Silver: Hey, readers! I'm sorry it took so long.

K.A.K: Yeah! I'm getting ready to smack this girl, who's with me?!

Erin: Put. The. Stick. Down.

Silver: Note to self- watch out for K.A.K. So really, what happened is that I've recently had some major family changes and had to move houses. My home's main computer went to my mother, and I myself don't own one. So I've only had every other weekend to do the chapter, and school, and BLAH! I've also been sick for the past week.

K.A.K: EXCUSES!

Erin: Flu season, incoming!

Silver: Anyway, enjoy! Don't forget to R&R, because if this painfully difficult chapter gets no reviews, I might die. :)

K.A.K: LOL

Silver: !

Written by: Silver-chan
Edited by: K.A.K

Silverpaw blinked open bleary blue eyes before groggily glancing towards her sister's nest. She's…gone? Once again, Rainpaw was absent from her nest in the apprentices' den.

With a sigh, Silverpaw heaved her fluffy body out of her nest to search for her sister, her reflective blue eyes peering out of the den and roaming the camp, searching for a familiar gray speckled pelt.

Nothing.

Wildfire trained my sight with many seeking exercises, thought Silverpaw. And I haven't missed a thing; she just isn't here.

Now that she thought about it, Wildfire and Striketail were on guard right then, for the second time that quarter moon. They should know something! She quietly walked up to the two toms. Suddenly Striketail's ears rose, and he turned warily, only to see her. "Oh, Silverpaw. Can't sleep?"

Silverpaw shook her head. "I wish it was that simple, but… Rainpaw's not in her nest."

Wildfire, not taking his eyes off of the forest, murmured lowly, "She went to the Dirtplace; that was quite a while ago, however. She hasn't returned?"

Silverpaw turned to her mentor. "Her nest is cold", the silver apprentice responded quickly as she began to pace, her tail lashing in worry.

~oOOo~

Striketail's POV

~oOOo~

Honestly, Silverpaw must have some insane gift that attracts all sorts of adventure towards her. I mean, really? Missing family members, strangers in camp, getting chased around by rabid foxes, and watching enemy deputies plunge to their deaths- Hmph. It's just like her to find something dangerous to get involved in, isn't it? Striketail huffed and lashed his striped tail, before adding in his mind: But it's also just like Rainpaw to find something to get herself into. And it makes sense that Silverpaw wants to find her. They've always been close. …Where could she be? Uh-oh.

Striketail had a sudden thought that made his insides lurch with dread. If Lightningstar finds out she escaped from camp while I was on guard, I'll be on apprentice duty for sure! He then spoke up, catching the worried apprentice's attention. "Um, I'll go with you to find her! If that's okay…"

Striketail looked over to his russet watch partner, who merely sighed and shook his head. "I'll be fine. You two go find Rainpaw", he said.

And they did just that.

~oOOo~

Silverpaw's POV

~oOOo~

As the duo slipped into the Dirtplace, Silverpaw wrinkled her nose. "For some reason, I don't think Rainpaw would spend too much time in here." She turned to Striketail, who was eyeing her.

"I wonder why", he voiced sarcastically. Silverpaw just shook off her companion's mocking and continued forward. They then arrived at the far end of the Dirtplace.

"There's only one way she could have left the Dirtplace," meowed the silver she-cat in assurance. She pointed her tail to the small path of rocky ledges on her left. "This is our secret way out of camp. I was hoping she didn't come this way, but it looks like she did."

Striketail shook his head. "But why would she sneak out?"

Silverpaw stared at the path. "The only way to find out is to catch her and make her confess. Come on, you first." Her dark companion nodded, then carefully placed his paws onto a tiny ledge and dug his claws in, stepping up onto the path. Silverpaw began climbing soon after the black-furred tom, only to get smacked by his bristling tail.

Striketail had stopped climbing.

"Wha- Striketail, what's wrong?"

The tom looked down at her, his eyes wide. "Are you sure this path is stable for a big cat like me? Silverpaw, I really don't think it's going to hold… we should find another way."

