Dawnpaw crept quietly out of the apprentices' den, guided by the shafts of moonlight illuminating the den. She stepped carefully around Ashpaw, Poppypaw, Rainpaw, Stormpaw, and Heatherpaw. Her heart panged with guilt as she walked past her sleeping sister. She would never approve of what Dawnpaw was doing.

Crouching in the shadows, Dawnpaw looked around the empty camp. Silverstripe was on watch, her black and silver coat glinting in the moonlight. Dawnpaw stalked along in the darkness, slipping out the dirtplace tunnel. She wrinkled her nose against the smell. Streaking away into the forest, she headed towards the Shadowclan border, careful to stay quiet.

It was her third time meeting Starpaw since he had left Thunderclan to rejoin Shadowclan; they had met every time they could, which wasn't often. Dawnpaw was often too tired to go all the way to Shadowclan and back before sunrise. Starpaw was busy catching up on his training. It had been half a moon since they had met, and Dawnpaw's heart was pounding anxiously as she headed towards their meeting place.

Starpaw was waiting, his tail flicking nervously. His eyes lit up as they met hers, and he bounded forward to meet her.

"I was worried you weren't coming," He mewed. "I missed you."

Dawnpaw purred. "I missed you too," She replied, rubbing her cheek against his face.

She sat down, wrapping her tail around his. "We don't get to see each other enough," She murmured, pressing herself closer to him.

He nodded in agreement. "I should've stayed in Thunderclan," was his quiet response.

Dawnpaw looked at him. "You had to go back to your clan," She meowed firmly. "They needed you. And you missed your family, didn't you?"

"I missed my sister," He admitted. "More than I thought I could."

"How is Halfpaw?" She asked, and Starpaw pricked his ears happily.

"She's Halfmoon now," He mewed proudly. "I'll be getting my warrior name soon."

Dawnpaw purred. Glancing at the sky, she saw the stars beginning to disappear. "I have to go," She mewed regretfully, pressing herself closer to Starpaw for one more moment before leaping away into the forest. "I'll see you tomorrow!" She called back. Starpaw turned away, heading back into the pines.

Dawnpaw yawned widely as Hightail demonstrated a battle move, closing her eyes. She was just beginning to drift into sleep when Hightail's voice cut through.

"Dawnpaw!" He yowled. "Pay attention!"

Dawnpaw snapped her head up, watching as Hightail moved into a battle crouch. He started to say instructions, but Dawnpaw was already drifting back into sleep.

The ground pulled at her paws as she walked uneasily through the starless forest, her ears alert. She stopped in her pawsteps as a rotting smell drifted around her, and she turned to find Nightfire waiting.

"Long time no see," The she-cat mewed, absentmindedly drawing a paw over her ear.

Dawnpaw scuffed her paws uneasily. Nightfire's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You haven't been sleeping," She continued, "Why is that?" Her cold yellow gaze bored into Dawnpaw, and she shivered.

Nightfire swept her tail over her paws, amusement bubbling in her purr. "I see," Her poisonous mew was low and dangerous. "You've been sneaking away." Her meow was full of accusation.

"Have you been avoiding me?" She hissed, thrusting her muzzle close to Dawnpaw's face. "And here I thought we were friends." She paced circles around the orange apprentice, her tail brushing Dawnpaw's fur occasionally.

"Speaking of friends," Nightfire continued, "I brought you a new one." She sat down, lifting her muzzle as a new cat slunk out from behind one of the shadowy trees.

"This is Darkspirit," Nightfire introduced the new cat, "He'll be here with me most of the time."

Darkspirit nodded hello, his eyes as cold as Nightfire's. Jis pelt was slick with muscle, shiny and well-groomed.

"You'll meet lots of new friends while you're here with us," Nightfire continued, her tail flicking back and forth rhythmically. "That is, assuming you stay."

Dawnpaw swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat. These cats couldn;t mean anything good, but Dawnpaw couldn't imagine what they would do to her if she refused their offer.

"I'll stay," She mewed warily.

Nightfire purred with delight. "Perfect!" She mewed, her sharp teeth glinting as she bared them. "But that means no more sneaking out at night."

Dawnpaw felt her heart stop for a moment. These cats were going to force her to stay away from Starpaw! She winced as she realized the meaning of Nightfire's words.

Darkspirit walked in a slow circle around Dawnpaw. "You look strong for an apprentice," He noted, his mew low and gravelly. "You'll be getting your warrior name soon, I hope."

Dawnpaw nodded slowly. "I think so," She answered the new cat, her claws flexing with unease.

"Good, good," He murmured. "We'll help you along, I think."

Nightfire nodded. "Oh, yes," She mewed. "We'll help you plenty." She blinked, looking behind Dawnpaw.

"Time for you to go home," She said silkily. "We'll see you tonight, Dawnpaw."

