Me: Well, chapter three was a big success to me, and now I feel like writing more! Yay! My incentive comes and goes like the weather here in the southern parts of the US! Anyway, to those that reviewed: (first of all, thank you for enjoying it!)

Tenno/Tennotsukai: Thanks for reading! And you are a great writer, you just need to work on your handwriting!

Hollyleaf123: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! For the prologue thing, I meant to make it that way.. I'm weird like that! And about amber.. Uhm, we'll pretend they do? It WAS originally Rosekit, then I went back and read that there already was a Rosekit. Oh well! I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

Lilypaw: Dawnstreak doesn't own Warriors, only the cats mentioned in the previous chapters, and Mist. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Thistlepaw stalked the leaf carefully, keeping himself tucked close to the ground. Stepping forward slowly, he advanced on the leaf...

And suddenly, a breeze took it into the air. The apprentice made a mad dash to catch it, jumping high in the air, but it was too late. The leaf was flying higher and higher in the trees. Thistlepaw flicked his tail. "Mouse dung! And I had it, too!"

"Why don't you practice on actual prey?" Briarpaw came up behind him, her eyes glowing. She was quite a few moons older than Thistlepaw, and already knew how to hunt and the basic fighting moves. Thistlepaw flicked his ears as Hollyleaf followed Briarpaw, watching over the two apprentices. "That's how I perfected my hunting skills," Briarpaw added.

"They aren't perfect! Toadpaw said you broke a twig when stalking a vole a few sunrises ago!" Thistlepaw meowed loudly. Hollyleaf whacked her tail against his muzzle to warn him.

"If you aren't quiet, you'll scare all the prey from here to the Abandoned twoleg nest." She meowed softly. "Now, Briarpaw, why don't you hunt in that direction," she signaled through a few trees with an ear, "and Thistlepaw, you try going that way." His mentor signaled the opposite direction. He nodded and quickly padded off in that direction.

The wind picked up again, but this time it was to his advantage. The wind blew to him, carrying the prey's scent towards him. Thistlepaw tasted the air and found a mouse foraging by the root of a tree. He could barely contain his excitement! His first kill! Lowering himself into the hunter's crouch, he snuck forward like Hollyleaf had shown him. Paw, paw, pause, paw paw, pause...

Now he was within range of leaping and killing the prey. He readied himself, the anticipation shining in his eyes...

But what he didn't notice were the pair of blue eyes in the bushes opposite of him. Before he could pounce, a flash of grey appeared before him, so fast that it was a blur. And suddenly, the mouse was dead at the paws of another cat.

Thistlpaw bristled angrily at the intruder. "Hey! That was my kill!" He snarled, until it dawned on him – intruder!

Hissing, he crouched down again, hostility in his gaze. "You're not Thunderclan! You're -" Wait. There wasn't the scent of another clan on this cat... did that mean she was a rogue? Or a loner?

"I'm not here to pick a fight," the tabby she-cat meowed. "I'm sorry, but you were taking forever, so I decided to go ahead and put the poor thing out of its misery." Her ice blue eyes glinted as she licked a forepaw to show she wasn't interested in fighting. Thistlepaw watched her curiously.

"Do you belong to a Clan?" He asked, tipping his head to the side as she washed herself. She stopped and looked at him carefully.

"No. No, I don't. I guess I'm a 'loner', or whatever you cats call them. Where I came from, we were called roamers. And I'm guessing you're a Thunderclan cat?" She purred slightly. Thistlepaw snorted.

"The best Clan there is!" He meowed proudly, sitting up taller. Then he took her into notice. She was a sleek tabby she-cat with pretty blue eyes. Her tail was curled neatly over her paws and her fur grey fur shone brightly in the sun. Thistlepaw noticed that she was very pretty, then shook his head. "Anyway, what is your name?"

"Mine is Mist. And yours?"

"Mine's Thistlepaw! I'm a new apprentice." He mewed. Suddenly, the bushes rustled behind him and out stepped Hollyleaf, Briarpaw right behind her.

"Thistlepaw, we should head ba-" She stopped and her fur bristled when her eyes landed on Mist. "Who are you?" She hissed angrily.

