^^ Well, here it is! The 5th chapter of 100 Tales! :o .... If I don't hurry up, I'll lose FOR SURE. Oh, well. But it's the weekend today! ^^ If I work hard, well, then; I SHOULD be able to get up to, like, Chapter 20 today! ^^ It's definitely possible, and PROBABLY not unheard of! ^^ Well, I hope you like this chapter! ;) Enjoy! :3

Midnight Run

Firepaw couldn't sleep one night. She tried and she tried, tossing and turning in the moss, but she just could not sleep.

It was the same for her best friend, Flowerpaw.

"Firepaw?" Flowerpaw whispered. "I can't sleep…. what say we go out on a midnight run? It's moonhigh right now…."

"Sure," Firepaw whispered back. "Anything to get away from this camp…. I feel cooped up, trapped in here…. maybe a good run will relieve me of my problems."

"Once we get back, maybe I'll be able to sleep," Flowerpaw agreed, and they both quietly slipped out of the apprentices' den.

Sneaking to the camp entrance, they slowly left. A warrior, Lionheart, was on guard there.

"Hello, you two," he whispered, his eyes sparkling. "Are you up to any mischief?

"N-No," stammered Firepaw, astounded that he would think such a thing of them. "We…."

"We just couldn't sleep!" Flowerpaw pitched in. "Therefore, we are going on a midnight run."

Now, Lionheart got serious. "Are you two sure you will be okay?" he asked with serious, worried eyes.

Firepaw snorted. "Of course we'll be fine. Listen…. we're not going off the territory or anything; we should be okay!"

Lionheart let out a purr. "I should hope so. But you two are strong; nobody will get you!"

Firepaw purred, "Yes, that's right. We should be fine."

"Well, then, go!" Lionheart encouraged them, shuffling over so they could leave. "I'm not stopping you. Just…. be careful."

They finally got out of the camp. They stopped a little ways from the camp entrance to talk.

"So, where would you like to run?" Flowerpaw purred. "On the edge of the territory or in the middle?"

Firepaw hesitated. "Hmm…. don't you think it would be better if we stayed in the middle of the territory? You never know what could happen if you accidentally stray outside the border…. Remember Breezepaw?"

Both she-cats were silent as they remembered their friend. She had gone on a midnight run one night with some other apprentices, and they strayed outside the territory. The other apprentices came back in the morning, badly beaten and scratched; they said that some rogues had attacked them. They had let them free but had taken Breezepaw as their slave. She hadn't been seen since.

"What if she…. died?" Firepaw wondered sadly out loud.

"Yes…. or what if she can't escape? What if she's stuck serving her masters…. forever?" wailed Flowerpaw.

"Shh, not so loud!" Firepaw hissed. "The key to safety is usually quiet, remember?"

"Yes, I remember," Flowerpaw murmured. "There was also Dawnpaw…. remember? She took a quiet stroll before dawn and never returned."

"What if she was taken as a slave, like Breezepaw?" Firepaw murmured sadly.

"Yes—wait," Flowerpaw said, perking up suddenly. "You know, brooding like this does us absolutely no good. Let's run."

They started running. Firepaw panted happily, letting her tail stream out behind her and letting herself just start running…. forget all her worries….

Flowerpaw was having fun, too. She loved running. In fact, they both loved running. They often raced in the camp.

Firepaw took notice of the bushes and trees rushing past them, and listened to the sounds of the streams and the forests, and she scented prey everywhere.

Flowerpaw noticed how the night mist seemed to hang in the air, making it perfect for a midnight run.

Firepaw thought that it seemed sort of mystical.

Finally, the two stopped after having run in a wide circle. They stopped right outside the camp.

"I thought that was great!" Firepaw purred.

"I thought it was sort of a…. mystical feeling, y'know?" Flowerpaw urged her.

"Yes! I thought that, too!" her friend purred.

Flowerpaw stretched and yawned. "Well, I think it's time to go in. Don't you?"

Great StarClan, I am feeling tired! Firepaw realized, with a jolt. "Yes," she purred. "Let's go in."

Lionheart was still waiting at the camp entrance for them. "Well, had a fun time, you two?"

"Yep!" Flowerpaw purred.

"And we wouldn't mind going again!" Firepaw agreed.

"Well, I'm glad you had fun on your midnight run," Lionheart laughed.