Silverpaw chuckled. "Here, climb down, and I'll go first."

As soon as the silver apprentice and the nervous black tom had righted themselves, Silverpaw began to climb again. She lithely scrambled up the rocky path, occasionally glancing at her paws to make sure she had a nice claw-hold. She then swiftly settled at the top of the hollow. Judging from the many footprints, cats had used this shortcut for generations. There must have been a fire a very long time ago- since none of the Elders could remember a fire happening during their lifetime- as there were charred trees and shrubs everywhere, crumbling from age. She heard Striketail's voice call from below:

"Okay, I'm on the last one."

She turned to see him scrabbling over the ledge and into the forest above the hollow, and twitched her whiskers as he dipped his head. "Let's go", he urged. As the two ThunderClan cats began to race into the forest, Silverpaw raised her tail.

"Stop," she whispered. "I've got a scent. She smells…happy, or excited. She went this way, towards the WindClan border… Wait, what?!" Silverpaw began to follow the trail, her ears flattening as she continued along.

"These aren't her only scent trails, there are more trails! All leading in the same direction! And they're all in the past quarter moon…"

Striketail suddenly spoke up, making her turn her white muzzle towards him. "Well, nice job on getting the scent, but this is a big problem. She couldn't be meeting up with a WindClan cat, could she? Silverpaw, if there's something you know about this, tell me."

"No, no, I'm sure she just likes to hunt that way! I really don't know what she's doing. Come on, let's find her."

The two cats scurried along the scent trail, occasionally taking a sharp turn, or leaping over some brambles. Then, right when the two were so close to the border that Silverpaw could smell WindClan, Striketail stopped her with a black paw. He nodded to a pale gray shape that was looking towards the WindClan border.

Rainpaw!

Striketail shook his head, and Silverpaw hunched down a bit. Right, she thought. We should see what she's doing first.

Suddenly,Rainpaw stood up, her tail straight in the air, and walked right towards them. The bracken parted, and Silverpaw stared into her sister's shocked face with narrowed eyes. Is that a trace of guilt I see? Perhaps nervousness?

Silverpaw rose from her hiding spot and stepped suspiciously towards her sister, asking boldly, "Where have you been?"

Rainpaw stared, eyes wide, as Striketail too stepped out of the bracken. "H-how long have you two been here?"

Striketail narrowed his eyes. "Just a few seconds. Did something happen before we came? Something we should know about?"

Silverpaw turned to him and smacked his ear with a white paw; Striketail flinched in surprise, before rubbing his ear with his paw and pouting. "Stop grilling her!" the silver she-cat demanded at him, and then turned to her sister. "Rainpaw, you know you can tell me what happened… if something actually happened. And you weren't just gazing poetically into the sunrise over the moor!", she added sarcastically.

Rainpaw furiously shook her head and replied. "Actually, I was just worried you had seen me trying to catch that rabbit. It ran into WindClan territory…I-I guess I just wasn't fast enough this time!"

Silverpaw cleared her throat. "If you wanted to hunt, you could have asked. I'm sure the night patrol would have let you. Right, Striketail?" The black tom waved his white and brown striped tail in agreement. "That's right."

"Then that's that. Let's all go get some sleep", Silverpaw announced, and the three cats slowly made their way to just above the hollow. The tabby and white she-cat whispered into Striketail's ear, and the dark tom left to take up his position at the camp entrance. Rainpaw twitched nervously as he left, as she was now alone with her very, very persistent sister.

"Rainpaw, tell me the truth. When a rabbit gets away, over the border, you don't stare lovingly after it."

The tabby apprentice in question flattened her ears and fidgeted. "Well, I-", she began, but was quickly cut off by her sister.

"And you're the fastest cat the clans have ever known! Let's be honest, it wouldn't have gotten away, even on a bad day."

"You see…"

Silverpaw's fur bristled, and she retorted, "I don't see! You're hiding something, and I don't know why!"

Façade broken, Rainpaw stood up and hissed, "I'll tell you, okay!?" The gray she-cat then took a gulp of breath to calm herself, and settled down into a comfier position, as did her sister. "You have to promise not to tell."

