**Hello again everyone! I am so, so, so sorry it's been a while since I updated. I have been SLAMMED in my personal life. I just want to apologize. However! Today and tomorrow, I have plenty of free time, so I am going to try and get some chapters written so I can update regularly for at least a week. Thank you guys for everything and for sticking by the story!**

Chapter 9

Lynxpaw followed LionClan across their territory, trailing in the back, nerves prickling his paws. He wasn't sure how this was going to go. It was the first gathering since the swap, and he was worried that things were going to go bad. He was excited to see his friends, of course, and especially to see his sister, but there was a horrible feeling in his gut that he couldn't shake. There was something wrong, and he knew it had something to do with this gathering. They were close now, he could hear the way the wind broke differently around the abandoned nest. The clan stopped in front of the bushes, and Lynxpaw looked up. Sunstar was speaking quietly to Grasspelt, and it seemed like their muscles were tense. After a moment, Sunstar nodded, and then waved his tail for the clan to follow him into the clearing. Lynxpaw took one step through the bushes and every fur on his body stood on end. The rest of the clan felt it too, and their paces slowed as they entered the nest. Eaglestar was standing atop the ledge, pacing back and forth. Cobrastar was seated below the ledge, his tail twitching nervously as well.

Lynxpaw looked around. The RavenClan cats, as usual, were huddled near the wall that was beside of their territory. He hesitated, glancing back at LionCLan, and then hurried over to his clan. Swiftpaw was sitting among the clan, and his heart skipped a beat when he realized her face was completely downtrodden. She looked miserable. Robinpaw was seated next to her, whispering quietly into her ear, her eyes full of concern as well. Lynxpaw approached them slowly, looking around for his sister. She should have been here. All of the apprentices should have been here. His stomach twisted, that horrible feeling again.

"Swiftpaw…" he trailed off, and the she-cat looked up at him, her eyes growing darker. "What's wrong?"

"It's...i-i-it's Tigerpaw," Swiftpaw stammered. "She's...missing."

"Missing!?" Lynxpaw answered, his heart beginning to pound. "What do you mean, missing? Since when?"

"Since earlier this afternoon," Robinpaw answered, because Swiftpaw didn't look like she was going to be able to. Her head fell and she covered her muzzle with her front paws, looking completely broken. "She blames herself."

"Why?"

"The SnakeClan apprentice, Sootpaw, is missing too. Swiftpaw and Sootpaw had an argument just before they both disappeared. She sent Tigerpaw to go look for him, and they never came back," she explained, looking sadly at her friend. "She's so upset with herself."

"Were you not able to follow them? Their scent? Anything?" Lynxpaw pressed. He was unaware of the fact that the entire gathering was staring at the scene. He was being loud. He couldn't help it. His sister was missing? Why had he not been told sooner? Where had she gone? Was she even still alive?

"We were able to follow them to the edge of LionClan's territory...and then it just...vanished. It was like they flew away or something. We couldn't get their scent anywhere." it was Dawncloud who answered, overhearing the conversation and leaning in. She gave Swiftpaw a comforting lick on the head, but said nothing to her.

"I should have just went with them…" Swiftpaw moaned pitifully. "I should have helped Sootpaw in the first place."

"Helped him? Gone with them? What do you mean?" Lynxpaw demanded, looking at her. He couldn't help the feeling of anger that spread through him when he looked at her.

"He was- he wanted- the traps-" Swiftpaw stammered, her breathing became labored. She took a second to collect herself, and then took in a sharp, shaky breath. "Adderfang was hurt by those...traps. And- and Sootpaw wanted to go find what they were, and who put them there. We fought. I told him he was stupid. I-I-I told him he wanted to trick me, to hurt me. I blamed SnakeClan for the traps."

"He ran off after she said that. She asked Tigerpaw to go and find him, and bring him back to camp. Neither of them returned," Dawncloud finished. "She only told us right before we set out for the gathering."

"We have to go look for them!" Lynxpaw said, turning to run out of the clearing, but someone else from the clan stopped him, grabbing him by the scruff. He turned his head to see his mother, Poppyflower, her eyes full of grief.

