"Foxpaw wake up!" I prodded my brother gently with my paw.
"Nightpaw leave me alone!" he hissed.
"Foxpaw, wake up!" I growled forcefully, nipping his ear. He jerked awake, his eyes flaring.
"Nightpaw I said, leave me alone." Foxpaw snarled.
"Foxpaw, Tawnypaw isn't here." I mewed urgently.
It's not my fault your mate is missing." Foxpaw grumbled, covering his ears with his paws.
"Tawnypaw isn't my mate!" I protested, my pelt red-hot in embarrassment but Foxpaw was already falling asleep.
"She isn't the only one not in her nest either, her brother Ravenpaw is gone too. Even Snakepaw, Dustpaw and his brother Rabbitpaw are missing." I said, loud enough to keep him awake.
"Maybe they are outside." he hissed.
"I've already looked there! They aren't anywhere in the camp!" I hissed, annoyed.
"Are you sure?" Foxpaw asked, sitting upright. He must have figured out that I wasn't going to let him sleep until we've figured out what happened.
"Where else could they have gone?" I mumbled more to myself than to my brother.
"There's only one other place they would have gone." Foxpaw swallowed hard, his eyes wide in alarm.
"No, they wouldn't! They know how dangerous it would be if someone recognised them! I won't believe it!" I gasped.
"Nightpaw, you're going to have to believe it. Snakepaw is always rambling on about how much he misses his brother Frostpaw and Tawnypaw and Ravenpaw have their brother. I don't know why Dustpaw and Rabbitpaw went though, they never mentioned having another littermate they missed." Foxpaw frowned.
"We have to tell Rivermist!" I mewed, padding out of the den. To my surprise, my brother followed me.
"Rivermist!" Someone called. I turned to see Ravenpaw's mentor, Nightsun. What's she doing here? She's supposed to be in the camp!
"What is it Nightsun?" Rivermist asked.
"Five apprentices came back to camp. Ravenpaw, Tawnypaw, Dustpaw, Rabbitpaw and Snakepaw. Ravenpaw was recognised by his brother, Ashpaw. His brother killed him," He mewed sadly, gasping for air. By the looks of it, she had run all the way.
"We will miss him dearly," Rivermist mewed.
"Littlestar sent me to tell you to bring the apprentices back." She finished.
"But aren't the four Clans still there?" Rivermist narrowed her eyes.
"Yes." Nightsun nodded.
"Then why,"
"Because Littlestar says we need to prepare for a battle against the Clans." Nightsun cut her off. I glanced nervously at Foxpaw, whose face showed no emotion. Could we really fight our parents? Our old friends? I swallowed hard, knowing this battle would the hardest thing we would ever need to do. We had no option, we had to fight. I would always choose the Clan who saved my life over the Clan who cast me away.