THE NEXT FEW DAYS IN THE CLAN WENT BY PEACEFULLY. The warriors had finally given up on finding out how Applebreeze died, and life went back to how it used to be. Robinspot was out and fully healed, but had become very jumpy. He would always wake up in the middle of the night, yowling that they were coming. Blackpaw heard some warriors asking him once what he meant by them were coming, trying to find out who they are, but Robinspot never gave an answer.

Blackpaw lashed her tail in annoyance as her thoughts yet again distracted her from her hunt. This was the third time it had happened, and Ashbrook had noticed every single time and never failed to point it out, embarrassing her in front of Shadowpaw and Doeclaw. 

The black apprentice fixed her eyes on a nearby bird and flexed her muscles. She saw Shadowpaw as he moved about and silenced him with a hiss. She wanted to catch that bird! 

"I don't think you have a chance." Shadowpaw muttered as he saw her gaze on the bird. "It's too far away. It would hear you as soon as you step out and go towards it. Trust me, I never catch a bird that is that far away."

"Yeah, only because you move around like a badger. It might hear your clumsy paw steps, but it would never realize me." Blackpaw meowed and twitched her whiskers. 

Not giving her brother a chance to reply, she retreated into a bush, as silent as a mouse. Blackpaw stepped as lightly as she could. She used the shadows and darkness that the undergrowth provided in her advantage, her pelt easily blending in. When she was a tail-length away, she jumped, trapping the bird under her paws and killed it with a swift swipe. The bird fell limp silently without alerting any nearby prey. 

Blackpaw looked up with the bird in her jaws. Shadowpaw, Ashbrook and Doeclaw stepped out, their eyes wide with chock. 

"How in StarClan's name did you do that?" Shadowpaw gaped at her. 

"Do what?" Blackpaw said through the bird's small body. Her gaze flickered from Ashbrook to Doeclaw, searching for an answer to her brother's question. 

"You.... disappeared?" Doeclaw murmured, looking around uneasily. 

Blackpaw set her prey gently down by her paws and flickered her ears. 

"Disappeared how?" The black apprentice asked and tilted her head. 

"All these two are trying to say is that you blended in perfectly with the shadows. We couldn't hear nor see you as you moved. Well done, Blackpaw!" Ashbrook's praise made Blackpaw's eyes light up in delight. She flicked her tail and looked at Shadowpaw with half closed eyes. 

"And you said that I couldn't catch it." Blackpaw said and puffed out her chest. 

With a growl, Shadow hunched his muscles and leaped at his sister. He bowled her over easily and trapped her under his paws. 

"Move you great old badger!" Blackpaw huffed and batted at his chest with her paws. But Shadowpaw wouldn't budge. She tried to push him off of her, but he was just simply too heavy. 

"You should consider eating less! You're so, heavy!" With a screech, Blackpaw finally managed to squirm out from underneath him.

"I'm not fat, of that's what you're trying to say! This weight is muscle!" Shadowpaw hollered and ran after her. 

Blackpaw pelted through the forest. Her lithe body easily picking up speed as she swerved left and right to avoid bumping into anything. 

"Blackpaw! Shadowpaw! Come back here!" A distant voice called after them, but Blackpaw didn't stop. She was finally having fun after so long. 

The she-cat heard her brothers heavy pawsteps as he ran after her. She let out a mrrow of amusement and saw a smaller tree in front of her. The bark looked strong enough for her to get a hold on it, and the branches looked firm and big enough for her to sit. 

Blackpaw leaped and grabbed the rough bark with her claws. She climbed higher and higher up, and settled on a branch well hidden behind some leaves. Peeking out, she saw her brother's gray pelt as he ran after her scent. Her stopped and circled the spot she had leaped from, and looked around in confusion. 

"Blackpaw?" He called out. "Where are you?" 

Blackpaw purred and looked at him as he moved closer and closer. When he was just underneath the tree, Blackpaw jumped. She fell silently through the air and landed on his shoulders.

