Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays everybody! Here's an update to A Sparrow's Fire as a Christmas gift.

Chapter 6

Sparrowpaw sat in the medicine cat den, rearranging the herbs and berries and taking stock of what she and Spottedleaf needed to gather. It had been a quarter moon since she had he first visit to the moonstone, she was beginning to grow restless, and the last quarter moon had been spent gathering herbs and arranging herbs. She was grateful that none of her Clanmates had been seriously sick or injured as of late, but the constant herb gathering, and arranging was starting to bother her. She hadn't had a proper walk or hunt in a while, nor had she been practicing battle moves.

As she was just finishing sorting out the rest of the coltsfoot, when Spottedleaf entered the den.

"Sparrowpaw?" she called, Sparrowpaw sighed a little but came over to her mentor.

"Yes Spottedleaf?" she asked softly.

"Have you finished sorting the coltsfoot?" her mentor asked her, Sparrowpaw shook her head.

"No, I'm almost finish though."

"Good, I think you could do with a nice hunt, "Spottedleaf commented, as she took in her apprentice's restless form. "I think you're doing fine with your herb training and you been working hard lately. Finish sorting the coltsfoot and we'll go hunting." Sparrowpaw almost couldn't believe the amount of excitement she felt right now, knowing she would be hunting again.

"Thank you Spottedleaf," Sparrowpaw meowed happily as she quickly headed back to the coltsfoot. She couldn't wait to get out into the forest for some real hunting and not just herb gathering. She finished off the coltsfoot quickly and almost ran out of the den, across the clearing, to the entrance. She nearly ran into Graypaw as she reached the entrance to camp.

"Woah, careful Sparrowpaw," he meowed in amusement, "What's got you so excited?"

"Sorry Graypaw," she meowed sheepishly, "It's just that Spottedleaf is taking me hunting today, it's been so long since I've been hunting or training. I've been spending so much time sorting herbs and looking for herbs that's I've gotten a little restless."

"I understand, I probably would be too," Graypaw commented as he took in her pelt, which had an herb leaf stuck to her pelt. "I don't think I could sit around sorting herbs all day."

"Then it's a good thing I didn't choose you to be my apprentice, Graypaw." Spottedleaf commented as she came to stand beside Sparrowpaw. "I was just informed that One-eye has a cough. I want to check her out." Sparrowpaw glanced over at the elders den with worried eyes,

"Is it serious? Should I stay with you?" Spottedleaf shook her head.

"I'm sure I can manage, you go on ahead." Sparrowpaw blinked slowly in surprise. 'Hunt by myself?'

"Are you sure?" she pressed, wanting to make sure that it was alright that she could go without Spottedleaf.

"Yes I'm sure." Spottedleaf, spotted Willowpelt coming out of the warrior's den. "Willowpelt? Would you mind taking Sparrowpaw hunting for me?" 'I knew it couldn't be true.'

"Of course," Willowpelt meowed as she approached them. She brushed her tail over Graypaw's ears as she walked passed him on her way out of the camp. Sparrowpaw remembered briefly that Willowpelt was Graypaw's mother, as she watched the interaction.

"Well let's go Sparrowpaw," meowed Willowpelt as she headed out the camp entrance. Sparrowpaw scrambled to her paws as she headed out of the camp.

"Bye Graypaw, " Sparrowpaw called over her shoulder, charging after the pale gray she-cat.

"Let's look around Tallpines," Willowpelt said after they had climbed the ravine, "There should be some good prey around there."

They trekked silently through the forest keeping their eyes and ears open for any sign of prey along the way. Sparrowpaw also kept her eyes open for any herbs that could be used.

They soon reached Tallpines, the sun was still high in the sky. 'It's a good day to hunt.' Sparrowpaw thought to herself as she looked around.

"I think we should split up and cover more ground. You go off in that direction." Willowpelt told her as she pointed with her tail. "And I'll go this way. We'll me here just after Sunhigh. Okay?"

"Yes I understand." Sparrowpaw told her as she headed off in the direction Willowpelt had pointed. She opened her jaws and tasted the air trying to pick up a scent. She checked a bush nearby. 'Nothing' she sighed in disappointment. She kept going, reminding herself that she had plenty of time and continued on her way.

