DarkRipple was fast asleep in the elders den, snoring peacefully.

At least he was until a small cat pounced on him.

"Tell me a story, DarkRipple!" The cat pleaded. "Puh-leaseeeeeee?"

"Alright, alright, but it'll be a quick one," DarkRipple settled down into his moss bed, curling his tail around his paws. "What would you like to hear about, PoppyPaw?"

"Sometime when you were an apprentice," PoppyPaw begged.

"Aah, that was ages ago. I don't think that I'll remember anything," DarkRipple rasped.

"Please? Please? Please?"

"Alright, then. I'll think of a more recent one." He lifted his head in thought, and then meowed, "I'll tell you a story of when I was rescued as an apprentice.

"Oh boy!" PoppyPas bounced on her haunches excitedly, as DarkRipple began telling the story in great detail.

DarkPaw bounced around happily. "First patrol! First patrol! First-"

"Would you shut up, stupid fur ball?" RipplePaw rolled her eyes. "You're scaring away all the prey in the forest!"

"Oops," DarkPaw whispered. "Why aren't we leaving?"

RipplePaw glanced around. "Were waiting for IceTail," she sighed. "I can't wait to practice for our assignment! And on a hunting patrol? How clever!"

"Yeah," DarkPaw hopes he could catch something. His bossy friend- or maybe his enemy- was always catching prey to amuse her mentor, IceTail. DarkPaw's mentor was sick at the moment, so he also had to find a way to impress IceTail.

But the worst part was, DarkPaw wasn't the best hunter. So how could he catch something for a mentor that expected a lot out of her apprentice?

"IceTail's here, we can go now," RipplePaw turned to DarkPaw, and then the patrol moved deep into the forest.

"So DarkPaw, RipplePaw," a large gray she-cat turned to the apprentices. "Lets see what you can catch today."

"I bet I'll catch a bird," RipplePaw boasted.

"Is this an assessment?" DarkPaw cocked his head.

"This is practice for your upcoming assessment in two moons," she said. "Now, start hunting!"

DarkPaw and RipplePaw headed in opposite directions, each sniffing the air for prey. DarkPaw smelled something- mouse.

Creeping forwards, he spotted the small, fragile body of the mouse. A couple more paces and...

The mouse scuttled away!

"Fox dung," DarkPaw muttered, even though he was told not to use such language.

Meanwhile, RipplePaw had just caught sight of the mouse DarkPaw had scared away. She leaped gracefully, and landed on the mouse. RipplePaw dug her claws in it's back and bit its spine.

She caught a glimpse of DarkPaw's black fur, and noticed he wasn't carrying any prey. Must be a little bit of bad luck, she thought.

Another aroma was detected from the base of a tree. A squirrel was munching at a nut, too busy to notice RipplePaw.

Pounce! The squirrel was limp within a couple seconds.

"I see your doing well," the gray she-cat emerged from behind a bush. "Have you seen DarkPaw?"

"I'm afraid he's having some trouble, IceTail," RipplePaw admitted, even though she enjoyed seeing the obnoxious tom fail at hunting.

"I'll be sure to check on him," IceTail peered ahead. "Oh, and don't head towards that dark clearing- I smell badger."

As DarkPaw continued to smell around, he noticed there was a scent that wasn't prey. It doesn't smell like cat, he told himself as he crept closer. The scent lead to a dark, open space.

DarkPaw was tempted, but the smell was overwhelming by now, and was making him gag.

"Great StarClan, what is that?" He hissed under his breath. But, instead of walking away to go scent some more prey to catch, DarkPaw took a step forwards.

"Stop!"

DarkPaw whizzed around. RipplePaw faces him, the fur on her spine rising with tension.

"Why can't I go here?" DarkPaw turned to look at the clearing.

"IceTail specifically told me not to," she warned him. "She smelled badger."

"What if the badger scent is stale?" DarkPaw demanded. "Then it would be safe to go in here. There could be some nice prey around here."

"I wouldn't risk it if I were you," RipplePaw backed away. "Please, I don't want you to get hurt."

DarkPaw knew that was a lie. RipplePaw had never exactly been friendly to him. "So what if I get hurt? We have two medicine cats."

"They don't have enough skills to completely fix a badger wound."

"Yeah, well," DarkPaw shrugged, and took another step into the clearing.

"Don't!"

He ignored her.

"Stop!"

He tried blocking out her cries.

"Please!"

DarkPaw was about to confront her when he was face-to-face with a huge creature. It stared down at him with large, beady eyes.

"Run!" RipplePaw meowed, and both cats hurried away.

But the badger wouldn't give up so easily. It reached out and swatted DarkPaw down with a large paw. The tom wriggled on the ground, bleeding from a wound in his side.

DarkPaw sighed as the badger towered over him, about to strike the death blow. "Goodbye, world," DarkPaw took in a shaky breath.

"Oh no you don't!" RipplePaw wiggles her haunches, and leaped at the badger. It fell to the ground with a roar, yet climbed back onto his feet.

"DarkPaw! Get IceTail!" RipplePaw hissed, as she clawed the badger's back. "Quick!"

DarkPaw did as he was told, and raced away to find the she-cat sleeping against a tree.

"Umm, IceTail," DarkPaw tapped the she-cat.

"Pardon?" IceTail yawned.

"There's a badger attacking RipplePaw... we need your help."

"Dear StarClan, I hope she's okay!" IceTail disappeared behind a row of bushes, DarkPaw at her heels.

The badger was still roaring in fury, RipplePaw on its back. RipplePaw was bleeding from a wound at her shoulder, that ended at the base of her throat. She looked exhausted, and so did the badger.

"I'll take it from here," IceTail leaped onto the badger and clawed at its eyes. With blood in his sight, the badger rolled onto the ground, desperately trying to see again. But DarkPaw new very well that IceTail had blinded it for good.

"Now that that's out of the way, lets get you two to the medicine den," IceTail helped RipplePaw stand up.

The cats arrived in the medicine den, and DarkPaw and RipplePaw plopped onto the beds. Soon the medicine cat left the den to collect feathers for their nests.

"RipplePaw?"

Her voice cracked. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for saving me. It means a lot."

"No problem... just helping my enemy."

"RipplePaw, what you did today proves we're not enemies. If we were, you would've let me died. But you didn't."

"Do you mean it? Your thankful?"

DarkPaw lifted his head to stare into the deep blue pools of her eyes. "Yes."

"I can't wait to become Warriors. What do you think your name will be?"

"I don't know. How about yours?"

"RainLeaf would be nice," suddenly her eyes flashed, and DarkPaw noticed a pain. She stared directly at him.

"I hope your name will be RainLeaf."

"DarkPaw."

DarkPaw looked art RipplePaw.

"Tell OakStar that I want your name to be DarkRipple. So you'll remember me."

"I will."

RipplePaw nodded, and her eyes changed for the third time. This time, she looked happy.

And then she was gone.

PoppyPaw was astonished when DarkRipple finished his story. "Poor RipplePaw," she sighed.

"She is RipplePaw no longer. She is now called RippleLeaf, the name she always wanted to have." DarkRipple sighed as she thought of the young she-cat he had grown to love.

"Well, thank you for telling me that story," PoppyPaw grinned. "I'll be sure to treat MousePaw and AshPaw better!"

DarkRipple nodded. "Goodbye, young one," he sighed, and then curled up in his nest for a peaceful sleep.