Hello everyone! I am so, so, so excited to get to work on this, the continuation of "Fire Alone." I hope you all enjoy this as much as you did the first!

Also, I am currently looking for names/appearances for Duskfall and Sedgenose's kits. Duskfall is a black tom with amber eyes, and Sedgenose is a pale brown tabby with green eyes. Thanks in advance! :D

And uh... Yeah. A huge thank you to all those that read and reviewed Fire Alone, even when there seemed to be no hope of it ever getting updated. You guys are truly heroes. I love you all.

Chapter 1

Mistypaw stretched luxuriously as she emerged from the apprentices' den. Slender muscles rippled beneath her glossy blue coat, three moons worth of training slowly lending her a subtle grace and power that hadn't been present when she was a kit.

"Are you going to stand in the way all day, or…" Sorrelpaw drawled indignantly from behind her. With a flash of mischief in her eyes, Mistypaw backed up abruptly, shoving Sorrelpaw back as he tried to shoulder his way out of the den. With a playful growl, the bigger apprentice surged forward, tumbling them both out of the den and into a play-fight just outside. Silverpaw, apprenticed only a half-moon ago, let out a faint hiss as she sprang out of their way.

"Isn't Leopardfur waiting for you, Sorrelpaw?" She returned to her grooming with a roll of her eyes. "It's a wonder she hasn't had your tail off."

Sorrelpaw pinned Mistypaw beneath his greater weight. The two littermates turned nearly identical blue eyes to the disdainful silver apprentice. "Lighten up," Mistypaw snickered. "You'll go straight from the apprentices' den to the elders' if you keep frowning like that." She jumped to her paws as Sorrelpaw let her up.

"And besides," Sorrelpaw rolled his shoulders. "You say that like Oakheart's not waiting on you. Didn't you mention hunting lessons of some kind last night?"

Mistypaw snorted when Silverpaw's green eyes shot wide. "Fox-dung!" In a blur of silver tabby fur, the youngest apprentice was gone.

Sorrelpaw pushed his forelegs out in front of him in a stretch. "What has Loudbelly got planned for you today?"

"I'm not sure," Mistypaw admitted, tilting her head. "But I'm certain it involves hunting, since you're supposed to be in the beech copse with Leopardfur."

"Point," Sorrelpaw flicked his ears. "Good luck with whatever it is—don't let those hedgehog littermates of ours sleep in too long!"

Mistypaw sat down to smooth her fur, keeping one eye on Loudbelly as her mentor spoke with Graypool outside of the warriors' den.

"Good morning," Stonepaw yawned as he emerged, a stray bit of reed sticking out of his shoulder fur. Mistypaw flicked it off with her tail, her whiskers twitching.

"Morning," Shiverpaw echoed more quietly as she followed, her pale gray-and white fur already neatly groomed.

"It looks like we may be hunting together," Mistypaw purred, flicking her ears towards Loudbelly and Graypool. "What have you got planned today, Stonepaw?"

The darker blue-gray apprentice shrugged. "Duskfall just asked me to meet him in the training hollow. I should get going."

"We probably should, too." Mistypaw gave Shiverpaw a nudge. "Come on." Shiverpaw nodded and trailed after her as she padded across the camp.

"Look who decided to come get their assignments for the day," Graypool observed dryly. "We were beginning to wonder if you were actually ready."

Mistypaw was alert in an instant. "Ready for what?"

Loudbelly's whiskers twitched. "Patience, Mistypaw. Let's get going, we'll tell you soon enough." With that, the brown warrior stood and led the small patrol out of camp. They stopped near a flowering sorrel tree, and Loudbelly and Graypool turned to face their apprentices.

"Today," Graypool announced, "the two of you will complete your first solo hunting assignments."

"Solo?" Shiverpaw's pale amber eyes flashed with a mixture of anxiety and excitement. Mistypaw could hardly keep still, shifting her weight from paw to paw.

