Hey! I'm back again!

I, that is to say, my mum, found a really cool program for organising my writing! It's called Scrivener, and it's really useful, but I've only got the trial version, which lasts for 30 days, so I'm copying and pasting everything I write into Word too! I've just been playing around with it a lot, so that's why this is late, but I've managed to sort everything, and blimey, it's so much easier!

There's a section labelled 'Draft', and that's where you can do your main writing, and you can have sub-folders in that area, and there's a research section for any information that you know but won't be published! For each document you can write a sort of synopsis, explaining what happens, the title of the document, etc. And there's a corkboard feature where you can just see all the synopses, which are like index cards. Think of each document having an index card clipped to it, and in the corkboard mode you just see the card! It's really useful for me, because if I have an idea, I can just make a new document and write the idea down on an index card, so I can remember what I wanted to write later! I know, I'm basically advertising it, but it's so good!

Anyway, onto the reviews:

Amberstorm233: I have no idea why that was… Oh well, let's hope that you can review this chapter! XD

BEST OC Maker: Thank you! I just hope I can live up to your expectations!

Silverthornofriverclan: Ooh, I'll go check them out now! I've been a bit busy since the last time I updated…

Chapter 11

Half a moon had passed since the four kits had been made apprentices and even more bitter winds than before swept across the moor. Rain had often battered the ground and many warriors had moved into the old badger set in the camp. While there was a main warriors den, it wasn't large enough to accommodate all of the Clan's warriors; the set was a perfect solution.

Hazelpaw sat, grooming himself, outside the apprentices' den, which was uncomfortably full. He almost groaned aloud at the thought of Larkkit, Sagekit and Brightkit joining them in a few moons. Hopefully, the older apprentices would have passed their warrior assessments by then, though, and he, his littermates and Ashpaw and Bramblepaw would have space to breathe.

Bluepaw and Lakepaw becoming warriors will a great relief, thought Hazelpaw drily, dragging his paw over his ear. Though the two of them would, undoubtedly, become even more arrogant as warriors, the brown tabby couldn't wait for their ceremonies – at least then he wouldn't have to share a den with them anymore. While Hazelpaw was much less on the receiving end of Lakepaw's harsh comments than Stonepaw and Ravenpaw, he was still being glared at more than once a day. Bluepaw, oddly enough, was steering clear of Hazelpaw and his siblings, but Hazelpaw had a deep suspicion that the blue-grey tom just didn't want to get into trouble with his mentor.

A loud yawn alerted him to the presence of Ravenpaw, who had just stumbled out of the apprentices' den, her black fur ruffled and her eyes still half-closed. "Hey," she mumbled, suppressing another yawn.

"Hey," Hazelpaw purred, trying not to yawn himself. "Should I get something for us to eat?"

"No," meowed Ravenpaw, blinking open her eyes fully. "I think we ate enough last night!"

Hazelpaw butted her with his head affectionately. "We definitely did!" he purred. "I''m not surprised you're not hungry!" Even as he said it, his own stomach gave a loud rumble.

"Why am I not surprised at that?" his sister retorted drily, flicking his belly with her tail. Hazelpaw just made a face at her and resumed his grooming.

Considering it was leaf-bare, reflected the tabby as he caught sight of the fresh-kill pile where Shadestep sat, there was a surprising amount of prey. A hunting patrol had been lucky enough to find two nests of young rabbits near the entrance to their burrow, and they had killed one nest of them. The other was left untouched, so that they would have a chance to reproduce and make sure that WindClan's food source would not run out. However, there had still been plenty of prey to go around for every cat and the hunger was kept at bay for a little while longer.

Presently, Flamepaw and Stonepaw appeared, looking even more tired than Ravenpaw. "What are we doing today?" asked Flamepaw, settling herself beside Ravenpaw and shaking her fur.

"No ide–" started Hazelpaw, but he was broken off by his mentor's quiet meow.

"All four of you will be going to the Training Dip," Thornflower informed them, as they whipped around towards her. "We'll be testing your running skills and having a race."

Stonepaw groaned audibly; running had never been his strong point. Hazelpaw, however, was excited at the prospect. This was something he was good at. Ravenpaw always caught more prey than him and Stonepaw somehow managed to end up on top whenever they were fighting. Even Flamepaw, who seemed to have no discernible area where she shone, was a good all-rounder, whereas Hazelpaw tripped over his own paws infighting spars, and rustled bushes as he hunted.

"So, when are we going?" he asked excitedly, bouncing up and down. His pale ginger mentor gave an amused purr at his eagerness.

"As soon as Waspstripe and Cloverheart arrive," she promised. "They both set out on the dawn patrol this morning, so you'll have plenty of time to wake up." She gave another purr. "I don't know why you're all so sleepy," she meowed, surveying them all. "Bramblepaw and Ashpaw have been up for ages. They're on the dawn patrol too," she added, as Ravenpaw looked around to try and spot their denmates.

To Hazelpaw, it seemed like a moon before the dawn patrol returned, with Gorsebranch in the lead as they entered the camp. He immediately noticed that Ashpaw and Bramblepaw weren't among them, and he wondered where they were. He had no time to dwell on these thought, though, because Cloverheart and Waspstripe had approached the four apprentices, with Shadestep close behind.

"Are we all ready?" asked Waspstripe and, without waiting for a response, turned and vanished through the gorse barrier again. Thornflower followed and, getting to his paws, so did Hazelpaw. He could hear Ravenpaw close behind him and, as soon as he got out of camp, followed his mentor's lead and started to run. Slowly at first, then quicker, but Ravenpaw was still hard on his paws.

The Training Dip was a hollow in the ground where fighting sessions were held and hunting techniques practised. It was around the same distance from there to the lake as it was from camp, but the Training Dip lay closer to the wooded area, closer to ThunderClan territory. There was no protection around it, save for an old, weathered bush.

