Chapter 9

Mistyfoot could still hear the pounding of the waterfall in the mountains when she woke, eyes bleary and head foggy from sleep. Along with her usual deputy duties, her days had been filled with thorough fox trap patrols across the forest, keeping her eyes and nose open for trespassers and tunnels while she worked. Her nights were full of training sessions with Bluestar, almost always followed by reliving the horror of Stormfur's death again and again until she woke with the sound of water in her ears and his last words in her mind.

In the days since the Gathering, she had added herself to almost every ShadowClan border patrol, hoping to catch a glimpse of her brother or Rowanclaw - something was happening in their territory, and she couldn't shake the feeling that the ShadowClan cats were being unusually evasive about Orre's death. So far, the only whiff of her brother had come from the border markings.

It left her barely any time to relax, with her worried thoughts consuming her mind. The fact that she hadn't scented the trespasser or found any more tunnels wasn't the relief it ought to be, either - what if she was missing something important? And then there were the fox traps - so far, they hadn't been replaced, but what if they were, and she missed one? What if ShadowClan was in danger of being wiped out, and she would never see her brother again, or, worse, what if they were planning to attack ThunderClan? As deputy, it was her job to defend her Clan, to be strong and sure, and-

"Mistyfoot, where did that scratch come from?"

Whitewing's concerned mew slashed through Mistyfoot's spiraling thoughts. The young white warrior had paused mid-step on her way out of the den to stare at Mistyfoot's flank with wide eyes.

Mistyfoot uncurled to examine herself and sighed. There was a long scratch across her flank, which was bleeding sluggishly. It looked worse than it was, having turned the fur around it almost black in the night. She barely felt it beyond a sting when she flexed her leg.

She realized that Whitewing was still waiting for an answer. "I must have gotten it caught on a bramble while out in the forest," Mistyfoot mumbled.

"Well, it doesn't look deep," Whitewing mewed back, "but you should have Brackenfur look at it, just in case."

"I will," Mistyfoot promised. She nodded to the young she-cat and meowed, "Thanks, Whitewing. Could you go and ask Graystripe to arrange some patrols for the morning, just in case I'm not in the clearing on time? If he's gone out already, Mousefur can do it."

Whitewing lifted her tail in understanding, slipping out of the den and leaving Mistyfoot to herself.

Mistyfoot cursed inwardly as she stood, feeling the scratch flex as she stretched. With how much undergrowth she had been foraging in the past few days, a bramble thorn was just as likely to be responsible for the injury as her mother was, and Mistyfoot wasn't certain which had been the actual cause.

Doesn't matter, I guess, she told herself. She twisted about to give the scratch a few quick licks. Just need to make sure it doesn't get infected. There's too much to do.

Mistyfoot pulled herself out of the warrior's den, letting the new leaves draw across her back and spill morning dew along her spine. She breathed in the fresh air, taking a second to look about camp.

She spotted Whitewing talking to Mousefur near the fallen tree, which meant that Graystripe had already gone out to hunt, perhaps with Silverstream or Tinystar or both. Mousefur looked past Whitewing, acknowledging Mistyfoot with a nod that was returned. Longtail was with them, with half a rabbit between his paws. Mistyfoot guessed that he and Mousefur had been sharing.

Brightheart, Swiftfoot, and Cloudtail were sharing some mice a few fox-lengths from Mistyfoot, huddled up in one big pile and grooming one another between mouthfuls. Their conversation was silent, the low hum of purring in their throats as they cared for one another.

Cinderpelt and Dustpelt were by the barrier, joined by Ferncloud. It seemed like they were testing it, using their paws to shake it now and then to ensure the repairs were sturdy. It seemed like Dustpelt had done a good job - the entire camp looked like new, and so soon after WindClan had destroyed it. Mistyfoot reminded herself to thank him for his hard work later.

Over in the nursery grotto, Rainwhisker, Nightfrost, and Sun were playing with Daisy's kits, their games taking them in and out of Mistyfoot's view as they rolled or pounced behind the fallen tree. It seemed like Hazel and Goose were getting more sure of themselves.

If they stay, they'll need mentors. Berry, too, Mistyfoot thought. I wonder who would be best for them? The idea of training one of them herself had certainly crossed her mind on more than one occasion since they'd arrived.