"Don't worry, I'm not a threat or anything. Just passing through." The tabby she-cat quickly explained. Hollyleaf stared at her suspiciously, then noticed the mouse at her paws.

"Oh, and I'm assuming that mouse was just there when you came along? Prey-stealing isn't allowed, even to loners or kittypets!" She glared at Thistlepaw. "Why didn't you call for me?" But before he could explain, Hollyleaf walked over to Mist. "You're coming with us to explain to our leader what you're doing stealing prey in our territory."

"But isn't that a little harsh? She was just passing through." Briarpaw defended the newcomer. Hollyleaf flicked her tail, then an indecisive look came upon her face. Mist stood up quickly.

"No, please, take me to the Thunderclan leader. I'd like to apologize for stealing. I didn't know." She mewed, watching Hollyleaf. Thistlepaw noticed that Mist must've been around his age or maybe a moon or two older. If I were a loner and had been caught prey-stealing, I would be so scared!

"Alright," Hollyleaf glanced at Mist warily, and she signaled for the apprentices to begin heading back to camp. They both placed themselves on either side of Mist, with Hollyleaf behind them. Thistlepaw bounced slightly.

"Aren't you scared because you're going to see a leader? I would be. Firestar can be a little scary." He admitted. Mist glanced at him and flicked her ears. Thistlepaw continued, "But he usually understands cats outside of the clans. That's part of what makes him a great leader... I think."

"Ouch!" Mist stopped suddenly, holding up a paw and stumbling a bit. The three Clan cats stopped and peered at her curiously. She held up the paw and sniffed it. "I think I stepped on a thorn," she mewed. "It hurts..."

"Then we should probably get you to the camp before it gets infected," Briarpaw meowed, resting her tail tip on Mist's shoulder. "I've had that happen to me before, and it really does hurt." Hollyleaf pushed them onward though, but they were slowed down by the limping loner. By the time they finally reached the entrance, Hollyleaf hesitated.

"I suppose I'll just go get Firestar while you take her to the medicine cat den. Before we go in, what's your name, loner?" She asked, her ears twitching. Thistlepaw realized that Briarpaw and Hollyleaf hadn't heard Mist's name.

"It's Mist," she meowed quietly. Thistlepaw's mentor nodded.

"Well, let Thistlepaw take you to the medicine cat's den. Briarpaw, come with me to tell Firestar," Hollyleaf bounded into the tunnel, followed by Briarpaw. Thistlepaw urged Mist onward, making a beeline to the medicine cat den to try to avoid as much attention as possible.

--- ---

Lilypaw looked over their inventory, sniffing each herb to make sure which ones were still safe to use. Usually, the herbs just stayed fresh in their spots, but the berries would sometimes rot. Well, there was nothing suspicious.

"What's the best treatment for bellyaches?" Her mentor asked her while sorting some herbs. Lilypaw thought it over for a moment.

"Juniper Berries."

"What is marigold used for?"

"To treat infections and heal wounds," Lilypaw replied almost instantly, proud of herself for remembering. They had been working on the basic herbs for a few sunrises now. She curled her tail neatly over her paws and waited for the next question, but Jayfeather merely continued sorting.

"What's in that space right there?" He stopped to place a paw near a group of herbs. Lilypaw froze, sniffing gently at the herbs. Oh, she knew what they were!... What were they again?

"B-borage leaves?" She mewed nervously, and felt crushed when Jayfeather shook his head.

"Those are daisy leaves," he meowed, "but don't feel bad about it. You did remember the first few that I showed you." Lilypaw nodded and thought, well, you can't get them all right.

"Jayfeather!" A loud meow erupted from right outside the den. Jayfeather narrowed his eyes as Lilypaw let out a small squeak. It was her brother! But who was with him? She didn't recognize the scent... maybe it was a cat from a different Clan? Riverclan, maybe? But the scent didn't carry the smell of fish. Odd.

"Come in," her mentor responded, the tip of his tail twitching. Thistlepaw and the other cat stepped in. She was a beautiful tabby she-cat with a sleek pelt and ice blue eyes. "And who is this?"

"This is Mist," Thistlepaw explained. "She was hunting in our territory when I found her. She's a loner. That's Jayfeather, our medicine cat, and my sister, Lilypaw. She's Jayfeather's apprentice." Thistlepaw's eyes gleamed when he looked at his sister, and Lilypaw remembered that they hadn't talked to each other in a while.