"Yes," Loudbelly affirmed warmly. "Mistypaw, you're to head towards the river, when you reach it, you may travel up it as far as the twoleg bridge. Do not," he fixed her with a stern, serious gaze, "cross the river. The sunhigh patrol is renewing the scent markers around Sunningrocks, and if anything happens the last thing they'll want is for you to get in the way."

"Yes, Loudbelly," Mistypaw muttered, slightly put out. What kind of solo hunting mission was it if she was so restricted on where she could and couldn't hunt? Even Silverpaw knew that Sunningrocks was swarming with prey around this time.

"Shiverpaw," Graypool took over. "You will follow the stream towards WindClan's territory. I shouldn't have to tell you this, but don't go near the gorge." She glanced between the two apprentices. "You're to be back in camp by the time the sun starts setting. And if even a single elder complains of not getting enough to eat, we'll hear about it."

"Can we go now?" Mistypaw jumped to her paws, her tail fluffing out with excitement.

"Yes," Loudbelly snorted. "Go."

"Good luck," Mistypaw rasped her tongue quickly over her sister's ear, then whipped around and trotted away, her ears pricked and jaws parted. Her pace slowed as she chose a trail, purposely avoiding the noisy beech copse where Sorrelpaw was no doubt training with Leopardfur. His heavy paws have probably already scared off all of the prey around there anyway! Slipping into a more refined hunting crouch when the training hollow was behind her, Mistypaw paused. She could smell mouse. Not my favorite, she thought with an inward sigh. But then again I won't be eating it. She pulled herself slowly forward, listening for the scuttle of its tiny paws as she pinpointed her prey's location. The slightest sway in a clump of grass gave it away, and without a beat of hesitation Mistypaw pounced. She landed square on her target, her paws snapping its spine before it even knew what hit it. Thank you, StarClan, for this fresh-kill.

With the mouse buried safely, Mistypaw continued towards the river, all stray thoughts aside as she focused on her hunt. She managed to snag another mouse and a vole on her way, but a startled blackbird scared away the water vole that would have been her fourth catch. Shrugging it off, Mistypaw felt her spirits rise when the bauble of the river reached her ears. It's a great day for fishing, after all.

She padded to the shore and sat, careful not to let her shadow fall in the water. Her blue eyes were clear and focused, watching every glint and gleam beneath the surface, her paw raised and ready for when a fish dared to cross her path. There! As fast as lighting, her paw flashd out. She hooked the fish in her claws and tossed it ashore where she finished it with a well-aimed blow.

"Great catch!"

Mistypaw started, blinking up in surprise at her father as he padded towards her from upstream. Silverpaw followed, her fur dripping wet.

"That was brilliant," Silverpaw eyed the fish with a touch of bitterness in her eyes.

Oakheart let out a reassuring purr. "Don't worry about it, Silverpaw. You'll definitely catch one next time."

Understanding dawned on Mistypaw like a wave. "If it makes you feel any better, I fell in, too," the older apprentice admitted sheepishly. "I thought Stonepaw and Sorrelpaw would never let me live it down."

"Really?" Silverpaw gaped. "But you're so good at it now…"

"You've only been training for a half-moon, minnow-brain. If I wasn't better at fishing than you I'd be worried." She blinked curiously at her father, who seemed to have zoned out and was staring out across the river. Mistypaw squinted and realized that there were shapes moving on the other side. Her fur started to bristle. "Is it ThunderClan?"

"ThunderClan?" Oakheart echoed. "No, it's our sunhigh patrol. I offered to meet them and get their report here, then take the rest of the patrol so that Duskfall could get in some training with Stonepaw."

Stonepaw's over there? Lucky!

"Speaking of," Oakheart's gaze wandered back to Mistypaw. "Aren't you on your first solo hunting assignment?"