She saw Ashfur last. The gray warrior was with Larchpaw and Snowstep by the apprentice's den, where they seemed to be in a deep discussion in pawspeak, which Mistyfoot couldn't make out from so far off. Whatever they were talking about didn't seem very serious from their body language.

Mistyfoot exhaled. The camp was quiet, and everyone seemed untroubled. It was in stark contrast to outside the stone hollow where the world was uncertain, full of fox traps, tunnels, mysteries, and enemy warriors looking for any excuse to attack.

Stop it! he told herself, giving her head a little shake. You've got to stop it before you can't think at all!

She schooled her breathing as she walked around the warrior's den, heading for the medicine cat's cave. It was there by the entrance where she found herself face to face with not just Daisy but Berry, too - the young tom looked hale and healthy, if a little thinner than his littermates, but the bald stump of his tail was stuck up, displayed proudly, and not covered in herbs and cobwebs.

"Oh!" Mistyfoot halted, pricking her ears. "You've healed, then?"

Berry nodded enthusiastically. "Brackenfur said I can finally go to the nursery!"

Mistyfoot couldn't imagine what it was like for the young tom to be cooped up with the medicine cats while his littermates were playing and learning about Clan life just across the camp. It must have been maddening.

"Only if you don't roughhouse!" Daisy added, twitching her whiskers. "Remember, he said that the wound could still reopen in the next few days..."

"I'll be fine!" Berry insisted, lifting his chin. "I feel like a warrior!"

Daisy shifted on her paws. "Yes, well," she mumbled with obvious discomfort, "let's go and make you a nest in the nursery..."

Mistyfoot stepped aside and let them pass, feeling a tinge of sympathy for Daisy. Berry must've heard no end of tales in the medicine cat cave, and now he could finally experience them for himself. Perhaps she had been hoping to keep at least one of her kits on her side regarding whether they should stay or go.

Now that Berry is healed, Tinystar will want to have that talk with her, Mistyfoot thought, watching the two cream-colored cats cross the camp. Daisy kept her tail wound around Berry as if trying to lead him herself or protect him in its plumage. Mistyfoot winced. That's going to be fun.

Leaving them to it, Mistyfoot headed into the medicine cat's cave, ducking beneath the lichen, which was beginning to reach out with spindly fingers to whatever it could grasp. The cave was cool, and Mistyfoot caught Brackenfur as he was dragging Berry's old nest out from its spot.

He was shuffling stiffly, but at least he was out of his nest and seemed to be trying to use his leg. Upon spotting her, Brackenfur dropped the old tangle of moss and bracken and greeted her with a twitch of his whiskers.

"Do you need help?" Mistyfoot wondered, nodding to the nest.

Brackenfur shook his head. Mistyfoot didn't dare press - she didn't want to prick the old medicine cat's pride. The golden brown tom looked her over. "What seems to be the matter?" Brackenfur asked. "Allergies again?"

Mistyfoot shook her head, then turned to show him the scratch on her flank. Thankfully, Daisy hadn't seen it. Brackenfur scrutinized the wound with narrowed eyes before hopping over the messy nest to sniff it.

"I must've gotten caught on a bramble at some point," Mistyfoot explained, holding still for him.

"A bramble did this?" Brackenfur asked, lifting up his muzzle. "Are you sure?"

Mistyfoot hesitated. If a bramble didn't do it, then that meant it was Bluestar - which meant that a bramble needed to have done it. So she lied, "Yeah, a bramble. There are, uh, a lot of nastier ones growing over near ShadowClan." That, at least, wasn't a lie.

Brackenfur parted the fur with a paw. "Well, you're lucky it's not deep," he said, his tone airy. "It's already mostly scabbed over. I'll just give you a little oak leaf to chew - it's not terribly pleasant, but it's better than running about with a poultice on your belly."

He limped about the den, ducking into a crevice in the cave wall and emerging with a large, dried-up oak leaf. He handed it to her before heading to the back of the cave, reaching for a pile of moss and soaking it in the pool of water gathered there.

While he did that, Mistyfoot took a bite of the leaf - it was dry and crackly and felt strange on her tongue, but she didn't taste too much of it as it dissolved quickly. It was an odd texture, almost grainy, but she had eaten far worse and left none of it behind.

