Sorry everybody, the updates are going to be a little slow from now on. Thank y'all for reviewing! I love you guys a lot.

Luckyfur ; That's what I was thinking. xD And no. They're perfect. And I think so! Those were the days..

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Chapter 22

"So, as you can see, Stormstar, Moonfur is not dead," Maplepaw finished, giving a little sigh.

She was waiting patiently in her leader's den, his mind carefully deliberating her proposal. As Maplepaw drew marks in the sand, she took a moment to muse over what she had told him. It sounded about right. Truthful—at least, mostly truthful. Of course she couldn't tell Stormstar it was in fact Darkfur who had kidnapped his once-deputy (how would he possibly believe her?)—so instead, she said rogues stole Moonfur themselves.

After all, only ThunderClan's leader himself would even think of giving her permission to rescue Moonfur.

"You're telling me it was a couple of rogues who kidnapped her?" Stormstar asked dubiously.

"That's right. They were on ShadowClan territory, so it was no wonder we didn't scent them. The rogues must have led her right over . . . although I don't know how."

"And exactly where did you gather all this information?"

"Uh . . ." Okay, so Maplepaw hadn't thought about that yet. It took some quick thinking. "Fluffy overheard them talking. She knows who Moonfur is"—that part was true—"and told me what they said." She gave a sheepish grin, acting as if she were embarrassed she had snuck out of camp to see her mother, though she hadn't really.

"Hmm," Stormstar murmured with a thoughtful expression. "Okay, I believe you."

"I'd hoped you might! I mean, it kind of seems farfetched—"

The black tomcat raised a brow, narrowing his eyes. "I assume you've told me this, not just for Moonfur, but so you can rescue her?" Maplepaw blinked twice, then nodded.

"Okay Maplepaw. I'll make you a deal. You can go save our silver comrade, but in return I'm expecting a warrior to accompany you in your little journey," he grunted.

"Of course."

"Then I give you my permission."

It was clear in her big amber eyes that Maplepaw was struggling to contain her excitement. "Oh, thank you so much, Stormstar! Which warrior do you have in mind?"

"I'm thinking about Sparrowclaw. He has the experience of a warrior, yet still quite young and fit."

Maplepaw thought about this. "Okay. And, if it's not too much to ask, can I bring Silkpaw as well?"

Stormstar cocked his head, his expression thoughtful. "Two apprentices? I don't know."

"But Rainstorm has been saying that Silkpaw doesn't have long to wait before she's a warrior!"

Stormstar sighed heavily. "That's true."

"And," Maplepaw mewed, letting a dramatic pause follow, "I'll memorize the basic medicines in case we're injured?" She gazed at him with sad eyes, trying to copy what Silkpaw had done to her just that morning. Apparently, that must have done the trick.

"Alright, you can bring along Silkpaw." Maplepaw could have jumped for joy, but she did her best to keep her enthusiasm on the inside. She had to be mature in front of her mentor and leader.

"Thank you so so so much, Stormstar!" chirped Maplepaw; then, realizing how immature she sounded, she cleared her throat and meowed, "I mean, thank you, Stormstar. You are very kind." The apprentice bowed her head and backed out of the den, while Stormstar watched her leave with a look of amusement on his face.

The brilliant sunlight blinded her, so she had to squint her eyes to see Smokepaw grabbing a piece of fresh-kill. The rest of her Clan was lounging out in the clearing, in groups or just alone. It was unusually sunny for a day in early leaf-bare. Just then Smokepaw caught her eye, waving with his tail to beckon her over.

As she neared he dropped his vole and mewed, "Grab that squirrel and follow me!"

She settled down in front of the medicine cat's den next to Smokepaw and began to pick at her meal. "Smokepaw," she meowed in-between bites, "tomorrow me and Silkpaw are going to rescue Moonfur. While you're at camp, be alert and follow Darkfur's every move—he could strike at any moment. Don't let him kill anyone else. In fact, if he does, report it to Shadepaw."

"Shadepaw?" Smokepaw asked with a hint of edge. "He's not even in our Clan. Why him?"

"He's my friend. Besides, he's in on this, too. I think he should be allowed to know."

"You shouldn't even be visiting cats from other Clans," Smokepaw muttered flatly.

"Smokepaw, is something wrong?" Maplepaw gazed at him anxiously, but he had turned away.

"No, nothing's wrong." He sighed. "I guess I can report to him. For you."

"Thanks," Maplepaw mewed, but she was still uncertain. Something must be wrong, she thought.