Silverpaw nodded, eager to hear; her ears perked in anticipation, expecting the unexpected.

"I… I secretly visited Sneakpaw of WindClan."

The silver she–cat leapt up at the news, alarmed. "You- you can't! That's against the Warrior Code! What will happen when we become warriors? You know you can't have a mate outside of your clan!"

Rainpaw's eyes widened at her words, mouth dropping open. "No! No, it's not like that! Sneakpaw and I are just friends, okay?"

Sadness glittered in Silverpaw's blue eyes. "I'm not going to stop you, Rainpaw", she sighed tiredly. "But I truly believe that this ordeal is going to hurt you." She stood up. "I'm going to eat something."

"…Even though it's still night?"

"Yeah."

And as she turned and walked towards the night patrol, Silverpaw could feel her sister's eyes boring into her, watching her every step.

~oOOo~

"…and so, after it was all said and done, the evil Tigerstar was vanquished by Firestar, and the Clans lived happily ever after."

As Wetpelt finished his story, Graykit squealed in delight and pounced on Silverpaw's tail. "I'm Firestar, and you're Tigerstar!", the kit proclaimed loudly.

Silverpaw chuckled. "I can't be Tigerstar! I'm a she-cat, and he's a tom! So that also means you can't be Firestar!"

Spirit instantly deflated by Silverpaw's words, Graykit shuffled and muttered disappointed sounds under her breath; something along the lines of Silverpaw being a "dream destroyer".

Feeling a bit bad, yet amused at the same time, the tabby apprentice suggested, "Why don't you try being Squirrelstar, and next time I can be Bluestar? As for now, I better go; I have to train with Wildfire. See you, Graykit, Puddlesplash!"

After saying her farewells, she headed out into the clearing, only to be greeted with the warm reds and oranges of Leaf-fall. The she-cat trotted over to Wildfire, who was waiting by the hollow entrance. The brightly hued leaves crackled under her paws.

"Hey!", she called in a chirp. "I'm on time, so let's get going, shall we?"

Her russet-furred mentor nodded and then led her into the ThunderClan forest. Suddenly, Silverpaw caught a whiff of Rainpaw's stale joy-scent, and was reminded with a pang that they were still awkwardly avoiding each other. Silverpaw really hated fighting with her sister. In fact, the silver apprentice was so absorbed in her thoughts, that she didn't even notice a gaping hole ahead…

…until she tumbled right into it.

~oOOo~

Groaning slightly, Silverpaw shook her head and gave herself a once-over, only to let out a small noise of dismay. All the white areas of her thick, short tabby coat—her paws, muzzle, chest, belly, and tail tip—had gotten filthy with eroded dirt.

As she stood up, her front left paw throbbed and ached; she took in her surroundings silently. The she-cat was standing in a dirt and stone tunnel, and after she listening hard enough, she could detect a faint gurgle. Running water...?

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, a flash of green that looked suspiciously like eyes blurred by. Eyes?, she thought nervously before berating herself. That's ridiculous, don't be like that, Silverpaw. This tunnel may be roomy enough for you, but it would be a tight squeeze for a real warrior; forget about fitting two cats in here! You're all alone. That Dark Forest story from earlier must be getting to you.

She decided to continue along the path; the green flashes, occurring frequently in her peripheral vision, were beginning to bother her. She unsheathed her claws, ready to fight off anything that showed up, but eventually pulled them back in upon sudden realization. Eh? She tilted her head in curiosity, looking up slightly. What's this?

The tunnel ceiling was beginning to slope, brushing the fur of her back, and getting smaller and narrower with each step. As much as she didn't want to admit it, the tabby had a bad feeling that this was a dead end. This tunnel is getting real squeezy in all the wrong places. Silverpaw thought uncomfortably. It would be so embarrassing if a bunch of warriors had to dig me out.

Finally, the she-cat emerged into a huge cavern, with other tunnels and a roaring river running right through the middle; it then dipped downwards, before disappearing around a narrow bend.