Brackenfur made an impressed noise when he waddled up to her with a soaked moss ball. He began dabbing at her flank, the cold water sending a shiver up Mistyfoot's spine as he cleaned off the blood from her fur.

Teeth chattering, Mistyfoot asked, "W-Where's Shadepool?" The cave seemed cavernous and empty without the young tortoiseshell.

"In the nursery," Brackenfur responded. "Sorreltail mentioned feeling some pain this morning, so I asked Shadepool to keep a close eye on her today."

"The kits are coming soon, then?" Mistyfoot guessed. She tried to tally the moons in her head but found that she couldn't decide whether they would be too early or too late.

Brackenfur set the moss ball aside. "It's possible, yes," he answered. "Sorreltail has had a rough time since the battle and losing Sootfur. Having Shadepool near will make her feel better." He gave Mistyfoot a meaningful glance. "Rainwhisker and Sun, too."

"I'll keep them both in camp until she kits," Mistyfoot promised. It wouldn't be too hard to manage and would give her more excuses to investigate ShadowClan's border. "Is there anything you need?"

"I think we've cleaned the forest out of birthing herbs and berries," Brackenfur admitted with a sigh. "In the end, it's up to the will of StarClan."

Mistyfoot wasn't sure she would be entirely comforted by that if she were in Sorreltail's position - in a sort of pain that's hard to treat or process, one that's both physical and emotional, one that could end up very, very badly... Mistyfoot had a feeling she'd rather have StarClan right beside her than up in the sky, watching.

She offered, "I'm sure you and Shadepool can handle it."

Brackenfur only grunted, hooking the soiled moss ball in his claw and tossing it into the remains of Berry's nest.

Mistyfoot frowned. Longtail had mentioned something was different between Brackenfur and Shadepool, but now she was certain he was right - something had changed. There was an oddness in the way Brackenfur spoke about his apprentice; it was as if he were disappointed even when his words indicated he was proud.

I wonder what caused that, she thought worriedly. She had thought that the two of them were finally mending things. Maybe Nightfrost knows? She hid a grimace. Or maybe I shouldn't stick my nose into this one.

"Was there anything else?" Brackenfur wondered. He waved his tail at her. "If not, you can go. I need to clean up here."

Mistyfoot, thoroughly dismissed, dipped her head and left the cave. Somehow, her head spun more than when she had woken up, and it wasn't even sunhigh yet. How was she supposed to make it through the day when she felt so exhausted already? Her stomach growled - at least that was something she could handle.

She saw Nightfrost in the clearing and wondered if he had eaten yet. The small black tom was with Daisy and Rainwhisker beside the fallen tree. From the looks on their faces, Mistyfoot guessed she might not get her breakfast anytime soon.

"I need to stay and watch my kits!" Daisy was insisting as Mistyfoot padded closer. "Brackenfur said that Berry might reopen the wound on his tail!"

"He'll be fine," Nightfrost told her, flicking his tail soothingly. "Rainwhisker and Sun will be keeping an eye on all of them, and Shadepool will be right inside the nursery!"

"Yeah," Rainwhisker agreed, nodding at Daisy. His gaze was soft, imploring her. "You should go out and get some fresh air, Daisy. You've been cooped up in camp for days."

Daisy's eyes went helplessly wide. "But what if I step into a fox trap or get lost?"

"I'll be with you," Nightfrost insisted. He waved his tail. "I'm your mentor; helping you is my job!"

Mistyfoot had no idea how Nightfrost was being so patient with the barn cat. Though she couldn't help but admire him for that, her stomach still turned on itself oddly when the feeling crept in between her shoulders.

Nightfrost had caught sight of her then. He gestured to her with a paw and mewed, "Mistyfoot will come with us; how about that?" He glanced at Mistyfoot and mewed, "That's okay, right?"

Mistyfoot struggled to find a reason why it wasn't - she didn't have any patrols to arrange until sunhigh at least, and even if they weren't back by then, Mousefur or another senior warrior could handle it. Even if she didn't want to be out in the forest with Daisy, maybe something like this was what she needed to take her mind off her worries - she was certain that would be what Nightfrost would say, anyway.

"I can go," Mistyfoot agreed, drawing close.

