The undergrowth was damp, and the air was crisp and misty. Fog blanketed the forestas Cherrypawstalked after Snowstorm along the mossy ground. Back at the temporary camp, Frostfur was mentoring Whitepaw in some fighting techniques, while Dustcloud set out on a hunting expedition, looking for helpful herbs along the way.

"When are we going to start travelling again?" Cherrypaw asked curiously. She was constantly distracted by the excitement of the journey.

"Cherrypaw," Snowstorm began exasperatedly, "you have to pay attention to your surroundings! If a Twoleg jumped out of that hawthorn bush right now, you wouldn't even notice it."

Cherrypaw rolled her eyes. "The RainClan patrols have searched this part of the forest many times before," she mewed. "There are no Twolegs in sight. Why would EmberClan move here of there were Twolegs?"

"Cherrypaw, you're missing the point," Snowstorm mumbled. "Pay attention. A warrior always stays alert while hunting and training."

"But what use is this?" Cherrypaw complained. "There are absolutely no wood mice in this part of the forest. So far, I've only scented pigeon and rat."

Snowstorm lifted her chin and tasted the air. "You're right," she muttered. "I wonder why that is."

Suddenly a new scent caught Cherrypaw's attention. "What's that?" she whispered. The scent grew stronger, and Cherrypaw realized that an EmberClan patrol was headed their way.

"EmberClan!" Snowstorm hissed. "Run!" Cherrypaw pelted after Snowstorm back to the temporary camp. They notified Frostfur and Whitepaw of the patrol and dashed off into the deeper part of the forest.

"Dustcloud!" Cherrypaw yowled, remembering the RainClan warrior. "We have to find Dustcloud!"

Hurriedly, the RainClan apprentice shot back into the small clearing to see Dustcloud just coming back from hunting. Unaware, the white-and-grey warrior dropped a starling and a vole on the small pile of fresh-kill. Cherrypaw rushed over to her.

"Dustcloud, and EmberClan patrol is—"

"What was that?" Cherrypaw spun around at the sound of an unknown cat's voice. EmberClan!

"Quick!" she hissed to Dustcloud. "Grab as much fresh-kill as you can and make a run for it!" Cherrypaw snatched up the thrush and blackbird from the small pile and plunged out of the clearing, Dustcloud hard in her heels. The two cats galloped on until Snowstorm, Frostfur, and Whitepaw were in sight. When they met up, the bounded through the undergrowth until the EmberClan scent grew stronger.

"We must be at the border!" Whitepaw hissed breathlessly, still at it.

"Hurry! We can lose them if we run fast enough!" Snowstorm called.

Cherrypaw looked over her shoulder to see a familiar dark brown pelt hurtling after them. Mudface! He was sure to tell Sandstorm about the patrol, and possibly even Streamstar. What would happen then? Hopefully, Sandstorm would cover for them.

Eventually, the EmberClan border approached and the cats pelted across it. Snowstorm stopped running and turned around. Cherrypaw did the same to see Mudface still bounding toward them, but he stopped just as he got near the borderline.

"You cats are in for it!" Mudface spat angrily.

"What were you doing in a patrol anyway?" Cherrypaw asked, eyeing the apprentice medicine cat contemptuously.

"I was looking for yarrow leaves for Sandstorm, mind you," Mudface hissed. "What were you doing on EmberClan's territory?"

Cherrypaw saw Snowstorm cast her an angry and irritated glance before muttering, "That's none of your business."

Mudface snorted. "It sure is!" he challenged. "You were on my territory! I have a right to know."

Before any of the cats could react, Snowstorm bolted for the trees on the other side of EmberClan's territory. The territory was cut off by a thin Thunderpath streaking through the forest. It looked out of place in the dense trees, but it was still there.

Snowstorm darted across the dark grey path, only casting short glances to either side of her before crossing. When she was over, she turned and cried out, "Come on, you furballs! Get over here before a monster comes!"

Cherrypaw and Dustcloud pelted over the path just in time for a monster to turn up dust behind them. They dropped their prey at Snowstorm's feet and waited for Frostfur and Whitepaw to cross.

Whitepaw made it over safely, but Mudface caught Frostfur in the act. "You're not going anywhere," he spat, infuriated. "Get back here!"