"Lynxpaw, wait," she said softly, pointing with her head towards the leaders. They had all made their way onto the ledge now, but Eaglestar seemed like he was having trouble sitting still. Lynxpaw glanced back towards the entrance of the twoleg nest, but he didn't run. He could feel his mother shaking ever so slightly as she held onto him. She didn't want to lose her other kit, he could sense that. He stopped struggling and turned to face the leaders. Poppyflower sat close beside of him, and her side on his was helping to calm him down.

"Cats of all clans, we will begin the gathering now." It was Sunstar who yowled to shush everyone below. "Eaglestar, you should go first."

"Of course he should go first!" it was Darkstripe, yelling up from the clan, his voice angry.

"Quiet, Darkstripe." Eaglestar snapped, his anxiety showing clearly in his voice. "Cats of all clans, we have discovered a major threat to the safety of us all."

The clearing went quiet, and all cats shifted uncomfortably in their spots.

"One of our warriors, Adderfang, was attacked by some sort of...trap along the border of SnakeClan. She is very badly hurt, and Longear has skipped the gathering to care for her, but he seems hopeful she will make it out alive." Eaglestar said, looking out over everyone. "However, two apprentices have also gone missing. Sootpaw, from SnakeClan, and Tigerpaw from my own clan. Our understanding is they left to go find the source of the traps. We searched for them all afternoon, and plan to continue the search first thing in the morning, but their scents have disappeared. It is as though an eagle took them. They have vanished."

The clearing was silent, no one dared to speak. Lynxpaw figured no one really knew what to say to that. Two apprentices gone, one warrior seriously injured? What could be said about it? His heart was pounding fast, still. He couldn't just sit around and wait for them to never find his sister. He couldn't wait around. He had to go back home, tonight, and search with the rest of his clan. He didn't care about the stupid swap anymore. All he wanted to do was look for Tigerpaw, and get her back safe. Lynxpaw looked over to Robinpaw, who was still consoling Swiftpaw. The other apprentice was still covering her face, whimpering softly to herself about making a mistake. Lynxpaw felt another surge of anger towards her. How could she have let this happen? It was her fault they had gone out there alone! Maybe if she had gone with them, they wouldn't be missing now. He wanted to go over and claw her ears off.

"SnakeClan has also found these traps," Cobrastar started, stepping forward and taking Eaglestar's place. "Our apprentice, Breezepaw, was severely injured as well."

"LionClan has not yet found any of these traps, but I fear we need to keep a strong lookout for them. It should be known that our patrols need to be extra careful when going out. No cat should go out alone." Sunstar said, stepping to the edge as well and looking out among the clans. "Eaglestar, your apprentices went missing near our border. We will do everything in our power to help you search for them."

"Thank you, Sunstar." Eaglestar dipped his head, and his voice held sincere gratitude.

"Eaglestar," Lynxpaw spoke up, standing and looking at his leader with a strong gaze. "I wish to go home with you tonight. I must be home to search for my sister."

Eaglestar looked at Lynxpaw for a moment, fixing him with a strong glare. Lynxpaw had to fight against his urges to shrink back at the intense gaze, his paws tingling, but his will was stronger, and he stared straight back into Eaglestar's eyes, confident.

"No." Lynxpaw's ears pinned back against his head. "You will stay with LionClan."

"But, Eaglestar-"

"Silence, Lynxpaw. You are staying with LionClan, the swap will continue. RavenClan's problems are no longer yours right now," Eaglestar said, his voice forceful.

"Tigerpaw is my sister! I have every right to-"

"I said no!" Eaglestar interrupted, his neck fur bristling and his lip drawing back to reveal his teeth. "That's the end of it."

Lynxpaw's claws unsheathed, and he ripped up the dirt, wanting nothing more than to just leap onto his leaders back and tear his fur out. But he knew that was foolish, and that he would regret it. He stepped back and sat beside of his mother again, seething with anger. How could they do this to him? His own sister was gone, and they were cutting him out? That was so wrong! I'll just have to go look for her myself, Lynxpaw thought. They can't stop me. I will go.

