Huh. This chapter somehow got itself deleted… I've rewritten it of course but it seems like I'll have to pay a bit more attention in the future…

Chapter 23

Tinypaw and Graypaw retraced their steps into ThunderClan territory. The rain was beginning to ease off, but the two were still wet through. Their pace quickened, and Tinypaw could smell the urgency in the air as the sun set behind a wall of storm clouds – they had to find Yellowfang before the storm had passed entirely.

"We ought to head into ShadowClan territory," Graypaw suggested. "She might be there."

"I don't want to take that risk," Tinypaw told him. "We need to pick up her scent first. We need to make sure." Please, please StarClan – don't let me find out that Yellowfang went to ShadowClan! It would only make the rumors harder to deflect.

They crossed through Fourtrees and back into the heart of ThunderClan territory. The rain seemed to make all of the smells sharper than usual, but neither Tinypaw nor Graypaw caught scent of Yellowfang until they were deep in the oak woods that surrounded ThunderClan's camp.

Tinypaw picked up her fear-scent on a bit of trampled fern. He called to Graypaw, and they followed it through the trees. Yellowfang had left a bit of a trail behind her in the storm – trampled grass, crushed ferns, displaced leaves… she would not be hard for the patrol to find.

The rain was beginning to ease, nothing but slow droplets on Tinypaw's pelt. The rumbling storm clouds were beginning to move further away on the horizon, and Tinypaw picked up the pace. Graypaw huffed beside him, but Tinypaw did not relent – they needed to find Yellowfang before it stopped raining completely. Before Bluefur did.

To Tinypaw's dismay, Yellowfang's scent was leading directly into ShadowClan territory. The two apprentices followed it through the woods, their steps careful as the trees began to thin out and the stink of the Thunderpath wafted through the rain-fresh forest. They paused at the edge of the trees, looking out at the shimmering stone path.

Beyond was ShadowClan territory – right where Yellowfang's scent led.

They said nothing as they waited for their opportunity to cross the Thunderpath. They got lucky – apparently Twoleg monsters didn't like being out in the rain any more than they did. They had a clear crossing, but they kept their ears pricked until they were safe on the other side.

ShadowClan territory lay before them, a stretch of pine woods and marshland with little undergrowth to speak of. The ground already felt wetter underpaw, and Tinypaw knew it couldn't have just been from the rain. ShadowClan scent markers, strong and foul, were just a pace ahead of them.

"I had always hoped there would be a patrol of warriors behind me when I finally came here," Graypaw panted, his yellow eyes wide.

"Afraid, are you?" Tinypaw asked.

Graypaw eyed him. "Of course I am!" he hissed. "Willowpelt – my mother – she told me nothing but terrible stories about ShadowClan!"

"My mother never taught me such things," Tinypaw admitted. He was relieved that his fur still clung to his body – he didn't want Graypaw seeing just how afraid he really was. Graypaw may have had more time to absorb the horror stories of ShadowClan, but Tinypaw had heard plenty enough from the elders. He'd seen enough at the Gatherings. He knew ShadowClan was bad.

But they had to move on.

Tinypaw led the way. Yellowfang's scent trail seemed to be following another trail, but the latter's scent was muddied by rain and marsh. Whomever she had been following didn't seem to care what they ran into – Tinypaw could tell by the stench that this was a well-trodden ShadowClan path, like the ones through the trees in ThunderClan territory.

They were in the heart of ShadowClan's hunting grounds when the smells of the marsh became almost overpowering. Graypaw wrinkled his nose and Tinypaw had to pause to pick up Yellowfang's scent again.

"The ground is so wet," Graypaw complained. "All the marsh-smell is coming through! I can't smell her."

"It's there," Tinypaw assured him. He gestured to a frond that stank of Yellowfang's scent. "She lingered here for a bit."

Graypaw flicked his ears. "I can smell that, though," he mewed, twitching his whiskers.