In the distance, Cherrypaw could hear the roaring of a monster as it soared down the Thunderpath. "Frostfur, look out!" she cried as the white she-cat struggled to make it across the path. Mudface was still clinging to her fur, ripping some out and staining her white pelt with red.

"Don't move a muscle!" Mudface hissed. "You stole prey from our territory, now give it back!"

"Cherrypaw!" Dustcloud mewed anxiously. "It's the prey he wants! We have to return it."

Cherrypaw nodded and picked up the thrush and blackbird she had been carrying. The two RainClan cats began to make their way across the path when Frostfur broke free of the medicine cat's grip and bounded across the path. A monster was coming, so Dustcloud and Cherrypaw reluctantly returned to Snowstorm.

"Fox dung!" Mudface spat, horrified at the cats. "EmberClan will get revenge." Just as the dark cat plunged after them, the monster swished past and gobbled him up, leaving a motionless dark brown lump of fur and bones on the Thunderpath.

"Mudface!" Cherrypaw cried. "Look what we did!" Angrily, she plunged her face into Snowstorm's side. Snowstorm comfortingly swiped her tongue over Cherrypaw's forehead.

Silence overcame the cats. Dustcloud dropped her head solemnly and picked up the starling and vole she had caught in EmberClan's territory. She brought it slowly across the Thunderpath and dropped it on EmberClan undergrowth. Cherrypaw looked up and did the same with the left-over prey. When the two cats had returned the fresh-kill, Whitepaw helped them carry Mudface's lifeless body over to the border. They dropped it there, next to the fresh-kill, and padded back across the wide grey path.

"What's done is done," Snowstorm meowed gravely to Cherrypaw when they returned. "We must start travelling once more. Come."

The five cats, all solemn and depressed with the death of EmberClan's apprentice medicine cat, padded through the trees and away from the Thunderpath, and the lifeless Mudface.

"I'm starving," Frostfur mewed. "All we've been seeing is dense forest, and it's only getting denser."

"She has a point," Whitepaw agreed. Cherrypaw snorted and rolled her eyes.

"There has to be something other than forest in this part of the world," Dustcloud put in. "What if there's another Twolegplace on the other side? What if we're going the wrong way?"

Cherrypaw spoke now. "Skyfeather specifically said to follow the sugar river upstream."

"That's just it!" Frostfur cried. "We're not following the sugar river!"

Snowstorm nodded. "That's right," she meowed. "We have to find the sugar river and follow it upstream. Maybe then the forest will end."

The cats turned in their travelling toward the left. They left the river when they made their temporary camp in EmberClan territory. When they scented the sweet smell of the river close by, Cherrypaw jumped ahead.

"I could use a nice fish right now," she mumbled.

"Just as long as you catch it," Snowstorm responded. "We have to catch up on training. When we get back to the RainClan camp, I'm assessing you, okay?"

Cherrypaw nodded and eagerly shot out toward the sugar river. She swerved around a giant tree as the trickling grew louder. Suddenly, the river came into view, and a new scent caught in Cherrypaw's nostrils.

"What's that?" she mewed, wrinkling her muzzle.

Snowstorm and the others stepped out from the wood. She sniffed the air and immediately dropped into a defensive crouched. "Cherrypaw," she mewed softly, "get over here."

Cherrypaw obeyed, trembling. What could possibly make Snowstorm so shaken? "What is it, Snowstorm?"

But before the long-furred warrior could reply, a huge, black and white creature lumbered along through the undergrowth on the other side of the sugar river. Cherrypaw widened her eyes in disbelief. A badger!

Snowstorm slowly straightened her back. "Snowstorm, what are you doing?" Frostfur hissed. "That badger will sock you out!"

"It's on the other side of the water," Snowstorm replied. "I really don't think it can hurt us."

Frostfur chewed on Snowstorm's words before straightening herself. With that, Whitepaw straightened, too. Cherrypaw chuckled to herself before straightened up and padding forward to meet her mentor. "Can we hunt in the river?"

Suddenly, the badger glanced up. It had spotted the cats. Slowly and clumsily, it lumbered over to the riverbed and attempted to cross, but when it dabbed a paw into the water, it stumbled backwards.

"I think it'll be safe," Snowstorm meowed confidently to her companions. Cautiously, Cherrypaw stepped forward. She had her head and tail low, so the badger would change its mind and cross the rushing current.