Hazelpaw ran, side by side with his mentor, loving the feeling of jubilation that always rushed through him when he ran, his paws skimming the ground. Only when they reached the Training Dip did he come to a halt, wishing it could have gone on for longer. Waspstripe was already there, his long, easy strides eating up the ground as he ran. Hazelpaw turned around in time to see Ravenpaw hurtling towards them before skidding to a halt, her fur tangled and blown backwards from the wind.

A few heartbeats later, a flash of ginger fur appeared over the crest of a small mound, followed by a dark grey pelt. That left only Stonepaw and Cloverheart, thought Hazelpaw, as his sister and Shadestep slowed down and stopped.

Sure enough, another moment later, Stonepaw's dark-striped fur appeared, with the tortoiseshell one of Cloverheart beside it. When they, too, had reached the Dip, Shadestep began speaking.

"Well, I hope you're all warmed up now after that warm-up," he began briskly, addressing the apprentices. "The point of this race is to train you speed, strength and stamina. As WindClan cats, we need to be faster than the rabbits that we catch, and able to keep on going long enough to catch them. This is what we're going to do. I will run to the lake, while Thornflower," he nodded towards Hazelpaw's mentor, "will stand there." He flicked his tail in the direction of the small slope, beyond which was the downward path to the lake.

Shadestep carried on. "When I signal to Thornflower, she will signal to Cloverheart and Waspstripe to let them know that I am ready. When they say 'Go', you start running. The first one to reach the lake where I am standing wins. It goes to say that no cheating will be tolerated, and that includes setting off too early, distracting other cats or hindering their path. We will be watching. Any questions?"

Hazelpaw shook his head; his paws were itching to run again. Ravenpaw, however, spoke up. "Does it matter how we get to the lake?" she questioned. "I mean, does it matter which route we take?"

"Well, the aim is to reach the lake first, so unless you are severely lacking in common sense, I wouldn't run in a massive arc," meowed her mentor drily, ""but we don't want you running into each other either. Give each other space and don't do anything stupid. I know it's hard for apprentices to follow that particular instruction, but at least try. Any other questions?"

This time, everyone shook their heads. "Good. Right, I will now head down to the lake. Thornflower, wait for my signal." The ginger warrior nodded and they both set off. Thornflower stopped at the top of the slope but Shadestep disappeared over it and vanished from sight. Hazelpaw watched him go, he couldn't help but think that Duststar had matched mentor with apprentice very well. Both Shadestep and Ravenpaw were sarcastic and they seemed to share the same, dry humour. All the same, Hazelpaw couldn't help wondering if everything was alright between mentor and apprentice. Shadestep had still been one of the few cats who had judged him and his littermates for his half-Clan heritage before their apprenticeships.

He had been so engrossed in thought that he realised, with a start, that Thornflower had just lifted her tail, signalling to Waspstripe and Cloverheart. Hurriedly, he prepared himself to run and, the moment Cloverheart and Waspstripe shouted "Go!" in unison, he was off, running up the slope.

Quickly making his decision, Hazelpaw took the most direct route. He had been on the far left to start with, but when he put on an extra burst of speed, he overtook his littermates and cut across them when he was about a tree-length ahead.

Over the crest of the hill, he stumbled and almost fell as the downwards slope took his by surprise. At the last moment, he managed to regain balance. Now the gap between Hazelpaw and his littermates had been closed up a little, and he could only hope that they would do the same. Unfortunately, he guessed that Ravenpaw would have already anticipated the change of direction, and was proven right when he heard no scuffling noise like the one he had created.

His long legs were eating up the ground, skimming the tufts of grass and rough stones. He was glad he'd managed to get a head start because, although he was definitely the fastest out of him and hit siblings, Ravenpaw would not be too close behind, and she would probably have some tactic to beat him. The very thought made him speed up a little more, until the only sound he could he was the wind rushing through his ears.

Darting around a bush, avoiding it narrowly and making its branches quiver as he did so, he caught sight of Shadestep by the lake. However, he paid dearly for this one moment's lapse in concentration; he tripped again, paws coming into contact with a large stone and, this time, he fell. He rolled over once or twice before scrabbling to his paws and carrying on, but the advantage had been lost. In the few heartbeats he had been on the floor, Ravenpaw's black pelt had whipped past him, and she now took the lead.

Hazelpaw gritted his teeth and set off again, determined to catch up. He ran like he had never before, and his vision focused on one thing, and one thing only, namely the black blur ahead of him. Slowly, but surely, he gained on Ravenpaw, but would it be enough? They were nearing the lake now, and it looked like Ravenpaw was about to win. With a last, final burst of speed, Hazelpaw pushed himself past her and to Shadestep, arriving three-tail lengths ahead of her.

Only now did he realise how exhausted he was: his legs were screaming in pain and his muscles were on fire. Collapsing onto the ground beside Ravenpaw, who was panting hard, Hazelpaw wished now for nothing more than to curl up in his nest at camp and fall asleep. His breath came in short, painful gasps as he tried to get back the air in his lungs.

He rolled over and stood up, feeling a little dizzy, and lapped some water from the lake. Ravenpaw joined him and they drank, side by side, as their breaths became longer and more regular, though admittedly no less painful. He barely noticed as Flamepaw arrived and joined them, until she had recovered enough to flick some water at him.

Not backing down from the challenge, Hazelpaw scooped up a pawful of water and flung it back, laughing at his sister's look of shock and indignation. Then her gaze became daring again and she flicked water, not at Hazelpaw, but at Ravenpaw, who was still drinking the cool, soothing lake water.

Now both Hazelpaw and Flamepaw purred, as Ravenpaw jumped and shook her fur. But even Ravenpaw, sensible, responsible Ravenpaw could not resist the temptation to retaliate. A heartbeat later and Stonepaw had arrived, joining in.