Dawnpaw held her breath as the ground began to pull at her paws, sucking her in until the world was black. Then she gasped as her eyes popped open, sunlight blinding her. She was still in the training hollow, but Hightail was gone. The smell of fresh prey filled her nose, and she turned to see Hightail padding towards her with two voles and a mouse in his jaws.

"You're awake," He mewed after setting down his prey.

Dawnpaw nodded, looking down at her paws. "I'm sorry I fell asleep," She muttered. "I just haven't really been able to sleep at night." She burned with guilt as she lied, not meeting his gaze.

Her mentor didn't say anything, just picked up his catch and headed back to camp. "Go see if the elders have any ticks," He called to her when they reached the camp.

Dawnpaw nodded, springing off towards the elders den. The honeysuckle that draped over the entrance brushed her nose as she walked inside, making her sneeze as some of the dust drifted around her. Goldfeather and Shortstep purred with amusement.

"What brings you here?" Goldfeather asked, her mew tough with age.

Dawnpaw shuffled her paws in embarrassment. "Um, Hightail sent me to check you for ticks." She explained, moving to stand by Goldfeather. The old she-cat blinked affectionately at the apprentice as she began to sift through Goldfeather's pelt in search of ticks.

"I've got a huge one right here on my shoulder," Shortstep grunted. "Might need a lil' bit o' mouse bile for it."

Dawnpaw nodded, clamping her teeth down on a flea and cracking it. Goldfeather purred.

"That feels much better," She mewed. "Better take care of him now." She glanced at Shortstep.

Dawnpaw nodded, leaving the dent to go and get mouse bile from Rosepelt. Pushing her way through the ferns, Dawnpaw entered the den to find Sunnypaw sorting herbs into neat piles. She looked up as Dawnpaw came in, her paws stained with green dust.

"What can I do for you," She asked.

"I need some mouse bile," Dawnpaw answered, and Sunnypaw wrinkled her nose.

The sun-colored apprentice rummaged through the herb stores, handing Dawnpaw a stick with bile on it.

"Wash your paws in a stream, not with your tongue," Sunnypaw warned. Dawnpaw nodded, leaving the den with the stick clamped in her jaws.

"Where's the tick," She asked Shortstep, the mouse bile stick safely stored. The elder pointed to it with his tail.

"It's a real whopper, that one," He grumbled.

Dawnpaw picked up the bile stick, suppressing a purr of amusement when she saw how tiny the tick was. She dabbed some mouse bile on it, and it fell off right away. Shortstep grunted happily, then waved her away with his tail. Goldfeather blinked kindly at her, settling down for a nap. Dawnpaw headed out of the den to see the sun starting to set. her heart began to pound as she thought about Nightfire and Darkspirit. Who are they? She thought to herself. Do they really want to help me? Her pelt burned with distrust towards the two cats, but she had no choice but to go to the forest. If they pulled her there while she slept, how could she escape?

Her heart filled with pain as she realized that she wouldn't be seeing Starpaw anytime soon; the next gathering wasn't for a half moon. And who knew if he would even be chosen to come? She sat down in the center of the clearing, planning to stay awake until she couldn't anymore. She watched as Rainpaw, Ashpaw, and Poppypaw pushed into the apprentices' den. Looking around the camp, she spotted Heatherpaw sitting underneath a shaded ledge, Stormpaw beside her.

Dawnpaw swished her tail happily, glad for her sister. Then she began to feel sad. That could've been me and Starpaw. She thought wistfully. If only we were in the same clan. She shook the thoughts out of her head as Stormpaw and Heatherpaw walked back to the apprentices' den, pelts brushing. She stayed put in the middle of the hollow as the camp slowly emptied. Skyrunner and Blazepelt walked back to the warriors den, pushing inside. Hightail, Silverstripe, and Lilyflight followed. Leafwing took up his position at the entrance to keep watch, while Iceflake and Petalnose swept the kits back into the nursery.

"But we want to stay out!" Bumblekit complained, digging her blunt claws into the dirt in a vain attempt against her mother.

"You'll get cold and tired," Iceflake told her, picking her up by the scruff.

Gingerkit scrambled over Iceflake's tail. "No we won't!" He announced, fluffing up his downy kit fur. "We're warriors!" Bumblekit squirmed free of her mother's grip, joining her brother.

"Yeah!" She agreed, waving her tail back and forth.

Iceflake purred with amusement, grabbing Gingerkit while Petalnose took Bumblekit.

Emberstar had retreated into his den, leaving only Leafwing and Dawnpaw still out. the mottled tom padded over to her.

"You should get some rest," He suggested, looking over at the apprentices' den. "I think someone is waiting for you."