The badger spotted her creeping forward and once more plodded deeper into the water, this time getting more than its paws wet. When the current splashed over its black and off-white fur, it galloped back to the riverbed and hurtled through the trees, retreating to the cool, dry wood it most likely felt comfortable in.

"That's that," Cherrypaw mewed happily, rushing over to the riverbed and peering down into the speedy water.

Dustcloud joined her. "You know," the warrior started, "I would fancy a rabbit right about now."

"I'll go hunting with you," Frostfur mewed. Then Whitepaw chirped up, and the three cats disappeared through the undergrowth.

"Don't go too far!" Snowstorm called as they disappeared. Then she padded over to Cherrypaw. "How about we do some training while they hunt?"

"Okay!" Cherrypaw mewed in agreement. Snowstorm stood back in the earthy clearing beside the sugar river.

"Let's try something besides hunting practice," Snowstorm started. "Attack me."

Cherrypaw cocked her head in puzzlement. "You want me to attack my mentor?"

Snowstorm chuckled. "Come on," she meowed. "What would you do if an enemy cat came into your territory?"

"Well, I'd chase it out," Cherrypaw replied.

"But what if this enemy didn't want to run and challenged you?" Snowstorm pressed. "Come on, Cherrypaw. Attack me."

Cherrypaw sighed. "Okay." Crouching into a challenging position, she crept forward. Snowstorm dropped down too, creeping forward just as Cherrypaw was doing.

Suddenly, Cherrypaw got to her paws and leaped at Snowstorm, claws sheathed. But just as she pounced, Snowstorm dropped to her back and kicked Cherrypaw up with her hind legs.

"Good," she meowed as Cherrypaw got to her paws and coughed up dust. "Now try something different. You have to catch your enemy by surprise. Do something I wouldn't catch."

Cherrypaw nodded, determined now. She crouched down and slithered forward, Snowstorm mimicking her every move.

Finally, she got to her paws. But just as Snowstorm crouched, ready to jump into the air, Cherrypaw pounced. But instead of landing on top of Snowstorm, she swerved to the side and landed behind her mentor. Confused, Snowstorm attempted to turn around, but Cherrypaw kicked out with her hind legs.

But Snowstorm was prepared. She dodged Cherrypaw's attack and swerved to the side herself, coming up behind the ginger apprentice. Quickly, she kicked Cherrypaw hard in the back, and pounced on her.

Cherrypaw opened her eyes to the weight of Snowstorm's body on top of her. "Very good," Snowstorm whispered into her ear. "I could see the creativity there. But I can't expect it. The second you swerved, I knew you were going to come up behind me. Something that will catch me off guard, Cherrypaw."

Cherrypaw grunted as Snowstorm's weight left her back. She got to her paws and inhaled deeply. She let it out as she plunged forward and head-butted into Snowstorm's side.

The two were at it until Dustcloud and the others came back. The forest was twilit, and dark shadows were cast upon the cats' pelts.

"Training?" Whitepaw questioned. But the second he did so, Frostfur leaped at him. Alarmed, the black and white tom flopped to his side, Frostfur on top of him.

"You have to be more prepared than that," Dustcloud meowed. "Frostfur is one to catch you by surprise."

Cherrypaw and Snowstorm took a break to eat while Frostfur and Whitepaw trained. Dustcloud joined them beside the sugar river.

Cherrypaw picked out a water vole and dropped it near Snowstorm, who was chewing on a shrew. Dustcloud came over with her rabbit and started to dig in hungrily.

"How'd the hunt go?" Cherrypaw asked.

"Pretty well," Dustcloud replied. "There's so much prey here, all three Clans would be well fed after hunting!"

Cherrypaw purred in amusement. "I learned some fighting techniques today."

"I can see that," Dustcloud purred. "And how did that go?"

"She learned much," Snowstorm replied. "But I think we'll have to travel more tomorrow. We can't spend this much time every day relaxing and training. The Twolegs could be getting rid of the forest as we speak."

Dustcloud and Cherrypaw nodded. When the ginger apprentice finished her fresh-kill in famished gulps, she got to her paws and padded over to a clump of reeds by the riverbed. She circled around four times before settling down for the night and shutting her eyes, allowing sleep to consume her.

A/N: Yay! Good chappie or no? Reviews, please!!!!!!!!!!