Thank you for reviewing, violentyetpretty, Swiftlily22, and ladycullen001! :D You all get Feathertail plushies :)

I will take your advice, Swiftlily; I sometimes use Into The Wild for reference as well as the other books in the first series, so that's probably what you're referring to.

This chapter is dedicated to ladycullen001 for being my most loyal reviewer so far! She was also my first reviewer on the site! :)

Chapter 6

The two apprentices lay there, gazing up at the stars. Then Silkpaw meowed, "Do you want to see the Thunderpath?"

Maplepaw cocked her head out of curiosity. "Thunderpath? What's that?"

Silkpaw jumped up and raced away, yowling, "Follow me!"

Maplepaw bounded up to Silkpaw, then raced ahead. "Hey!" Silkpaw shouted.

They went on like that for a while, until a disgusting stench hit the roof of Maplepaw's mouth.

"What is that?" she screeched, stopping dead in her tracks.

"That is the Thunderpath," Silkpaw meowed, wrinkling her nose. "Monsters pass by on it. You'll have to be careful around here."

In the moonlight Maplepaw could see a gray path, sort of river-like, which twisted and turned through the forest. It extended so far that the trees near the end of it seemed fuzzy. Maplepaw shuddered at the bitter stench that rose from the path.

As she backed away Maplepaw heard a new noise. She stiffened but Silkpaw did not feel the same way.

"What's that?" she meowed anxiously.

"You'll see in a moment," Silkpaw replied, standing stone-still.

Maplepaw peered through the trees on the other side, where the noise was to be coming from. The rumbling gradually got louder, ringing in Maplepaw's ears and making them ache.

A heartbeat later she leaped back, her fur bristling, as a gigantic monster roared right past her very eyes. The leaves on the trees rustled frantically in the wake of the monster.

Maplepaw stared at Silkpaw, her eyes wide. She had never known of creatures like this, or of Thunderpaths in her whole life.

"It scared me too the first time," Silkpaw remarked. "Don't worry – the monsters never seem to leave the Thunderpath. You'll be fine as long as you don't go too close to it."

Then Silkpaw's whiskers twitched. Maplepaw realized that a vole was nearby, and her mouth watered hungrily. Silkpaw flicked her ears towards Maplepaw, signaling that this was going to be her catch.

Maplepaw stepped backward respectfully and waited for Silkpaw to drop into a hunter's crouch.

First she spotted it, sitting in the grass and nibbling on a seed. Luckily Silkpaw was downwind of the vole, and she crept up on it silently. Then she pushed back hard on her haunches and sprang, kicking up dirt.

The vole dove for cover, heading for a hole in the ground. Silkpaw chased it, her eyes intent on the catch.

Oh no! Maplepaw thought with horror. She's heading straight for the Thunderpath!

Before she could warn her friend, Silkpaw ran onto the Thunderpath.

She chased the vole to the middle of the Thunderpath. Feeling the hard stone beneath her paws made her realize what had happened. She turned back to Maplepaw but could not move. She was stuck.

She looked frantically down at one of her legs. There was a crack in the middle of the path and growing out of it was a weed plant. Twined around her leg was the weed, and she was trapped. Silkpaw pulled at her leg, hoping to get free, but the plant was wedged there.

Just when Maplepaw thought it couldn't get any worse a rumbling sound came from one side of the Thunderpath. Silkpaw looked at Maplepaw with panicked eyes. A monster! Maplepaw thought dreadfully.

She rushed over to the frightened apprentice and grabbed her by the scruff, pulling her towards ThunderClan. Silkpaw whimpered in a terrified way.

"I'm going to die, Maplepaw! Remember me," she whispered, not bothering to save herself anymore. The roar of the monster was getting louder.

"No! I will save you, Silkpaw. Stop thinking like that," Maplepaw meowed determinedly. But she barely had any faith left when the monster came into view.

The monster's eyes gleamed, suddenly hungry for a snack, and Maplepaw knew she was unsuccessful.

An unfamiliar scent flooded into her nose. "Think, Maplepaw!" a strange voice urged her. "There is a way to save her!"

A plan flashed into her mind. Did StarClan give me this plan? Maplepaw wondered. She had no choice, and she pushed Silkpaw to the ground while she pressed herself on top of her. A heartbeat later the monster whirled over her and Silkpaw, taking no notice of them.

They lay there for a few heartbeats, still and silent, listening to the monster's growls fade into the distance.

"Maplepaw?" Silkpaw asked quietly, breaking the stillness.

"Yes?"

"Will you please get off me?"

Maplepaw held back a mrrow of amusement as she got off of Silkpaw. She tried burrowing into the root of the plant, and it was soon dug out of the crack.

Without even a word Maplepaw clung onto the strand of the plant that was hanging from Silkpaw's paw and pulled on it. It slid off easily and Silkpaw blinked gratefully at Maplepaw. The connection that came between them held more thanks than all the words Silkpaw could say.

