"Thrushpaw, I'd like for you to go fetch some soft grass for the elders please," Rubbleclaw called across the clearing at Thrushpaw, who was eating a thrush alone. Foxpaw, Featherpaw, Cinderpaw, and Blazepaw ate cheerfully in a circle near him, and he had his back turned, his ears folded in an attempt to block out their laughter and gossip. Warrior life had turned dull. He kept thinking back to the Gathering, and his meeting with Willowpaw; that had been the highlight of the moon. There wasn't anyone like Willowpaw in WhisperClan that he knew, who'd gotten him to talk comfortably for the first time since Rosetail's disappearance. Perhaps it was because she was from a different Clan. Or perhaps it was just her. 

His denmates had stopped attempting to converse with him. Even Foxpaw and Stonepaw had stopped their taunts once they saw that they had no effect, and simply ignored him. Stonepaw still slept in an adjacent nest during the night; Blazepaw still practiced with him; he still went on patrol with all of them; however, the old flames of friendships and acquaintanceships were gone. They were nothing more than cats who lived together. Part of Thrushpaw had been deeply saddened by the fact, but the other half of him found that he didn't exactly care. As time passed, he began to find that he didn't really want to associate with them at all anymore. 

Wordlessly, he kicked dirt over his half-eaten mouse, and padded towards the entrance. Rubbleclaw frowned as he passed. 

"You've just wasted a perfectly good mouse!" 

"Oops," said Thrushpaw emptily. "Won't happen again." 

"What's gotten into you, Thrushpaw?" 

"Nothing," Thrushpaw replied, whipping around, feeling annoyed. "Seriously. Can I go do my chores now?" 

Rubbleclaw stared at him for a moment. "Fine," he said finally, turning away. "But take Foxpaw with you."

Great StarClan. The russet tabby perked his ears and finished his food, approaching Thrushpaw with a lazy saunter. Dislike rose like bile in Thrushpaw's throat. Spinning towards the entrance again, he marched out and towards the Slopes, where the best grass was supposed to be. Foxpaw stood behind him, waiting. 

"Let's split up," said Thrushpaw. "I can collect the grass here. You can go find grass elsewhere, so we'll have a variety." Truthfully, he just wanted some more alone time. Foxpaw shrugged and headed off, disappearing down the hill. Sighing, Thrushpaw bent down bite down the stalks of the grass, working silently. His mind drifted towards Willowpaw again-- 

A strange scent wafted over his nostrils, and he jerked up sharply, sending loose grass flying. A rogue? Narrowing his eyes, Thrushpaw scurried forward and scanned the bottom of the hill. Foxpaw was nowhere to be seen, but there was no one else there, either. 

He turned around, and found himself face-to-face with a strange white tom. 

"Who--" 

"Shh!" the white tom leaned forward, sounding frantic. His eyes were wide, and he glanced around before speaking again. "Please, please don't call for help. I'm not here to try to kill you guys or anything. I just want to ask a question or two, and then I'll leave. Promise." 

"Oh yeah? How do I know I can trust you?" 

"If I keep staying after I ask my questions, you can yowl all you want," said the large white tom impatiently. "Now, you're a Clan cat, right?" 

"...yes." 

"So do you know someone named Willowpaw?" 

Thrushpaw froze. His eyes widened and then narrowed, giving away his answer. "U-uh, I do, but she doesn't live here. What do you want with her?" Just because you're not threatening our Clan doesn't mean you can threaten other ones! 

"So this isn't LeafClan?" 

"No." 

"Fox-dung." The white tom looked frustrated. "I knew it smelled weird. Can you point me in the direction of LeafClan?" 

"No." 

"Please," said the white tom, sounding desperate again. "I need to know." 

"Why?" Thrushpaw challenged. He knew he was being difficult, and he enjoyed seeing the white stranger squirm. "And I'll need your name." 

"I'm Bravado. Willowpaw's father." 

Thrushpaw frowned. He had learned something new about his new friend. "She's not Clanborn?" 

"She is, but I just happen to be her father. So I want to see her. Where's LeafClan?" 

"You're not going to take her away, are you? I mean, take her away from the Clans." 

"Of course not; she belongs there. I just like to visit her secretly every once in a while." 

"Why?" 

"Why? I'm her father! I can't just leave her in her mother's paws. I want to be able to see my kit every once in a while. Got it? I'm wasting my time here. I could be spending time with my daughters right now. Good talking to you. Now, I need to find this LeafClan." He started to leave, heading down the Slopes in the opposite direction. 