The medicine cat muttered under his breath angrily and signaled with his ears for the she-cat to sit down. "What exactly is wrong with you?"

Mist held up a paw. "I got a thorn stuck in my pad. It's really painful," she meowed.

"I know," Jayfeather snorted. He inspected it, then placed his teeth gently around the thorn – then jerked back, taking the thorn with him. Mist mewed loudly, looking at her paw in distress. "Okay, now clean it -"

"Jayfeather! Can you come check Longtail? His pelt is really hot," Mousefur interrupted, barging into the den. The medicine cat unsheathed his claws in aggravation, then quickly sheathed them and took a few of the feverfew stems and a poppy seed.

"Continue checking up on her for me, Lilypaw," Jayfeather ordered before padding out of the den. Mist was rasping her paw over the wound, and Lilypaw sighed and bent to check it.

"It doesn't smell infected; and it's not bleeding very much," she meowed, checking their storage for the right herb. She pulled it out and sniffed it carefully. "This one's marigold, perfect! Here, rub this on your paw, and it should start feeling better." She ordered. Mist obeyed and began pressing it against the wound. Lilypaw glowed with pride. She had treated her first patient!

Another cat entered the medicine cat den. "So, where is this loner?" the addition asked. Lilypaw gazed up at Firestar, slightly awestruck. The sun was hitting his pelt through the den just right to where it looked like her leader was on fire. She flicked her tail over to the loner, Mist.

"Hmm. Greetings, young one. From what I've heard, you were caught with prey in Thunderclan territory." Firestar's green eyes narrowed, but he allowed Mist to explain.

"I-I didn't know this was a cat's territory. I was just passing through and I was hungry, so I just hunted. I didn't know that it belonged to any cat." She meowed, her voice rising slightly. Firestar seemed to think for a moment.

Nodding, he said, "I can understand. You don't know or live by the warrior code. However, you should've smelled the scent markings before you entered the forest. Didn't you?"

Mist bowed her head shamefully. "Yes," she squeaked slightly.

Firestar opened his mouth to say something else, when the pounding of pawsteps came closer and Brambleclaw – followed by Sorreltail and Spiderleg – skidded to a halt before the leader. "Firestar!" Brambleclaw panted. They each looked out of breath and worried. "It-it's Shadowclan! They're gathered at the border and they look ready to attack!"

The leader's eyes widened and he dashed out into the clearing. Lilypaw and Thistlepaw watched each other, frozen, as the sounds of a group of cats leaving the camp echoed through the clearing and into the den.

"What does that mean..?" Mist asked, her meow barely above a whisper. Thistlepaw stood up and ran out of the den, leaving the two she-cats behind. Lilypaw turned to her quickly.

"It means there's going to be a battle! Thistlepaw, wait!" She ran out of the den, but couldn't see her littermate. Had he left already? Was he going to join the battle?

Suddenly, the feeling of vertigo hit and she struggled to stay on her paws. The mist... the mist... Lilypaw gasped and stared at the ground. The voice echoed through her head eerily. The mist.. The medicine cat apprentice crouched down, breathing deeply as the voice subsided. The mist? What was it talking about? Looking backwards at the medicine cat den, she wondered if it meant about Mist.

--- ---

Meanwhile, Thistlepaw was racing through the forest. He had learned a few of the basic moves for an apprentice – and besides, his Clan needed him! Sounds of fighting entered his hearing range, and his ears twitched. He skidded to a halt on the outskirts of the fight. So, is that what Shadowclan looks like? He prepared himself, bunching his hind legs up before charging into the midst of the border fight.

--- ---

Me: Uh-oh! Thistlepaw is being a little reckless!

Lilypaw: And what's this about the mist? I don't understand!

Me: Oh, you will in time! Muahaha! I need some help from my readers, though – I have a good medicine cat name picked out for Lilypaw, but I need a warrior name for Thistlepaw! It has to be unique, too.. -ponders- And I do realize I made Hollyleaf a bit OOC in this chapter. I'll try not to do it again, I promise!

Lilypaw: Anyway, please review! And look forward to chapter 5!