She pushed away her squirrel, suddenly full. They groomed each other until a yowl from the Highrock summoned them to gather with the rest of their Clan. Giving Smokepaw one last glance, she trotted toward the crowd of cats, listening for what Stormstar was about to say next. But she already had a pretty good guess.

"Cats of ThunderClan," Stormstar yowled with Sparrowclaw at his side. "There has been some shocking news: Moonfur is not dead, but instead has been kidnapped."

Murmurs of surprise broke out across the clearing. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Darkfur's eyes widen, but he gave nothing else away. "Is this really true?" Nightstripe called out.

"Yes. We have learned from . . . let's say, private sources, that Moonfur was kidnapped by rogues and is now being help in a Twoleg nest."

"How do you know if this is true?" Stonefall asked, giving a confused glance to Snowpaw, who was staring up at him with moony eyes.

"I trust in my sources," Stormstar meowed, his voice stern and confident. "Tomorrow, Maplepaw, Silkpaw, and Sparrowclaw will take the trip to rescue Moonfur—"

"You're kidding, right?" Snowpaw interrupted, her eyes glinting with both disbelief and cruel amusement. "Letting two apprentices rescue our former deputy? Warriors are fit for the job!"

"What I say is final, Snowpaw," Stormstar meowed disapprovingly, giving her a hard glare. Snowpaw flinched at his words but said nothing. "Now, as I was saying, the two apprentices and warrior will rescue Moonfur, and Maplepaw has suggested she memorize basic herbs. They will need to have the knowledge of a medicine cat in case they are wounded." He paused, sweeping his gaze across his cats. "That is all."

As the crowd scattered Maplepaw struggled to catch a glimpse of Darkfur, but his eyes were empty and his face expressionless.

"Thank you, thank you very much," she could hear Silkpaw say behind her. Turning around, she found Snowpaw sneering at them both.

"Good luck. Though I don't expect either of you to come back. You're just two measly apprentices." She flashed a look at Maplepaw. "Sparrowclaw's the only capable one of you all. You're just putting yourselves in danger, going on this so-called 'journey.'" Without another word, she turned around, stuck her nose in the air, and strutted off to Stonefall.

"So annoying," Silkpaw was saying, rolling her eyes. "Oh, hi Maplepaw! Snowpaw is such a brat now. I can't believe I didn't see it before. Always so arrogant, always having to be the best. What's wrong with her, anyways? Now she's a nobody, following around Stonefall all the time like she's his minion . . ." She trailed off. Maplepaw didn't seem like she was listening. "Uh, Maplepaw?"

"Huh?" Maplepaw shook her head, blinking a few times. "What were you saying?"

"Wow. You seemed really out of it. What were you thinking about?"

"Well, today I was talking to Smokepaw about being on the lookout and reporting to Shadepaw, when he started acting strange and uncomfortable, like he didn't want to talk to me—"

"He's jealous," Silkpaw observed.

"What?"

"He's jealous!"

"I meant explain please."

"It's simple; when you start mentioning Shadepaw, he gets uncomfortable. He probably thinks you have a crush on Shadepaw. 'Cause, y'know, he likes you."

Her last words echoed in her mind. He likes you. "So he's jealous," she whispered, staring off in the direction of the medicine cat's den. Maplepaw looked up into Silkpaw's eyes. "But that's impossible. Medicine cats and warriors can't be together . . ."

"Maplepaw," a velvety voice murmured, gently nudging her awake.

She opened her eyes in spite of her drowsiness. "Smokepaw?"

"Mossleaf sent me to wake you. You're to leave today, and I have your herbs and lesson ready."

"Has the sun even risen yet? It's too early," Maplepaw complained, giving a great big yawn.

"No, but your journey will be long." The ginger she-cat reluctantly rose out of her nest and stretched.

"Smokepaw," she mewed firmly, looking him in the eye. "About yesterday—"

"I can plainly see Shadepaw is very fond of you, Maplepaw. I understand if you feel the same way about him." He stared at her with those unreadable eyes of his, whirled around, and escaped the den, leaving speechless Maplepaw to stand there, more frustrated and confused than ever.

Maplepaw padded through Mossleaf's fern tunnel, swiping her tongue around her mouth to get rid of the bitter taste of traveling herbs. She reviewed what she had learned in her head, then approached Smokepaw.

"So let me get this straight. Tansy for coughs, cobwebs stop bleeding, and . . . poppy seeds to numb pain?"

