Twigpaw walked along miserably. The sun was blazing high in the sky, making her pelt feel like it was on fire. Water was much scarcer here than they had imagined, and many cats were ill from dehydration. The only time your thirst was quenched was when you ate, but the sensation quickly faded away.

Sand got stuck between Twigpaw's toes and began to irritate her, but without water she couldn't get it out right now. She'd just have to wait.

"So, what kinds of prey is out here?" Bramblestar's voice rasped as he looked around, obviously wondering what animal would want to live out here.

"Lizards, mostly. Sometimes we find a few snakes, a jackrabbit or two, but it's really a treat when we find a roadrunner," Sandstar explained. Then she stopped dead and sniffed the hot air. She dropped into a crouch and crept to the edge of a hole in the ground, sniffing.

"Wha-" Gingerpaw was cut off by a hiss as a large rabbit with huge ears bolted out of it's hole and ran. Sandstar was hot on it's tail when it got tired and slowed down slightly. She took the prey down with a paw and a swift death bite. She carried the prey back slowly, making it clear to Gingerpaw that she'd almost cost them all a jackrabbit.

"Don't ever talk while someone's stalking something," Sandstar hissed. "You think jackrabbits can't hear you?" Gingerpaw's face turned pink and she shut up. Molepaw licked her cheek for some reason, and Twigpaw turned away.

After hunting, the ThunderClan patrol settled down in the camp, and Blackstar took his warriors out with a SandClan warrior to learn the way they hunted. Molepaw was grooming Gingerpaw's pelt, and Twigpaw felt like she'd be intruding if she went over there. There was really no other choice, though, since Bramblestar was busy.

Twigpaw sat down with Gingerpaw and Molepaw. Molepaw gave her a look that told her she was intruding, but Gingerpaw greeted her warmly.

"Hello, Twigpaw!" Twigpaw smiled at Gingerpaw's efforts.

"Hey, Gingerpaw. Hey Molepaw," She smiled at them both, but Molepaw didn't return the smile or say hello back. "How was hunting earlier? I kinda liked it, but I got really hot out in the sun."

"I got really hot too, and I got sand between my toes!" I nodded and told her I got sand in my toes too. We shared tongues for a while as Molepaw just kept grooming Gingerpaw.

"Molepaw, why don't you quit grooming and talk with us?" Gingerpaw looked at him with round eyes and he gave in. We started talking about how much we missed everyone back home and what might be happening right now.

"I think Sootpaw might be throwing a tantrum right now!" Twigpaw laughed, and so did Gingerpaw and Molepaw. He always had something to complain about.

"Twigpaw, this might be a sensitive subject for you, but what happened to your leg?" Gingerpaw looked like she actually cared and didn't want to make fun of Twigpaw, so she told her that she was born with only three legs, so it didn't hurt. She also asked if it was hard walking and hunting with only three legs, and the tabby apprentice told her that she grew up like this, so it wasn't that hard.

"Wow. That's amazing," Gingerpaw breathed. Twigpaw noticed Molepaw staring at her, and she felt a little uncomfortable. He shook his head and then looked away, as if getting rid of any thoughts or worries.

"Yeah, well Twigpaw's a strong cat. She's capable of anything." Molepaw was looking at Twigpaw warmly, but then looked away before Gingerpaw could see it.

"Thanks Molepaw." The tabby cat blushed, happy that her crush was finally not being hostile with her. The sun was beginning to set though, so Twigpaw smiled at both of them and left politely.

The desert was a strange, bipolar place. It was scorching during the day, but freezing at night. Twigpaw settled down in a bed of wiry feathers and dry, bristly plants. She shivered and tried to get some sleep, but ended up staring at the stars while the camp fell silent around her. Eventually, thoughts of home sent her to a shallow, restless sleep.

Sootpaw raced over to greet his three-legged sister.

"Twigpaw! It's so great to see you! Why are you here? Did Thistleclaw recruit you too?" Sootpaw's grin stretched from ear to ear and his whiskers twitched happily. "Now we can train together!"

"Thistleclaw? Recruit me? What in the world are you talking about?" Her brother's ears drooped.

"You mean, he didn't recruit you?" Twigpaw shook her head.

"No."

"Then you're a chosen one!" He jumped with joy. "Just like me!"

"Sootpaw, what in StarClan's name are you talking about?" He ignored her and tried to lead her to Thistleclaw to share the great news, but she refused to follow until he gave an explanation.

"This is the Dark Forest, and Thistleclaw leads it with Tigerstar. Together, they train apprentices and warriors of the four Clans how to be the best warriors they can be. It's really fun, but kinda tough sometimes." Twigpaw couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Sootpaw, this is The Place of No Stars-you shouldn't be here!" He flattened his ears to his head and glared at his sister.

"Who are you to tell me where I should and shouldn't go when I dream? They're my dreams, not yours."

"But Sootpaw, you'll get yourself into trouble. Remember the stories our mother told us when we were kits? Tigerstar is evil, and if Thistleclaw's here, then he must be too." Her brother rolled his eyes.

"Twigpaw, they were just stories. Our mother never met Tigerstar, so she doesn't know him." Twigpaw flicked her tail in annoyance. Why wasn't he listening to her?

"But the stories were passed down by older cats that were alive when Tigerstar was." Sootpaw still wasn't convinced, but he dropped the Tigerstar subject.

"Then what about Thistleclaw? Why aren't there any stories about him?" He looked smug-like he may have won the whole argument.

"His stories must've just been lost. I'm sure there's one about him. Perhaps ask Graystripe; he and Firestar were very good friends with Bluestar, and she was alive when Thistleclaw was alive." Sootpaw hissed and turned to walk away.

Suddenly, Twigpaw's vision blurred and she felt tiny claws tearing at her flesh. Yowls of pain escaped her lips and echoed into the forest. Twigpaw looked around for her attacker, but there wasn't one to be found. Yet the tearing, ripping, and biting continued until she passed out…