"Hey…wake up."
Did we get caught by Hawkstar's warriors? The thought appeared in Leafpool's mind.
She opened her eyes.
A gray head? What in StarClan?
Blinking to see more clearly, she realized she was staring at Willowpaw, Mothwing's missing apprentice.
"Ugh….." The voice didn't come from Leafpool. Nightcloud, who was laying next to her, pushed herself up.
"What happened?" asked Willowpaw.
"I remember escaping from Hawkstar, and then….I don't know…." Leafpool meowed in confusion.
"You're Willowpaw? Mothwing's missing apprentice?" Nightcloud narrowed her eyes at the small gray cat.
"Yes…how's Mothwing?"
"Fine, Hawkstar hasn't done anything to her," answered Leafpool.
"Yet," added Nightcloud pointedly.
Willowpaw's eyes darkened. "How's the Clan?"
"Hawkstar-Wait, you know about Hawkstar, right?" Nightcloud mewed.
"Yes, he's the one who banished me after I told him he was a stupid furball who had bees in his brain."
"How did you end up here?" asked Leafpool.
"I decided to go to ShadowClan's old territory, and…well, you see, there more cats living like this."
"What do you mean?"
"Some of the Clan cats that were exiled ended up here as well," explained the gray she-cat.
Leafpool's heart beat fast. "Have you seen…Crowfeather?"
"Crowfeather? No, why?" mewed Willowpaw.
"Nothing…"
"Well, where are the other cats?" asked Nightcloud.
"Yes, yes, this way."
Willowpaw led them deeper into ShadowClan territory. She seemed to know the way well, like she had led many cats there.
Suddenly, she stopped. Nightcloud and Leafpool looked over her shoulder to see a small black Thunderpath.
"A Thunderpath! I'm not crossing that!" Leafpool exclaimed without thinking. Nightcloud and Willowpaw looked at her.
Nightcloud rolled her eyes. "Trust a little medicine cat to be scared!"
"It's the way to the meeting place," added Willowpaw. "And, Nightcloud, I'm a medicine cat apprentice."
"Whatever."
"Well, Leafpool?" Willowpaw mewed.
"Yes, yes, okay."
Willowpaw switched her gaze back to the Thunderpath. She scented the air, then glanced both ways.
"Okay, it's safe to go. Now!"
The three of them sprinted across the Thunderpath. Now they were really in ShadowClan territory.
"This way," Willowpaw directed as she darted into the pines.
Leafpool glanced at Nightcloud and ran after the small gray cat. Willowpaw led them up a small Twoleg path.
The path ended. Leafpool looked up to see an abandoned Twoleg nest. Was this it?
Willowpaw didn't stop. She darted over the fence and into the nest.
Leafpool and Nightcloud shared a look. Was this really safe? What if there were Twolegs?
But Leafpool trusted Willowpaw, and she was determined to show Nightcloud she wasn't cowardly. She marched right up to the Twoleg nest and inside it.
Nightcloud didn't show that she was impressed or not. She walked in right after Leafpool and took the lead, following Willowpaw's scent trail.
Willowpaw had stopped to wait for them. Nightcloud stopped beside her and Leafpool followed.
"Is….is this it? Where are the others?" Leafpool stammered.
"Yep, this is it. As for the others, they might not be here. Out to hunt, you know," answered the gray she-cat.
"Well, if they're here, they'll be up there." Willowpaw pointed her tail up.
"On the roof?!"
"No, no, there's a upper level. Under the roof but above us," explained Willowpaw.
"Why Twolegs do that, I do wonder," murmured Nightcloud.
Willowpaw climbed up to the upper level. The other two followed her hesitantly.
"No one's here," meowed Nightcloud negatively.
Willowpaw didn't say anything. She took a few steps forward, then called out:
"Willowpaw here. I've got Leafpool and Nightcloud with me."
A voice came out of the gloom. "Password?"
"TigerClan is a pain in the tail."
There was silence. Then: "Correct."
A ginger tom trotted out of the darkness. Leafpool stared. Was it…was it really her father?
But, looking closer, Leafpool realized it was Brackenfur. She didn't know he had been exiled; he must have been after she had left.
Brackenfur nodded at them. "Greetings."
Nightcloud stared at him through narrowed eyes. Leafpool realized that they had not met yet.