"See?" Nightfrost grinned at Daisy. "Now, even if you get caught in a trap, we've got the cat who's best at disarming them to get you out - we can even do some training, too!"

"T-Training?" Daisy stammered.

"Yeah, training," Nightfrost repeated. His eyes shone infectiously. "Come on! You'll have a great time."

Rainwhisker twitched his whiskers. "You certainly will," he promised. "You'll be in good paws, Daisy, and so will the kits. If anything happens, I'll find you right away, I promise."

Daisy stared between them all. She looked like a bit of cornered prey, with her tail rattling and ears flat to her skull. Mistyfoot was ready for her to spit more excuses. Finally, though, she gave it up, deflating with a giant exhale and a "Fine..."

Nightfrost was beaming. He got to his paws and curled his tail happily, winding it around Daisy's shoulders as he urged her to her feet. "It'll be fine," he told her. "We'll take it slow - nice and easy..."

As they padded past, Mistyfoot locked eyes with Rainwhisker. The gray tom's whiskers twitched skeptically, and Mistyfoot couldn't help but agree - this might be a distraction for the Horseplace queen, but Mistyfoot couldn't imagine a world where training Daisy would be described as nice or easy.

The training glade wasn't far from ThunderClan camp, but it seemed like Daisy was determined to take the path as slow as a slug. Mistyfoot had to tell herself to be patient with the barn queen - she had likely grown up in the Horseplace and had never seen the depths of a real forest before.

She didn't even try putting on a brave face, either. Daisy jumped at every stray noise, from the innocent crackle of a leaf to the cry of a bird high in the treetops. Her gait was stiff, her spine was bristling, and she kept looking up as if expecting the trees to come down on her at any moment.

Most kittypets are braver than this! Mistyfoot thought blithely. She glanced at Nightfrost, who walked beside Daisy with a spring in his step. Perhaps it was good that Daisy had been given to him instead of her. You've got your work cut out for you, Night.

A bush rustled. Daisy yelped, her fur fluffed and claws extended as she scrambled backward. "What was that?" She demanded, eyes looking around wildly. "A fox?"

Mistyfoot glanced at the bush, sniffing the air. "It was just a squirrel," she reported. "Probably looking for seeds."

Daisy swallowed, lowering her spine. "A-Are you sure?" she asked.

"Can't you smell it?" Nightfrost asked, his tone genuine. He flicked his tail over her shoulder. "A fox smells way worse, trust me."

Daisy flattened her ears again, her pretty blue eyes avoidant. "The forest is just so cluttered with scents," she fretted. "At the barn, it was just hay or mice or horses."

"That makes sense." Mistyfoot assured, "It's okay, you'll get used to it."

Daisy lowered her tail, still looking worried and uncomfortable. Mistyfoot glanced at Nightfrost. The small black tom had a determined expression on his face - Mistyfoot knew he wouldn't let himself be deterred. She just hoped that Daisy would let herself learn what he had to teach.

Nightfrost brushed against Daisy's flank and meowed, "Come on, we're almost there."

They finally arrived at the training glade, the round, sandy clearing lit by pale sunlight. Mistyfoot quickly glanced at the area - there had been a fox trap here on their initial investigative patrol, but it seemed like it hadn't been replaced since. Perhaps the Twoleg who set them figured foxes didn't frequent this part of the forest.

She felt relieved. That makes one less spot to keep an eye on all the time, and this place is too good for training to worry about fox traps.

Daisy stepped hesitantly into the glade, looking around. Her eyes passed over the flat ground and strange pile of stones, her tail-tip trembling. "What now?" she asked, looking back at Nightfrost.

"Let's start with some basics," Nightfrost decided. He padded past Daisy, turning about to face her from around a tail-length away. "Did you have to do any fighting at the barn?"

Daisy shook her head. "No."

"None at all?" Nightfrost wondered, tilting his head curiously. "No hostile cats ever came by? Or even foxes or badgers?"

Daisy grimaced. "We didn't get many visiting cats before y'all came around, and those who came were kind. The housefolk's dogs handled the dangerous stuff," she admitted. "We barn cats just tended to the mice."

Mistyfoot's ears pricked. "Dogs?!"