Shadowpaw let out a grunt of surprise as his legs collapsed under him. He fell sideways with Blackpaw still on top of him. As quick as thunder strikes, Blackpaw shot out a paw and placed it firmly on his throat. 

"Got you!" Blackpaw purred.

"Get off of me!" Shadowpaw growled and pushed her away. He got up to his paws and shook out his long fur. "Did you just drop down from the tree?" 

"Yes I did!" Blackpaw meowed and looked up at the branch she had been sitting on just moments ago. 

"Do you think you're a SkyClan cat or something?" Shadowpaw snorted and started walking back the way they had come. "Let's go back and collect all they prey you caught today.." 

"Are you jealous that I'm a better hunter that you?" Blackpaw purred and bounded after him. 

The only reply she got, was an irritated flick of his ear. 

"Come on, Shadowpaw! You can't possibly be the best at everything." When she received no reply once again, she jumped in front of him, blocking him from continuing his trek back to his mentor. 

"We both know that if we were to fight against each other, you would be the one defeating me. Just look at you, Shadowpaw. You're twice my size. And besides, if you're good at battling, it's only fair that I'm good at stalking and tracking." Blackpaw turned around, with her nose in the air, and stalked away.

A deep purr made her stop and look back. Shadowpaw shook his head, amusement twinkling in his eyes. 

"I was just kidding, Blackpaw. Of course I'm not jealous! I couldn't be more proud to be your brother." 

✦✦✦

Blackpaw, Ashbrook, Shadowpaw and Doeclaw padded into camp, their jaws filled with new-leaf prey. Ashbrook dropped the prey that was in his jaws and looked at the two apprentices. 

"When you drop your prey I want you to pick something delicious from the pile. Then you can go relax or do whatever you want. Training is done for today." 

Blackpaw nodded and chose a small squirrel, while Shadowpaw picked out a fat mouse and a smaller pigeon. 

"I don't understand how you can eat that much!" Blackpaw muttered and walked past him. She saw Branchpaw eating alone, and Lionpaw just coming into camp. He carried a fresh scar on his foreleg, which made Blackpaw walk towards him. 

Blackpaw put down her squirrel and waved her tail in greeting. 

"Hey Lionpaw! What happened to your leg?" 

"Nothing!" Lionpaw said, his eyes darting around in camp. "Would you please keep it down?" 

Blackpaw tilted her head, and decided to not ask about it anymore. She would ask him later. 

"Wanna share a squirrel with me? I know I picked a small one, so I'll just go choose a bigger." 

Lionpaw purred and nodded. 

"Go sit over there and wait for me to come back." Blackpaw chirped and pointed her tail towards a sunny spot. 

Lionpaw padded over to the spot, while Blackpaw went back to the fresh-kill pile to find a bigger squirrel. 

She bent down and started nosing the different kinds of prey. 

"Hey Blackpaw!" A voice near her ear made her jump. She licked the fur on her chest in embarrassment, as she realized it was only Branchpaw.

"Hello Branchpaw." She greeted him. 

"Wanna share something?" He asked her and puffed out his chest. 

"Uhm, sorry. I just asked Lionpaw to eat with me. Maybe another time?" 

Branchpaw's chest deflated and he nodded, lowering his eyes. 

"See you." He muttered and hurried away. 

Blackpaw grunted and flicked her ears. Why was he acting so weird? She shook her fur and finally found a decent-sized squirrel. Picking it up, she made her way back to Lionpaw, who was lazily washing his paws. 

"Here!" Blackpaw chirped and dropped the squirrel on the ground. "Eat while it's warm." She said and crouched. She bit into it and closed her eyes, enjoying the delicious taste. 

When both apprentices were done eating, Blackpaw moved closer to Lionpaw and started washing his pelt. She often found herself comforted and relaxed by doing so.

