Edited ✔️

Icepaw followed the hunting patrol to the CloudClan borders, far away from DarkClan. The blazing sun beat down on his gray pelt and he stopped, feeling hot and thirsty. Today, Sagepelt was leading the patrol, and Ashtail remained in camp for a rest since he was tired. Dewpaw and his mentor remained in camp as well, having to do apprentice duties.

Icepaw looked around, since it was his first time being in the territory nearest to the moors. He wondered how CloudClan could possibly stand the sun, with no shady areas to rest in. Skypelt, the other tom in the patrol, looked up to the sky, his eyes clouded with thought.

Icepaw stared at Skypelt. He felt that Skypelt was thinking about Ripplefur, since she was going to give birth to her first litter soon. Sometimes the first kitting never went well. Icepaw trotted up to the young warrior.

"Are you okay, Skypelt?" he asked with worry in his tone.

Skypelt looked down to Icepaw with surprise. "Oh, yeah," he said, his voice low. "Why wouldn't I be?" He gave Icepaw a reassuring look.

"Are you sure?" Icepaw asked again. Sagepelt stopped at her tracks and turned to the two toms.

Sagepelt sighed. "He's afraid that when Ripplefur's kitting is done, Sandstar will order her warriors to steal the kits," she meowed. "That happened to you once, and Volepaw and his sisters." Icepaw nodded, understanding now. "Only low-lives steal kits, anyway. We'll be able to defend ourselves."

"Oh," Icepaw said, knowing mainly that the reassuring was for Skypelt. The white tom nodded gratefully, and then the patrol began to walk again. Now silence engulfed them as they padded through the trees. The smell of the moor was becoming stronger.

Sagepelt took in a deep breath and looked around the area. "We're here," she said, turning to Skypelt and Icepaw. "Now, each of you go your own ways, but not too far. We only want to catch prey. Meet back here when you're satisfied. Try to remember what Ashtail has taught you so far, Icepaw."

"Got it!" Icepaw meowed, beginning to walk away. Skypelt and Sagepelt were going in opposite directions, too. When Icepaw thought he was far enough, he sniffed the air to see any signs of prey, only to find nothing.

He went in a different direction, checking there too, but still found no scents fresh enough to pursue. Finally, Icepaw did find something. He began to scent a rabbit, and since the wind blew in his direction, he knew that the prey wouldn't scent him.

My first rabbit! Icepaw thought eagerly. The Clan would be proud.

He began to creep forward into a clump of grass, and he spotted the brown rabbit hopping around the trees. Icepaw took a deep breath, and began to go forward. He was determined to catch the rabbit, since it will make his Clan very satisfied.

Icepaw's belly was low to the ground, and he came closer, excitement rippling through his body. Almost immediately, he leaped and pounced on it. The rabbit squealed in surprise and scratched Icepaw's underbelly, though he already had his jaws deep in it's throat. As Icepaw let go happily, a new feeling overcame Icepaw. It was pain.

He groaned, and his paw clenched at his stomach. The rabbit had hurt him badly, and his belly stung. "Ow!" he growled.

A sigh sounded from the other side of the MoonClan border, and he realized it was a CloudClan cat. "You know, tree cats really shouldn't hunt rabbits," he said. "You all should leave it to the moor cats. You know nothing about this."

Icepaw looked up, and saw a tom with a brown dirt-covered pelt, and he had blazing amber eyes that bore deeply into Icepaw. "Who are you?" Icepaw demanded, still clenching at his belly.

"I'm Runningshade," the CloudClan warrior replied, walking over the border. This made Icepaw freeze. "And you look like you need help. Want me to get you back to your camp?"

Icepaw stared blankly at Runningshade. Even from the warrior's rude remark, CloudClan cats must be nice in their own way. "N-no," Icepaw said. "No. I can make it on my own." He slowly let down his paw, revealing three bleeding scratches on his belly. He didn't want to look weak when he arrived at his Clan.

Icepaw picked up his rabbit and turned, limping away. With every pawstep, it hurt. "Okay, then," Runningshade said, walking back over to CloudClan. "Bye."

Then, when Icepaw turned, Runningshade was gone. The Clan cats are always coming and going, Icepaw thought, remembering the quarrel with DarkClan. He also remembered at the other night when he spoke with Flamepaw, who revealed that DarkClan didn't learn the whole warrior code.

Icepaw put that in the back of his mind, limping over to the spot he was suppose to meet Skypelt and Sagepelt. He collapsed with pain, and let the brown rabbit drop as well. Almost immediately, Sagepelt bursted through the trees.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "I smell blood." She had a mouse in her jaws, and she looked over at Icepaw, who lay in the forest floor.

Icepaw looked up and showed her his wounds. "The rabbit scratched me when I caught it. It wouldn't stop thrashing around."

Sagepelt sighed, looking down at the wound. "Well, its something only the medicine cat can see," she murmured, licking the wound so that she could clean the blood off. Icepaw winced. It hurt. "Skypelt should be coming. Then we can go."

Icepaw sighed. He felt embarrassed for some reason for getting the scratches on his stomach in the first place. The white-furred warrior Skypelt was soon back in the clearing, holding a vole and a pigeon. He saw Icepaw's wound.

"Are you okay?" Skypelt asked with worry.

Icepaw nodded. "It's not bad," he said. "Just stings."

Skypelt grabbed Icepaw's scruff, hauling him up. "Let's get to camp then," Skypelt said. When Icepaw was standing, Skypelt let him lean on his shoulder. "Sagepelt, can you get the prey?"

"Sure," Sagepelt said, picking up the rabbit first.

Icepaw shook his head. "No, I want to carry the rabbit," he meowed, pointing to the limp brown creature with his tail. "It was my first rabbit. I want to present it to MoonClan myself."