Daisy nodded, her gaze sparkling fondly. "Oh, they were big, sweet things! They roam the land and protect the horses and chickens, and they just love a cuddle. But when they got angry..." She shivered down her spine. "They could scare off just about anything!"

Mistyfoot shivered. She's braver than I thought, living with dogs like that - and cuddling with them too! She couldn't imagine a dog seeing a cat and not wanting to rip it to shreds.

"Okay, then," Nightfrost mewed. "Then we'll start with the really basic stuff."

Mistyfoot got out of their way, settling down on one of the rocks to watch, tucking her paws beneath her. Nightfrost circled Daisy, sizing her up - she was twice his size, not even counting the mountain of fluff that was her pelt, so Mistyfoot guessed he was making some adjustments to accommodate the difference between them.

Daisy watched him, confused, until Nightfrost suddenly struck out with a paw, striking at her side. She yelped, crying, "What was that for?!"

Nightfrost urged, "How would you respond?"

"I-I don't know?" she whimpered. She looked so wounded with her shimmering eyes. "That's so mean, hitting me like that!"

Mistyfoot sighed. "You need to defend yourself, Daisy," she meowed, telling herself to be patient. "Don't worry. Nightfrost might not look like he can take a hit, but I assure you, he can."

"But I don't want to hit him!" Daisy insisted, whipping around to look at Mistyfoot.

"Okay," Nightfrost meowed, crouching. "But I want to hit you - what are you going to do about that?"

Daisy's ears went flat, and she mewed to him, "Ask you not to?"

"An enemy warrior isn't going to wait for you to give them permission," Nightfrost told her. "In battle, they'll fight to win whether you like it or not."

He pounced. Daisy was woefully unprepared - Mistyfoot watched the large she-cat crumple beneath a cat half her size, falling to the ground with a pitiful wail. Nightfrost pinned her momentarily, waiting for her to do something - anything - but she just lay there in the dust, looking miserable beneath Nightfrost's tiny paws.

Oh, no. Mistyfoot's heart sank. She glanced at Nightfrost. What would he do if Daisy didn't even have the will to fight back in what was barely a training bout? Daisy's own kits were rougher than this with one another, and they had only learned the hunter's crouch half a moon ago!

"Come on, Daisy!" Nightfrost insisted. He pushed on her a little. "What if your kits were in danger? What would you do then, just ask an enemy to stop hurting them?"

Daisy's eyes went impossibly wide as she whimpered, "Who would hurt kits?!"

"A lot of creatures and cats alike wouldn't hesitate to hurt kits," Mistyfoot meowed seriously. She sat up, looking down at the cream-colored queen. "If you're going live out here, in the wild, that's something you need to understand."

Nightfrost let her up. Daisy got to her paws, one side of her pelt spiked with dust. She gave her head a vigorous shake. "Well, wouldn't you lot protect me?" she wondered, drawing a shaky paw over her ear.

"If you chose to stay with us, yes, we would," Nightfrost meowed seriously, "but Daisy, a Clan's protection is earned, not given freely." He gestured with his tail to Mistyfoot. "A warrior works hard and contributes to their Clan's protection alongside their Clanmates - that's what being part of a Clan is."

"That's why we train," Mistyfoot meowed. She raised her chin, hoping to get through to her. "That's why we hunt. Why we fight. Every cat has something to offer, and they offer it knowing that every cat is working just as hard as their Clanmate. No matter which Clan you're in, that's how it works."

Daisy's gaze darkened. "It seems so cruel," she admitted, "living this way." She shuddered and mumbled, "Smokey was right. I can't do this."

Mistyfoot frowned, glancing at Nightfrost. Had Daisy's mate sabotaged her chances from the start? I'd like him to meet Tinystar, or Ravenpaw, for that matter!

"That's because you haven't tried," Nightfrost told her, taking a step towards her. His voice was so sweet and earnest: "Daisy, even if you don't stay with us, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you because I couldn't find a way to help. So please - let me try!"

Mistyfoot glanced at Daisy, wondering how she would respond. The cream-colored queen didn't say anything for a long moment, her face a measure of concentration and thought. Mistyfoot wondered if she would throw Nightfrost's offer back in his face, and her claws flexed worriedly.

If she can't let herself try, Mistyfoot thought, then everyone who doubts her is proven right. I hope that's not what she wants! It certainly wasn't what Mistyfoot wanted.

