"I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens."
-Woody Allen

I woke up to see all the apprentices steadily getting up and Splotchstar and Jioveheart waiting at the entrance, Jioveheart tapping her paw impatiently.

"Get up!" Jioveheart snapped. "This is my first Queen-Napping Patrol and I want to bring twenty kittypets back to camp!"

"All apprentices and their mentors will go with Jioveheart on this patrol" Splotchstar explained. "Which also brings me to do something else before the patrol leaves."

"All of RiverClan come here!" Splotchstar announced to the whole clan. "Dawnwhisper, bring your kits."

I looked at the big cream she-cat as she quickly ran to her kits and groomed them both.

"Don't groom him" Splotchstar snarled at Rowankit. "He's going to become a medicine cat apprentice!"

"So?" Dawnwhisper hissed.

"He's purposefully doing that just to avoid being part of the Queen-Napping Patrol, he doesn't even know the first thing about herbs!" Splotchstar retorted.

"I know, that's why I want to!" Rowankit protested.

"Shut up vermin!" Splotchstar snapped. "Spiderkit, you are now Spiderpaw. Nettleburr will be your mentor. This stupid tom who's too afraid to go on the Queen-Napping Patrol will now be Rowanpaw. Morningpool, you will mentor this coward in the ways of herbs and junk."

Spiderpaw touched noses with Nettleburr while Rowanpaw did the same with Morningpool.

"Jioveheart will lead the patrol, and as she requested, Willowtail and Honeybreeze will join the patrol to keep the apprentices in their place." Splotchstar announced. "With that said, all mentors can stay here at camp. Redpaw, Brownpaw, Flypaw, Volepaw, Songpaw, and Spiderpaw will all go. Now get out of here and kidnap some queens!"

Jioveheart leaded us with Willowtail and Honeybreeze on each side as we were lead to the Twolegplace beyond our camp. We saw walls dividing the Twoleg nests and the yards nearby. Cats scattered, most likely some of these cats were old enough to remember the last Queen-Napping Patrol.

"Remember, both rogues and kittypets are welcome for capture. If a queen with kits born fights back, you are allowed to kill the queen and collect the kits as a last result. Drawing attention to get inside a Twoleg nest to reach a kittypet is allowed. Capturing a tom is allowed, as long as you have more she-cats then toms." Jioveheart rambled.

"There is a bramble bush behind that red Twoleg nest over there, that is where we'll place all the cats that we capture. Spiderpaw, you will watch all of them and if you let one out of your sight, we'll make sure you're cleaning the elder's den for a moon." Willowtail added.

Spiderpaw nodded slowly.

"We will split into three groups." Jioveheart explained. "Willowtail will take Brownpaw and Flypaw, Honeybreeze will take Volepaw and Songpaw, and I'll take Redpaw."

I mentally groaned. Of course she would want to keep a personal eye on me.

"If any apprentices cooperate with the kidnapped cats, we will report you to Splotchstar to have you severely punished." Honeybreeze growled. "C'mon Volepaw and Songpaw."

I was annoyed on how the newly made warriors were already acting better than everyone else, I looked at the rest of the apprentices.

Spiderpaw sighed and walked to the bramble bush while Willowtail and Honeybreeze lead the rest of the apprentices on two different Monsterpaths. Which left Jioveheart staring at me like she was trying to get into my head.

"We take the Monsterpath this way." Jioveheart growled. "Then we jump onto the walls and observe yards for any cats. Let's go."

Jioveheart lifted her head high and I followed her resentfully, I mean this cat is supposed to be my sister! She's hardly bigger than me!

Jioveheart leaped with exaggerated grace onto the wall and lifted her head to sniff the air.

"As much as you want to admire my form, I suggest you join me on the wall." Jioveheart hissed.

I did so with a clumsy leap, my claws scraping the wall as I joined Jioveheart. We looked at the yards and saw a big orange she-cat inside her Twoleg nest drinking milk from a bowl.

"Look, there's a cat flap right there, you enter it and grab the cat by the scruff and pull her out. I'll help you as soon as you get her out." Jioveheart explained.

I leaped off the wall and hid under the grass. I progressed quickly till I ran in the cat flap and sunk my teeth into the cat's collar.

"Hey! What're you doing?! STOP!" The she-cat yowled as I panted through my teeth. This cat was so heavy!

Then I saw the Twoleg.

A surge of desperation coursed through my body, I can't become a kittypet! I shoved her out the cat flap and joined her. I grabbed her collar once more.

"Jioveheart!" I screamed through my teeth.

Jioveheart's eyes flashed with surprise and she leaped off the wall and grabbed the collar as well.

"Are you expecting kits?!" Jioveheart growled.

"Yes!" The orange she-cat sobbed. "Please just let me go!"

"Jump that wall, and stay there till we say so." Jioveheart growled. "Redpaw, lead her to the bramble bush."

She jumped the wall and began losing balance when I grabbed her collar and ripped it off.

"My collar!" the she-cat wailed.

I pushed her off the wall and lead her across the Monsterpath till I caught sight of Spiderpaw watching several cats in a bramble bush trying to escape.

"How many cats?" I asked.

"Willowtail's group brought Misha and Ollie, Honeybreeze's group killed two she-cats and brought six kits, but two bled to death trying to flee the brambles...what's the name of this cat here?"

"Faith. And I'm expecting kits so please be gentle." the orange she-cat whimpered.

Spiderpaw lead her into the brambles and Faith shrieked as she accidentally stepped on a dead kit. I winced and suddenly felt sympathy for the she-cat that I had captured.

Songpaw appeared and ran to me.

"Redpaw! There's a she-cat protecting her kits and we need your help catching her!"