Runningpaw paw woken up with a shake of someone's paw. She opened her eyes and saw Forestpaw. "Oh… hey Forestpaw…" Runningpaw rubbed her eye with her paw.

"Hey, how are your wounds doing?" Forestpaw stroked her sister's spine softly with her tail.

Runningpaw's pelt flinched. "Fine, they don't sting anymore." Runningpaw stood up and stretched. "How about you?"

Forestpaw smiled. "Not bad, I'm worried about Addertail though, he seemed to have gotten a true beating." Her smile disappeared.

"I think everyone is…" Runningpaw looked outside the apprentices' den. Whitepaw, Petalpaw, and Blackpaw were outside about to go train with their mentors. She could see a flash of worry strike across Petalpaw's face as he glanced back at the medicine den.

Runningpaw sat back down with her sister. She could hear the faint call of Forestpaw's name from Whitebreath. "Gotta go, we must be low on marigold."

"Bye!" Runningpaw called after her sister as she trotted across the clearing. She sat back down in the den where she had slept. She looked around, Flowpaw and Brownpaw were sound asleep.

Runningpaw curled up close to Flowpaw and tried to fall back asleep. But it was no use, Runningpaw was wide awake. She walked outside and breathed in the crisp leaf-fall air. Her paws automatically led her outside of the camp.

Runningpaw scented the remaining prey in the wind. She walked over to the nearest tree and started to climb. Climbing was natural for cats. She peered down below, she wasn't far off the ground. Whitepaw was coming back with a mouse. Runningpaw smiled in the corner of her mouth and jumped down, nearly landing on Whitepaw.

Whitepaw leaped backwards two cat-lengths. "Oh StarClan! What is happening?!" Runningpaw rolled over, laughing harder than ever. "Are you serious? You scared me half to death!"

Runningpaw laughed even harder. "Y-you should've seen your face!" Whitepaw grunted and walked into the camp, tail sweeping low. "Aww, what's the matter? Can't take a joke? Or a laugh?"

"I'm taking this in for my father." Whitepaw continued on.

Runningpaw sat up and looked the other way. "Why can't he just brighten up a bit?" She stood up and trotted back into the camp.

The camp was buzzing with activity. Everyone was awake and Spottedpelt was arranging patrols. Runningpaw sped over to the crowd of warriors. "Springhollow, lead a patrol to the ShadowClan border, take Ripplehaze, Silverpaw, Leafroot and Mintleaf." Springhollow nodded and headed out of camp with her patrol following closely. "Rubypond, take a hunting patrol with you, how about… Ravenfur, Hazelpaw, and Flowerwing." The warriors broke away and Rubypond, along with her patrol, left the camp.

Runningpaw walked up to Spottedpelt. "Hey, can we train today?" She asked hopefully.

"Sorry, but later maybe." Spottedpelt walked into the leader's den.

Runningpaw's tail dropped to the ground. She really wanted to train. Her wounds didn't affect her at all. Runningpaw sighed and walked into the apprentices' den. She flopped down on the moss where she slept. Her eyes watched the entrance for any movement.

A head poked into the den. "Hey, you OK?" Petalpaw asked.

Runningpaw sighed. "I'm bothered about normal apprentice stuff. Spottedpelt told me we couldn't train today. I think it's because of my wounds but I feel fine."

"Na, it's probably because he has to do deputy stuff." Petalpaw assured. "He's important to the clan you know. So are you, and me, and everyone else."

Runningpaw nodded. "Yea, I guess so. Not everyone gets to have the deputy as their mentor."

"Wanna hunt?" Petalpaw suggested.

"Yes please!" Runningpaw leaped to her feet.

Petalpaw led the way from the camp to the best hunting area. "This is the area where prey is richest, though not as much now as it is getting into leaf-fall." Petalpaw tasted the air and Runningpaw did the same. "Yep, prey is still around." He sniffed the air one more time.

"Mouse…" Runningpaw whispered. She looked around in the undergrowth for any sign of the fast critter.

"Yes exactly." Petalfoot silently crept in the direction the scent was coming from.

Runningpaw saw the little brown creature scurry over a tree root. She crept towards it, crouched down, and leaped for it. Her front paws landed on its tail. Petalpaw came around and snapped its neck.

"Nicely done." Petalpaw smiled.

"I could've done better…" Runningpaw picked the mouse up.

"That's OK, you're doing better than I did when I first started hunting." Petalpaw beckoned Runningpaw with his tail to lead her back to camp.

Runningpaw walked into the camp and headed straight for the fresh kill pile. She dropped the mouse and looked up at Spottedpelt approaching. "Nice catch." He nodded.

Runningpaw dipped her head. "Thanks, my first, Petalpaw finished it off though."

"That's OK, if you're the one who pounced on it, or trapped it, it's technically your kill." Spottedpelt flicked Runningpaw's ear with his tail. "Let's go and teach you how to really hunt, from the tracking, to the crouching, to the pounce, or chase, and then the kill."

Runningpaw nodded her head vigorously. "Yeah! Let's go!"

Spottedpelt demonstrated the hunting crouch. His belly was close to the ground and his tail was low. "See, OK let me see you do it." Runningpaw sank to the ground. She felt the ends of the grass tickle her belly fur. She lowered her tail to the grass and made herself as small as possible. Spottedpelt nodded. "That's good. Take a practice pounce now."

"Yes sir," Runningpaw wiggled her hind legs into a proper position and leaped forward. Her paws remained close to her chest, and her legs fully extended. She brought her hind legs closer to her body and stretched out her forepaws and landed on a leaf.

"Very good!" Spottedpelt nodded with a smile. "Perfect! You are definitely my best apprentice so far."

Runningpaw grinned widely. "Thank you!" She waved her tail happily in the air.

"Now, let's get down to real business. I want to see how well you can track down prey, and catch it." Spottedpelt sniffed around. "The catch is for extra, I'm just assessing your ability to track."

Runningpaw nodded. She sniffed the air and caught a familiar scent. Mouse. Her paws led her down the trail towards the mouse. Runningpaw slinked into a bush and poked her head out slightly. The mouse was nibbling at a nut busily. She smiled and crept silently forward. Her body lowered into the hunting crouch and she started stalking forward. Runningpaw got as low to the ground as she possibly could, she wiggled her legs into position, and leaped at the mouse. Her paws landed directly on the mouse. She leaned down and cracked its neck. She smiled at her first proper kill.

Spottedpelt came out from the bush she had been in. "Nice kill, your form was perfect and your tracking skills are good, but have room for improvement. Maybe we can hunt some more to sharpen your skills… and to feed the clan obviously."

Runningpaw smiled. "OK!" She picked up her kill walked closer to the tree roots and buried her kill in the soft dirt. "When will we start?"

Author's Note: Hey guys, I thought I wouldn't have this chapter up, I was scared... But anywhozles, BYE