Badgerpaw could hardly remember the dream when she woke up the next day to dawn light shining through the den. She felt herself trembling but she couldn't bring herself to remember why.

Maybe I'm still shaken from my fight last night, she thought. She glanced down at her scratches, checking to see if she should get more poultice from the medicine den. But her injuries were still well coated, so she stood, stretched and walked outside of the den just in time to see Thistlepaw and Berrypaw returning from guard duty.

"I'd ask about your battle," Thistlepaw meowed, stifling a yawn, "but I'm too tired. I'll ask later, I promise."

"Same here," Berrypaw meowed. The tortoiseshell she-cat's fur was dishevelled. She clearly hadn't had a chance to groom herself since she had gone to sleep the night before. "I haven't gotten a full night's sleep in ages, and that didn't help."

"Well, rest well," Badgerpaw meowed.

As the other two apprentices padded into the den, Badgerpaw looked around. Despite the earliness, lots of cats were up and moving. Raventail was heading into the warriors' den- he had probably just finished assigning patrols and wanted some sleep himself- but even cats that weren't on patrol were talking amongst each other excitedly.

"What is it?" Badgerpaw asked Harepaw. The brown tom was standing towards the edge of the talking cats, but he looked downright overjoyed.

"Appleflight just announced that she's expecting kits!" he purred. "Isn't it great? A bit worrying that they'll be at their youngest during leafbare, but they'll be ready to be apprentices by next greenleaf!"

"That is exciting," Badgerpaw agreed. Her heart lit up a bit. She didn't want kits herself, but she loved Sparrowkit and Leafkit and their antics. There was never a dull moment with the bundles of fur rocketing around camp. "Who's the father?"

"Yarrowpelt," Harepaw meowed. He flicked his tail over to where the tabby was sitting, his head held up proudly. "They've been mates for ages. I'm surprised it took so long for them to have kits."

"What about Palepaw?" Badgerpaw asked, tilting her head. "Who will be mentoring her now?"

Harepaw shrugged. "I dunno. Redstar will pick someone for her soon."

"Harepaw, Badgerpaw!"

The apprentices turned to see Amberbreeze and Featherleg padding towards them.

"We've decided that you two should have quick hunting assessments," Featherleg meowed. "Badgerpaw, this will be your first assessment, just to see where you are. I know you're probably tired from last night, but a warrior wouldn't be able to slack off on their duties, and neither should you."

Badgerpaw dipped her head. "Of course, Featherleg." Her belly twisted a bit. An assessment!

"Harepaw, this will be a bit more serious for you," Amberbreeze meowed. "This won't be your official assessment, but consider it practice for one coming very soon."

Badgerpaw noticed the tom's eyes light up. "I'll do my best," he told his mentor assuringly.

"Badgerpaw, you'll be hunting near the abandoned twoleg nest," Featherleg meowed. "Harepaw, you try the ShadowClan border far from the lake. Come on." He lifted his tail and guided the group towards the camp entrance. "You can return to camp at sunhigh with your prey. Remember, we'll be watching you. Now, go."

Badgerpaw saw Harepaw break into a run towards his set hunting range. Badgerpaw started running, too, but not so fast that she'd tire herself out. There'd be no point in hurrying if she was too busy catching her breath rather than prey.

When she could see the twoleg nest through the trees, she slowed to a stop and took a moment to scent the air. There were several mice nearby, and she guessed that they would be by the herbs that the medicine cats grew around the den. Badgerpaw moved forward, trying to get downwind. She spotted a small brown body moving amongst the plants and she sunk low, stalking forward.

When she made her first kill, she buried it under a light covering of dirt and moved on. She scented the air again and moved on to the next piece of prey.

After two more catches- another mouse and a sparrow- Badgerpaw realized that she was getting quite close to the WindClan border. She could see the stream that ran down into the lake.

I should probably turn around, she thought. Just as she was about to, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Fixing her gaze on it, she saw him- Flypaw. The black tom was chasing a quail towards the border, and he showed no signs of slowing down. Badgerpaw looked around. The guard patrol must have been closer to the lake, because they weren't there to stop him.

Badgerpaw made a dive for the slope, her teeth bared. She may have been sent hunting, but her duty was always to defend the border.

Flypaw saw her and his eyes went wide. He came to a skidding halt and the quail took wing and flew off.

"What are you doing?" the black tom hissed. "You cost me my catch!"

"You were going to chase it onto our territory," she spat back. "Now go run along and find a stupid rabbit before I give you a few scratches to match the ones from last night!"

The tom's eyes were slits. "StarClan knows I'll kill you for humiliating me," he hissed. "Bluepaw and I were going to take the strip of land for ourselves if you hadn't been there."

"But we were," Badgerpaw meowed. "Now go away before I call for my mentor. He's hunting close by," she added. She was trying her best to seem intimidating to the tom.

Flypaw spat at her but turned around and sprinted away. Badgerpaw couldn't help but feel proud- she'd scared off the tom by herself.

I'd better get back to hunting, she decided. I wonder if Featherleg was watching.

When sunhigh arrived, Badgerpaw gathered her prey and padded back to camp with full jaws. Pride filler her chest as she spotted Harepaw, who had the same amount of freshkill as she did. The brown tabby dipped his head to her when they reached the bramble entrance, and they both padded in to camp, setting their prey down on the pile.

"Nice job," Harepaw mewed.

"You too," Badgerpaw agreed. She looked over her shoulder to see Amberbreeze and Featherleg returning and padding towards them.

"We'll talk individually with you," Featherleg meowed. "Come on." He flicked his tail and lead her away off to the side of camp.

Badgerpaw followed, a bit nervous. "How do you think I did?" she asked hesitantly.

"You hunted very well," Featherleg meowed. "But you engaged with the WindClan apprentice you fought last night. Why?"

Badgerpaw's eyes widened. "What do you mean 'why'?" she asked. "He was about to cross the border, and I didn't see the guard patrol."

Featherleg sighed and shook his head. "It's just that we're trying to avoid negative interactions with WindClan until it has to come to fighting," he meowed. "We may have had a skirmish last night, but we won. There's no reason to antagonize them."

Badgerpaw felt her tail lash. "But I was protecting the border!" she meowed. "I only told him to get off our territory!"

"Yes, but he hadn't crossed the border yet," Featherleg meowed.

"We learned last night that he's willing to!"

Her mentor sighed. "Badgerpaw, I know you want to try your best to protect our borders," he meowed. "but the fact is, WindClan will surely take any excuse they can right now to fight. I know Ashstar, and she doesn't forgive easily."

Badgerpaw looked at her paws. "I just… I don't know. I wanted to help."

"I know," Featherleg meowed. "And I understand. But you should have waited until he crossed the stream. I would've come to help if he had."

"Okay," Badgerpaw meowed.

"Now, take some of that prey to the elders and then have a piece yourself. You did very well on your assessment."

Badgerpaw perked up a bit. "Thanks, Featherleg," she meowed. She picked the best looking mice and the sparrow she had caught and padded to the elders' den.