*Stands of cliff with serious face and balled fists, wves raging in background* I SHALL TAKE MATTERS INTO MY OWN HANDS! I AM A RESPONSIBLE TEENAGER, AND SHALL MANAGE BY MYSELF UNTIL I FIND NATURETHORN! ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR MEEEEE!

(Speaking of which, for four years in my life I've always thought "round of applause" was actually "rattlepaws"...)

Just realized that there are line breaks here, too.

Whatever.

Enjoy, and review!

Written By: Naturethorn

Edited By: Windbritsle

Nightpaw felt her eyes flicker open to see Moonpaw standing above her, harsh lights surrounding her. "I'm sorry I slept late. I was just so.." But then Nightpaw remembered that she was not safe at the camp anymore. Her kidnapping, the rescue by Fuzzball, and vague clips of conversation came rushing back to her like the torrent of a rushing waterfall. "Nightpaw? Are you alright?" Moonpaw's eyes, now filled with worry, brought Nightpaw back to the present. "Yeah, I'm fine.. I think," She responded weakly, her flank throbbing in pain. "We need to get out of here." Nightpaw urged through gritted teeth, trying to pull herself to her paws, her ribs burning in pain. She immediately collapsed onto her injured flank, sending fresh blossoms of burning pain throughout her body. "You know what, maybe we can do that later..." The pitch-black cat suggested, her eyes slowly closing as sleep threatened to overcome her. Before she was engulfed in darkness, she thought she saw a second Moonpaw… No, that's Fuzzball! The she-cat thought with a mental wail. The tom was entering the room on a strange metal board. Not another one… Nightpaw thought dimly as her eyes forced themselves shut.

"Fuzzball? What are you doing here!?" Moonpaw asked frantically, already beginning to panic. She flopped back down on her platform as he was carried across the room to yet another flat surface where he was gently placed by a pair of twolegs. As she struggled back to her paws to meet him, he sprang up lithely to his toes. "Don't worry, I'm fine! It's part of my plan. I was just faking it to get in here," Fuzzball assured her. "So how is Nightpaw getting along? Is she better?" The tom inquired, his fur regaining its usual fluff. "Yeah, I guess, but she doesn't seem to be quite ready yet…"

"Oh, and what happened to you?" Fuzzball asked. At this, Moonpaw's eyes froze over like the surface of a lake during leaf-bare. "That's none of your business," She started, her tone numb and icy, "But I'll have you know that I'm alright." As she finished speaking, the sound of loud, clumsy twoleg footsteps joined the background noise. "Quick, act injured!" Moonpaw warned Fuzzball as he scrambled in panic back onto his silver platform. Several twolegs in loose white pelts came in, taking the silver platform and pushing out of the open door. Moonpaw watched Fuzzball as he was wheeled away through her eyes, open at thin slits. She sighed, knowing she would be spending a few long suns alone with Nightpaw.

Time passed quickly, and her daily activity was simple, yet somehow, not quite luxurious. The food was bland, the water stale. Nightpaw was only awake for small periods of time, though she was awake just long enough to inform Moonpaw of how her ribs and flank were getting better. The same white-pelted twolegs would come and go regularly, taking their food stones and filling them with different, stranger tasting pellets. However, despite the strange food they were being given and their lack of sunlight, Moonpaw could see the lank, fitt Nightpaw put on a few pounds each day. Her fur was also carefully groomed each day with stone-hard spikes. She sighed, wondering where Fuzzball was and how he was faring. She realized she really cared about him, now that she finally knew for sure that he was her brother.