Hazelpaw was just about to splash his silver brother when Shadestep called them to a halt. "Honestly, are you kits? Behave!" he admonished as Hazelpaw froze with his paw in midair, caught in the act. He felt the heat rush to his ears as embarrassment coursed through him, and he lowered his paw.

"Sorry," he apologised, his siblings echoing him. Shadestep simply rolled his blue eyes and turned to look back in the direction of the Training Dip. Hazelpaw followed his gaze and saw the other three mentors running, side by side, down towards them, their long strides easy and almost effortless in appearance. Some day, vowed the tabby, watching them enviously, some day, I'll be able to do that. I'll be able to run even faster!

When the three cats drew level, seeming barely short of breath, Shadestep started to speak. "Right, for the benefit of those who don't know, Hazelpaw reached me first, followed closely by Ravenpaw. Flamepaw was third and, finally, was Stonepaw."" He glanced around at them all, and Cloverheart, Waspstripe and Thornflower nodded. "Each of you have things to work on, some of you more than others," he added, with a meaningful look at Stonepaw. ""Thornflower, would you like to comment on the start of the race?"

The ginger warrior nodded seriously. "Well, Hazelpaw soon took the lead, cutting in front of the others for the most direct line to the lake." She gave her apprentice an approving glance. "However," she continued, "he stumbled at the crest of the slope, taken by surprise by the downwards direction."

"Right," began Shadestep briskly. "So let's start with that. How do you think you could have stayed balanced at that point?" The tabby apprentice considered for a moment.

"Well, I was putting my weight back when the change happened," he started, slowly, "so maybe I should put my weight in front, to give me more momentum?"" He meant to answer with a statement, but it sounded more like a question coming from his mouth.

"Not exactly," corrected his mentor, padding forward to stand next to Shadestep. "You definitely needed to put more weight forward, but you shouldn't put too much or you'll simply crash into the ground head-first when you start the downhill run."

"So," began Hazelpaw, confused, "what do I do?""

It was Waspstripe who spoke this time. "There are two options if you do not want to slow down. You can either put all your weight forward and the reduce it at the downwards transition, or you can, in the approach to the change, put your weight back a little. Once you're going downhill smoothly, you can put your weight forwards again."

"The second option," Shadestep butted in, and Hazelpaw noticed how much lower his voice was than Waspstripe's, "is easier, because it means you don't have to change so quickly, but for speed, the first is better if you can master it. This goes for all you of, by the way," he added, looking at the four apprentices, "not just Hazelpaw."

Hazelpaw nodded his head seriously, trying to take it all in and remember it. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to remember all of that at once. "Moving on," meowed Shadestep briskly, "to the next point of the race. The gap between Ravenpaw and Hazelpaw was smaller, but Hazelpaw pulled ahead again." He gave the light brown tabby a look that almost held praise. "I have to say, considering your age and size, you are a remarkably fast runner."

"WindClan through and through!" purred Thornflower. He tone was light, but her words conveyed another meaning. Thornflower had been one of the cats who had trusted Eagletalon and his kits from the start, as opposed to Shadestep, who still harboured suspicion for the former, and Hazelpaw saw a meaningful look pass from his mentor to Ravenpaw's. Shadestep stared right back, holding her gaze for a moment before carrying on.

"Ravenpaw, you are quite fast too, but you rely on your front legs too much. Most of the power comes from the back, not the front, so we'll work on that later." Ravenpaw scuffed the ground with her paws a little before nodding, amber eyes, determined. Shadestep acknowledged it with a small nod of his own, before turning to Flamepaw and Stonepaw.

"Now, you two have the same problem: you both run too upright. You need to get lower and extend your legs more. Stonepaw, your tail was upright in the air, but it should be down low, to make you more streamlined, so your body gives less resistance to the air." His tone was curt, and Hazelpaw guessed he was displeased with their speed, or lack thereof.

Stonepaw and Flamepaw didn't seem too pleased at this bare assessment of their running skills. Stonepaw's claws slid out and scored the earth, while Flamepaw glared at Shadestep, mutinously, yet silently. The smoky warrior, however, seemed not to notice, which, in Hazelpaw''s eyes, was lucky for both his siblings, as he recalled Shadestep's harsh words and reputation for strictness.

For the rest of the morning, until the sun was high in the sky, though not quite sunhigh, the apprentices continued to train their running skills, going both up and down the slope and, by the end of it, Hazelpaw was exhausted, yet pleased. He had finally managed to perfect the second technique for changing form uphill to downhill and was working on the second. He even managed to squeeze a few words of praise out of Shadestep who, hard to please as he was, seemed impressed.

Ravenpaw, too, had improved, though her mentor still complained that she used her back legs too much. Hazelpaw was starting to wonder how his sister could stand having him as a mentor, but she seemed to take it, quite literally, into her stride. Hazelpaw, on the other paw, was pleased to have Thornflower, and she seemed to be pleased to have him. He was her first apprentice but, though she was a little uncertain at times, was doing an excellent job of mentoring.

By the time Waspstripe called them to a halt, however, all their legs were aching, and Hazelpaw wished that he were back in the camp. Only the cool wind seemed to sooth his burning muscles, and the lake water felt like ice to his dry, parched throat. He was longing to get back to camp and, when they stopped their running, ending up in the Training Dip once more, he was immensely relieved.

His dreams of falling into his bracken nest, however, were shattered when the black-striped tom announced that they would be splitting up. Flamepaw and Ravenpaw were to go hunting, while Hazelpaw and Stonepaw were to have a fighting session. At these words, Hazelpaw almost let out a groan, but managed to suppress it somehow. Even in the half-moon that had passed since they had become apprentices, Hazelpaw knew his weak point was in fighting.