Suddenly, while Silverpaw stood awestruck, a voice called out from the deep depths of the cave.

"Hello, Silverpaw.", it purred smoothly. "I've been waiting."

~oOOo~

Striketail shuffled where he was standing, lost in his thoughts. He knew that Rainpaw was hiding something, he could feel it! Nothing but a secret could solicit such sneaky behavior.

Creeping around by the WindClan border uninvited…and she's the deputy's kit, no less! She's going to cause a lot of trouble if she doesn't get it together, The tom mused, managing to steal a glance at the gray speckled apprentice munching on a starling across the clearing. She didn't exactly look dejected, but you could tell she wasn't happy about arguing with Silverpaw.

Then again, The Warrior added as an afterthought. Silverpaw isn't the most agreeable cat. I don't think I've met a single cat that hasn't been told off by her yet, with the exception Lightningstar and Graykit.

The ferns by the camp entrance suddenly rustled, and Striketail perked up his ears, expecting Silverpaw and Wildfire. Great. He sighed inwardly with relief. If they're back, I can finish guarding camp and maybe listen to what Rainpaw has to say…

However, it was only Wildfire that came through the ferns, looking a bit winded and slightly panicked. "Lightningstar!" he called across camp to his leader, who was standing and chatting with Mistystep. "Silverpaw has fallen down a hole and hasn't come out for a long time. She may be in danger."

Lightningstar nodded, all attention now on him. "Stormysky, Wildfire, and Poolbreeze, see what you can do", he instructed. "Rainpaw, go with them—you may be small enough to wriggle through the narrow spaces. Leave immediately."

The patrol headed out.

~oOOo~

Startled by the noise, Silverpaw spun around, claws unsheathed. "Seriously!", Silverpaw barked into the darkness. "I have a lot going on right now, so stop stalking me in small, dark spaces! I'm not in the mood!"

A chuckled sounded, and following it, a lithe black she-cat stepped out. "Forgive me", she said. "I have not yet introduced myself to you by name, though I suppose you know me well enough."

The ThunderClan apprentice back on her haunches, a quizzical expression on her face as she contemplated the cat's appearance and scent. Huh… Silverpaw twitched her whiskers, thinking hard. I suppose she's somewhat familiar, but I can't place a name to her…

If Silverpaw squinted her eyes enough, she could detect small, sparkling stars at the tips of the she-cats pelt; because of this, it glittered like the night sky. Her eyes glowed an emerald green, as if she knew every one of Silverpaw's secrets and was smug about it. Her scent was frosty and crisp to the tabby's sensitive nose, with a warm, summery edge to it.

Suddenly it hit her. "You're that cat from my accident as a kit, when I fell off of the hill! I remember now!"

The cat swished her tail, smiling slightly. "I am pleased that you remember. My name is Hollyleaf. Your elders have passed down stories about me, am I wrong?"

Silverpaw dipped her head in respect. "No, no! They talk about you often; I've learned much about you from them…"

The apprentice would have continued, but she trailed off slowly when Hollyleaf's face contorted into one of pain and anger. The StarClan cat looked like she was recalling something, or reliving a bad memory.

Not wanting to alarm her, Silverpaw asked slowly, "Um, are you alright? …Do you need a moment?"

At her words, Hollyleaf snapped out of it, and inhaled sharply before letting it out quickly. "Fine…I'm fine."

Silverpaw frowned. "If you're sure; sorry if something I said offended you."

Hollyleaf merely shook her head.

Feeling confused, Silverpaw opened her mouth to restart the conversation, but cut herself off when a scraping sound came from behind her; it was where she had entered from!

"Uh, if it's alright with you, I'd like to make this short and sweet", the silver tabby announced nervously. "I'd like to mentally prepare myself for that badger coming in."

The last remark had meant to lighten the mood, but unfortunately, Silverpaw's attempt at humor fell flat; the sparkling she-cat did not laugh. "That's no badger, but you're right. We need to be quick. Silverpaw, I've come so I could offer guidance. I'm going to be your mentor. You've got abilities that you need to learn how to master, and I can help you. And perhaps, this way, I can finally be involved in a prophecy…". Instantly realizing her slip-up, Hollyleaf covered her mouth with her tail, eyes shining with an unreadable emotion.