A few days later, when she was finally sure she could absolutely bear this lazy life no longer, Fuzzball was once again wheeled in on the silver platform. After a while, when the twolegs all headed out, he energetically leapt to his paws. "Hey! Are you ready to go back?" He enthusiastically began. "There are some cats waiting outside to get you two. Are you coming?" Moonpaw glanced anxiously at Nightpaw, who was still asleep, although the hard, white leaf that was wrapped around her body had been removed a few days earlier. "Yeah, I guess. Let me just wake up Nightpaw…" Moonpaw said, padding over to where Nightpaw had fallen asleep on the floor. She nudged her gently, carefully avoiding her ribs and flank, which Nightpaw had stated was sore, but much better. "Hey, Nightpaw. Ready to leave?" She asked the jet-black she-cat. Nightpaw simply rolled over onto her back, exposing her belly. Moonpaw, losing her calm demeanor, yowled, "Nightpaw! The evil twolegs are coming back!" At this, Nightpaw flinched, darting to her paws. "Where? Where?!" She said, glancing around, her eyes wide with fear. As she did this, the realization dawned on her. "You mouse-brain! You could've made the other twolegs come in here!" She snapped, annoyed. Fuzzball watched this with a small smirk. "Come on, there's an escape window in the next room over." He said, pointing in the correct direction with his tail.

The silver tabby tom lead them to the next room, where they waited for some yowling twolegs to leave the room as they slipped by a calico. The three cats quietly made their way into the room, careful to not draw the attention of the collared cat. "Hey, you three. Where are you going?" The green-eyed she-cat asked, a grin on her face. She twitched his ear, which was ripped in half. "Hey," Fuzzball began nervously. "I've haven't seen you around the twolegplace before… Are you new?"

"Yes, I'm new, and I haven't seen you around before, so you better get out of my territory before I rip you in half." Fuzzball's eyes grew wide as he backed away from the cat, straying behind the two trained apprentices. Nightpaw's eyes flashed in defiance, but Moonpaw simply said, "We're sorry for the inconvenience, but we're just passing through." The group of cats were careful not to betray any sign fear as they made their way around the arrogant she-cat. They finally reached the opening to outside in the room with no incidents but the cat, and carefully made their to underneath it. "Fuzzball, can you make the leap? You should be able to do it," Moonpaw said, gesturing for him to the front of the group so that he would have a better angle. At Moonpaw's word, the silver tabby crouched, bending his hind legs, then exploding upwards, taking a flying leap into the air. He twisted around in midair several times before managing to get a grip on the opening. Fuzzball dug his claws into the hard, dark wood, scrabbling with his hind legs to pull himself up. With a final thrust, he lunged upwards and made it through, faceplanting into the dank soil. "Ok, Nightpaw next," He said preparing himself to help lift her up through the opening.

The black she-cat crouched down, wincing slightly at the usage of the stiff, unexercised muscles. She blinked rapidly for a few moments, then gathering her courage and gritting her teeth, she launched herself into the air. She immediately let out a yowl of pain as her injured chest muscles flexed underneath her sleek black pelt, but clamped her teeth shut, knowing that any more noise would bring twolegs. Nightpaw's claws missed the sill of the opening, but not Fuzzball, who was poised to help her up. She dug her claws into the ivy vine which he had dropped down, careful not to snap the delicate stem. "Don't worry, I'll help!" Moonpaw called from below as Nightpaw felt her hind paws grip purchase on something furry. "Throw yourself up!" She added, bracing herself for Nightpaw to push all her weight against her newly healed ribs. Squeezing her eyes shut in a final act of desperation, Nightpaw pushed with all her force against Moonpaw's back while clawing the rest of her way of the vine.

When she was finally within reach of the wooden edge, she dug her claws in and easily pulled herself up. She gasped at what she had done during her uncontrolled flails in the air. Across Fuzzball's face were three long but shallow claw marks. They stretched from the base of his ear to the tip of nose. "I'm so sorry, Fuzzball! We have to get that to Cherrywhiskers!" Nightpaw exclaimed, forgetting immediately about Moonpaw. "Oh, it's fine for now. They aren't very deep and don't hurt much," He answered, flicking his ear dismissively. The two arguing cats were interrupted as Moonpaw leapt gracefully from the floor beside them. "Thanks for the help," She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "It didn't really look like you needed it," Nightpaw retorted, eyes flashing with amusement, though was that rage Moonpaw saw? "Calm down, both of you. There's no need to be fighting!" Fuzzball said, trying to end the exchange, not knowing that the apprentices had no ill meaning. "And anyways, we should be getting to the warriors. They're waiting for us just beyond the hill," Fuzzball began, just as the leader of ThunderClan suddenly appeared and barreled into him, pinning him down.