Sagepelt nodded, giving it over. "Sure thing," she said, getting her prey as well as Skypelts'. They began making their way back to MoonClan.

Shortly, they returned to the camp, where almost nobody was there. The warriors were mostly on patrols, and the apprentices were doing their duties, including Sweetpaw, the medicine cat apprentice. At least Vinetail was there.

He put his rabbit in the center of the camp in the fresh kill pile, and then Sagepelt helped him over to Vinetail's den. Icepaw was relieved when he entered the den, and the bitter herb scents made him feel better already.

Vinetail looked down to Icepaw, examining his stomach. "What happened?" the brown medicine tom asked. "Prey?"

"Rabbit," Icepaw said specifically. Vinetail ran his paw over the three scratches, making Icepaw wince.

"It's not bad, don't worry," Vinetail reassured him, cleaning his wounds with a few leaves. "This is to make sure an infection won't happen. And take this-" Vinetail took two poppy seeds "—it'll make the pain better."

Icepaw obeyed and took the poppy seeds, relieved. The medicine cat was making him feel better already. Then, Vinetail began to clean the wound. This left a silence between the two toms as Vinetail worked. Finally, he cracked the silence.

"I saw you the other night," Vinetail murmured quietly, only so that Icepaw could hear. "You were at the DarkClan border talking to Flamepaw." There was no disappointment or sadness in his eyes. Only interest.

His eyes widened. He knows! Icepaw thought nervously. He shifted uncomfortably, and Vinetail continued, "What were you two talking about? DarkClan is never so friendly."

Icepaw hesitated before answering. He didn't want to tell Vinetail what Flamepaw has told him, because he didn't want to betray his new friend. "I saved him from being crushed from an oak tree," Icepaw meowed, careful to what he says. "Flamepaw wanted to thank me in advance. That's all."

Vinetail nodded. "And I saw that Sandstar wanted the two of you to fight while I was herb collecting," he said, still tending to Icepaw's wounds. "Didn't you think it was an ambush so that Flamepaw could finish what he has started?"

Icepaw looked up and into Vinetail's amber eyes. "Err, no. I didn't think that at all. When the Clans were quarreling Flamepaw hesitated before charging at me. I saw that he didn't want to fight, but he had to obey his leader."

Vinetail nodded once more and finished placing the cobweb onto his chest. "Okay, done," the medicine cat said. "Rest for the day and at dawn tomorrow you'll feel no pain at all."

Icepaw sighed of relief when Vinetail left the den. Icepaw remained there, watching him go. Is that all Vinetail has to say? he thought. Light filtered through the entrance of the medicine cave, and the fresh scent of Sweetpaw was made out. Vinetail greeted her warmly as she carried bundles of herbs and plants, and Volepaw followed, walking over to the medicine den.

None of them greeted him, since their mouths were too full of the herbs. Finally, Volepaw set his catmint by in a bundle of leaves, and Sweetpaw put her herbs down as well.

Volepaw turned to Icepaw and greeted him.

"Hi, Volepaw," Icepaw said in acknowledgement. Sweetpaw gave him her greetings as well and they both left the den.

Vinetail sighed. "Today, everyone's busy," he murmured. Icepaw understood that. Kits were coming to MoonClan and soon leaf-fall would begin, forming leaf-bare, the time of hunger.

"Well," Icepaw said, "everyone will rest when they get their chance."

Vinetail nodded. "Hopefully."

Icepaw shifted to get more comfortable, and saw as Dewpaw changed the elder's bedding in the medicine den. Sweetpaw and Volepaw were gone again with Adderclaw, and every other cat was on a patrol. Icepaw felt lonely. He was bored and wanted to continue his hunt.

Why do rabbits have to be so dangerous to catch? Icepaw thought with frustration. He thought that all prey was just like catching a mouse—careful and easy. He sighed, guessing he was wrong. Icepaw laid his head down in his temporary moss bedding, and decided to use this time to rest. He was tired for the past few days, and he thought this was the perfect moment.

Icepaw closed his eyes and drifted off into a sleep.

When his eyes opened again, Vinetail stood over him. He slowly got up, and saw his stomach scratches, remembering what happened. He was relieved that it didn't hurt as much.

He looked around, and the sun was still in the sky, though dusk was approaching. He looked at Vinetail once more. "What happened?" Icepaw slowly asked.

"You were just asleep," Vinetail said. "Why do you ask?"

Icepaw shook his head. "Was I really asleep?"

Vinetail nodded. "Yes, you were asleep for quite a while," he meowed. "You must want to go to your den now." He walked out of the front entrance of the den, where he then saw Dawnpaw waiting over there. She waved her tail. "Go ahead, you're friends are waiting."

"Thank you, Vinetail," Icepaw meowed as he began to walk out of the den. He didn't look back where Sweetpaw orginized herbs, and Dewpaw and Volepaw talked and laughed in their nests. Dawnpaw was relaxing.

"Hello, Icepaw," she mewed once he reached her.

"Hi," Icepaw said back. "What are you doing?"

Dawnpaw looked at him with surprise. "Nothing, really. I'm just thinking," she said. "About Ripplefur. She's my sister. I'm worried about her."

Icepaw understood. He knew he was competitive with Dewpaw but he loved his brother very much. "She's my friend. I'm worried about her, too. And Skypelt. He's as worried than anyone."

Dawnpaw nodded, and turned, beginning to walk into the apprentice's den. He stared back at her as she curled up in her nest to sleep, and Icepaw looked over at the nursery. Ripplefur was asleep as well, with his mother Featherbreeze right by her side for comfort. She was very, very close to kitting.

He sighed, walking into the apprentice den as well. He curled in his nest, not wanting to fall asleep. He kept his gaze on poor Ripplefur, thinking about her future and kits.