Dawnpaw followed his gaze to see Ashpaw waiting outside, his green eyes pointed towards the ground. She blinked at Leafwing, who pushed her towards the den. She walked up to Ashpaw, who glanced at her as she neared.

"Hi," He mumbled.

Dawnpaw sat next to him. "Hi," She mewed, much more cheerfully.

He wouldn't meet her gaze. "I-I have something to tell you,"

Dawnpaw perked her ears as Ashpaw began to speak. "I saw you leaving the den one last night," He started quietly. Dawnpaw froze.

"And so I followed you," Sharp anger stabbed Dawnpaw as Ashpaw spoke. "I saw you heading for the Shadowclan border," He continued, still looking at his paws. "And...I saw Starpaw waiting for you." His eyes flashed as he finished, meeting hers. His were shining with anger and betrayal.

"You promised," He mewed shakily. "You promised you wouldn't fall in love with that cat!" His voice was still barely audible, but it was full to the brim with hatred.

Dawnpaw flattened her ears against his sudden outburst. "I'm sorry," She exclaimed, "It wasn't my decision."

Ashpaw snorted. "Yeah, right," He sneered.

Dawnpaw flexed her claws. "Just drop it, ok," She snapped. "It's not like I'll be seeing him anytime soon." She stalked into the den, curling up in her nest and settling her tail over her nose. She barely remembered that she was going back to the awful forest before she was already drifting into sleep.

"There you are," Nightfire greeted her when she arrived. Dawnpaw dipped her head to the fiery warrior, looking around.

"Is Darkspirit here?" She asked hesitantly. Nightfire shook her head.

"Not tonight," She mewed, "I brought someone else instead." She stepped aside to reveal a sandy brown she-cat who looked terrified. Dawnpaw felt the same way the new cat looked every time she was here.

"Dawnpaw, meet Ridgepaw," Nightfire continued, "Ridgepaw, this is Dawnpaw." Dawnpaw nodded a greeting to the quivering apprentice, who just blinked at her.

"Dawnpaw is my apprentice here," Nightfire explained, "You will have your own mentor, but she's busy tonight," An evil glint shone in Nightfire's eyes. "So you'll be training with us today."

She gestured to the two apprentices. "Show me what you can do," She instructed, sitting down to watch.

Dawnpaw dropped into a battle crouch, analyzing Ridgepaw. She had the slim, wiry build of a Windclan warrior. She's been an apprentice for longer than me. Dawnpaw had seen her at gatherings; she must be getting very close to her warrior name. She watched as Ridge Paw bunched her muscles, getting ready to pounce. As she threw herself forward, Dawnpaw sprang into the air, landing a few tail-lengths away from where she was before. Ridgepaw skidded around, rearing onto her hind paws and slashing out at Dawnpaw, catching her across the muzzle. Quick as a snake, Dawnpaw slipped underneath the Windclan cat, swiping her hind paws out from under her with a forepaw. Ridgepaw tumbled to the ground while Dawnpaw slid out from under her. The wiry she-cat jumped forward, twisting in midair and landing squarely on Dawnpaw's back. Dawnpaw staggered as Ridgepaw clawed at her spine, wrapping her forelegs around Dawnpaw's belly.

Remembering this move from training, Dawnpaw quickly crouched and rolled, squishing Ridgepaw beneath her. The Windclan cat gasped, her grip falling away as Dawnpaw sprang to her paws again. Ridgepaw got unsteadily to her paws, sprinting forward and raking her claws across Dawnpaw's side. While the Thunderclan apprentice was unbalanced, Ridgepaw pushed her over, planting her paws firmly on Dawnpaw's shoulders. Dawnpaw let herself go limp, and Ridgepaw relaxed her grip, thinking she'd won. Then Dawnpaw heaved upward, throwing the she-cat off with a yowl of surprise.

"Stop!" Nightfire's yowl echoed around, making both cats freeze. The black cat stalked t the center of the clearing, observing the two apprentices.

"You," She pointed at Ridgepaw, "You need to stop attacking. Wait for them to attack first. You're Windclan, right? You're fast and skinny. Use that to your advantage."

Ridgepaw nodded, panting.

Nightfire turned to Dawnpaw. "You," She began, "You need to start attacking more. You rely to heavily on your defense. What happens when you're being attacked from both sides? You need to be able to fight well in defense or offense." Dawnpaw nodded.

"Do it again," Nightfire instructed. "And, this time, don't keep your claws sheathed. We're not kits anymore."

Dawnpaw stretched her sore muscles while Sunnypaw and Rosepelt chewed herbs. She had trained hard with Ridgepaw last night, and the Windclan cat had given her some nasty scratches. She had tried to hide them, but Hightail noticed soon enough when she limped during battle training.

"What happened?" He'd asked.

"Thorn in my bedding," Dawnpaw had mumbled in response, "It's gone now."

