Emberpaw opened up his eyes sleepily.

"Make one more step, and we'll send you crying for your mommy," Larksong was saying.

His vision cleared, and he saw a fox standing in front of him. Larksong and Pearlclaw were standing beside it, hissing threats at it even though it wouldn't understand. Without thinking, Emberpaw lunged and raked his claws down the fox's throat. Larksong took this as a signal to attack, and bit down hard onto it's neck with a yowling of fury. Apprentices around him were waking up and yowling for help. He let his attention stray, and looked around, only to be scratched on the back. But the paw was soon removed as Pearlclaw leaped onto it and performed the final move: She sheathed her claws as she stood upon the fox, and unsheathed them, and the fox felt 16 claws sink into it's fur. It leaped away, howling.

"Did he hurt you?" Mistypaw asked anxiously. "Are you okay?"

"It seems it has," Pearlclaw mewed. "But it's not serious. Just get a few cobwebs from Leafflight and you'll be okay."

"I'm afraid you won't go training today," Larksong meowed. "Tommorow, alright?"

Emberpaw nodded.

Mousepelt walked in. One look at the bloody grime, and a look of anxiousness came up on her face. "What happened?"

"A fox attacked, but we took care of it," Larksong explained. He looked proudly at Emberpaw. "He helped too," he added.

Emberpaw felt his face grow hot with embarrassment. "That's nice," Mousepelt said. "Did he get hurt?"

Pearlclaw nodded. "Not serious. Why don't you take Mistypaw out for training?"

"Okay, I'm coming," Mistypaw said promptly. She bounded up, without a look at Emberpaw. Emberpaw didn't notice.

"Alright, Emberpaw, I'll take you to Leafflight," Larksong meowed firmly. He gently grabbed Emberpaw by the scruff of his neck and carried him to Leaflfight's den. As they came into her den, she looked up. She was sorting her herbs. "What's wrong?"
"A fox came and scratched up his back," he explained.

"Then we'll need some cobwebs and marigold.." she muttered, half to herself. She walked to the pile of cobwebs, got some on her paw, and smothered it all over Emberpaw's back after checking it. "It's not deep," she mewed. Then she chewed up some marigold and put it on him too.

"Too bad I can't go apprentice training," Emberpaw mewed quietly.

"Don't worry, Emberpaw," Leafflight reassured him. "It'll be good as new tomorrow. Well, not really, but good enough."

"Okay," he meowed in approval.

Soon the cats Redstar had ordered to go out that day, Firefrost, Icewing, and Nighttrance returned. Skyfur looked very worried. "Has there been more damage by the Owl Oak?"

"No, but the monsters are still there. The mud beneath it is all churned up. I believe that is where the Clan gets burdock root," Nighttrance mewed worriedly.

Leafflight had overheard. "What?" she exclaimed. "Great. Now I need the Clan to stay away from rats." She sighed. "No." She turned her head away. "Next thing you know, those mouse-brained Twolegs will have gotten rid of all the herbs, and Mudblaze is complaining about aching joints. I'm out of daisy leaves." She shook her head in exasperation. She turned back and saw Redstar standing behind them. She dipped her head in respect. The other cats turned around and saw the Clan leader. They dipped their heads in respect, too.

"I'm very sorry about that, Leafflight. But we'll have to make do. I'll address the Clan to stay away from rats." Leafflight nodded.

The next day, Emberpaw woke up, feeling refreshed. He and Mistypaw padded out of the apprentice's den and met Larksong and Mousepelt. "Hey, Emberpaw," Mousepelt mewed. "Feeling okay?"

He nodded. The four cats exited the camp entrance and stayed away from the Owl Oak. They went to the Rock Clump and hunted there. Emberpaw learned the bird hunting crouch, the rabbit hunting crouch, although it was not necessary, but he asked. He even actually caught a rabbit, a very small one, of course. At the end of the day, they brought the fresh-kill back to the camp and waited until all the kits, elders, and queens were fed.

While they were eating fresh-kill, Redstar bounded up to the Rock Ledge and yowled, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Rock Ledge for a Clan meeting."

As the last of the Clan cats went up, Redstar began, "Our Owl Oak patrol, as we will now call it, have patrolled the Owl Oak. They tell me the Twoleg monster is still there, although the mud beneath it is churned up, ruining the camp's supply of burdock root. So I must warn everyone to stay away from rats, or else an unnecessary death may occur."

Yowls of horror rose up from the crowd. Redstar waited for the cats to quiet down, and then he meowed, "The Clan is dismissed."

The cats padded away, and Emberpaw turned to Larksong. "Don't worry," Larksong mewed. "In leaf-bare, rats don't come that often," since it was the end of leaf-fall.

Emberpaw thought about it, then decided not to worry about it. He and Mistypaw finished their fresh-kill and padded back to the apprentice's den, shared tongues, and settled down to go to sleep. But Emberpaw couldn't go to sleep. After he was sure Mistypaw was asleep, he opened his eyes and sat up. He peered out the entrance, where the whole camp was asleep, and looked at the stars of Silverpelt.

"StarClan, if you are listening, please help our Clan survive."

Emberpaw was standing in a dark place. A glimpse of the sun caught his eye, and he saw the pelts of a gray cat and a brown she-cat. "Who are you?" he called out, but got no answer.

He tried to run toward them, but sharp brambles poked him in the hip. His eyes flew open, and he saw Mistypaw prodding his hip. "You've sleeping forever, Emberpaw!" she complained playfully. He got up and blinked groggily.

"Oh, Mistypaw," he mewed sleepily. He blinked in the harsh sunlight. "Sorry." The two cats got up and padded out the apprentice's den, where their mentors were waiting for them.