After a slow walk up the hill, trying to regain their energy, Hazelpaw realised just how cold it was getting, with fierce, cold winds blowing over the moor, which offered little to no protection. The Training Dip was a little more sheltered, with a few scattered bushes, but the leaves had gone and the wind whistled through.

Once they were all in the Training Dip, Thornflower began speaking. "Now, you have both mastered the front paw blow and the front paw strike," she began, facing the two apprentices, "and Waspstripe and I have decided to try something a little more complicated."

"The move you are about to learn is called the leap-and-hold," continued Waspstripe. "The theory behind it is fairly simple. You leap onto your opponent's back and grip on with your claws. You will then be shielded from their blows, and can do more damage. This is a particularly important move for smaller cat, like yourselves, and gives you an advantage."

"We will demonstrate this first, then you can try it. Watch how I leap onto Waspstripe," Thornflower meowed.

"Needless to say," added Waspstripe, "we will be training with claws sheathed." Then, he and Thornflower both dropped into low crouches, fur bristled out. Hazelpaw watched, mesmerised, as the two circled each other. Without warning, Thornflower leaped onto Waspstripe's back, raking her sheathed paws over his ears and shoulders, while clawing his back with her hind legs. Waspstripe dropped his left shoulder to make Thornflower fall off, but she hopped off and they circled each other again, swiping at each other a few times before stopping.

"Obviously, it will be harder for an opponent to shake you off when you have your claws digging into their back, but you must watch out for the counter-move," explained Thornflower, shaking her ginger pelt. "Right, let's split up. Hazelpaw, you practise on me over there-" she jerked her head to Hazelpaw's left, "-and Stonepaw and Waspstripe go to the other side."

Following his mentor to the far side, Hazelpaw braced himself to make a fool of himself. "Try the move on me," instructed Thornflower, crouching close to the ground. He imitated her, feeling his belly fur brush the ground as he circled his mentor. Then, he leapt.

Even as he did it, he knew he hadn't put enough power and height into his jump and, sure enough, he crashed into Thornflower, who barely seemed to move from the impact. Embarrassment stretching from his flushing ears to his tail-tip, Hazelpaw staggered to his paws. "I don't think I need to tell you what you did wrong," his mentor remarked. "As you seem to know it yourself, would you care to tell me what you need to do?"

Hazelpaw shuffled his paws awkwardly. "I didn't jump high enough," he mumbled, "so I need to put more power and height into my jump."

"Well done," praised Thornflower, and he looked up, surprised. Why is she praising me? Thornflower seemed to have read his thoughts, because she added, "Recognition is the first stage to recovery, Hazelpaw. The sooner you know what you did wrong, the sooner you can try again, and the sooner you will succeed."

Considering this new way of thinking, Hazelpaw got back down into a crouch, ready to try again. Thornflower mirrored his position. Hazelpaw bunched his muscles and, seeing Thornflower moving to her left, leaped in that direction, squarely onto her back. He pulled his paw over her shoulders and ears, exactly as she had demonstrated on Waspstripe, but before he could move, he felt Thornflower beneath him drop to the ground and roll over. Too late, he remembered the counter-move but, unable to leap off in time, the breath was squashed out from him as he felt Thornflower's greater weight in top of him.

Paws trapped, Hazelpaw squirmed beneath his mentor, trying to free himself, but it was useless. Only when Thornflower got up again was he able to scrabble back to his paws. Over the other side of the clearing, he was just in time to see Stonepaw hop neatly of Waspstripe, and felt his heart sink.

A light cuff to his ears brought him back to Thornflower. "Pay attention!" she hissed. She looked where he had been watching Stonepaw and her gaze softened a little. "Ignore what your brother is doing. You have to learn that you are two different cats, with different strengths. His might be fighting, but you could beat him any time in a race. You just have to work hard at your weaknesses." Hazelpaw looked up at her, starting to think that cats underestimated Thornflower. "Focus on the positives. You saw me start to move away and managed to land where I would be, not where I was. Most cats find that reading your opponent like that only comes with experience." She paused, and he felt his ears flush again, but this time from pride.

"Let's try that again," Thornflower instructed, resuming her crouch. "And this time, watch the counter-move!" She had barely finished her sentence when Hazelpaw leapt, taking her a little by surprise. Once again, he managed to land on her and clawed her ears and back, using both his front and back paws. He felt Thornflower rear up, trying to shake him off, but he managed to hop off and out of the way, though he was not entirely balanced.

Quick as lightning, he reared up and raked his paw down her belly, but the movement made him lose his balance completely and he fell to the ground o his back. He rolled over, trying to avoid Thornflower's blows, but it was too late; her paw was pressing down on his shoulder, the other on his back, and Hazelpaw knew that to struggle would be useless.

The weight vanished from his back and he rose, dejectedly, to his paws once more. But his mentor surprised him once more. "Very good!" she praised. "You noticed that I didn't roll over like last time, and you managed to avoid me shaking you off, but got down unharmed. You lost balance when fighting me afterwards, but you got the move correct."

Really, thought Hazelpaw, that's a nice way of thinking about it. At that moment, though, a slight diversion arrived in the forms of Ashpaw, Bramblepaw, Duststar and Owlstorm. "Ah, good," meowed Duststar. He turned to Waspstripe and Cloverheart, and Hazelpaw took the moment to mouth a quick Well done! to Stonepaw, who replied with a lift of his chin. "I thought that Ashpaw and Bramblepaw could do with some fighting practise, some simple spars. Are your apprentices up to it?"

"It can't hurt them," agreed Waspstripe, glancing at Stonepaw with a hint of pride, who just lifted his chin a fraction higher.

"Right, let's have Ashpaw with Hazelpaw and Bramblepaw with Stonepaw," suggested Owlstorm, eying all the apprentices, and Duststar nodded in approval. Hazelpaw tried to smile at Ashpaw, but he groaned internally. Of course, he thought bitterly. He had to be fighting Ashpaw, who was one of the strongest fighters out of the apprentices, despite her age. The thought of having the Clan leader watching him didn't help his nerves either.