"I am," Mistypaw ducked her head self-consciously and gave her chest fur a couple of licks. As she opened her mouth to speak again, she was cut off by a vicious caterwaul. Oakheart stiffened, his hackles rising as screeches and pained yowls erupted from Sunningrocks.

"I should have known!" He spat. He spun to face the apprentices. "Silverpaw, Mistypaw, run back to camp as fast as you possibly can. Tell Crookedstar we need reinforcements sent to Sunningrocks now!"

Silverpaw bolted immediately, a streak of silver fur careening through the wispy grass.

"I want to fight!" Mistypaw objected hotly. "Stonepaw's over there!"

"Mistypaw, we don't have time for this," Oakheart hissed. "You can't swim well enough to cross the river—do as your told!" He didn't wait for a response, lunging into the river and kicking out strongly.

With a snarl, Mistypaw raced upstream. I don't need to be able to swim as well as you to defend my Clan! She flew across the stepping stones as if she had wings, her paws barely skimming the slick rocks. She only slipped once, one hind paw dipping into the water before she'd recovered her balance and sprang across the last three stones. She raced up to the smooth gray stones only to freeze in her tracks. The scent of ThunderClan was overwhelming—rivalled only by the scent of blood.

"Stonepaw!" She spotted her brother struggling against two older apprentices, both lithe and lean. Mistypaw launched to his aid with a furious hiss, her fur bristling to twice her usual size as she swiped at the tabby tom trying to shred her brother's ears.

"Thanks," Stonepaw rasped, ducking smoothly under her attack to tackle the she-cat to the ground. Mistypaw took advantage of the distraction to trip up her own adversary.

"I'm your opponent now," she spat. She scrabbled to grip his wiry shoulders in her claws, but he slithered out from under her like a snake and countered her attack with a heavy blow to the side of her head. Stars swam in her vision, but the sharp pain that blossomed across her flank as he flickered past quickly cleared her mind. She spun quickly, snatching the end of his tail in her teeth before he got around behind her and biting down hard. She rolled under his retaliation and surged upwards, ramming her head into his chest with enough force to wind him and send him sprawling. She lunged on top of him, delivering a vicious bite to his shoulder. He wailed aloud as he battered her shoulders and belly, desperately trying to shove her off. When she felt he'd learned his lesson, she sprang away and let him run into the trees. Take that! Adrenaline pulsed through her veins like lightning, sparking in her paws and making her ears buzz as she spun to find her next opponent.

As she leaned back, gathering her muscles to spring onto an unsuspecting warrior's back, she felt claws in her haunches. She yelped and struggled loose, facing her opponent with a mighty growl. Before she could gain her bearings the cat—another apprentice, she thought—bowled her over. The tumbled in a whirlwind of teeth and claws, until she found herself pinned on her belly, his teeth digging into her scruff and his hindclaws raking down her back. Someone help me…!

Almost as if StarClan had heard her silent plea, the weight was lifted from her. She scrambled unsteadily to her paws to see Bluefur, battle-fresh and dripping wet, sending the other cat off with a ferocious snarl and a series of heavy swipes to the head. The blue-furred warrior flashed Mistypaw a vehement glare. "Don't just stand there!" She hissed. "Get back across the river!"

Dizzy from blood loss and pain, Mistypaw couldn't find it in herself to argue. She dove out of the thick of the fighting and ran for the river. She splashed into the shallows without thinking, and it wasn't until her paws were churning hopelessly through the dark waves that she realized she couldn't do it. Her muscles gave out and her head slipped under the red-stained water.

So uh. That happened. xD I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter - I've got a LOT of inspiration for this right now. So drop a review or PM and let me know what you think, especially if it involves kits ideas for Sedgenose and Duskfall.

I am also kind of curious about one other thing: Are there any pairings you guys would like to see? And cat you feel suits Stonepaw, Mistypaw, Sorrelpaw, or Shiverpaw? If so, I'd love to hear your input!

Until next chapter~!