"Wake up, Birchpaw!"Spiderpaw nudged the apprentice.

She stirred, raising her pale head sleepily.

"What?"

"Ready to leave?"He asked her with a small smile.

"Is everyone else ready?"She stretched, arching her back and yawning softly.

"Not yet.Dewmelody and Deerspots are still waking up.I think Ripplestrike is waiting by the exit, though."

"Alright."She followed him out of the den, blinking to adjust her eyes to the blaring sunlight.

Ripplestrike trotted over to them. "We ready yet?"She sighed impatiently, shifting her paws.

"Not yet,"Dewmelody mewed as she left the warriors den. "Deerspots is just grooming his fur, then he'll be ready."

After a few moments, the brown tom emerged from the den, his fur smooth and clean. "Let's go."

Sunpaw hurried over to them. "Just remember, go through RavenClan territory and follow the river.It'll take at least four sunrises and you'll see huge oak trees."

Spiderpaw and Birchpaw nodded, saying in unison, "Thanks, Sunpaw."

They started out, after eating some traveling herbs.

Spiderpaw felt that the group had good energy, and they'd probably get pretty far in one day.

After a long while of silence, Birchpaw spoke.

"Do you think RavenClan will let us through peacefully?"Birchpaw chirped, walking beside him while the older cats took the front.

"I sure hope so,"He said thoughtfully. "RavenClan always seemed peaceful.I guess it depends on how Bonestar is feeling."

"Bonestar,"Birchpaw shivered at his name. "So spooky."

Spiderpaw's whiskers twitched in amusement.

He dodged a thorny branch, leaping onto a boulder and staring around.

"It seems as if we are making good progress, already!"

He could barely see the heart of FalconClan camp.

"I see our border,"Deerspots rumbled, pointing his tail toward a spot not too far away. "Should be there and into RavenClan territory in no time."

They continued on, the border drawing nearer and nearer. With every step Spiderpaw grew more and more worried.

What if they don't let us pass?

This is just a stupid quest.I'm not even sure this will work!

A pit opened up in Spiderpaw's stomach, and it made him feel hollow and empty.

Mabye I'm just hungry?

"Can we stop to hunt?"He blurted, sending pleading eyes to the FalconClan deputy.

Ripplestrike frowned. "We're almost to the border, though.."

"Let's hunt,"Deerspots nudged her. "It'll give us the strength to fight angry RavenClan warriors, if we need to."

"Plus, once we get into RavenClan territory, we won't be aloud to hunt."

Birchpaw added.

She sighed in defeat. "Alright.Quickly, though."

Spiderpaw broke off from the rest of the patrol, heading into a deep thicket.

He heard the scuttling of small, gentle paws and flattened himself to the ground.

"Mouse? No, shrew."He whispered, spotting the brown back of the critter.

Be crept closer, bunching his muscles to leap.He kept his tail hovering slightly off the ground.

Suddenly a flash of night-black fur streaked across the clearing as an un-familiar tom-cat launched himself at the shrew.

He fumbled with it in his claws and swiped a paw across its throat.

"Hey!"Spiderpaw's neck fur bristled and be took a step forward, fluffing out his fur. "You can't hunt on FalconClan territory!"

The black cat whipped his head toward Spiderpaw, eyes widening. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't realize-"

"You knew all too well!"Spiderpaw hissed, leaping at the apprentice, claws unsheathed.

He tackled the tom, biting down on his ear.A small squirt of blood leaked out, and the RavenClan apprentice whimpered, going limp.

Spiderpaw was confused on why he wasn't fighting back.He got off the black cat, stepping backward.

"Why aren't you attacking me?"He flattened his ears to his head.

His green eyes stared at his paws. "Why would I bother to fight back? You'd win anyway..."

"What are you talking about?"

Spiderpaw wouldn't say he was very dangerous, although mabye a bit intimidating.Surely this apprentice wasn't afraid of him?

"My whole Clan knows I'm useless,"He sighed, shifting. "Anyway..Have your shrew, I'm leaving."