"Wait!" Thrushpaw called out. Bravado stopped. Angling his ears across the border, he said, "it's this way. You'll have to pass another two Clans, but you can reach LeafClan once you cross them. And... tell her Thrushpaw of WhisperClan said 'hi.'" 

Bravado gave a slight smile and nodded. "You sound like an okay tom, so I'll keep my word and deliver that message. Too bad you two are so far away. See you." He disappeared through the bushes, and Thrushpaw stood there, watching him leave. He hadn't even blinked yet when paw steps sounded behind him, and Foxpaw puffed up the hill with a mouthful of grass. 

"Who're you talking to?" he asked suspiciously, spraying Thrushpaw with grass. Frowning, he backed up and glared at Foxpaw. 

"No one," he retorted. 

"Talking to yourself now?" Foxpaw smirked. Thrushpaw scowled, but the russet tom had already turned his back. Thank StarClan he didn't smell Bravado's scent! "Let's head to camp, then?" 

"Lead the way," Thrushpaw muttered, picking up his collection and falling into step behind the other apprentice. A few tail-lengths away was a patrol, with Frostberry's tall, proud white form at the lead. Thrushpaw gulped inwardly and skidded slightly to avoid them. They were heading for the Slopes. 

"Here's the grass," he said, dropping them in the elders' den. "Should I get to weaving them into your nests?" he asked Hawkshadow and Lichenfeather. 

"We're supposed to do that," said Emberpaw quietly, padding in with Stonepaw and Birchpaw. Thrushpaw glanced at them. They looked familiar, because he shared a den with them every night. However, at the same time they looked like complete strangers, too. What was I angry about in the beginning...? Oh right, Rosetail. It took him a moment to recall her as his sister. Shaking his head, he padded out wordlessly. Emberpaw and Birchpaw giggled from inside as Stonepaw told a witty joke, and Thrushpaw rolled his eyes. 

---

A moon had passed; Thrushpaw checked the moon each night, seeing what phase it was in. It was a three-quarter moon tonight; it would be the Gathering soon. He smiled to himself, the first smile he'd smiled since his last Gathering. I'll see Willowpaw again. And maybe meet someone else, too. Maybe even Rosetail. 

"The Gathering is the next quarter-moon," Icestar was saying. Thrushpaw jerked his head up; he hadn't noticed the cats clustered around Icestar, who was giving a short announcement. "If you'd like to go to the Gathering, then please request. I'm only taking a few cats, so decide fast!" 

Thrushpaw shouldered his way forward. "I'd like to go, please." 

"Noted," said Icestar cheerfully, dipping his head. "Anyone else?" Cats began to push forward, and Thrushpaw was jostled to the side. Satisfied, he hopped out of the crowd and blinked happily, his head feeling clear for the first time in days. The crisp night air had never smelled so sweet. 

"No fair!" Doekit chirped, stalking up. "We don't get to be apprentices until leaf-bare! And then it'll be cold again!" 

"You'll have to wake up early," muttered Thrushpaw, as Sunkit, Deerkit, and Lightningkit trailed out behind Doekit. Not kits again! "It's not fun when you have to wake up before the sun." 

"Can you show us a battle move?" Lightningkit blurted out. The kits' eyes lit up; Thrushpaw bit back a sigh.

"Erm, not now," he said curtly, turning away. "I uh, have things to do."

"Aw, please!" her brother Thunderkit bounced up beside her, pouting. Thrushpaw ground his teeth, letting his claws sink into the muddy ground. Why couldn't they take the answer 'no?' 

"Come on, you two," Sunkit said, padding up. Now the eldest of the kits, he was by far the most mature. Blinking up at Thrushpaw, he turned to the kits. "Can't you see he doesn't want to? I'm sure being an apprentice is very stressful and tiring, so let's go pretend to be some!" 

"Okay!" Turning, Thunderkit and Lightningkit ran after Sunkit back to the nursery, with their sister Sweetkit tumbling after them. Thrushpaw wished he could at least flash Sunkit a grateful nod. When I was small, I had friends like that, he recalled sadly. Spotting a group of his denmates in a circle next to the fresh-kill pile, he approached them. 

Featherpaw and Blazepaw shifted aside wordlessly for him, and he settled in with a stiff greeting. Biting into the shrew he picked up, he noticed that others were sharing- Blazepaw with Featherpaw, Brownpaw with Stonepaw, Emberpaw with Cinderpaw, and Foxpaw and Birchpaw. Bending his head, he tucked into his own meal, but the flesh of the prey felt dry on his tongue, and he rolled his food around in his mouth before swallowing quite forcefully. 