"The gathering is concluded. RavenClan, with me," Eaglestar growled, jumping down from the ledge and leaving the nest without another word. The RavenClan cats stood, hesitating only briefly, before following their leader out. Lynxpaw watched them go, his paws urging to go forward. Poppyflower stayed behind, and she took Lynxpaw into her gaze. He couldn't stand to see her look so sad. She must be worried sick about Tigerpaw.

"I know what you're thinking, Lynxpaw," she said quietly. "Please don't do it. I need you to stay safe, with LionClan. Please. We will find Tigerpaw, I promise. Don't go off on your own."

"Poppyflower, I can't just sit around doing nothing while she's out there, in danger!" Lynxpaw argued.

"Lynxpaw, I beg you. Stay with the clan. Don't do anything, please!" Poppyflower looked over her shoulder. Dawncloud was waiting for her by the bushes, and she sighed. "I love you."

Lynxpaw watched his mother walk away from him, his tail drooping low to the ground. He didn't want to just wait around for them to maybe find Tigerpaw, but the pleading in his mother's tone made him feel guilty even thinking about running away. He had to trust that RavenClan would find them, he had to let them handle it. Sunstar had said that they would also be sending out patrols, maybe if he behaved himself, he could be apart of those patrols. He looked around to see that LionClan was the only one still in the nest, he had missed the departure of SnakeClan. He hadn't even been able to say goodbye to Robinpaw.

"Lynxpaw," it was Frostpaw, calling for him. Her voice was soft, and she motioned for him to come and join them. "Let's go home, okay?"

"Home," Lynxpaw sighed, looking after his clan. "Yeah."

Lynxpaw woke up in the dark, and at first he thought maybe it was just halfway through the night, but then he realized everything was different. For one thing, he wasn't laying his in nest. Instead, he was laying on top of something stiff and cold. He tried to look around, but he couldn't make anything out. It was too dark, which was weird. He'd never had trouble seeing in the dark before. Wherever he was, it was very quiet. It smelled strongly like two-legs, a smell he recognized since coming to LionClan. He shivered. He didn't like it here. I must be dreaming, he thought to himself. I don't remember coming here. He slowly stood up, creeping through the dark. Even though he couldn't see anything, he somehow knew how to navigate through the strange place. He took a few steps forward, sniffing the ground as he walked, and then froze suddenly. He had heard something, something like a cry. He recognized it too.

"Tigerpaw!" he shouted into the darkness, taking off through the dark. He turned, feeling his whiskers brush up against something to his left, a wall of some sort. The cry got louder the further he ran. "Tigerpaw!"

"Somebody help us!" it was another voice that Lynxpaw didn't recognize, a tom's voice.

"Tigerpaw! Tigerpaw, can you hear me?" Lynxpaw yowled. His pace quickened when he heard the whimper from Tigerpaw again, and then pain exploded in his head, as he ran straight into a wall. He stumbled backwards, his ears ringing loudly, and his head hot with pain. He blinked, but when he opened his eyes, he was suddenly back in his nest. He scrambled backwards, his ears pressing back against his head.

"Hey, watch it!" Heatherpaw snapped as he stumbled over her. "What's your problem?"

"S-s-sorry…" Lynxpaw stammered, stepping away from her. "Nightmare."

"Well deal with somewhere else," Heatherpaw grumbled, curling back up and hiding her face under her tail.

Lynxpaw hurried out of the apprentices den, his fur still sticking up from the nightmare. He shook out his pelt, trying to get the feeling of the dream off of him. Even though it was a dream, he could still feel a tingling in his head, like he really had run headon into something very hard. He looked around the clearing, desperately searching for Frostpaw. He hadn't seen her in the den, but she wasn't anywhere in camp either. It was pretty late into the morning, and there were several cats paired off, sharing tongues and probably talking about the gathering the night before. Grasspelt was arranging hunting patrols by the leaders den, and Sunstar was nowhere to be found either. Lynxpaw hurried up to the deputy.