Her mentor had sent her back to camp for treatment, and Rosepelt had wasted no time.

"If infection sets in, this could be much worse," The medicine cat had warned.

Now Dawnpaw was sitting in a mossy nest while Rosepelt licked marigold into a deep scratch.

"Must have been a really sharp thorn," The she-cat mewed dryly. Dawnpaw nodded guiltily.

"Yeah," She muttered. "Sharp as cats claws."

"Try not to rub it all off," Rosepelt instructed, "Come back tonight so I can change your poultice. And no training today." She added as Dawnpaw was leaving the den.

Dawnpaw silently thanked Starclan. I've had enough training today. She thought wryly. Heading towards the freshkill pile, she saw that Heatherpaw was already there, grabbing a fat vole. She lifted her tail in greeting as she saw Dawnpaw, walking over to eat with her. Dawnpaw picked a mouse for herself, settling down by Heatherpaw.

"Those all came from a thorn?" She exclaimed, gesturing to Dawnpaw's scratches.

"Yep," Dawnpaw mewed tiredly. She hated lying to her clan, Heatherpaw especially. "It dug really deep."

Heatherpaw murmured sympathetically, taking a bite of her vole. Dawnpaw started to eat her mouse, keeping an eye on the apprentices' den. She watched as Ashpaw appeared, following Lilyflight out of camp to hunt. Heatherpaw nudged her.

"Why are you looking at Ashpaw that way," She mewed teasingly. Dawnpaw shoved her.

"You do like him though, right?" Heatherpaw asked, raising an eyebrow. Dawnpaw shook her head.

"No," She said quietly. "I like another cat." Heatherpaw's eyes widened.

"Who," She whispered. "It's not Stormpaw, right?"

Dawnpaw shook her head. "No," She purred, "He's all yours."

Heatherpaw rolled her eyes, but they were shining. "He really likes me," She admitted.

Dawnpaw mrrowed with amusement. "Obviously," She mewed.

Heatherpaw took another bite of vole. "Who is it," She asked again.

Dawnpaw hesitated. "Um, I don't really want to say," She looked at her food, taking another bite. Heatherpaw rolled her eyes.

"Fine," She mewed, finishing her vole and licking her lips.

"Heatherpaw," Moonleap called her from across the clearing. "We're going for battle training. Hurry up!"

Heatherpaw gave her chest fur a quick lick, then hopped up and bounded after her mentor.

"Emberstar wants to have your assessments in three sunrises," Dawnpaw overheard Moonleap saying to Heatherpaw. "Stormpaw, Ashpaw, Rainpaw, and Poppypaw have already been assessed. They're getting their warrior names today."

Dawnpaw looked around. The four apprentices were sitting proudly together, waiting for Emberstar to appear.

Poppypaw's mother, Lilyflight, was sitting next to her daughter. Skyrunner and Blazepelt were next to Ashpaw and Rainpaw, their kits. Stormpaw was sitting alone. Dawnpaw remembered that his mother, Cherryflower, had died giving birth. Two of her kits died with her. Lilyflight had raised Stormpaw and Sunnypaw with Poppypaw, treating them like her own kits.

As soon as Moonleap and Heatherpaw came back to camp, Emberstar bounded up to the Highledge.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting!" He called out. The clan gathered in the clearing, surrounding the four apprentices. Iceflake and Petalnose contained the kits while they watched eagerly. Skyrunner stepped back to join the clan, while Leafwing, Lightstep, Blazepelt, and Lilyflight moved to stand with their apprentices.

"Today is a special day in the life of a clan, when we make new warriors." Emberstar began. "Leafwing, Lightstep, Blazepelt, Lilyflight; are your apprentices ready to become warriors?"

The mentors exchanged a glance. "They are," Blazepelt answered.

"I, Emberstar, leader of Thunderclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these four apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend each of them to you as warriors in their turn." He beckoned the four cats forward.

"Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Stormpaw mewed firmly.

"I do," Rainpaw repeated.

"I do," Ashpaw stated.

"I do," Poppypaw was the last to reply.

"Then, by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior names. From this moment onward you will be known as Stormheart, Rainfall, Ashcloud, and Poppystep. Starclan honors each of you for your individuality and courage, and we welcome you as full warriors of Thunderclan."

"Stormheart! Rainfall! Ashcloud! Poppystep!" Dawnpaw yowled with her clan. The new warriors swelled with pride.

"Tonight, you will sit a silent vigil for your clan," Emberstar continued.

The four warriors nodded, taking up positions around the entrance. Dawnpaw yawned as the last rays of sunlight disappeared, sending the hollow into darkness. She padded into the apprentices' den with Heatherpaw at her side, curling up in her nest. She wrapped her tail over her nose, closing her eyes and drifting into a peaceful sleep, her dreams free of the dark forest.