Finally, Daisy mumbled, "Okay."

Mistyfoot let herself sigh with just a little relief. It's a start, at least.

Nightfrost beamed. "Good!" he purred. He wound his tail around her shoulders and said, "We don't have to focus on battle training right now. How about hunting? Have you done any of that?"

"A little..." Daisy admitted hesitantly. "Mainly mice in the barn."

"Then let's go do some hunting," Nightfrost decided. He nudged Daisy to her paws. "It's going to be different than in the barn, I'll warn you - but we can start by teaching you how to find prey trails in the undergrowth, and what scents belong to what animal."

"That sounds like a lot!" Daisy breathed. She looked about to complain until she took a deep breath, bracing herself. "Okay, then."

"Go and wait for me by that beech tree right there," Nightfrost meowed. He gestured to the tree with his tail. "I'll be there in a moment."

Daisy nodded and trotted off, sitting amongst the beech tree's roots to groom her pelt. Mistyfoot tipped her head - why send her off alone when she was so reluctant? When she heard Nightfrost sigh beside her, though, she had her answer.

"Do you think I can do this?" he wondered.

Mistyfoot hesitated a moment. Nightfrost looked up at her with his pale eyes full of worry and a desire to know the truth from someone he cared about. Mistyfoot's tail twitched. She didn't dare lie to him:

"It's going to be a long journey to make her into a warrior, Nightfrost," she told him quietly. "It won't be easy."

Nightfrost took a deep breath, nodding. He exhaled, "I thought it would be a challenge, but I didn't think she wouldn't respond to even basic battle training. Rainwhisker was right - she's not like a Clan cat at all."

"Rainwhisker?" Mistyfoot wondered. Did she need to worry about his opinions of Daisy now, too? Perhaps she ought to - he'd been spending a lot of time with Daisy's kits lately.

"Yeah," Nightfrost mewed, "he's got a huge crush on her." He sighed wistfully. "He wants her and the kits to stay pretty badly."

Mistyfoot's ears pricked, and she couldn't help but glance at Daisy again in surprise. The pale she-cat was washing the base of her tail in the shade of the beech tree. When Mistyfoot looked back at Nightfrost, she saw from his expression that he was being serious.

"Rainwhisker? Really?" Mistyfoot couldn't help it. "When? How?" How did I miss that? Have I really just been too busy to notice? That was probably true. "Does she...?"

Nightfrost shrugged. "I don't know," he meowed. "That's between them." He shifted on his paws. "I don't want to force her to do anything. I just want to give her the tools to survive."

Mistyfoot sighed and gave his ear a lick. "Whatever you choose to do, I'm there for you, Night," she said softly. "No matter how long it takes." Rainwhisker would have to sort himself out on his own.

Nightfrost's eyes shone with warm, unabashed affection. He reached up to rub his nose against her cheek in thanks. Mistyfoot breathed in his gentle scent, her ears touched by the hum of his purr.

Warmth spread in her chest, but only for a moment - Nightfrost's scent quickly turned to rain and stone in her nose, and the sound of his purr was the thunder of a storm. Deep in her ear fur, she heard Stormfur's last, rattling breath. Mistyfoot's chest went cold, tightening up.

Nightfrost felt her stiffen. "Are you okay?" he wondered. His gaze searched her imploringly. "You've been so busy - do you want to go back to camp and rest? I can probably do this on my own. There aren't any traps around here."

Mistyfoot shook her head. "No! I'm fine!" she insisted, waving her tail. The last thing she wanted to do was go back to sleep. She got to her paws and meowed, perhaps a bit too loudly and briskly, "Come on, let's go hunting! We promised Rainwhisker we'd look after Daisy, remember?"

Nightfrost only blinked at her. "Okay," he said, his tone subdued. "If you say so."

Guilt clawed at Mistyfoot's belly as he passed her. She longed to tell him but knew it would just break his heart, knowing that Stormfur still haunted her after all this time. More than anything, she didn't want to hurt him that way, even if it felt like her insides were being torn apart.

"And how did the kittypet do while hunting?" Bluestar wondered.

Mistyfoot dodged the claws her mother launched at her cheek in the same breath as her words, wondering how she could so casually carry on a conversation while fighting when Mistyfoot was busy ducking blows that rained down on her like the storm in her nightmares.