The group split, and Hazelpaw circled his opponent, watching her every move. For a few moments, neither of them attacked, and Hazelpaw knew he would have to make the first move. Without warning, he jumped, trying out the new move. Unfortunately, Ashpaw had either anticipated his move, or simply had quick reactions, because she ducked and Hazelpaw soared over her, missing her completely. He managed to turn in the air so that he was facing Ashpaw once more, but she had the advantage now.

She swiped and Hazelpaw counter-attacked, getting in a few blows himself. Suddenly, Ashpaw lunged at him and he noticed, too late, that she had been making him put most of his weight on one side, and now pushed him easily to the ground. As she stood above Hazelpaw, he noticed that her amber eyes, normally calm, had a strange fire and concentration, so that she looked uncannily like Ravenpaw when she was furious.

Mesmerised by this change, Hazelpaw only realised at the last moment that Ashpaw's paw was coming right at him, and he twisted out of the way and, using his size and strength to his advantage, shoved her off. In the she-cat's moment of weakness, he scrambled to his paws and swiped, aiming for her legs, trying to knock them from underneath her. Once again, Ashpaw avoided the attack, jumping backwards, away from his paw. She started raining blows down on his head, and Hazelpaw started to back away, still flailing with his paws, trying to land a hit.

Hazelpaw felt his paw hit a stone and he tripped, sprawling onto the ground and, once more, felt a paw pressing onto his back, though this time, is was Ashpaw's and not his mentor's. It was fruitless to struggle, and he waited until Ashpaw let him up. When the weight lifted, he stood, shaking his pelt and avoiding his mentor's and leader's gazes, turning instead to watch the other spar.

Even as he watched, Hazelpaw noticed Stonepaw's surprising strength as he stood, one paw of Bramblepaw's shoulder, the other raking her belly with sheathed claws. For a moment, it looked like Stonepaw had won, before Bramblepaw's legs exploded in a powerful kick, sending the silver tabby flying away from her and landing hard on the floor. The dark golden she-cat took the opportunity to pin Stonepaw, as Ashpaw had done, to the ground as he wriggled beneath her. A few moments passed before Stonepaw finally gave up and lay, limp, on the ground. Another moment passed, then Bramblepaw stepped aside from Hazelpaw's brother, allowing him to stagger to his paws, looking furious as he did so.

"Well, that was a very good start," began Duststar.

"Very promising work from you, Stonepaw," added Owlstorm. "And you too, Hazelpaw." Despite his words, Hazelpaw couldn't help but think that Owlstorm's praise of him had been an afterthought. He knew Stonepaw was the better fighter, but Hazelpaw could not suppress a twinge of annoyance.

"However, there is, of course, always room for improvement, so let's hear from you what you did wrong. Ashpaw, you start," ordered Duststar.

"Well, I should have been prepared for Hazelpaw's kick when he was on the floor," she meowed, looking at Hazelpaw as she did so. "I could also have attacked Hazelpaw while he was in the air, when his belly was exposed." If Hazelpaw was honest with himself, he couldn't see much wrong with what she did, and the fact that she thought she should have attacked him in the air surprised him. He knew, both from personal experience and from watching other cats, that rearing up, or even attacking a target that was in the air was a difficult move, and he wondered, not for the first time, if he would ever be good enough to be a warrior.

"Good," praised Duststar, amber eyes glimmering with pride. "And you, Hazelpaw?"

"Umm," mumbled Hazelpaw, "Well, I shouldn't have jumped so high, because then I would have been more likely to land on Ashpaw-" he saw Thornflower give an encouraging nod "-and I should have kept my weight even so that she wouldn't be able to knock me off-balance."

"And?" prompted Duststar, and Hazelpaw's mind went through what he'd done, searching for another mistake.

"I should have got low to avoid her blows and got some in myself?" he meowed, unsure of his answer.

It seemed to be correct, however, because Duststar gave an approving nod, and flicked his tail towards Owlstorm. "Bramblepaw, what did you do wrong?" Hazelpaw's mind wandered a little as Owlstorm questioned his apprentice, and his eyes met Ashpaw's.

"Well done," he whispered to her, making sure not to distract Duststar and Thornflower, whose attentions were on Bramblepaw and Stonepaw.

"You too," she replied, in the same, low tone.

Hazelpaw just sighed. He had been too easily defeated and, though he knew exactly what he'd done wrong, it was too late to change the outcome of that spar, and he wasn't sure if he would be able to put it into practice. He stared miserably back at his friend, wishing he was as good as her at fighting. Ashpaw didn't say anything, but just laid her tail gently over his back. This small gesture comforted Hazelpaw more than any words could have done, and he blinked gratefully at the ginger she-cat.

His mind came back to their situation as Duststar said, "Right, apprentices, swap partners and go again." Hazelpaw flicked his tail at Ashpaw and made his way over to where Bramblepaw, hopping around eagerly, stood. He crouched down, determined to last longer this time.

As the procession of cats made their way back to the camp, Hazelpaw couldn't stop himself shivering. Clouds had covered the sky, blocking out the weak brand of sunlight and turning the air cold. Training had kept Hazelpaw preoccupied, but now that he was walking back to camp, exhausted, he felt it reach through his fur and touch his skin. The fact that the wind was blowing against him into his eyes did not help matters either.

Despite the cold weather, Hazelpaw felt oddly satisfied. He had found out that he fought much better when Duststar's eagle eye wasn't watching his every move during his fight and, by the end of the session, managed to hold his own against Bramblepaw far longer than he would have thought possible at the start of the session. Stonepaw and Ashpaw's fight had lasted a shorter time than theirs, but though their eyes were all trained upon him, Hazelpaw concentrated on his fight, nearly winning it. Even the fact that Stonepaw had won two of his fights, one against Ashpaw and one against Bramblepaw, could not dampen his mood.

