Pain jolted up Hollyleaf's foreleg as she hit the tunnel floor, crumpling as rock showering down around her. She let out a yelp of pain as a paw-sized chunk bounced off her shoulder. Gasping at the throbbing in her side, she stumbled out of the way of the remaining rubble.

As the dust began to clear, Hollyleaf coughed as she accidentally inhaled a mouthful of the swirling debris. Shaking her head, she blinked furiously and lifted her head to appraise the damage.

"Hollyleaf!"'

The voice drew her gaze upwards again. A few fox-lengths above her, Lionblaze was gazing down into the hole, amber eyes wide as he leaned downward. "Hollyleaf, are you all right?"

Hollyleaf winced as she twisted around to look at her shoulder and side. Both ached with pain, though they didn't seem too damaged. "I…I think so," she called up.

Her brother began to pace back and forth as Brambleclaw's broad head appeared beside him, accompanied by Mousewhisker and the others. The dark tabby looked worried to see her stuck down there. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Hollyleaf nodded up to them. Gritting her teeth, she pulled herself to her paws. By then, Lionblaze stopped pacing, though he continued to peer down at her anxiously.

"It's too deep for her to jump out," Birchfall noted with a frown.

"I can see that," Lionblaze snarled. "Isn't there some way to get her out of there?"

"Maybe we could go back to camp and get help," Mousewhisker reasoned. "Like when Icecloud fell."

"No." Hollyleaf shook her head as the others looked down in surprise. "I can get back to camp on my own."

"What?" Thornclaw looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Hollyleaf forced herself not to roll her eyes at the senior warrior's bemusement. "I know the way back to camp from here. I can walk back."

Most of them appeared satisfied, but both Brambleclaw and Lionblaze looked concerned, and Thornclaw still seemed suspicious.

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Lionblaze asked.

Hollyleaf nodded. "I lived down here for moons," she reminded him. "It's not as if I'll get lost."

And while I'm at it, she thought privately, I can sniff for any more traces of that rogue scent we found. If there's really another cat down here in the tunnels…

Finally, Brambleclaw sighed. "If you're sure you feel safe…" He turned to the rest of the patrol. "Let's head back to camp. We'll tell Firestar what we found…and that Hollyleaf will be a little late back to camp." Brambleclaw's head withdrew, as did those of the rest of the patrol. Lionblaze lingered for a few moments longer. Then he, too, followed his Clanmates.

Hollyleaf glanced up at the open sky above. Then, shaking out her pelt, she limped off into the shadows.

The tunnels were just as dark and dreary as she remembered. As she walked along, she remembered how she had spent her moons—hunting for small fish in the underground river, exploring the vast network of tunnels, and "patrolling" her borders with Fallen Leaves.

Hollyleaf sighed. Thinking about the ginger-and-white tom only made her feel lonelier down here. Fallen Leaves had been her source of comfort for moons on end, keeping her from thinking about everything she had left behind…and everything she had done. She didn't know how she would have survived without him.

The black she-cat suddenly froze. Had it been her imagination, or had she just heard a noise in the darkness? It could have been the clatter of falling stones—but stones didn't just clatter for no reason at all. And were those pawsteps in the shadows?

Hollyleaf's fur stood on end. The rogue-smell returned to her mind. What if the owner of the strange scent was here in the tunnels? What if he was watching her, right now?

She sniffed the air. Nothing but the smell of earth, stones, and cold. Hollyleaf shivered. "Who's there?" she challenged. Her call echoed off the tunnel walls, repeated itself endlessly as it faded out of hearing. There was no reply.

Until she spotted a pair of surprised green eyes glittering in the dark. Familiar green eyes.

"Hollyleaf?" the cat whispered.

Hollyleaf's eyes widened in surprise. A spark of joy flashed through her heart, and she smiled. "Fallen Leaves!" she meowed, leaping forward to greet the ginger tom.

Fallen Leaves' eyes lit up with joy as he stepped forward to greet her. "It is you!" he said excitedly, bounding from the side tunnel to meet her with a smile on his face. "Have you come to visit me?" he asked hopefully.