She froze when she saw a small mouse nibbling on a seed in front of her. She immediately began to sneak toward it, but to her dismay it bounded off before she close the distance enough for her to pounce on it. She chased it anyway, but quickly lost it. 'Mousedung, what happened? Why did it notice me?' She thought back to her first hunting lesson and remembered that stepping softly was key when dealing with mice because they could hear and feel your vibrations of your feet before they could smell you. "Mousedung, I wasn't stepping lightly enough." She hissed under her breath, she sighed as she looked around and reminded herself that it had been a while since she hunted last and just needed to get back into practice. She trekked further through Tallpines determined to catch something. She spotted a squirrel that had just come down from off a tree. She crept forward silently, making her paw steps light. She eased herself forward as slowly as she could, slowly but surely closing the gap between her and her quarry. A slight sound from behind her startled the squirrel, but before it could leap for safety. Sparrowpaw snagged the creature in her claws and quickly bit his neck. 'That was better.' She thought grimly to herself.

"Nice catch," called a voice. Sparrowpaw spun around looking for the source of the voice. She spotted King watching her from a spot in the bushes. 'Of course, at least he was quiet this time.' She then remembered the sound that started the squirrel 'Well quieter.'

"Thanks," she meowed not sure what to do about the curious kittypet. He was just silently watching her, as she started to dig a hole for her squirrel.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously. She glanced over at him and continued to dig. She answered without taking her eyes off her task.

"I'm going to bury this squirrel." King looked incredulously at her.

"You mean you're not going to eat it? Then why kill it?" Sparrowpaw sighed and fought to keep the annoyance out of her voice, as she responded.

"I'm going to take it back to my Clan." She told him patiently, as she began to scrap the dirt over the piece of prey she had caught.

"Then why are you burying it?" King's voice almost startled her as bad as it had the first time she had met him. 'I need to focus on him, he could have clawed my ears off and I wouldn't have been the wiser. '

"So I can get it later. My Clan's camp is quite a distance from here. I'm burying my prey here so I can hunt a while longer. When I'm done I'll carry everything I have back to camp with me later." She explained realizing that it might have sounded odd that she burying something that she just killed.

"Oh, are there a lot of wild cats out here?" he asked glancing around.

"Yes, there are four Clans and each Clan has many cats in them."

"Are you alone?" she didn't really know what to say to that. She didn't think he would hurt her but she didn't want to say that she and Willowpelt had split up either.

"Yes, for now" she told him, "My Clanmate, Willowpelt, is hunting not far over in that direction. She flicked her tail over in the direction Willowpelt had gone. He nodded in understanding. He turned back into the bushes that he had been hiding in. Moments later he came out and dropped two fat plump mice at her paws. She stared in shock at the mouse and looked questionably up at King.

"I wanted to apologize, for scaring off that magpie the other day." he meowed softly, as he looked at his paws. "I didn't know you were one of the wild cats and I likely cost you a meal for the day. I caught this mouse in my garden and thought you were better off with it then me." He nudged the mice closer to her paws. She was speechless, it was a kind thing for the tom to do.

"Thank you, you didn't have to." She meowed softly seeing the tom in a new light.

"But every bit helps right?" he asked her.

"Yes it does," 'especially in Leaf-bare.' She thought to herself, but Leaf-bare was still moons away.

"I could bring some mice to you every day if you'd like." He told her. "I could bury them right here underneath these bushes." He pointed with his tail to the bushes where he had been hiding. 'That would be nice but…'

"I couldn't ask you to do that. This" she pointed at the mice. "Was plenty, I couldn't let you burden yourself with this." She told him gently.

"It won't be a burden," he told her looking into her eyes," She could see his sincerity in them.

"I should get back to hunting," she replied lamely.

"Let me help," he begged her a little. "I hunted in the forest of my own home. I won't eat anything I catch I promise." She knew should tell him no, she knew she should have told him to go home, so she wasn't fully sure why these words tumbled out of her maw.

"Okay, check over there by that oak and I'll look over in this area." She told him, then started to look for more prey. She glanced back just in time to see him disappear behind some bushes. She searched around for a little while longer but only manage to find a small vole. She killed it quickly and buried it with her squirrel.

"Here," he called she surprised as he place another mouse and a shrew beside her. "I'm sorry I couldn't find anything else."

"No, this is plenty thank you." She purred happily, she knew the Clan would be well fed with King's gift. "I got to go and meet my Clanmate now," she told him as she picked up the mice from earlier and King's newest cat and began to head back the direction she came.

"Can I see you again?" she looked backed King, he seemed to be pleading at her with his gaze.