"Correct," Smokepaw replied. "And remember, marigold or burdock root are good for infection." He paused. "I see you licking your lips, Maplepaw—they do taste bad, don't they?"

She nodded unenthusiastically. "Yeah, but Mossleaf said it would wear off."

Smokepaw muttered agreement, then turned away. Maplepaw sighed dejectedly. Smokepaw wasn't the same anymore. She decided to go check on Silkpaw, emerging from the ferns, bounding across to the apprentices' den, and peeking her head inside to find Silkpaw sleeping soundly. Maplepaw trotted to her side and nudged her awake.

"Whatdyawant?" Silkpaw groaned.

"Wake up, Silkpaw! Today's the day to save Moonfur!"

The apprentice's eyes shot open. "Huh? Today?" Silkpaw leapt to her paws and was once again her bouncy old self, eyes burning with exhilaration.

"First," Maplepaw meowed, suppressing a mrrow of amusement, for she would have to break her friend's bubble, "you have to eat your traveling herbs."

Silkpaw's face fell. "You're kidding!" moaned Silkpaw, giving Maplepaw a desperate look. Her friend only shook her head. Sighing, she let an amused Maplepaw lead her to the medicine cat's den.

"Oh, gross!" Silkpaw mewed, spitting on the ground. "This tastes horrible!"

"Join the club," Maplepaw sighed.

Just then a black shadow emerged through the lichen; it was Stormstar and Sparrowclaw. "I assume you are ready to depart?" Stormstar asked, eying them with curiosity.

Silkpaw nodded vigorously. "Yep. We're all set!"

Out of the corner of her eye something drew Maplepaw's attention. A pair of green eyes were . . . staring at her? It was a cat in the warriors' den, and Maplepaw knew who it was: Darkfur. For some reason she could feel his anger, focused all on her. Did he have something planned for the two apprentices?

"Maplepaw . . . Maplepaw?" A faded voice was growing louder by the second.

"Huh?"

"Maplepaw, that's the second time you were out of it. You okay?" Silkpaw sounded really worried.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Maplepaw mewed, troubled.

"We have to leave now and say our goodbyes," Silkpaw murmured. She jerked her head towards the Highrock.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock," he yowled. It took a while, but soon Maplepaw's tired Clanmates were all gathered together in one big crowd. "It is time for Sparrowclaw, Maplepaw, and Silkpaw to be off," he explained. "We must bid our farewell."

He turned solemnly to the three waiting Clanmates. "Goodbye, and good luck."

There was an ominous silence. Maplepaw shot an anxious glance at Silkpaw. At last, a tiny mewling filled the air. "Goodbye!"

All eyes turned to the little kit. It was Birdkit.

The others chimed in, shouting, "Goodbye!" and "Be safe!" and "Don't be gone long!"

Stormstar leapt down from the Highrock and wove his way through his Clanmates. The three met him beside the entrance to the gorse tunnel, where Mossleaf was waiting. "Goodbye," she mewed, swiping her tongue over both of the apprentices' ears and flicking her tail at Sparrowclaw. "And may StarClan light your path."

"Thank you," Maplepaw replied respectfully. Smokepaw came forward, nodded politely to the trio, and led them out.

Maplepaw took one final look at her Clan, and, giving Stormstar a hopeful glance, pushed through the tunnel and out into the ravine.

The sun had just begun to peek out from the mountains, light hitting the treetops in just the right way. A feeling of anticipation and eagerness blossomed in her heart. She knew she could overcome whatever obstacles were in her way. One thing was for sure—she had to save her former deputy and bring peace to her Clan. Maplepaw closed her eyes and let a calmness settle over her. Times might never be peaceful again, whatever lay ahead for her Clan. Just a moment of serenity, and nothing else . . .

"Are you coming with us any further, Smokepaw?" Silkpaw asked. Maplepaw opened her eyes and turned to face the medicine cat apprentice.

The black cat shook his head. "This is where your journey begins. Good luck to all of you."

Maplepaw and Silkpaw leaned forward to touch noses with their friend, while Sparrowclaw stayed behind. "Thank you. For watching over our Clan," Maplepaw murmured to him.

"I'll do my best."

"I hope we can defeat Darkfur," Maplepaw meowed softly. "And-and if I don't come back—"

Smokepaw's tail lashed behind him. "Of course you'll come back! Don't say that. You're capable of so much more than you realize, Maplepaw. And when you return, I'll be here. Waiting."

(Edit: I changed Darkclaw's name to Sparrowclaw, just so he's not confused with Darkfur!)