ForestClan

Leader: Miststar- she-cat

Deputy: Thornspeck- tom

Medicine cat: Leafspark- she-cat

WARRIORS

Oakwind- tom

Darkspots- tom

Elkwhisker- she-cat

Fireglow- she-cat

Shinefall- she-cat

Gorseheart- tom

Shadowspirit- tom

Windheart- tom

APPRENTICES

Willowpaw- she-cat

Smokepaw- She-cat

Greypaw- tom

QUEENS

Riverlight- mother of Gorseheart's kits (Ripplekit- tom, Wolfkit- tom, Vixenkit- she-kit)

Blossomleap- expecting Darkspots' kits

ELDERS

Stoattail- tom

Silverflash- she-cat

Conflict: Greypaw and Smokepaw leave camp when they are not supposed to. They get chased off the territory by a fox and get lost. They are only seven moons old.

Apprentices' Adventure

"Smokepaw! We shouldn't sneak out!" Greypaw said, his voice full of anxiety.

Smokepaw sniffed. "We need to hunt. There isn't enough prey and if we help, there will be more. If you want to, you can go back to camp and be a coward with Willowpaw." Willowpaw, Smokepaw's sister had decided not to come. Smokepaw had been able to convince Greypaw, who was a day younger than her to come.

Greypaw flinched. "Fine." He muttered and put his head down.

"Hey, do you smell that?" A musky scent filled Smokepaw's nose. "It must be prey!" She dropped into a hunter's crouch and stalked forward. She walked through a bramble bush, Greypaw behind her. An orange and white tail flashed in front of her gaze. The animal turned around and snarled at them.

"Fox!" Greypaw shrieked. The apprentice turned tail and ran. Smokepaw followed, the fur along her spine bristling. The fox was right behind them, yapping and hissing. Greypaw leaped up a tree.

"What in StarClan are you doing?" Smokepaw screeched whisking her tail away from the fox.

"Just follow me! I know what I'm doing." Greypaw replied, although his eyes were huge with fear. Not knowing what else to do, Smokepaw leaped up after him, catching the first branch with her claws. She hauled herself up, while the fox circled around the tree, whining.

"We made it!" Smokepaw gasped, but suddenly, she slipped and started to fall down the tree. "Help me!" The fox turned on her, eyes glinting, and grabbed her tail, drawing blood.

"Smokepaw!" Greypaw leaped forward and tried to grab her slipping paws. He got hold, then picked up her scruff and dragged her back onto the tree branch. She sat, panting, beside him. Her black and grey tail was dripping with blood.

"So, what now?" She snapped. "We're stuck in a tree, a fox wants us for lunch, and my tail is bleeding!" She flicked it in front of him for effect.

"Oh, now this is my fault? I didn't even want to come, and, for your information, I know what we can do, but you need to stop complaining and start moving if you want to get home." Greypaw hissed, turning away from her, and flicking his tail.

"Fine, Fine!'' Smokepaw took off after him, bounding across tree branches. The fox tried to follow them, but since the path Greypaw was leading them on was so twisty, it soon lost them.

…

Smokepaw yawned. "The sun's going down. We need to get back to the camp."

"I know, but I have no idea where we are. So, let's go to sleep and we'll find our way home in the morning." Greypaw cleared a spot in between the roots of the tree they were sitting by, put his head down, and closed his eyes.

"Goodnight." Smokepaw mewed and nestled herself into another spot between the tree roots.

…

"If we go back through the trees, following our scent trail, we might at least get to the border." Smokepaw suggested, slicing her claws at the ground.

"It's the best idea we've got." Greypaw agreed. They had been up for a while, debating how they would find their way home.

"Then let's go." Smokepaw mewed, climbing up into the tree they had ended the run from the fox at. "Are scent trail's still here!" She called to Greypaw who was coming up after her.

"That's good." He said in a relieved voice. The two cats walked as fast as they could along the branches, hopping to each tree, until the trail stopped.

"Is this where we saw the fox?" Smokepaw asked.

Greypaw nodded. "It should be. The ground is covered in your blood." He snorted in amusement.

Smokepaw whipped her tail in front of his face. "Not funny!" She huffed, pushing him out of the tree.

"Hey!" The apprentice squealed, but he landed on all four paws. "Now we just need to follow the trail to camp!" But before they could go any further, the same fox from the day before appeared in front of them.

"Oh, no." The two apprentices said in unison.

"Paws of our apprentices!" Another voice growled. Fireglow, Shadowspirit and Willowpaw were on the other side of the fox. Fireglow and Shadowspirit hurled themselves at the fox, clawing its face, back, and legs. Whining, the fox ambled away, its tail low.

"Thank you!" Smokepaw rushed forward purring. Fireglow gave her and Greypaw an angry look.

"You two are in a lot of trouble. If it hadn't been for Willowpaw, you could be dead by now. Come back to camp." She whirled around and started talking to Shadowspirit.

"Are you guys okay?" Willowpaw whispered, walking beside them.

Smokepaw and Greypaw nodded. Their adventure was over and they faced punishment, but Smokepaw felt it had been worth it. Despite her tail, she had enjoyed running around with no cat telling her what to do.

Epilogue

"This stupid piece of moss is stuck to me!" Greypaw complained, trying to shake it off his paw.

Smokepaw purred in amusement. "At least you don't smell like mouse bile!" She was doing Silverflash's ticks. The two apprentices had been confined to camp for a moon and had to take care of the elders without help from Willowpaw.