Honeypaw opened her mouth, taking in the scents of the forest. Closing her eyes, she focused on her surroundings. Acorncloud had said herself, "It's not all about your sight. If you close your eyes, you can concentrate more on the scent of the prey, the sound of the prey, and, once you've caught it, the taste"

So, inspired by her words, she copied her instructions. The two she-cat's were peering through a bush, staring at a plump, brown mouse. Licking her lips, Honeypaw crept forwards under the cover of ferns. The small creature looked oblivious. She almost chuckled to herself, then remembering that she had to be silent. Honeypaw pushed her hind legs at the ground before leaping up, letting out a yowl of victory too soon. The mouse squeaked in horror before scampering away into the safety of the bushes. Honeypaw came crashing down, skidding on some mud. Scowling, she padded over to Acorncloud's hiding space.

"You'll get it next time" Her mentor assured her. Despite her reassuring tone, Honeypaw saw her calculating something. She felt a pang of guilt and then frustration when she realised she was calculating her mentoring skills. She nodded. If only Honeypaw had caught that mouse, then her mentor wouldn't be doubting her abilities and she wouldn't be feeling so guilty!

You won this time mouse, but next time I'll win this battle, she promised herself.

"Acorncloud!" She heard Dawnsong call.
"I have to go. I'm sorry this had to end so quickly" Acorncloud said, "But I swear to Starclan if it's another stupid arguement..." She mumbled.

"It's ok" Honeypaw said, a little disappointed, "I'll stay here and perfect my hunting crouch"

Acorncloud nodded before dashing away.
Honeypaw closed her eyes once more, drinking in the scents. She caught a whiff of another mouse, extremely similar to the one before. She followed the mouth-watering scent, carefully avoiding twigs.

Finally, she spotted the very same plump, brown mouse. Fueled by vengeance, the energised apprentice crept forwards. To her surprise, despite her noiseless creeping, the mouse sprinted in the direction of a large berry bush.

Eager to make her first catch, she followed it, silently. The mouse was faster than she thought, and many times she lost the scrawny creature. She darted through the forest, attempting to stay quiet while catching up with the lightning-fast blurr. The trees and leaves were becoming thicker, blocking the peachy glow of the sunset. She was suddenly surrounded by prickly thorns and creeping moss, although she didn't notice as she followed the mouse.

Panting, she came to a stop when she saw the mouse retreating to the thorns. Instead of focusing on the escaped prey, Honeypaw brought her attention to a rather different sight.

In a sunset-illuminated clearing, a greenhouse rested, hugged by a tangle of rose bushes. From a smashed piece of glass on the roof of the domed masterpiece, Honeypaw heard distant voices. Curiosity itched her as she padded towards the greenhouse.

"We have found a way" a young but spiteful voice spoke, " to make sure Fernclan knows"

Honeypaw's ears pricked at the name of her clan. The voice became quieter and deeper, and somehow more smug. She gaped as she heard the words, "Killed one of their members"

A broken, limp body appeared in her mind. She shook her head, burying the awful thought. As she did, another thought emerged.

"Two connected will awaken death
One neglected will put them to rest"

As Finchkit's words echoed in her head, she didn't hear the sound of pawsteps behind her, not until a furious voice hissed.

"Honeypaw, what are you doing!"