Copperstreak may or may not have known his niece had followed him at the time, though if he hadn't then he obviously didn't know her. Mistpaw, flanked by Ashenpaw, crept up to the bush that led towards the two-leg place next to Council Rock.

"Where's Ebonypaw?" Mistpaw asked Ashenpaw irritably, swiping her gaze across the camp behind her. The moonlight reflected off of three cats, one of which she assumed was her brother. Sure enough, as they got closer, Mistpaw recognized her brother's shimmering shadowy pelt. The two slightly larger cats following him were Ivorywind and Maplestream.

"What are they doing here?!" Ashenpaw asked before Mistpaw could. Mistpaw's mouth was glued shut with anger. The last cat she wanted to be with was Maplestream, the arrogant scarlet warrior she'd been rivals with since kit-hood.

"I… I thought we could use some help," Ebonypaw stammered, his mew trembling as he noted the flames in Mistpaw's eyes.

"We would have been just fine," Mistpaw hissed, starting forward and causing Ebonypaw to recoil. "We won't need any help, especially theirs."

"By what he told us," Maplestream mewed, his conceited air suppressed as he and his sister stepped between Mistpaw and Ebonypaw, "you'll need all the help you can get."

"It'd be wise to accept our aide," Ivorywind whispered in her melodious meow.

"You're talking like a Clan leader," Mistpaw retorted, allowing her voice to rise slightly. "You two are only a moon or so older-"

"We are warrior's though," Maplestream boasted in a matter-of-fact tone that seemed to seal it up.

Mistpaw curled her tail in unspoken anger. "Fine," she hissed reluctantly, "but you're attitude stays here." Maplestream gave her a deferential look that caused Mistpaw to flush with embarrassment as well as resentment.

"Let's go," Ashenpaw spoke up, and the two warriors and three apprentices crashed through the bush and onto an unfamiliar path.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The sun was just edging over the treetops as Mistpaw awoke. Her paws still tingled with exhaustion and her eyes were still heavy with sleep. She saw Ashenpaw and Ebonypaw curled up on either side of her, their pelts pressed against her side protectively. The night before had been a long and agonizing run through foreign forest, skirting fox dens and avoiding owls.

Not far away Ivorywind was dozing lightly, no doubt just coming off of guard. Maplestream was snoozing comfortably next to her. With a twinge of humiliation Mistpaw noticed how his fur shone in the morning light. She felt like clawing her ears off at the thought.

"Mouse-brain," she heard a familiar voice mew. Mistpaw rose more and turned around. Copperstreak padded out from the underbrush, a look of disappointment on his face. "I should've known you would follow me."

"I wanted to help, and I will now." She said with finality, but Copperstreak ignored her.

"I told you it was too dangerous," he scolded. "You deliberately disobeyed me for the sake of an adventure.

Mistpaw's gray fur ruffled with infuriation. "I came to help you find Featherflight!" she exclaimed, taken aback by his accusations.

Copperstreak shook his head angrily. "You five are going back to camp right now," he mewed, addressing the four other cats who'd woken up and were observing with rapt interest.

To Mistpaw's utter surprise, it was Maplestream who defended her decision, marching right up to her uncle. "Copperstreak," he said, looking the ginger tom square in the eye and regarding him as an equal. They both were nearly the same height, and, as Mistpaw suddenly realized, not much taller than herself. "What Mistpaw was doing was a selfless act of courage. She was willing to risk herself to help some rouge."

"She apparently was risking all of your lives too!" Copperstreak retorted, flinching at the disdainful way Maplestream had said "rouge".

"We came of our own accord," Ivorywind murmured regally. "You should be proud of Mistpaw." Copperstreak tensed up, as though ready to pounce, but sighed in defeat.

"You can come along," he said, regretting every word but beaten five to one, "but I warned you."

"What's so bad out here anyway?" Ashenpaw scoffed. As if StarClan itself answered, a deafening whirring noise arose from behind them, spewing smoke through the undergrowth and stinging their noses. The six ForestClan cats leaped up in shock and fear, huddling together in the brush. A small monster with glowing white eyes and a hard pelt rolled over on round, black paws, eating the bushes with a sickening crunching noise. A two-leg sat leisurely on top, taking no interest to anything but the bushes that had yet to be eaten by the monster.

The one the six cats were hiding behind.