Duskpaw crouched, her belly close to the ground. She made sure she didn't alert the mouse nibbling at the frosted grass. If I catch this, it could feed Minnowfrost, Cardinalkit, and Moonkit! Determination filled her as she got closer to the mouse. The kits were her only friends in the clan, and they looked up to her like she was their older sister, so she wanted to please them, especially in leaf-bare.

She slowly crept up on the mouse, and when she was close enough, she leapt at it. Landing right on top of it, she delivered the killing blow, the mouse dropping limp beneath her paws. Duskpaw felt her stomach rumble, and was tempted to dig into the mouse, but she stopped herself. The other apprentices teased her about never knowing the identity of her father.

Her mother had never told her anything about her father, and Duskpaw felt empty because of it. This made her more determined to make sure the kits had a good life, instead of being half full like her. She picked up the mouse in her jaws, the scent making her mouth water. After she was sure it was firm in her jaws, Duskpaw started heading back to camp, excited to show the kits her kill.

As she entered camp, she heard the excited squeals of Cardinalkit and Moonkit. Duskpaw smiled as Cardinalkit raced up to her. "Did you catch that mouse for us! Did you?! Did you!!" Duskpaw smiled. The kits questions were more like energetic statements, and she loved it. "Yes, I got it for you." Duskpaw beamed and she dropped it in front of the kits, and laughed as they practically launched themselves onto it.

Their cries of excitement filled her heart with joy, though it quickly fell as she saw Reeftail and Dawnpaw padding over. Reeftail was only a moon older than Dawnpaw, so the two were best friends. Duskpaw though, had only become an apprentice last moon, so she was younger than both of them. "Well, look who it is Dawnpaw! It's the half rogue and her little kitten friends." Reeftail burst out laughing, Dawnpaw smiled. "Yeah, the wimp can't even make friends with cats of her experience, she has to make friends with the other babies." Dawnpaw teased.

Duskpaw felt her anger rising. She felt like she would lash out at Dawnpaw, and it took all of her control to hold herself back. Quietly, she nodded to Dawnpaw, then walked off to the apprentice den, her anger fuming. I'm not a rogue, my father was a clan cat, I'm sure of it. Duskpaw tried to convince herself, but the more she tried, the more she doubted it. What if my destiny is to BECOME a rogue? With that thought sticking in her mind, she sat down to sleep, but didn't fall asleep until the moon was high in the sky.