"Um…" Leafpool coughed. Nightcloud and Brackenfur both turned to her. "Uh…Brackenfur, this is Nightcloud. Nightcloud, Brackenfur."
An awkward silence followed.
"Where are the others?" Willowpaw asked, breaking the silence.
"Brook and Sandstorm are hunting, and so is Cloudtail. Stormfur's on the bottom level, sleeping. Rowanclaw and Mistyfoot are out on patrol," Brackenfur reported.
"Mistyfoot? Isn't she dead?" asked Nightcloud.
"No, no. She escaped from Hawkstar at the last heartbeat. Rumor is that she was killed. Hawkstar's too ashamed to tell cats Mistyfoot escaped." Brackenfur chuckled.
"Why's Rowanclaw exiled?" asked Nightcloud.
"Oh, that? Because he's Tawnypelt's mate. Hawkstar reckons that he likes kittypets."
"There will be time for explaining later," meowed Stormfur, slipping out of the darkness. "For the meanwhile, you must be tired."
"And hungry," Willowpaw added.
"Yes, and that too. Come, I'll show you around."
Stormfur led them to the bottom level. He suddenly stopped.
"This is where we sleep," he directed, pointing to a large crack in the wall. "It gets bigger when you go in."
He snuck in quietly, vanishing into the eerie silence of the nest. Nightcloud was next to go in. She vanished instantly, her black pelt blending with the darkness in the crack.
Leafpool stared into the crack. It seemed so dark, and so like a trap. What if it was?
"Hurry up! We haven't got all day!" Nightcloud's meow came from the crack.
Taking a deep breath, Leafpool pushed her way in. She could feel solid walls on both her flanks. She pushed through blindly in the darkness.
How long was this? She had been walking for a while. Then, realizing with a start, she couldn't feel anything.
A light shone brightly ahead. Quickening her pace, Leafpool dived into the light.
"Took you long enough," grumbled Nightcloud.
Leafpool glared at her. Stormfur stepped between them.
"Look over there." The gray tom jutted his chin toward the other way.
Leafpool and Nightcloud glanced at where he was pointing. There were moss nests lining the wall. No cat was in them except a lump of ginger fur.
Leafpool breathed in the warm scent of her mother. Sandstorm shifted in her nest, mumbling something inaudible. The ginger she-cat opened her eyes and pushed herself up. Spotting Leafpool, she dashed to Leafpool's side and covered her with licks.
"Oh, Leafpool! I wondered if I would ever see you again!"
"Mother….."
Leafpool caught sight of Nightcloud, trying to hide a snigger. Pulling herself out of her mother's enbrace, a growl rose out of her throat.
Sandstorm sat up, realizing that something was wrong. She caught sight of Nightcloud and stalked over.
"Aren't you that WindClan warrior? Nightcloud, was it?"
"That's right," Nightcloud answered coldly.
"Well, stay away from my daughter," Sandstorm replied, equally coldly.
Nightcloud didn't look scared. Actually, she looked triumphant. As Sandstorm slipped into the crack, she sent Leafpool a jeering mew.
"Mama's girl!" she giggled.
"It's not funny!" Leafpool meowed indignantly.
"Well, I suppose you'll want to sleep now," Stormfur meowed mildly.
"Yeah, sure," Nightcloud mewed, still giggling.
"Chose whatever nest you want. But don't sleep in that one, it belongs to the rogue who lives here."
"Rogue?" Leafpool repeated, pricking her ears. "There's a rogue here?"
"Yep. He was kind enough to let us stay here."
"Why don't you chase him out?" suggested Nightcloud.
"This is his home," Stormfur stated.
"And this also used to be ShadowClan territory," the black she-cat retorted.
"Used to," Stormfur pointed out.
"Fine, TigerClan's."
Stormfur shrugged. "It's not for you to decide."
"Why not?" the WindClan cat snapped.
"You're new here."
"So? It's not like you're the boss of me. Who's the leader around here?"
"The rogue."
"WHAT? You're taking orders from a ROGUE?"
"Yes, and you will too."
"Fat chance."
"Just sleep," Stormfur growled, leaving the argument.
"This isn't over," Nightcloud grumbled, settling in a nest.
Stormfur shifted his glance to Leafpool. "Well, what about you?"
"What?"
"Sleep?" he pressed.
Leafpool found herself a moss nest and settled in. Curling into a ball, sleep washed over her.