Silverpaw leaped to her feet, ears stock-straight with excitement. "I'm part of a prophecy?! Cool! Isn't that a good thing?"

No reply; the cavern settled into silence.

Silverpaw broke it immediately, however. "But, uh, don't prophecy cats usually end up with a loved one dead, or something?"

Behind her, the scraping noise grew louder; Hollyleaf shifted on her paws, eyeing the darkness.

Suddenly, Silverpaw heard the sweet sound of her sister's voice. "Oh, StarClan, this isn't the time…Silverpaw, are you in there? I'm coming in to get you, okay?"

Delighted, Silverpaw opened her mouth to reply, but Hollyleaf hissed, "She mustn't know yet!"

Hollyleaf's figure began to shimmer, and suddenly, a few rocks tumbled down from the top of the cavern and blocked the entrance to the tunnel. Wow, Silverpaw mused bitterly. Just my luck.

Claws scrabbled at the rocks from the other side, and when Silverpaw turned to Hollyleaf to demand answers, she discovered that the starry she-cat had vaporized into thin air.

Feeling somewhat defeated, Silverpaw sat back and considered her options. Hollyleaf was gone, but she suspected not for long; she didn't expect Hollyleaf to help her anyways, however. After all, Hollyleaf had caused the rock fall in the first place.

From Rainpaw's side, it seemed as if she wasn't having a lot of luck; what was she doing here anyway? Silverpaw's sister was much more speedy and agile than she was strong. It wasn't like she could actually do anything.

The other tunnels didn't look so appealing; some smelled of the moors, and if she chose the wrong one and got lost, the river could flood if it rained, and she would drown.

Well, looks like my training is going to pay off. Bracing herself against the floor and facing the opposite direction of the blocked entrance, the silver tabby settled her hind legs against the rocks in her way. She, not being very observant, was too busy concentrating on the task at hand, that she did not notice her hind legs bulk up slightly with more sudden muscle.

With one loud CRACK!,Silverpaw kicked behind her at the rocks; nothing happened at first, but then the rocks began to shake and crumble, and eventually, fell apart to reveal Rainpaw.

"You're okay! And filthy…", noted her sister. "So…you wanna tell me how you got down here?"

Silverpaw merely rolled her eyes and squeezed down into the tunnel after her sister. "Maybe later, Rainpaw", she chortled. "Now's not exactly the best time, am I right?"

~oOOo~

Luckily, everyone's reaction to Silverpaw's return was positive. She and Rainpaw had trotted casually through the fern tunnel- their spat clearly over -chatting about what happened to Silverpaw, save the whole incident with Hollyleaf. Puddlesplash, who had obviously been waiting for them for quite some time, leaped to her feet and gave a joyous yowl. "Silverpaw's back!", her voice rang clear through the camp, catching all cats' attention.

Overcome happiness, she attacked her kits with licks and voiced her fretful worries about them.

"Gah- mother—get off, I'm filthy!", Silverpaw managed to choke out. Eventually and reluctantly, Puddlesplash pulled away.

After letting the apprentice catch some air, Cloudwatcher gently inspected Silverpaw's left paw, telling her it would be fine. The Warriors, who had been accompanying Rainpaw and Silverpaw, went to talk with Lightningstar during the commotion.

"Well, well, well!" A smug voice sounded. "Look who's back from her little adventure."

Striketail and Ashfall had wandered up to the two sisters, and it was painfully obvious that Striketail was trying to mess with Silverpaw. The tabby she-cat simply sighed and snorted.

"Oh, stuff it, Striketail, you old bag", she responded playfully. "I had way more fun today than you've ever had in your life."

The four cats then chuckled like old friends, and once she excused herself, Silverpaw headed to her nest for a well-needed rest.

"Good night, ThunderClan," She whispered happily.

K.A.K: Welp, that's it!

Silver: Hope ya liked it!

R&R!