She could feel Lionpaw tense under her touch, and then slowly start to relax. 

"I still want to know about that scratch of yours. It looks painful." She murmured.

"I don't want you to worry about me, Blackpaw." Lionpaw muttered. He looked at her through half-closed eyes and yet, Blackpaw could still see the brilliant green colour of his eyes. 

"Let all cats gather around to hear what I have to say!" Kestrelstar's voice rang clearly in camp. 

Every cat gathered around her, waiting for her to speak. 

"Today is the gathering. I want all senior warriors to come with their apprentices." Kestrelstar blinked at Boulder and Darkleap. The dark gray tom nodded and stepped closer to the ShadowClan leader while flicking his ears at Lionpaw. The green-eyed apprentice gave a court nod. Darkleap too stepped closer and sat. 

"I also wish for Daisystep and Harepelt to accompany us for the first time as warriors. Ashbrook, Doeclaw, Blackpaw and Shadowpaw may come with as well. The elders are welcome , but I want the rest of the warriors to stay and guard the camp. I want our side of the forest patrolled regularly and repeatedly. We will not take any chances and risk more of our warriors disappearing." Kestrelstar looked painfully at silverpelt. 

Blackpaw shivered and flattened her ears. The disappearance of Applebreeze was still fresh in her mind, and she was still scared of the whole situation even though she showed no signs of it. 

"I will not have any warrior outside alone!" Kestrelstar continued with a sharp voice. "If I hear that any cat has left camp alone, he or she will be punished. Is that clear?"

Murmurs of agreement rose from the gathered cats. Blackpaw could see that whatever had happened to Applebreeze was still making ShadowClan nervous and scared in the uneasy flicks of their tails and ears. 

"Go now, get ready to leave. We leave at moonrise" Kestrelstar jumped down and flicked her tail, inviting her senior warriors and deputy into her den.

Blackpaw felt Lionpaw as he shifted uneasily on his paws. His claws were unsheated and sharp, digging into the soft ground beneath them. She leaned into him, comforting him and seeking comfort from him. 

She looked up at him, noticing how big he had gotten. How the muscles rippled like waves underneath his thick tabby fur. She inhaled his sweet scent and flicked her ears. 

A grunt from behind her made Blackpaw jump with a little gasp and turn. Shadowpaw had plopped down, with Branchpaw right behind him. 

"I think I ate too much." Shadowpaw groaned while lapping lazily at his chest-fur. Blackpaw sighed and rolled her eyes. 

"Of course you did. If you ate too little, then I would say you were dying." She said.

"Why is it that I am the only apprentice who is getting left behind?!" Branchpaw complained loudly, earning a few glares from nearby warriors. "This is so unfair!"

"Maybe next time Branchpaw." Lionpaw said with his eyes half-closed.

Branchpaw glared at Lionpaw and bared his teeth. "No one was talking to you." He spat and lashed his tail. 

Blackpaw watched the hostility between the two toms with big eyes. 

"Hey! Stop it you two." She said and thrust her lithe body in between them. "No need for a fight. The warriors are looking!" 

Branchpaw hissed and stalked away, his long legs carrying him easily to the apprentices den, where the darkness swallowed him. 

Lionpaw gave a satisfied grunt and shook his long fur. 

"What was that for?" Blackpaw asked him, and tilted her head curiously. 

"That, my dearest dumb sister, was jealou-" Shadowpaw didn't get to finish his sentence, as Lionpaw dunked him on the head. 

"OW! What in StarClan's name?" Shadowpaw whined loudly as he stood up. Lionpaw glared at him and puffed out his chest fur. Shadowpaw's eyes turned as big as moons as he started backing away slowly "Ohh? Oooooh! Got it." With that said, he turned around and ran towards Boulderfur. 

Blackpaw slitted her eyes in suspicion. Lionpaw shrugged and waved his tail in farewell. 

"See you later!" He chirped and hurried away. 

What in StarClan's name had just happened?