"What?" Tinypaw hissed, alarmed. He had been so busy tracking Yellowfang he feared missing something now, so deep in enemy territory.

"Kit-scent," Graypaw told him. He gestured ahead with a paw, "There's kit blood here."

Tinypaw sniffed again. This time, now that he was looking for it, he smelled the kits. ThunderClan scent was warm and comforting compared to the harsh smells of ShadowClan. He followed it to a small patch of ground trodden by fresh paws. A pile of sticks lay nearby, probably broken in the storm. A tuft of fur clung to one branch, and a reddish splash of blood was on the ground.

"Swiftkit!" Graypaw growled. "That's his fur!"

Tinypaw sniffed the blood-patch. "And that's Thornkit's scent," he added. "The kits were here!"

"And so was Yellowfang!" Graypaw grumbled, bristling.

Tinypaw lifted his head and sniffed, clearing his nose of ThunderClan scent. He picked up Yellowfang's scent easily, and then meowed, "But she didn't leave here. Her scent still seems fresh. She's nearby!"

It took a moment to pinpoint just where Yellowfang had gone. He spotted the dead ash not too far away – the tree was uprooted long ago, leaning on its side with its gnarled roots splayed in the air. It leafless branches twitched in the light breeze. Tinypaw spotted a tuft of matted gray fur, and his flicked his tail against Graypaw's shoulder.

The gray tom grunted, and Tinypaw hissed for silence.

Together, using their best stalking techniques, they split up and each crept around one side of the tree. Tinypaw spotted Yellowfang first, thankfully – the old she-cat was panting, pressed up against the dead trunk of the ash. When Graypaw rounded his side, Tinypaw gave a tiny nod.

They sprang.

Yellowfang let out a startled howl as they descended. Tinypaw kept his claws sheathed, and thankfully Graypaw did as well – when Yellowfang, squashed beneath them, began to wiggle, the two let her go. Yellowfang pulled herself to her paws and then whirled to face the two apprentices.

"I knew they would blame me!" she wailed.

"Where are the kits?" Graypaw demanded, his gray fur fluffing out. "We can smell their blood – what have you done to them?"

"I don't have them!" Yellowfang growled angrily. Her back arched slightly, and Tinypaw could see her pelt prickling. "I came to find them – to take them back. I stopped because I smelled the blood too – but they're not here!"

Tinypaw and Graypaw shared a glance.

"I don't have them!" Yellowfang insisted.

"Why did you run, then?" Graypaw asked. He stepped forward, his eyes narrowed. "Why did you kill Spottedleaf?"

Yellowfang's jaw dropped, and Tinypaw saw her fur flatten in shock. The old she-cat lowered her tail and whispered, "Spottedleaf is… Spottedleaf is dead?"

Tinypaw couldn't help but feel a wave of relief wash over him. Yellowfang looked as if the news had hit her as hard as any blow, and if she had done the deed there was no way her reaction could be so genuine.

Still, he had to be sure: "You didn't know?" Tinypaw asked.

Yellowfang shook her head, her eyes round. "I left the camp as soon as I heard the kits were missing," she replied.

Graypaw flicked his tail, eyes dark with suspicion, but Tinypaw sighed with relief.

"I know who took the kits," Yellowfang went on. "Clawface – I smelled his scent near the nursery. He's surely taken them to Brokenstar, and as long as they're in Brokenstar's paws they are in great danger."

"Surely even Brokenstar wouldn't harm kits?" Tinypaw wondered.

Yellowfang hung her head and sighed. "Don't be so naïve, Tinypaw," she said. "Brokenstar intends to use them as warriors."

"But they're only five moons old!" Graypaw burst.

Yellowfang looked up at the apprentices. "It hasn't stopped him before – Brokenstar has trained kits as young as three moons since he became leader. At five moons he sends them out as warriors!"

