A/U: Thanks WildCroconaw, Son of The Sea 100896, and PieInYaFace for reviewing! You all get Nightpaw plushies! Anyways, this chapter is a bit...odd. You'll find out why when you read it. I'm not very good at describing...certain things, so I suppose this is as good as it gets. I posted the summary for the sequel down below, so be sure to check it out when you're finished!

Chapter 20

Cold northern winds pierced Stormpaw's pelt as he stalked through the bed of reeds. In front of him were Grasspelt and Duskfire. Both toms were busy chatting about the Gathering, which had ended peacefully as usual. Neither of them seemed to notice the tension building between ThunderClan or ShadowClan. The two Clans had been acting hostile towards each other from the beginning of the Gathering. Something that had clearly surprised and frustrated Stormpaw.

He often wondered why the Clans couldn't get along for more than one night. Even during a Gathering fights broke out. Cats would argue who's Clan was better. Some of these fights often turned into brutal contests.

His thoughts returned to the border patrol that Mistystar had placed him on. Apparently something had happened back at camp that forced her to stay. Now he was stuck with two cats who were constantly at each others throats.

Grasspelt, who was somewhat older than Duskfire, would come up with rude jibes against the ginger tom. Stormpaw was amused by their reactions towards each other. It gave the patrol a more fun way of searching the territory. Usually though he ignored them.

I wonder how the other Marked are fairing, Stormpaw thought as his senses returned to his friends.

Over the past couple of moons he'd become good friends with Copperpaw. She was a quick thinker when it came to battle tactics. Her skills as a hunter needed improvement, but she would make a fine warrior in battle. He was surprised that she didn't even need to change into an animal during battle practices. Often times she would judge what moves he was going to use next, and perform a defensive strike.

Flowerpaw on the other hand was a bit more complex. Her skills as a medicine cat were coming along nicely, but there was something odd about the way she acted. Stormpaw had begun to suspect that there was something bothering her. She was always so quiet whenever he spoke to Copperpaw during their meetings. To him it felt like she was keeping something from them. Something that would effect not only their lives, but the lives of the Clans as well.

Stormpaw shivered at the thought of what could happen if the Clans were effected. They were already on edge after the Marked had arrived.

Duskfire suddenly stopped near the edge of a small stream that fed into the lake. Stormpaw followed his gaze and was surprised to see a Twoleg sitting in an unusual object. The object was one that could float on water, and the Twoleg had thrown out a long piece of string into the lake.

"They never cease to amaze me," Duskfire muttered irritably. "Next thing you know they'll grow gills and start swimming around like fish."

"If that's the case, than maybe we can eat them," Grasspelt said as he joined them. "Although it is unusual to see them out this late in leaffall," he added. His tone held the slightest hint of worry. "We should report this to Mistystar before it sees us."

For once the two warriors agreed with each other. Stormpaw looked up to see that they were already leaving. He couldn't help but watch the Twoleg. There was something about the creature that fascinated him.

He wondered how a Twoleg could defend itself with such soft, vulnerable skin. The only fur he could see was on its head. The Twoleg itself mumbled something that vibrated over the water. Stormpaw was about to turn and leave when he heard a cry of alarm. His hackles rose in sheer terror when he realized the Twoleg was tugging at the string. It appeared as though a fish was trying to pull the Twoleg into the lake.

Panic flashed through Stormpaw as he watched. There was nothing he could do at this point. If he used his powers he could hurt the Twoleg, and Mistystar would be furious.

Suddenly the Twoleg grunted and heaved at the stick where the string wound around. Stormpaw's ears flattened in disbelief as the string plopped out of the water, revealing the shiny scales of a fish. It flopped around uselessly as the Twoleg nodded in satisfaction.

"Stormpaw!" The dark gray apprentice winced when he heard the familiar voice of Petalfur. "What are you doing?" she demanded as she drew closer. Her blue eyes were dark with worry as she pressed her muzzle on Stormpaw's forehead. "I would never forgive myself if I lost you," she added quietly.

"I thought you cared more about Nightpaw and Mistpaw," Stormpaw muttered. He was surprised by the way his mother was acting towards him. Most of the time she would ignore him, or spend more time with his siblings. He thought she was angry he was a Marked cat.

Petalfur's eyes lightened a little. She let out a sigh and flicked her tail tip.

"I care for all of my kits," she murmured. "You are no different from Nightpaw and Mistpaw."

Stormpaw shifted his paws as he watched the Twoleg leave the lake. It was past sunhigh now, and his belly grumbled with hunger.

"Can we go hunting?" he asked after silence filled the air. "I want to bring back prey for being late," he added.

His mother gave him an affectionate lick and nodded. The two of them waited patiently by the stream. Stormpaw watched with keen interest as Petalfur skillfully swatted a fish out of the water. Her movement was graceful, just like Mistpaw. She killed it before it could flop back into the safety of the stream.

Now it was his turn to catch something.

He gazed into the gleaming water. The shadow of a minnow was what had caught his attention. Stormpaw narrowed his eyes slightly, calculating where the minnow would go.

With the speed of a crane, he was able to swoop the fish out of the stream. He leaped onto it and gave it a swift killing bite. Petalfur didn't look surprised as he held the minnow between his teeth.

"You're learning fast," she meowed as she picked up her own prey. "I think you'll make a fine fisher when the time comes."

Dusk had arrived by the time they returned to camp. Cats were milling about as Stormpaw dropped two fish onto the fresh-kill pile. His belly was still rumbling with hunger, and the sight of Nightpaw and Mistpaw sharing a fish made him even hungrier.

Mistystar herself was still speaking with Grasspelt. She didn't seem surprised to hear that a Twoleg had been fishing on the lake.

Only Petalfur and Pebblefoot seemed to have been worried about Stormpaw's disappearance. Pebblefoot himself gave Petalfur a quick lick behind the ears, receiving a purr from his mate. She whispered something to the mottled gray warrior, and he nodded in agreement.

Stormpaw sighed as he grabbed a fish for himself. It wasn't the best choice for food, but Stormpaw didn't care. He was just grateful to have something he could eat. The dark gray apprentice sat by himself as usual. Mistpaw and Nightpaw were busy grooming themselves. By now they had finished their meal. The look Nightpaw gave her brother was one he had gotten used to over the past couple of moons.

She's running out of ways to insult me, he thought with a smirk. Nightpaw would be at a loss if he didn't react to her sneers. Her entire life had been brought up by teaching herself how to fight against the attention Stormpaw received. He would have felt sorry for her had she not been so smug about it.

Darkness had fallen by the time he finished with his meal. Stormpaw yawned and arched his back in a stretch.

His entire day had been uneventful, aside from the Twoleg. But at least he was able to spend a few moments hunting with Petalfur. She really did seem to care about him, despite the way she had ignored him during his kithood. Maybe she finally saw something she valued within him.

Eventually wariness was what had brought him back to the apprentice's den. Both Nightpaw and Mistpaw had returned. Each of them had their tails wrapped around their muzzles as they slept. For once Nightpaw actually looked sweet and friendly, something Stormpaw had never expected to notice. A small part of him wished that she had been Marked instead of him. Than maybe she wouldn't be so jealous. But destiny always made things different for every cat. And Stormpaw knew that he was no different from those other cats.

A/U: Oi that was a cheesy ending. But I liked most of this chapter the way it was written. Anyways, here's the summary for Marked, Book 2: Destiny's Call:

Something is wrong with the Clans. Tides are changing, and signs are rising in every direction. The Marked are forced to face their destiny head on, in a battle that could destroy everything. But are they ready to be put to the test?

I hope you're looking forward to it, I know I am!