When the eight cats reached the gorse barrier, Thornflower kept Hazelpaw back as the others disappeared through. He hoped his mentor wasn't going to keep him outside for too long with whatever she wanted; he just wanted to get back to his den and sleep. "I've been talking with Duststar," Thornflower told him, "and we agreed that, as a reward for working so hard today, you will go to the Gathering tonight."

All feelings of fatigue and cold vanished as Hazelpaw heard these words. "Really?" he asked, trying to keep his excited paws and tail still. "Will Stonepaw be going?"

"No," meowed his mentor, and Hazelpaw felt confusion settle over him. Why? Stonepaw had done much better in battle training, after all.

"But-" he began, unsure how to say what he wanted to say, but Thornflower understood his unspoken question.

"This isn't just because of your improvement in your fighting skills, but also your running. Besides, your brother's attitude leaves much to be desired." Yes thought the light brown tabby wryly. That certainly is true. All the way back from their session, Stonepaw had talked non-stop over his two victories, crowing over the fact that he had beaten the leader's apprentice. He had kept his voice low to stop any of their mentors from overhearing, but Thornflower had evidently heard his words.

"Thanks, Thornflower," he meowed, unable to suppress a purr. His mentor purred too, amused by his excitement.

"You have only yourself to thank for," she told him, as she pushed her way through the barrier into camp, following the others. Hazelpaw stood where he was for a moment, taking it in. I'm going to the Gathering! Then, he bounded inside, eager to tell his siblings the news.

He found Ravenpaw by the fresh-kill pile and bounded over. "Guess what?" he asked. Then, without giving her time to answer, he carried on at the same time as she opened her mouth.

"I'm going to the Gathering!" they announced together.

"Really?" asked Hazelpaw. "You too? Do you know who else is going?"

I don't know, but Duststar will announce it, won't he, hare-brain!" his sister laughed, nudging him affectionately with her paw. He nudged her back, purring.

"Do you want to share that mouse?" he asked, indicating a small creature. It wouldn't be much, but it would have to do. They were lucky there was any prey left over after everyone else had eaten. A sudden, unpleasant thought struck him. "What if the other Clans don't like us? What if we do something wrong?" His hunger had vanished as fear settled over him.

"It'll be fine," Ravenpaw told him, but uncertainty laced her voice and he was not convinced.

Thornflower appeared out of nowhere and was suddenly standing by his side. "Have you eaten yet?" she asked them both. Hazelpaw shook his head.

"I'm not really hungry," he mumbled. Thornflower's tail twitched.

"Gathering jitters?" she asked, and Hazelpaw nodded again. "Best not to eat anything then, but at least make yourselves presentable!" She crossed the clearing and sat down by Sunstripe, who started to groom her ears lovingly.

"Maybe we should do as she says," suggested Ravenpaw, starting to drag her tongue through Hazelpaw's fur. "You look like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards!" Hazelpaw only flicked her with his tail-tip.

"Just get on it!" he purred, looking around the clearing. He caught sight of Shadestep, who was talking with Fleetfoot, and Hazelpaw remembered hearing something about the two of them being half-siblings through Stormsky.

"So, how was hunting?" he asked Ravenpaw, as she groomed his fur.

"It was alright," she answered, pausing for a moment. "I managed to catch a squirrel that was wandering around on the ground, and I nearly caught a robin, but I trod on something and it flew away. Shadestep acted like it was the end of the world!" Hazelpaw could almost hear her rolling her eyes.

"Well, it is prey that we need," he gently reminded his sister.

"I know," she huffed, "but Shadestep didn't have to make so much of a fuss. I still caught two mice afterwards." Hazelpaw twisted his head and looked at the fresh-kill pile, but there was only the one mouse, and not a squirrel in sight.

"So what did you do with them?"

"One of the mice went to the elders and the squirrel went to the nursery," she meowed. "Right, all done. Now you can do me." Hazelpaw settled himself behind Ravenpaw and started grooming her tangled fur, brushing a bit of moss out of her fur.

"Honestly!" he complained, as he unearth a particularly stubborn burr in her fur. "You weren't supposed to bring half the forest back with you! Ow!" He added, as Ravenpaw's tail whacked his head.

When they both looked, as Thornflower put it, presentable, they wandered over to Flamepaw and Stonepaw, the latter looking particularly glum. "Cheer up!" Ravenpaw meowed brightly. "At least you two will get a good night's sleep." Stonepaw just glared at her witheringly.

"Do you think I'm going to go to sleep without knowing what happened?" he snorted. A moment's pause, then: "I don't see why I can't go!" he burst out, furiously. "I beat Bramblepaw and Ashpaw! I deserve to go!" Hazelpaw groaned.

"If you wanted to go to the Gathering, you should have made sure that our mentor's couldn't hear you boasting about your victories. Thornflower overheard you and I'm pretty sure that influenced her decision," he informed Stonepaw, who scowled blackly.

At that moment, Duststar's voice called over the chatter of cats, which instantly died away. "The cats who will be going to the Gathering," he announced, "are Shadestep, Gorsebranch, Oakleaf, Thornflower, Beechfall, Barkclaw, Cloudfeather, Ashpaw, Bluepaw, Ravenpaw and Hazelpaw, along with myself, Smokedrift, Amberleaf and Finchpaw." Hazelpaw gave a small sigh of relief when he didn't hear Lakepaw's name called out. "Hawkflight will be in charge in our absence. We will be leaving shortly." He leaped off the Sandy Ledge and stood at the camp barrier, his deputy and medicine cats by his side.

"I guess we have to go," Hazelpaw meowed to Stonepaw and Flamepaw, almost apologetically.