"Yes," she meowed, and before she could take it back she raced off to meet with Willowpelt.

'What was I thinking?' she thought to herself as she enter the camp. 'I shouldn't have said yes.' Willowpelt had been pleased at the sight of King's gifts in her jaws and congratulated her on a catch well made. 'But I didn't catch them.' She thought miserably. She felt bad for taking credit for a gift from King, The kind- hearted kittypet deserved the praise she was receiving not her. She thought more about King as she place the catches in the Fresh-kill pile. She sat down in front of the medicine den, she thought back to her other encounters with King and realized that he was only trying to look out for her. Even if his way about it had annoyed her. The handsome silver tabby tom hadn't meant any harm. 'Handsome?' she thought to herself surprised, but she agreed that King was a handsome tom. She was surprised to realize she wanted to see him again. 'As another thank you, for the mice.' She told herself, she figured it was the least she could do for him since he had brought her those mice and he had asked to see her again. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she never noticed the cat padding up to her.

"Hi Sparrowpaw, "she nearly jumped out of her fur, at the sound of her brother's voice.

"H-hi Firepaw," she mewled nervously. He blinked quickly in surprise.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She licked down her ruffled fur and shook her head.

"You didn't, I was just startled I was reciting herbs and their uses." She lied with a twinge of guilt in her belly.

"Oh okay, Graypaw told me you went hunting with Willowpelt." He meowed to her.

"Yeah, we did it took a while to get back into the focus of hunting." She admitted, "I was a little out of practice."

"Not by much, I saw those mice you caught. They're huge, bigger than the one Dustpelt brought in." Firepaw purred, "Where did you find them?"

"Close to the twolegplace," she meowed quickly. "One of them was nibbling on a seed and I killed him quickly, the other I ambushed from a bush."

"I wish I could have been there with you." He meowed softly as he sat down next to her. Brushing his pelt against hers. "We haven't spent time together in a while."

"It has been a while," she agreed. His warrior training was split between Lionheart and Tigerclaw and she was busy learning herbs and poultices with Spottedleaf.

"Maybe we can go hunting together sometime?"

"I'd like that, perhaps our mentors will allow us a chance to do so?" She meowed.

"I hope so," Firepaw sighed.

"What did you do today?" she asked him curiously.

"I went hunting with Tigerclaw and Dustpaw." He shuddered a little. "It was horrible, if it wasn't one thing it was another. 'Firepaw you moving to slow, your tail is too high. This isn't you twoleg nest.' I was lucky to catch anything at all." She felt sympathy for her brother knowing both cats could be a pain in the tail.

"What did you catch?" she asked curiously.

"A sparrow and a squirrel" he told her. Sparrowpaw stiffened in realization that she had left her squirrel and the vole she had caught buried in the spot she had met up with King.

"I forgot to retrieve my other catches." She told Firepaw,

"They'll be fine you can get them later." Firepaw reassured her, "I don't think the Clan will mind too much."

"I guess so," she mumbled a little.

"Come on there's Ravenpaw and Graypaw now, we can tell them all about our day." He nudge her a little as he headed over to the apprentice den. She sighed and followed trying to take her mind off the prey and the handsome kittypet.

"Hi Sparrowpaw, Firepaw." Meowed Ravenpaw softly as they approached. "I heard about you hunting party with Tigerclaw and Dustpaw" he winced sympathetically for Firepaw as the fiery tom shuddered in horror. Graypaw purred in amusement. Suddenly, Tigerclaw and Lionheart padded up to the four apprentices.

"Ravenpaw, Graypaw, Firepaw and Sparrowpaw," we want to have a training session with you four. Lionheart told them.

"Right now?" asked Graypaw

'Yes, get to the training hollow." Tigerclaw told them with a growl in his voice. The four apprentices scrambled to their paws and headed for the camp entrance.

"What do you think we'll be doing?" whispered Graypaw, quietly to Firepaw. Sparrowpaw saw her brother shrug back at the gray apprentice. "Your guess is as good as mine."

They sat quietly in the Sandy Hollow waiting patiently for their mentors to show up. A bush rustled momentarily as, Tigerclaw, Lionheart, Mistflower, Spottedleaf and Nightsong appeared. 'Not Nightsong," Sparrowpaw winced mentally. The black she-cat glared in her direction as she settled next to her sister Mistflower.

"Today we will be practicing battle moves," growled Tigerclaw with a hard look at each apprentice. "We will be working on how you can defend yourself."

