Foxpaw growled with frustration as the mouse skittered away from her paws. It was a half-moon into her apprenticeship and she was becoming more and more of an outcast everyday. Most of the cats were kind, but some of the apprentices teased her because she looked funny and because someone was spreading rumors that she was meeting a fox and giving it prey.

The anger bubbled up inside her once more. Why can't foxes have prey? And why accuse me?

"Bad day?" a soft voice meowed. Foxpaw turned and Flamepaw padded out with a thrush in his jaws.

Foxpaw looked at her paws, growing warm with embarassment, "Yeah."

"Don't worry. Look." Flamepaw meowed pointing with his tail to a starling crashing thunderously in a tree with a broken wing.

The bird fell from the tree and Foxpaw, seeing an easy catch, pounced and killed it swiftly.

Flamepaw and Foxpaw padded back to camp and set their catches on the fresh-kill pile. Jayfeather padded up took one sniff at the starling and yowled, "It is as StarClan have warned me! There is a weakness in the Clan that will draw the foxes to kill us off!"

The Clan gasped in horror and Blossomfall peered from the nursery with her mate, Toadstep, Briarlight yowled, "I have recieved this warning, too!"

Flamepaw stepped up and meowed, "And what is wrong with Foxpaw's prey?"

"It was making thunderous noise with its wing to attract Foxpaw, right? It is the prophecy."

Bramblestar nodded at Jayfeather and meowed, "Thank you, Jayfeather. We will continue on, but we will get ready."

"Lionblaze, get a few cats to fortify the walls and plan other defenses. Get others to think of escape routes and tactics."

"Yes, Bramblestar," Lionblaze nodded. He started shouting orders and Foxpaw and Flamepaw were ordered to fortify the entrance.

Flamepaw and Foxpaw made their way to the wall and started to strengthen it.

Foxpaw went out into the forest to gather bramble tendrils and she was suddenly aware of a fox scent. She started following it.

That fox is going to be sorry it messed with me! Foxpaw thought. Then she thought, Poor fox, shouldn't it have a place to go, too?

It was that fiery anger again. She pushed it aside, boggled on why the fox scent was strong wherever she went.

She followed it into the lake where it faded when she was mostly submerged with water. Then when she came out, she couldn't smell it anymore.

Puzzled she went back into the forest.