"We'll tell you about everything that happens," promised Ravenpaw, and the other two seemed to brighten a little.

"Bye!" called Bramblepaw as Ravenpaw and Hazelpaw passed her, watching them a little enviously.

When at last all the Gathering cats were gathered, Duststar raised his tail and led the way, out of the camp and towards RiverClan. Hazelpaw fell into step with Oakleaf as they followed the crowd. "So, how is training going?" she asked, green eyes filled with love.

"It's alright," he answered, considering. "I wasn't very good in battle training, but I managed to squeeze a compliment out of Shadestep for my running. Well, sort of a compliment."

"And we all know how hard that is!" Oakleaf purred, as Ravenpaw padded on her other side. " And what about you, Ravenpaw? Is Shadestep giving you a hard time?"

"It's not that bad, actually," she meowed. "I mean, he is strict and hard to please, and sometimes looks at me like he doesn't trust me, and is an all-round annoying furball at times, but he's a good mentor. I've learnt a lot."

"That's good. Oh, I'm so proud of you both. Of all of you."

There was no more time to talk as they started to run the downwards decent, and Hazelpaw realised once more why he loved being WindClan. The feeling of freedom he felt on the moors was equal to no other feeling he had ever felt. He glanced sideways at Oakleaf, and wondered, not for the first time, how cats could judge her for her half-Clan heritage. She was WindClan through and through.

The procession only slowed as they reached the horseplace, staying between it and the water's edge. As they picked their way around a marshy area, Hazelpaw picked up the scent of ThunderClan. He caught a glimpse of another group of cats ahead, who had paused as WindClan drew level. "Greetings, Lilystar," Hazelpaw heard Duststar. He couldn't see the ThunderClan leader, but he heard her answer.

"Greetings, Duststar. I hope you do not mind that we crossed your territory to reach the island, but I can assure you that we stayed within three tail-lengths from the water."

"I believe a leader's word, Lilystar, though we are able to check if your facts are true." Duststar's tone was light, but there was a hint of a warning in his voice and words, and Hazelpaw admired his leader for being able to warn the ThunderClan leader to stay off WindClan territory without starting an argument in the process. "Please, go ahead."

"Thank you." Hazelpaw could feel impatience tugging at his paws as they waited for WindClan to pass, when a sudden thought struck him.

"How are we getting to the island?" he asked Oakleaf. "We don't have to swim, do we?"

"No, no, little one," Oakleaf reassured him. "There is a fallen tree that acts as a bridge from RiverClan territory to the island, so we don't have to get our paws wet."

When they began to move again, Thornflower beckoned to him with her tail and he hurried over to her, picking his way between Gorsebranch and Barkclaw to reach her. "Stay close to me now," she instructed. "When we get to the tree-bridge, go ahead of me and make sure you don't slip. I don't want to have to fish you out." Hazelpaw caught sight of the black water and imagined falling in. He nodded fervently and kept an eye on his Clanmates as they crossed the bridge one by one.

When it was his turn, he leaped lightly up onto the trunk, digging his claws in. Then, setting one paw in front of another, he slowly made his way across without a problem. Reaching the end, he jumped off and turned to see Thornflower leap gracefully next to him. "Well done. Now why don't you go and meet some apprentices from the other Clans? Just be sure not to give away anything about WindClan."

Nodding again, Hazelpaw slipped through the crowd and settled himself on the ground, staring around him in awe. "First Gathering?" A friendly voice spoke into his ear, and Hazelpaw jumped to see two cats of apprentice age standing behind him. The cat who had spoken, a light tabby tom like himself was looking at him in slight amusement.

"Yeah, he replied."

"I was here last time, but this is my sister's first one too." He indicated the white she-cat behind him. "She's Blossompaw, I'm Nutpaw, ThunderClan."

"Hazelpaw, WindClan," Hazelpaw introduced himself.

"I can tell," Nutpaw purred, screwing up his nose in mock disgust. The she-cat, Blossompaw, cuffed him gently around the head with a pale grey paw.

"Nutpaw, behave!" she scolded. She turned to Hazelpaw. "Sorry about him. He's always this rude, so don't take it personally!" Hazelpaw couldn't help letting out a small purr.

"I won't!" he promised, pretending to glare at Nutpaw. "So, how long have you two been apprentices?"

"About a moon," answered Nutpaw, his orange-amber eyes glimmering with excitement. "It's amazing. My mentor's Breezetail, and he's really fun! He's over there, next to Cindertail." He pointed towards a grey tabby tom, who was sat next to a black warrior with a very long tail.

Thornflower's somewhere over there," Hazelpaw meowed, spotting his ginger mentor's pelt among the throng of cats. "She's my mentor, and she's quiet, but really good." He looked around for Ravenpaw, wondering where she was. After a moment, he spotted her next to Ashpaw, talking to two apprentices.

"ShadowClan are late," remarked Blossompaw, looking first up at the branches of the Great Oak, then back at the tree-bridge. "I don't see anyone I recognise from patrols, nor can I smell them."

Hazelpaw turned to Nutpaw. "So, who are the leaders?" The ThunderClan tom puffed up his chest with importance as he gazed around the clearing.

"Well, that's our leader, Lilystar, over there, with our deputy, Gingerfeather." Hazelpaw followed the direction of Nutpaw's tail and saw two small warriors, a cream she-cat and a ginger tom who were in deep conversation. "And over there is Mothstar, that grey-and-white tom next to Duststar."

Hazelpaw nodded, just as more cats arrived. This must be ShadowClan. As the newcomers mingled with the rest of the cats, Hazelpaw felt a sudden urge to escape. He felt as though cats were crowding him from all sides and he backed away a little, gasping for air. The trees around him made him feel enclosed and he wished he was on the wide, open moors.

"Are you all right?" asked Blossompaw concernedly.