Hollyleaf's face fell slightly at his eagerness. "Actually, I fell into the tunnels," she answered. "I decided to get back to ThunderClan this way."

Fallen Leaves' smile disappeared. "Oh," he said, sounding disappointed.

Hollyleaf couldn't help but pity the poor cat. He'd been trapped in the tunnels for far longer than she had, and he hadn't had anyone for company until she had found her way in. She smiled kindly at the tom. "It's nice to see you again, though," she told him.

The ginger-and-white tom brightened a bit. "It's good to see you, too, Hollyleaf." After a few moments, he glanced down the tunnel. "Hollyleaf," he asked. "Since you're going through the tunnels…do you mind if I walk with you?"

Hollyleaf blinked in surprise. But she smiled at him again. "Of course," she said, flicking his shoulder with her tail. The two began to make their way through the tunnels, side by side with the walls pressing against their fur. The pain in Hollyleaf's began to throb again, but she ignored it. She didn't want to give Fallen Leaves a reason to worry.

"How are you?" Fallen Leaves asked, voice full of curiosity. "How is your home? Is it as wonderful as you remembered it?"

Hollyleaf thought back to the camp that waited for her. She thought of her Clanmates, most of whom didn't even trust her anymore. She thought of her two brothers and her best friend, all of whom had their own tangled destinies to deal with. Most of all, she thought of Squirrelflight and Leafpool—the two cats who had lied to her for her entire life.

"It is," she replied lightly. She pushed her other feelings away.

Fallen Leaves grinned again. "I'm glad you're happy," he told her. His green eyes suddenly took on a tinge of sadness. "I wish that…I would be able to see it," he said forlornly. "This place that makes you so happy."

"Maybe one day you could," Hollyleaf said. "One day I could show it to you."

Fallen Leaves stiffened, and she continued. I know you don't like to leave," she said. "But maybe I could show it to you from the ridge. You wouldn't have to travel far, and you could return after you see it. I think you would like it."

Fallen Leaves was very quiet. He opened his jaws, as if to answer, but closed them again. His green eyes were filled with grief. "I'm sorry," he said. "I would love to see it, I really would." He turned his face away. "But I can't leave. I…I just can't."

Hollyleaf's heart twisted with pity. After all this time, he still believed he had to stay. "Fallen Leaves—"

Suddenly he stopped dead, ears twitching. "Wait," he said. "Listen."

At that moment, another sound broke the air—the sound of pebbles clattering in the same way she had heard before. And this time, she was absolutely certain about the sound of pawsteps on the stone.

Fallen Leaves suddenly pushed her backwards, towards a side tunnel. "Quiet," he whispered, eyes hard as the stone around them as they ducked down the small offshoot.

The pawsteps grew closer. Whatever it was moved in a strange, uneven rhythm, as if it were unsteady on its paws or limping. Hollyleaf shot Fallen Leaves a quizzical look, but then she lifted her head and sniffed the air with shock. There, in the tunnel they had just been walking in, was the exact same scent the patrol had found in the forest—and it carried the slightest tinge of blood. She let out a tiny gasp, but Fallen Leaves quickly hushed her, pointing with his tail.

At first, Hollyleaf didn't know what he was doing. But then she noticed it: the shifting of something in the tunnel as it moved through the shadows—something blacker than the darkness around it. And as he watched, she was almost certain she spotted the quickest flash of a pair of yellow eyes.

The sound of pawsteps slowly faded away, but Hollyleaf didn't dare move until she was certain the cat was gone. Then she turned to Fallen Leaves with wide eyes. "Fallen Leaves, what was that? Who was that?"

The ginger-and-white tom looked troubled. For a few heartbeats, he didn't speak at all.

"I should have mentioned it before," he said anxiously. "I didn't think it would matter…"

"What wouldn't matter?" Hollyleaf pressed.

Fallen Leaves turned to look her right in the eyes. "Hollyleaf, there is another cat in the tunnels."

Meh, I don't like how this chapter turned out -_- But tell me what you think of it!