"Where's Frostpaw?" he demanded.

"She's out with Goldensky, having an assessment," Grasspelt said, narrowing his eyes. "You look unnerved. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, well, not really. But, I really want to talk to Frostpaw."

"You'll have to wait until she returns from her assessment," the deputy answered, looking over the apprentice. "What's on your mind, Lynxpaw? You can talk to me."

Lynxpaw hesitated, not sure if he wanted to confess what was really bothering him. The dream was probably nothing, he was just anxious about losing Tigerpaw. But for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that it was important. He had that dream for a reason, and it was real. The sound of Tigerpaw crying was so familiar and so vivid, there was no way it was just a dream. He sighed, looking down at his paws for a moment. Maybe if he told Grasspelt and Sunstar, they could help him figure out what it meant. He looked back up at the deputy and nodded.

"Can we talk with Sunstar and Spiderfall too?"

"Of course. They are already in Sunstar's den. Come," Grasspelt nodded, flicking his tail and heading off towards the leaders den. Lynxpaw shuffled after him nervously, glancing around, as though he were being watched.

Lynxpaw followed Grasspelt into Sunstar's den. As they came out into the clearing of the den, it looked like Sunstar and Spiderfall were in the midst of an argument. Both cats neck fur were bristling, and Spiderfall was actually clawing the dirt. They didn't say anything, and when Lynxpaw and Grasspelt entered, Sunstar turned to face them, his tail still lashing behind him angrily, but his eyes softened.

"What can I help you with?" Sunstar meowed.

"Lynxpaw has something on his mind. He requested a meeting with us all," Grasspelt answered, dipping his head to Lynxpaw to go on.

"I...I had a dream last night...about…" Lynxpaw swallowed. "About, um, Tigerpaw."

"What kind of dream?" Spiderfall questioned softly. To his surprise, the three of them were all staring at him with sincerity. He was expecting them to mock him, or at the least, think he was kidding.

"It was really, really, really dark. So dark I couldn't see where I was going. And I could hear Tigerpaw, crying for help. And there was another voice too, begging for someone to help. And right when I was about to get to them, I ran into something hard, and it woke me up,"

"Did you notice anything? Smells? Sounds?" Sunstar asked.

"It smelled like two-legs. And the only noise I could hear was Tigerpaw, and that other tom. I think it was Sootpaw." Lynxpaw answered, shuffling his paws. "I don't know what it means."

"It could have been anything," Spiderfall said. "It might have just been your paranoia, since you are so worried about her. Or perhaps it was a vision-"

"A vision?" Sunstar interrupted her. "A vision from who? StarClan? They've never been so direct in my life."

Spiderfall sent him a scathing look, then turned back to Lynxpaw with soft eyes. "It's not uncommon for siblings to have a connection like this. When one of them is in danger, the sibling sometimes can sense it, or have dreams about the danger."

"Really? It's happened before?"

"Many times," Spiderfall confirmed. "My sister and I have experienced it."

"So...it could be real? It showed me where Tigerpaw is?"

"It could definitely be where she is. But, without more information, there's no way we can find it," Grasspelt spoke up for the first time. "The two-leg place is huge."

"Grasspelt is right. Though this is very important, there's nothing we can do right now. Not until we know more," Sunstar agreed. "Thank you, for bringing this to us, Lynxpaw. You may go."

Lynxpaw frowned, hesitating for a moment. Just like that, he was dismissed? They hadn't really said anything to him. They got his hopes up, crushed them, and then he had to leave? Lynxpaw sighed, trudging out of the leaders den and back into the clearing. He almost looked around for his mentor, then realized that he didn't feel like doing anything. Instead, he went back into the apprentices den. No one else was in the den anymore, and he was relieved. Before, when he had woken, the only thing he wanted to do was talk to Frostpaw, but now, he thought he couldn't stand to hear anyone else's voice.

"Maybe I can get another dream about Tigerpaw," Lynxpaw said to himself, curling up in his nest tightly, closing his eyes. If he could get to sleep, maybe he could see another vision of Tigerpaw, and maybe get another clue of where she might be.