CHAPTER ONE

"Koipaw! What did I tell you about scaring off fish?" Foamscale scolded Koipaw for the fourth time since sunrise. The apprentice hung her head and gave her mentor a sheepish smile.

"... Not to?" She said quietly. It was more of a question than an answer, and Foamscale shook her tawny head and sighed.

"Come on. You're cleaning dens for the rest of the afternoon." She turned and beckoned Koipaw to follow her with a flick of her tail.

"Glad to see some discipline happening," Redbelly nodded at Foamscale approvingly and glared at Koipaw as they pushed their way into the den. The tortoiseshell apprentice reddened and looked at her paws.

"It had to happen, Redbelly. Koipaw disrupted the fishing party." Her trainer said dismissively. "Anyways, can one of you come see me when Koipaw is finished cleaning? I've got a border check to go on." Reednose, who was sitting in a corner of the Elders Cave, nodded. Foamscale smiled gratefully and backed out of the den, leaving Koipaw with the elders.

"I can help you clean if you like," Reednose offered kindly while Whirlstep and Redbelly rolled their eyes and padded out of the den. Koipaw smiled at her and nodded.

"That would be great."

"I think thats the last of it," Koipaw tossed the dusty moss-and-reed nest into a pile. She and Reednose had worked until late afternoon to make sure that the nests were fit for sleeping on.

"Great job, Koipaw. We make a good team," Reednose purred. Koipaw smiled back at her and padded out of the den. She glanced around the clearing, not able to spot her mentor.

"Hey, Porteye!" She called to the black tom. "Have you seen Foamscale?" Porteye shook his head and shrugged.

"Nope. I guess she went fishing alone." He went back to washing himself. Koipaw spotted Wishpaw eating a trout and trotted over to him.

"Hey, Wishpaw! Do you wanna come look for Foamscale with me?" Koipaw asked him somewhat shyly. The gray tom smiled at her and nodded.

"Sure. Get's me out of training with Seapaw anyways." He stood and walked towards her. "Where should we start?" Koipaw shrugged.

"Her favorite fishing spot is the Tide Pools, so we could try there." Koipaw turned and bounded out of camp, Wishpaw hot on her heels.

The Tide Pools were empty. Koipaw opened her mouth to try and scent Foamscale, but it was no use.

"Ugh, I was sure she'd be here." The tortie she-cat complained. "Now we have to track her." Wishpaw shrugged, grinning.

"I don't mind tracking her. It helps us sharpen our senses, and our assessment is coming up." He reasoned. Koipaw sighed.

"I guess. Let's go towards the Seal Rocks and see if she's there. It's near the border though, so we might have to be on the lookout for MoorClan." Wishpaw rolled his eyes.

"Duh, Koipaw." Koipaw looked away and felt her pelt grow hot.

"Let's just go." She said, turning away embarrassedly.

"I can scent her!" Koipaw breathed excitedly. They had been searching for Foamscale in the dimming light, and she had finally found a trail. Wishpaws head perked up excitedly.

"Come on!" He meowed, his nose in the dirt as he tracked the tawny she-cat.

They followed her trail until they came up to the MoorClan border.

"Do you think she's meeting someone from the moor?" Koipaw whispered to Wishpaw. He shrugged, his amber eyes ablaze with excitement. The trail led them parallel to the border, and the two apprentices padded along, still tracking Koipaws missing mentor.

Finally, Wishpaw stopped, his tail shooting out in front of Koipaw to pause her.

"I can hear her," He whispered to her. They crept to the edge of a small grove of lilacs and peered through the bushes. Koipaw almost gasped out loud when she saw Foamscale pressed against a golden MoorClan tom. Wishpaw slapped his tail over her mouth and hissed, "Don't say anything and follow me." He slowly crept towards the two code-breaking cats, Koipaw right behind him. Suddenly, Koipaw stepped on a twig. It splintered beneath her feet, and she grimaced as Foamscale twisted around.

"Who's there?" She called menacingly. Koipaw looked at Wishpaw and shrugged, stepping forward out of the lilacs. Foamscale snarled when she saw her apprentice. The golden tom unsheathed his claws.

"Wait!" Koipaw yelped. "We won't tell." She looked back at Wishpaw, who nodded.

"We just wanted to find where you were," He said. "Sorry if we disturbed you."

"You did disturb me," She spat crossly, standing and facing the two apprentices. "Sorry about them, Lioncall." The tom shrugged and glared at the younger cats.

"As long as they don't tell, I'm… fine with it." He ran his bushy tail over her back and turned to leave. "I'm going back to my camp." Foamscale watched him go, her expression saddened. When she turned back to Koipaw and Wishpaw, her face had hardened again.

"All right, back to camp." She turned and beckoned them to follow her.

Kinda short chapter, but oh well. I really love forbidden romances :)

See you guys next time! ~ Hollow