"Fine, really," Mistyfoot answered, panting as she attempted to collect herself. "She still has a lot to learn, though."

It was true that Daisy had experience hunting, but that was in a barn, where there was little distraction when tracking down mice or voles. Daisy had spent a very long time learning prey-scents and how to distinguish them from the myriad of forest smells, not to mention how to keep her pawsteps silent.

Nightfrost had been patient, though, by the end, Mistyfoot sensed he was exhausted. ThunderClan kittens had already learned these things by the time they were weaned, and Daisy was a full-grown cat who seemed very set in her ways.

Still, she had managed to catch a mouse - that single bit of fresh-kill was perhaps embarrassing for an apprentice's first outing, but when Daisy's kits saw that she had made her first kill, they were ecstatic regardless, all three of them crowding around her and nearly suffocating their mother with praise and begging to share. That took some of the sting out of the day's frustrations.

Mistyfoot was rewarded for her reflection with a sharp blow to her side that sent her tumbling to the uncomfortably soft earth. She pushed herself up, only to duck back down and dodge another swipe aimed at her ears.

"Let her mentor do the teaching," Bluestar meowed, drawing her paw back. Her shoulders hunched, her eyes gleaming in the dark. "You are deputy of ThunderClan, dear daughter. Every moment is valuable, and until you have an apprentice of your own, you shouldn't be wasting your time on a cat less skilled than a kitten."

Mistyfoot's pelt flashed with frustration. "I told Nightfrost I would help him," she hissed. "I won't go back on that."

"Training that kittypet will be like pulling up a boulder from the ground." Bluestar paced around Mistyfoot, her belly low like a snake and primed to strike. "She will never be a warrior so long as she insists she doesn't have claws."

Mistyfoot growled in her throat and leaped, aiming to strike her mother in her smug face. Bluestar darted forward, quick as a flash, rounding on Mistyfoot and striking her hindquarters when her daughter landed on all fours. Mistyfoot hissed, feeling the sting of her mother's claws.

"Honestly, if Daisy doesn't want to hurt anyone, good for her," Mistyfoot breathed between clenched teeth. She glared at her mother, who had drawn herself up to look tall and intimidating. "The Clans could use more cats who would rather talk than fight."

Bluestar scoffed. "The kittypet's ideals are naïve and unrealistic. If she cannot defend herself, how will she survive on her own? Will she rely on her children? She's quite entitled if she thinks that ThunderClan should waste their time with them if they're not going to stay."

Mistyfoot frowned, furious that her mother was right. Daisy had to make her choice. Mistyfoot dug her claws into the earth, glaring at Bluestar. I want to help her make the right one however I can.

"But, let's refocus," Bluestar meowed. "Come, get up. You've got a lot of work to do-"

Suddenly, Bluestar's ears pricked. Her expression changed, and her gaze sharpened as she lifted her muzzle. Mistyfoot watched her mother's eyes search the gray, lifeless forest around them. The fur between Mistyfoot's shoulders rose, and an ominous feeling prickled her pelt. A quick sweep of their surroundings showed her nothing.

"What's going on?" Mistyfoot asked with a hiss, slowly standing up.

"Something is happening," Bluestar answered. She lowered her muzzle, her blue eyes intense. "Wake up."

"Wake up."

"Wake up!"

"Mistyfoot, wake up!"

Mistyfoot opened her eyes with a start and a gasp, her entire body tense and alert and her heart hammering in her chest. Her claws flexed, digging into her nest. She had never been pushed out of her dreams so quickly and suddenly, and it felt like being kicked hard in the belly.

Breathless, she looked up, only seeing Nightfrost by the light of his pale eyes. Dawn hadn't yet broken, and the black tom was nearly invisible but for the rim of gray light around his ears. Mistyfoot was suddenly aware from the chill in her fur that she was alone in the warrior's den.

Before she could ask what was happening, a thin wail rose from across the clearing. It started low, then grew in strength until it became a full-on scream that rattled Mistyfoot's ribcage.

Mistyfoot shot to her paws, scattering her nest across the den. "What's happening?" she demanded, blood roaring in her ears.

Nightfrost swallowed, his eyes wide to their whites. "Sorreltail is having her kits!"