They padded back to camp silently, falling asleep as soon as they were settled in their nests.

"Me and Silkpaw will take the hunting patrol," Maplepaw mewed drowsily. She had slept in very late and Moonfur was annoyed with her, as she had hoped Maplepaw and Silkpaw would've joined the dawn patrol.

"Fine, but I expect you both not to fall asleep," Moonfur meowed with a stern glance at the both of them. "You two are sleeping on your paws!" She sighed. "I guess you will be alert once you start hunting. Remind me to tell Stormstar that you need to practice battle training." Maplepaw nodded sleepily then went to join Silkpaw, Cloudstripe, and Darkclaw.

"You shouldn't be slacking off," Darkclaw growled. "It affects the Clan."

Maplepaw was shocked at his harsh words. But she knew they were true. What does he think he is, the leader? Maplepaw thought crossly.

"Alright," she meowed, trying to disguise her irritation. "I'm sorry."

He grunted approvingly, and they set off for Tallpines.

Though Maplepaw was tired, she caught a promising amount: two voles, a mouse, and a plump squirrel.

Cloudstripe was satisfied, but Darkclaw acted cold towards her. What's his problem? Maplepaw thought.

She brought her catch to the fresh-kill pile and caught up with Silkpaw. "Want to see Silverpool's kits?" she asked. Silkpaw nodded eagerly and soon they were with the kits in the clearing.

"Show me how to hunt, Maplepaw! Please?" Birdkit asked.

"I wanna learn, too!" Thornkit mewled.

Stormkit held her chin high. "I already know how to. Snowpaw showed me!"

Thornkit gasped. "Liar!"

Stormkit gave her littermate a hard glare. "You're just jealous! Watch!"

She dropped to the ground, her belly just above the soil. She stared intently at a falling leaf, and, pushing on her haunches, she pounced on it.

"Well done!" Silkpaw purred.

Stormkit gave her littermates a proud glance. "Told you!"

"Don't worry, Thornkit, I can teach you!" Silkpaw assured the depressed kit.

"I'll teach you, Birdkit!" Maplepaw meowed.

They showed them the best techniques and before long the kits were all catching leaves.

"Good job, kits!" Maplepaw complimented.

They left the kits and realized it was after sunhigh. It was time for sharing tongues.

Snowpaw joined them and Silkpaw told Snowpaw what had happened last night.

"Really?" Snowpaw asked incredulously, staring in awe at Maplepaw.

"Yes," Silkpaw meowed, shooting a grateful glance at her friend.

"You saved Sunpelt's life, and now Silkpaw's?"

Maplepaw nodded. Snowpaw was looking at her as if she erased all the evil in the forest. "It was nothing, really."

Snowpaw shook her head, letting out a mrrow of amusement. Maplepaw agreed: who knew a newcomer could save two lives in a few days?

It was moonhigh, and Maplepaw was still awake. She was contemplating whether she should tell Silkpaw her past.

Maplepaw looked up into the starry night and gazed up at Silverpelt.

"StarClan," she breathed. "Should I tell her?"

The stars twinkled and Maplepaw knew it was a yes.

She sighed and prodded Silkpaw in the belly. "Silkpaw? Silkpaw, wake up!"

It took a while for her friend to sit up with her eyes open. "What is it?"

"Come with me to Sandy Hollow," Maplepaw urged. "I have to tell you something."

It took a while with Silkpaw still half-asleep but they finally got there.

Maplepaw sat outside in the open area where she could see Silverpelt.

Maplepaw had been thinking about what she would say when she finally told Silkpaw this. She took a deep breath.

"Now, you have to promise you won't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you tonight."

"I swear by StarClan," Silkpaw vowed.

"Alright. You know that I was abandoned. Well, before all that, I used to stay in a Twoleg nest, you know, as a kittypet."

Silkpaw's eyes opened wide, but she kept silent.

"My mother was a kittypet named Fluffy. She had a secret affair with a warrior named Redfur. She met him while he was patrolling his boundaries. He never knew me, though." Maplepaw hung her head.

"Fluffy raised me all on her own. But when she found out her Twolegs were planning to sell me, she had no choice but to give me to Redfur. He never saw her again, so she abandoned me along the boundary line where they met. She wanted him to find my scent, but Stormstar found me first."

"Redfur was part of ThunderClan, but he hunts with StarClan now," Silkpaw mewed quietly.

"I know. Stormstar told me."

"And you really have ThunderClan blood?" Silkpaw asked in amazement.

Maplepaw nodded. "So now you know. Along with Stormstar."

"That is amazing!" Silkpaw brushed against Maplepaw's flank. "Thanks for telling me. I'm glad you can trust me."

There they sat, quiet for a couple of heartbeats. Maplepaw was thankful she had finally earned Silkpaw's friendship.

If I get three more reviews, I will update tomorrow or the day after! :) Thanks to all my reviewers!