"I'm fine," breathed Hazelpaw, trying to regain control. "It's just… there are a lot of cats here."

"It's a Gathering, what did you expect?" Nutpaw meowed, a little impatiently. "But I felt the same my first time."

The cats fell silent and Hazelpaw saw a yellowish-brown tom leap up onto the lowest branch of the Great Oak. Nutpaw whispered in his ear, his breath tickling Hazelpaw's fur. "That's Oakstar, ShadowClan's leader." He nodded, not taking his eyes off the large tom, who stared down at them all impressively. Then, Duststar leapt up beside him, swiftly followed by Lilystar and finally, Mothstar, all settling themselves on the same branch.

"Welcome to the Gathering!" boomed Oakstar's voice. "Lilystar, would you like to begin?"

"Thanks you, Oakstar," meowed the small ThunderClan leader, getting graciously to her paws. "ThunderClan's nursery has been blessed with two kits born to Fernstream. Tawnykit and Palekit are our newest members, and they will make fine additions to the Clan." She paused for a moment as the Clans cheered.

"Tawnykit! Palekit!"

"Other than that, ThunderClan has little to report. Prey is running well, despite the cold weather, and ThunderClan thrives." Lilystar sat back down, her tail curling around her brown paws, dipping her head to Duststar, who stood, looking down upon the assembled Clans.

"WindClan has four new apprentices this moon. Oakleaf's kits are now Ravenpaw, Stonepaw, Hazelpaw and Flamepaw, though only Hazelpaw and Ravenpaw are here tonight."

As the Clans chanted his and Ravenpaw's names, Hazelpaw lifted his head a little higher, letting the feeling wash over him. He heard Nutpaw and Blossompaw cheering particularly loudly. He couldn't help notice, however, that some cats stayed silent, muttering between themselves. Hazelpaw sighed; he had a strong suspicion that cats were still wary of him and his half-Clan heritage.

"WindClan has no other news, and we are well." Duststar sat once more dipping his head for Oakstar to speak.

"Antstripe and Spiderheart have completed their assessments and are now warriors." Cheers arose once more, but far quieter than before. Hazelpaw noticed that all the RiverClan cats stayed silent, hostility in their eyes as they glared at the ShadowClan cats, and he felt a twang of pity for the newly-named warriors. This was supposed to be a proud moment for them and RiverClan were ruining it with their silence.

"A patrol fell into some trouble with some kittypets, but they soon learned their lesson." The ShadowClan leader's blue eyes gleamed in triumph. "ShadowClan is strong."

No sooner had he sat down did Mothstar spring to his paws. "RiverClan has had a good moon," he announced. "Our latest apprentices, Acornpaw and Daisypaw, are doing well in their training."

"Acornpaw! Daisypaw!" cheered Hazelpaw along with the rest of the cats, noticing the tom beside his sister taking in the moment. So that's Acornpaw he thought. But this time, ShadowClan remained impassive and unmoved, not saying a word, and he felt a surge of disgust for the two Clans, as the cheering died down. Both the new warriors and the new apprentices had their moments spoiled because of some argument between RiverClan and ShadowClan, which wasn't even their fault.

"The fish are swimming well, but I would advise ShadowClan to keep their paws off RiverClan territory and prey." Gasps arose from the assembled cats at this subtle accusation, mainly from ThunderClan and WindClan, and Hazelpaw understood why there had been tension between the two Clans, though it did not excuse their behaviour.

"ShadowClan haven't touched your measly fish or land!" growled Oakstar, and Hazelpaw saw the glint of claws sliding out. Surely, he thought, surely Oakstar won't break the truce, will he?

"Then why have my warriors detected ShadowClan scents inside our border?" demanded the grey-and-white tom, his green eyes burning.

"Maybe your warriors are mistaken," suggested Oakstar coolly, though there was a hint of a threat in his voice.

"Are you suggesting my warriors don't know their own scent from a ShadowClan cat's?" hissed Mothstar, sounding outraged. "I have smelled the scents too, Oakstar!"

Muttering broke out from all the Clans, RiverClan and ShadowClan glaring at each other viciously, yowling insults. A drop of water fell on Hazelpaw's shoulder, then another. He looked upwards and saw raindrops splattering the branches of the trees, a wind whistling through. Then, the skies opened and, in a matter of moments, Hazelpaw was drenched.

"This Gathering is over!" yowled Mothstar, shaking his pelt. He lowered his voice a little and spoke to Oakstar, though Hazelpaw caught his ominous words before he leapt off the branch. "If you can't keep your warriors off RiverClan's land, Oakstar, you will be sorry for it."

Wow, that was a long chapter! 8,450 words, excluding the AN, and 13 pages on Word!And speaking of Word, I hate the spelling suggestions! It's not compatible with 'Warriors'. As a suggestion for 'Palekit', it said 'polecat'! No! If I was talking about a polecat, I would have written 'polecat'! URGH!

So Hazelpaw can run but not fight, Stonepaw can fight but not run and ShadowClan is accused of prey-stealing and trespassing! Is this the return of the drama llama? Only time will tell. In the meantime, I will ask you to please review, to make up for the lack of them last chapter, and answer this question:

Question of the Day (QotD): can you tell through my writing which cat's P.O.V. it is, other that the fact that I mention their names? If I were to replace Hazelpaw's name with 'cat' in this chapter, would you be able to tell that it was him, or do I need to characterise my kitties a bit more?

Also, I started another story, adopted from Storm-Eyes-Osprey (if you don't know her, go check out her work; it's really good), called 'We are Golden'. For you Potterheads out there, I also wrote a Harry Potter one-shot, celebrating April Fool's Day and Fred and George's (or Gred and Forge's) birthdays! Please go and look at them and review!

Anyway, please review, and I'll try to get my next chapter up soon!

Snowfeather signing out.