 
Slowly, gossip arose, starting with Birchpaw. "So, is it just me, or has anyone else seen Windwing and Shadowfox together quite often?" 

"Oh thank StarClan," Blazepaw said with a glimmer in her eyes, "I've been dying to talk about it someone!" 

"They're so cute together," Emberpaw added, smiling. 

"Shadowfox is cute," Featherpaw grunted, "Windwing's kinda plain, if you ask me." 

"That's because you like Shadowfox," Cinderpaw teased. Featherpaw threw a mouse tail at her, and she dodged with a squeal. 

"You like Shadowfox?" asked Foxpaw, looking mildly interested. "He's kinda old, if you ask me." 

"Not!" retorted Featherpaw. "He's only six moons older!" 

"Well, good luck fighting Windwing," Brownpaw teased his sister. 

Thrushpaw flicked his ears, not wanting to butt in. How much have I missed? Even Foxpaw's in this friend circle! Isn't he supposed to be selfish? He was surprised to see the ginger tom not hogging the prey he was eating with Birchpaw. Perhaps cats had changed. And I'm still stuck here! Forever, maybe!

"Hey you apprentices," Moonclaw said, padding over, "will all of you find something to do after you've eaten?" 

"We were planning to," muttered Foxpaw. Beside him, Blazepaw gave him a light cuff on the ears. Moonclaw narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything about the russet tom's sass. 

"I want some of you on patrol, and three of you to do chores around camp. I think you're mature enough to sort out the duties amongst yourselves. As you were planning to," she added, before padding off. 

"Dibs on the patrol," Thrushpaw said immediately, jumping up, not wanting to clean out the elders' den. Emberpaw glared at him, but claimed a patrol duty right after him. 

"Dibs," Birchpaw, Foxpaw, and Stonepaw said together. 

"I did chores just before this," Cinderpaw grunted, standing up. "That leaves you three," she said, flicking her tail to Blazepaw, Brownpaw, and Featherpaw. 

"Fox-dung," Blazepaw swore, finishing the last of her mouse with Featherpaw, both eating in large bites. 

"Grayfern told you not to swear," Birchpaw teased her, flicking her ears with her tail. Thrushpaw glanced at them gloomily. They all got along so well, and he suddenly felt extremely lonely. If Rosetail hadn't ran away, I would've still been happy. This is all your fault! I'm going to chew you out at the Gathering! 

---

 
Now I wish I did the chores. Thrushpaw grumpily trailed behind his patrol, which consisted of Frostberry, Stonepaw, Foxpaw, and Goldenfox. Could this combination be any worse? They headed to the StormClan border to renew the scent line, and Thrushpaw climbed the slopes wearily. Suddenly, enemy scent wafted into his nostrils, and he opened his jaws to talk, but Goldenfox, at the head, had already snarled. 

"StormClan! They've been trespassing on our territory." 

"I think it's about a day old," Stonepaw piped up. The two warriors ignored him, heads already together, discussing. 

"We ought to track them down right now," Goldenfox was growling. 

"No, you mouse-brain," Frostberry hissed, "do you want to sink as low as them? We're going to tell Icestar about it and leave it at that. Do you want to get in trouble because of this?" 

"We could just take care of the problem ourselves," snorted Goldenfox. Stonepaw flicked his tail in amusement at their banter, and Foxpaw smirked. Thrushpaw ground his teeth. Trust StarClan to give me these two stupid cats as brothers. But Frostberry is being rational.

"What are you going to do, ravage the camp and beat the warriors up? Do you want to give Goldenstar an excuse for a battle? How bad do you think we'd look at the Gathering?" the white tom retorted, baring his teeth. This made Goldenfox quiet. All about the reputation, eh? thought Thrushpaw bitterly. 

"Fine," snapped Goldenfox after a pause. Stoenpaw and Foxpaw exchanged a glance. The large golden warrior's eyes roved over his patrol angrily, and for a moment Thrushpaw was scared he was going to attack Stonepaw and Foxpaw, both who had extremely judgmental looks on their faces. Frostberry bristled angrily, staring straight through Thrushpaw. "We'll go back. Happy?" Goldenfox shot at Frostberry. The white tom shrugged and began to walk the return path, with his littermate stalking behind him. 

"So they're always like this?" Stonepaw asked Thrushpaw as the three of them hung back. 

"I don't know," Thrushpaw said bitterly, "I'm barely their brother as it is."