"We're going to work on the duck and twist, and back kick." Meowed Lionheart to the apprentices. He beckoned to Mistflower to demonstrate, Mistflower paused suddenly, she then ducked down like she was dodging a blow and twisted around onto her back before springing back into her paws.

"Okay give it a try Graypaw," Lionheart called to his apprentice. Graypaw got to his paws with a concentrated look on his face, then ducked down twisted onto his back and then back onto his paws.

'Good, you need to work on your speed a little not bad for the first try." Lionheart told him, he then looked over at Firepaw, "You give it a try now Firepaw," Firepaw to did his best replicating what he had seen Mistflower do.

"Not too bad, but don't start twisting too soon wait until you've ducked down far enough, you don't want to hurt yourself."

"Sparrowpaw give it a try," called Spottedleaf from her spot in the training hollow. Sparrowpaw got to her paws. She lowered herself down and rolled on, her back them leaped to her paws.

"Sparrowpaw you need to move quicker and you need to duck." Spottedleaf called out to her. 'I thought I did?" she thought to herself. Sparrowpaw repeated what she had done again only a little faster.

"Your still not ducking down," Spottedleaf told her as she moved to her apprentice side, Sparrowpaw looked confusedly at her.

"We'll leave it for now, we still need to get to back kicking," Lionheart seemed to remind Spottedleaf. 'What am I doing wrong?" she thought to herself as she watched their mentors start to next demonstration.

Nightsong was circling Spottedleaf and seemed to be looking for an opening. She suddenly lunged forwarded her claws unsheathed only to take a blow to the sending her skidding a few tail lengths away. As quick as a flash of light, Spottedleaf had spun around on her forepaws and struck backwards with her hind legs. Despite not being happy about not doing the first defensive move right, she had to admit she was pleased to see Nightsong knocked around a bit.

"Okay we are going to put you in pairs, Firepaw you and Graypaw will be a team and Ravenpaw you can be with Sparrowpaw." Sparrowpaw nervously padded over to Ravenpaw, she wasn't sure how well they'd be able to pull off doing the back kick. "We'll be okay." Ravenpaw meowed softly in her ear.

"Ravenpaw I want you to be the attacker," meowed Mistflower to Ravenpaw. Ravenpaw circled around Sparrowpaw the same way Nightsong had circled Spottedleaf as if looking for an opening. Sparrowpaw tensed her muscles and waited, her mind drifted a little away to King. Suddenly she was knocked literally from her thoughts and sent tumbling a few tail lengths from her regular position. 'Mouse-dung' she cursed mentally 'I should have been paying attention.' Thought ruefully, as her mentor charged over to her side.

"Sparrowpaw? Are you alright?" Spottedleaf called to her, as she shook the sand out of her pelt.

"Yes I'm fine." Sparrowpaw answered with another shake. She noticed that everyone was watching her and she felt even more embarrassed. She couldn't believe that she had let her thoughts wander during training. She could see her brother and Graypaw looking worriedly at her, and dug her claws into the ground as she fought to keep the growl out of her voice when she saw the amusement on Nightsong's face.

'Are you sure, you not hurt?" Spottedleaf asked sniffing her apprentice all over looking for any injuries. Sparrowpaw nodded not wanting to say anything else.

"Maybe you should head back to your nest and rest." Spottedleaf told her, silencing her apprentice with her tail to her muzzle, before she could protest. "You've had a long day, I think it would be better if you rested."

"But what about Ravenpaw?" she asked glancing over at her partner, who hadn't taken his eyes off her. His gaze filled with concern.

"He'll be fine, "Spottedleaf told her and nudged her apprentice to her feet. And began leading her out of the training hollow. Sparrowpaw followed after her, upset with herself for not putting all her attention into training.

"I'm sorry Sparrowpaw, I didn't mean to hurt you," Whispered Ravenpaw, Sparrowpaw gently touched her tail to his shoulder.

"You didn't," Sparrowpaw murmured back to him, "I'm fine just a little tired. I'll see you back at camp."

"Wait for it….Wait for it…Now!" with a leap Sparrowpaw exploded out of her hiding place pouncing on the back of a fat quail and quickly snapping it's neck with a quick nip to its spine.

"Great catch! I told you'd get it." She purred happily as she picked up the quail and brought it over.

"Thanks, I've never seen one before." she meowed softly. "I 'm glad you showed me how to catch one."

