Reedpaw winced at the pain in his shoulders as Scarletpaw applied a poultice to his latest injuries. A thin cut on his shoulder was the telltale sign that he had gotten himself in another scrap with Willowpaw. Days like today made him wish he could shut her up and keep it that way. All she ever did was mock and ridicule him. She along with his three sisters acted as if he was nothing, like he never belonged in RiverClan."You've got to start standing up for yourself," Scarletpaw muttered crossly. "Why do you let them get to you?""I don't," he grumbled, picturing Willowpaw's smug face as Hollypaw held him down while Larchpaw jumped in. He hardly had enough time to react when they pinned him down. "They're bullies and don't deserve to become warriors."Scarletpaw just shook her head in annoyance before returning to her den. Once she was gone, Reedpaw's shoulders sagged in exhaustion. If his mentor wasn't so busy formulating patrols with the deputy, this wouldn't have happened. Reedpaw

Where's mother? Where's Dusk and Luna?Panic flashed through Smoke as she realized her mother hadn't returned for her.She wasn't expecting to wake up alone. When she had, she found herself back in that same den she had woken up in a few days ago. Back when that strange cat was telling her off. Smoke was still fuming over the fact that he didn't think she was worth much. He'd called her a worthless waste of herbs, and worse names. To make matters even worse, the wounds she had received earlier weren't recovering like she was hoping.Smoke had never felt more alone than now. She longed to feel the warmth of her mother's tongue as she washed her kits. She longed to hear the voices of Luna and Dusk as they argued. Being stuck in this den was boring."Would you quit squirming?" grunted the black she-cat from earlier. "I can't get these cobwebs removed if you keep that up." Smoke only narrowed her eyes once the she-cat let out a sigh of satisfaction before backing away. "You're wounds aren

"Okay, now let's see how much your fishing skills have paid off," Minnowstar meowed after they had stopped by a creek.Reedpaw studied the creek carefully. Today was to be his final assessment. By the end of today, he would finally become a warrior. But that was only if he could actually pass the final test Minnowstar had in mind.On top of it, Reedpaw had finally stood up against his sisters. Willowpaw, Hollypaw and Larchpaw were more than surprised when he had finally stood up to them. Willowpaw especially had felt his wrath and now knew what it was like to be on the receiving end.Redkit, Dawnkit and Firekit had also become apprentices over the last couple of days. Ashfang was now Redpaw's mentor, Eagleclaw was Firepaw's mentor, and last but certainly not least, Dawnpaw was Pebblepelt's apprentice. The Clan was thriving now as Foampelt had moved into the nursery, expecting Mintwhisker's kits.Now, Reedpaw was busy crouching over the creek to make sure his shadow wasn't showing. One

He felt a sense of pride surge through him as he returned to camp with a bundle of prey in his jaws. Earlier this morning, Hawktalon had sent him out hunting to find prey along with Feathermist and Shademask. Even Shademask, who was normally grumpy and annoyed with just about everything, was impressed with his catch. Feathermist had returned with a large squirrel while Shademask brought back a blackbird.Flamestrike couldn't remember a better time for being a warrior. Greenleaf was in full swing. Prey was plentiful, and the Clans were at peace as far as he knew.With a sigh of satisfaction, Flamestrike dropped his catch on the fresh-kill pile and started washing himself. Thorns snared on his pelt from when he'd chased a mouse into a bush. At least he was able to catch it with ease."You've done well," Oakfire purred as he and Roseclaw approached Flamestrike. He noticed with a start that Lilypool and Shrewfang were sharing tongues as well instead of tussling like they usually did. "I

"The Clan was able to hold them off, for now."Smokepaw listened to the story with keen interest.Just a few days ago there had been a terrible battle between ShadowClan and another Clan known as WindClan. Russetstar had taken an apprentice from WindClan hostage, but that had ended in miserable failure. In the end, ShadowClan was able to hold it's own in battle.Her new mentor, Briarheart, was listening to the whole story as well. She had been busy showing Smokepaw around the territory at the time. From the Twoleg house to the marshy area where they caught frogs and lizards. Smokepaw hadn't realized just how big their territory was."Alright, we should start with some basic training," Briarheart meowed after leading Smokepaw away from camp. They were now in a training area where the clearing had been trimmed of trees. The ground underpaw was spongy and covered in dry moss. Smokepaw almost felt like a kit again as she kept pressing her paw against the springy moss, until Briarheart alm