Tinypaw's mind flashed back to his first Gathering. The ShadowClan apprentice who quaked beneath Whitestorm's judgmental gaze came to mind, and suddenly he realized that the little tabby hadn't only just been small – he had been a kit!

"Wouldn't they be too small to fight?" Graypaw reasoned.

"Brokenstar doesn't care about that," Yellowfang growled. "He has plenty more kits to spare, and even if ShadowClan runs out, well, he won't hesitate to steal them from other Clans!" Her eyes filled with rage. "After all, this is the cat who killed kits from his own Clan!"

Tinypaw looked at her, stunned.

"Why wasn't he punished?" Tinypaw demanded. "No cat can get away with killing a kit!"

"He lied," Yellowfang replied, bitterness seeping from every word. "He accused me of their murder, and ShadowClan believed him!"

"So that's why you were driven from ShadowClan!" Tinypaw realized. Yellowfang nodded at him, her eyes somber with memories. Tinypaw stepped forward and insisted, "You have to come back with us – you need to tell Tigerstar!"

Yellowfang's eyes blazed again. "Not before I've rescued your kits!" she insisted.

Tinypaw felt a fresh wind stirring his pelt. He glanced up – the sky was clear of clouds but for a few low-hanging wisps. The moon was rising, and stars were patterning the sky. Silverpelt was beginning to appear overhead. They were not safe here for much longer.

"How could a leader – or any cat – do that to kits from their own Clan?" Graypaw wondered. He was clearly reeling from the news.

"Brokenstar insisted on training them too hard when they were too young," Yellowfang answered. He took two away for battle practice – they were only four moons old. They were gone for most of the day, but when they came back Brokenstar dropped their bodies at my paws. They bore scratches and bites of full warriors and some dark fur was tufted between their claws – Brokenstar had fought them himself.

"There was nothing I could do," Yellowfang wheezed. "When their mother came to see them, Brokenstar proclaimed that he had found me standing over their dead bodies."

"Why didn't you tell the truth?" Tinypaw asked.

Yellowfang hung her head. "I couldn't."

"Why not?"

Yellowfang hesitated a moment – when she spoke, her voice was heavy with regret. "Brokenstar is ShadowClan's leader. Noble Raggedstar was his father – and a Clan leader's word is law."

Tinypaw glanced at Graypaw, his heart heavy for Yellowfang. Tinypaw gave her as long a moment as he felt he could before he meowed, "We'll rescue the kits together. Tonight. We can't stay here, though." He sniffed the air, and his hackles rose. "I smell the ThunderClan patrol coming. If Bluefur is with them, she won't hesitate to attack you, Yellowfang. She won't give us a chance to explain."

Yellowfang lifted her head, glancing at Tinypaw. Her eyes flashed, as if she were confused about him speaking of his mentor in such a way. Then, she flicked her tail towards someplace distant. "There's peat this way," she mewed. "It will hide our scent."

She leaped into a clump of ferns, and Graypaw and Tinypaw followed. Yellowfang led them through winding ShadowClan paths, but Tinypaw could hear the steps of the ThunderClan warriors now, louder and louder. Yellowfang picked up the pace – she could hear them too.

They were almost at full pelt when they collectively realized that the patrol would catch them, no matter what. Tinypaw's paws lagged in the peat, and beside him Graypaw was grunting to move forward through the stick muck. Yellowfang trotted through it confidently though, and Tinypaw suspected she might have webbed paws tucked beneath her matted fur.

Yellowfang stopped beside a bush with broad, dark, leaves. The ThunderClan patrol was not far off now, and Tinypaw couldn't stop his spine from bristling.

"Here," Yellowfang insisted. "Hide here."

She didn't wait for them – Yellowfang crawled into the bush. Tinypaw followed, cursing under his breath as the peat sucked at his belly fur. Graypaw was just behind him, nose curled against the heady stench.

They settled there, the wet ground seeping into their fur, as the sound of the ThunderClan cats got closer and closer…