"No problem." King told her, as he as he sniffed at the quail. "I've been around some quail before and I've caught one or two at my old home." He told her with a twitch of his tail. After training that day, Sparrowpaw had come back to get the squirrel and vole she had left behind the day before. She had been in the middle of digging them up when she had spotted the quail. She thought the bird would make a good meal for several cats but she wasn't sure how to go about catching it. While she was trying to stay out of the birds sight. King had shown up, with two more plump mice and had told her how to get the better of the bird.

"What was your old home like?" she asked curiously, he had spoken many times of the place and wondered what it had been like.

"I use to live on a farm, there were plenty of other animals around. Dogs, pigs, chickens, mice, rats…nearby there was a forest that I would hunt in. I caught a few quail out there. "He purred softly his eyes glazing over as he began to remember. "I fed them to the dogs." She blinked in shock at him.

"You gave your prey to the dogs?" she asked in disbelief "Why?"

"Well, it kept them from chasing me." He shrugged, "They never saw a reason to bother me if I brought them food every once in a while."

"Do you miss being there?" she asked gently,

"A little, I liked going out in the forest from time to time to hunt for fun and racing with the dogs, and fighting rats. But I don't mind the quiet life of a kittypet." She took a closer look at King and realized he wasn't as well kept as she had initially thought him to be. He had a tear in his right ear, an old scar above his left eye and a few old scars on his paws. 'From fighting rats.' She thought to herself.

"So why did you leave your old home?" she asked him, he sighed a little.

"My old twoleg died, one of my twoleg's kits came and took me to stay with them. "He shrugged again, with another sigh. "My new twoleg isn't all that bad. She feeds me well, and lets me go where I please, but I do miss the farm."

"I'm sorry, that must be hard." She meowed sympathetically. 'He must have loved it there.'

"its fine, it's all in the past, don't worry about it." He told her gently, "I really am happy in my new home."

"I've got to get back, to camp," she mewled as noticed that dusk was starting to approach. "They'll be worried."

"Can I see you again tomorrow?" King asked her gently. Sparrowpaw nodded unable to say no to the idea of meeting up with King again. She picked up the vole and tucked it under her chin, along with the two mice, King had brought, and picked the quail up in her jaws. She looked at the squirrel in puzzlement wondering what to do. When King picked it up and draped it across her shoulders. She blinked gratefully at him, then set off for camp

"My you've been busy." Commented Whitestorm as he watched her drop her catches into the fresh-kill pile. It was just after dusk and she'd just gotten back to camp. She hadn't wanted to drop anything so she had taken her time. Ravenpaw emerged from the apprentice den and made his way over to the fresh-kill pile.

"Hey, Sparrowpaw." He meowed tentatively.

"Hello, Ravenpaw, where's Firepaw and Graypaw?" she asked softly

"Sleeping, they had a long day, I'd be joining them if my stomach wasn't rumbling every time I shut my eyes." Sparrowpaw purred in amusement as she watched him look at her pile she added to the fresh-kill pile,

"Did you really catch all of this yourself?" asked Ravenpaw in awe as he glanced over her catch. 'No, not all of it' she thought to herself.

"Yes," she answered, she dipped her head in embarrassment at his impressed look.

"She, trying to feed the whole Clan by herself apparently," Runningwind teased as he walked by the fresh-kill Pile picking up a mouse.

She spotted Spottedleaf coming out of the medicine cat den looking worried.

"There you are, you should have come back before it got dark." meowed Spottedleaf with a stern look, "I wish you'd have told someone where you were, we were just about to start looking for you."

"I'm sorry Spottedleaf, I'll remember next time," she promised.

"Good, and it's good to see your hunting skills aren't lacking." Spottedleaf commented to her.

"Especially after that disaster of a training session yesterday," quipped Nightsong. Sparrowpaw spun around to see Nightsong and Darkstripe sneering at her as they made their way toward the fresh-kill pile. Sparrowpaw fought to keep her claws sheathed and on the floor as the dark duo walked passed.

"Ignore them," Spottedleaf told her with a flick of her tail, "I could tell you a few stories about their mistakes, especially Darkstripe."

"It's okay Spottedleaf, I'll take your word for it,"

"We'll go eat and then you can rest." Spottedleaf told her then headed off to the elders den. 'Probably to check on One-eye.' She thought to herself. She wasn't all that hungry so she instead decided to head for her nest.