"You still were on my territory.You need to be punished!"Spiderpaw snarled.

He flinched, his large green eyes widening extremely. "B-but.."

"Spiderpaw? What's going on here?"Deerspots pushed his way through the forestry, walking to stand in front of the black apprentices.

"He caught a shrew on our territory!"Spiderpaw puffed out his chest, glaring heavily at the other black cat.

"I-I didn't mean to!"He yelped, trembling under Deerspots's and Spiderpaw's heated gazes. "I just wanted to show my Clanmates I could hunt!"

"What is your name?"Deerspots narrowed his amber eyes, tucking his tail around him.

"S-Shakenpaw.."He muttered, avoiding eye contact with Spiderpaw.

"Leave him alone,"Deerspots shrugged, switching his gaze to Spiderpaw. "But we will get him to escort us through his territory."

"Why?"Shakenpaw's meow was pure curiosity, and he perked up right away.

"Doesn't matter."Spiderpaw snapped harshly at the young tom. "FalconClan business."

"We are trying to find Spiderpaw's sister, Ravenpaw.Have you ever heard of the Tall Oaks?"Deerspots brushed Shakenpaw's shoulder with his tail tip.

"No,"He shook his head. "But it sounds cool! I'll escort you!"

Spiderpaw huffed, grabbing the shrew in his jaws and stalking away.

"Such a mouse-brain that Deerspots is."

"Why?"Birchpaw's sudden mew startled Spiderpaw, and he dropped his prey.

"Uhh, he's letting an apprentice escort us, even after hunting on our territory."Spiderpaw licked his chest fur a couple times.

"Oh,"She scuffed a paw on the ground. "This'll be my first time talking to a apprentice from RavenClan! I wonder what he does for fun! Do you think he plays the same games as us?"

"I don't know,"Spiderpaw crouched, biting into the shrew. "I don't care."

Birchpaw shrugged, trotting off toward where Shakenpaw and Deerspots were standing.

"This is crazy,"Spiderpaw muttered. "We can get through RavenClan without an apprentice guiding us."

It made him feel weak.

Getting to his paws and licking his lips clean, he joined the patrol, seeing Ripplestrike and Dewmelody had joined them.

"Let's head out now,"Ripplestrike nodded. "Shakenpaw, lead the way."

The black cat held his head high, leading them past the FalconClan border and into RavenClan territory.

Spiderpaw wrinkled his nose in disgust at the smell.

"It smells like crowfood here."He complained.

"Shush,"Dewmelody snapped, padding beside him. "You mustn't complain, mouse-brain.I bet Shakenpaw didn't think our territory smelled lovely, but you didn't hear him complaining."

"That was because he was being beaten up by Spiderpaw, and didn't have the chance to."Birchpaw grinned cheekily, appearing on Spiderpaw's other side.

"Be quiet!"Spiderpaw hissed playfully, batting Birchpaw across the head gently.

She stuck out her tongue, racing ahead to trot beside Shakenpaw, but not before sending him a light glare.

"We'll be out of my territory by the end of the day, probably."Shakenpaw glanced at the sky.

Spiderpaw did the same, seeing the sun setting at a rapid pace.It was nearly night time.Time for sleep.

Spiderpaw hadn't realized, but his paws were extremely tired.They felt heavy, and he was dragging them with every step.

"Why don't we just stop here?"Ripplestrike said, staring at an abandoned fox den.

"Because a patrol might find us?"Spiderpaw growled.

The truth was, he didn't want to have to spend the night in the same den with Shakenpaw.

I don't even want to be breathing the same air as that fox-hearted apprentice.

He knew that was mean, but he didn't really care.

"I think it's a good idea,"Dewmelody mewed. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted."

Ripplestrike nodded. "Then it's decided.We'll spend the night here, and early in the morning, we'll set out again."

This is my quest!

Shouldn't I get a say in this?

Spiderpaw sighed, following Deerspots into the den.

He curled up beside Dewmelody, closing his eyes.

I'm coming for you Ravenpaw.

We'll find you...

(Word count: 1,313)