard a loud, crunching step mere fox lengths away. Featherleg help up his tail to stop her and nodded towards a shape on their side of the border. Badgerpaw let out a quiet sigh of relief upon seeing a slender doe looking at them with wide, curious eyes.

Featherleg motioned for them to move onwards. Badgerpaw took a shaky breath and followed, keeping her eyes on the other side of the flowing water.

If I get this shaken by a noise, how can I guard the border? she asked herself, a bit irritated with her own jumpiness. She could feel her heartbeat pounding in her chest. I've been an apprentice for ages now. I should be okay with being out at night, for StarClan's sake!

Something didn't feel right to her. There was a different feeling in the air tonight, so strong that she could she could almost scent it. WindClan scent wafted across the border, almost to strong for her liking. She moved her eyes forward. Staring over the border was making her anxious.

Featherleg was still moving, though even he seemed tense. Was he still a bit spooked from the deer? Or could he feel the strangeness in the air as well?

Badgerpaw glanced back across the border and almost let out a screech of fright. Instead, she forced herself to stop moving and drew herself up, trying to look as intimidating as possible.

After all, she had to try to scare away the owner of the glittering green eyes who was glaring at her, unblinking, just across the border.

Featherleg stopped, looked back at her, and then followed her gaze, and his hackles rose.

Badgerpaw swallowed, and looked around. She saw a tail flick in the bushes behind the cat and realized that there were at least two of them.

There was silence for a long while. Every cat seemed to be waiting for another to react first.

Quite suddenly, the two cats standing on WindClan's side erupted forward with yowls of fury. Badgerpaw gave a quick sidestep, barely avoiding the green-eyed cat as he leapt toward her. She recognized him as Flypaw, the infamous WindClan apprentice.

He spat with fury. "ThunderClan scum!" he hissed. He launched himself forward again, but Badgerpaw was ready. She reared up, paws outstretched, and grabbed his shoulders so the she could pull him down.

"Call me scum again!" she growled. "I dare you!"

Flypaw wrenched himself out of her grip, and went to sink is teeth into her foreleg. As his fangs connected to her flesh, she pushed him down with her other paw and sank her claws into his shoulder. She yowled in pain and triumph, and lunged forward, clamping his ear in her teeth.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Featherleg wrestling with a blue-gray tom. While their pelts were different, his body shape was remarkably similar to Flypaw's, and she realized that they must have been brothers.

Flypaw pushed Badgerpaw off of him, hissing. "Puny apprentice!" he snapped, then he jumped forward and pinned her to the ground.

"You're one to talk!" she hissed back. Unsheathing her hind claws, she battered his soft underbelly and he yowled in pain.

Badgerpaw and Flypaw stopped their tussling at the sudden screech that came from the apprentice fighting Featherleg. The smaller tom spun around and splashed across the stream in retreat, limping heavily.

"Bluepaw!" Flypaw exclaimed. He turned and glared at Featherleg, about to speak, but Badgerpaw took her chance and kicked him- hard. With a grunt, the tom was off of her, and he scrambled to his paws. "You'll pay!" the black tomcat hissed, and then raced across to his side of the border after his brother.

A few heartbeats passed, and Badgerpaw realized how heavily she was breathing. She looked down at her paws, which were stained red from the fight, and she liked her dry lips, which tasted metallic.

"You okay?" Featherleg asked. He had a scratch on his side, but nothing serious. "That was your first real battle. You look shaken."

"I'm fine," Badgerpaw panted. "Just… exhilarated." It was true. Despite her shakiness, she had never felt more alive. Her bites and scratches stung, but she felt like she could've kept fighting.

"We need to get back to camp to see Willownose and Birdpaw," Featherleg meowed, "but we'll have to got quickly so that Raventail can get another patrol out immediately. Can you run?"

Badgerpaw nodded. "I think so," she meowed.

"Alright then," her mentor meowed. "Let's go." He took off, sprinting back in the direction of camp. A little startled by the suddenness, Badgerpaw took off after him.

When they got back to camp, Whiteflower was standing guard outside. Her eyes widened and she stood. "What happened?" Her meow was filled with worry.

"Skirmish," puffed Featherleg. "We need to talk to Raventail right away."

The white tabby dipped her head and stepped away from the bramble entrance. Badgerpaw bobbed her head in respect as she passed her, and the trotted after her mentor, who dipped his head into the warrior's den.

Badgerpaw didn't go in after him-she was an apprentice, she would get in all kinds of trouble if she did- but she could hear Featherleg whispering to his brother.

"Raventail, wake up! There was an attack on the border."

Badgerpaw heard a faint shifting. "What?"

"Two WindClan apprentices. We chased them off, but you need to get another patrol out. Badgerpaw and I are scratched up, and we need to see Willownose."

"Alright then. I'll go myself. Spottedwing!"

Another voice joined them. "I heard. I'll get our apprentices."

The three toms padded out into the clearing, and Badgerpaw backed out of the way for them. Raventail glanced at her, his orange eyes glittering in the night.

"Your first fight," he meowed. "D'you got any scars from it?"

"No," Badgerpaw meowed. "At least, I don't think so."

He twitched his whiskers. "Well, there'll be more to come, and soon," the dark tom sighed. "You'll get one by the end of this."

Spottedwing emerged from the apprentice's cave with a tired looking Berrypaw and an irritated Thistlepaw. "I've got them, Raventail."

"Perfect," the deputy meowed. He turned to Featherleg. "You go see Willownose," he meowed crossly. "We can't go losing one of strongest warriors from a scratch from an apprentice getting infected."

"You always were bossy," Featherleg purred.

Raventail rolled his eyes and beckoned his patrol with his tail. "Let's move." He broke into a run. The other three followed after him as they skidded out of the bramble entrance.

"He'll have our tails if we don't get something for these," Featherleg meowed. "C'mon. Let's go see Willownose."