Frostpaw's frantic cry made the warriors escape from their surroundings and approach the silver tabby she-cat with their eyes wide. Brambledusk approached his niece, shocked at the fear and horror in her eyes. Brambledusk nudged her with his nose and forced her to look at him. Frostpaw turned her head and stared at Brambledusk, her face devoid of all color.

"Is that true?" Brambledusk asked her. "Icepaw and Hawkpaw are gone?"

"I'm not lying, I swear!" Frostpaw exclaimed. "I'm scared! I saw Hawkpaw talking to Icepaw just after Scorchstar yelled at her, and then they ran away. I tried to follow them, but I think Hawkpaw saw me and swerved another way."

Brambledusk looked over his shoulder as Scorchstar approached Frostpaw, the fur on his shoulders bristling with rage. The ginger-and-white tabby's amber eyes blazed, and Frostpaw shrank back at her Clan leader's visible fury. Brambledusk stepped between the two of them and gazed at Scorchstar.

"Scorchstar, I'll go after them," Brambledusk said, trying to calm the big tom. He didn't want Scorchstar to explode in rage.

"No, I will," Scorchstar snarled.

"No." Brambledusk shook his head. "I can go after them, I'll bring them back, I swear."

"You're still injured!" Scorchstar barked at him.

"Sedgefall discharged me half a moon ago, and she told me to take it easy," Brambledusk said. "I've been taking it easy since then. I'm fine. My burns are healed and my throat is better. It's time for me to return to actual duties rather than the joke duties Harewhisker is giving me."

Scorchstar lashed his tail. "She's my daughter!"

"And Icepaw is my niece," Brambledusk said calmly. "I'll get them back. I swear."

"Scorchstar." Harewhisker walked over to Scorchstar and gave Brambledusk a nod. "I trust Brambledusk. He'll bring them back."

Scorchstar let out a low growl in his throat. "Fine. Bring them back, Brambledusk."

Brambledusk nodded. "I'll go alone. I'll be fine." Without waiting for Scorchstar to say anything, Brambledusk bounded out of camp. He could hear the worried whispers in camp, but he pushed them out of his mind. He tried to recall what Frostpaw had said – she said that Hawkpaw had left after getting into a fight with her father. But why would Icepaw go with her?

The pale tabby tom skidded to a halt on the moor and tasted the air, searching for the scent of Hawkpaw and Icepaw. He could catch just a whiff of them dancing in the moorland below, and the newleaf wind took their scent towards the ThunderClan border. Brambledusk sighed heavily. Oh no. Brambledusk followed their scent over the hills and towards the streambank, his paws moving faster and faster than they ever had before. He was finally able to run after moons of being locked up in the medicine den, and nothing felt better. His burns were healed, and although it would be a while until his cough died completely, he was well enough to return to warrior duties. Do I miss being deputy? he thought. A little bit. But this is how I'm better off.

Brambledusk approached the stream bank below and bounded towards it. Just as he leaped towards the rocks on the stream, he could catch a tuft of silver-and-white tabby fur. Icepaw. On the other rock were ginger-and-white hairs. Hawkpaw. Their scents were fresh and thick. By all the gods, they crossed the stream! To ThunderClan territory! Brambledusk let out a heavy sigh as he crossed the stepping stones towards the forest.

The tall, overarching trees clumped together and cast shades of green on the forest floor. The ground was littered with rocks, twigs, and moss. Every few seconds, Brambledusk could hear the cry of a bird or the scatter of a mouse. The scent of ThunderClan was thick on every boulder and every patch of ferns. He was holding tight onto the WindClan scents, and it was drawing him more and more towards the heart of ThunderClan territory.

Brambledusk stopped when he saw the ground sloping beneath him, and he saw the stone hollow beneath him. The top of the stone hollow was surrounded by foliage, concealing the ThunderClan camp, but if the WindClan scent was here, that meant Hawkpaw and Icepaw must have entered the ThunderClan camp. Brambledusk took a deep breath. That meant he would have to enter camp.

Steeling his resolve, Brambledusk found the thorn tunnel that was nestled within the stone hollow and forced himself into it. Just as he crawled through the tunnel and entered the camp, he called out, "I am Brambledusk of WindClan, and I come in peace!"

Howls and snarls came at him from every direction as the ThunderClan cats swung their heads to glare at him. Brambledusk lifted his head, refusing to be intimidated by their growls. Winterfall's blue eyes blazed with fury, Houndheart's claws unsheathed and sheathed, and Peartuft let out a low growl in his throat. Brambledusk took another step further.

The scent of night-blooming flowers drifted from a small cat as Rootstar walked through camp and addressed Brambledusk. A blooming flower for a smile was on his face as he dipped his head. "Greetings, little Brambledusk."

"Rootstar." Brambledusk lowered his head respectfully to the ThunderClan leader. Although his pelt seethed showing respect to a Clan cat who had nearly destroyed his Clan multiple times, he knew that Icepaw and Hawkpaw going into ThunderClan's territory was not Rootstar's fault. "I think you have two things that belong to us."

"It's a bad habit of mine to pick little lost things of the road," Rootstar remarked, his yellow eyes glowing as he focused his gaze on Brambledusk. "Especially when they look so sad and lonely. Making flowers bloom has always been one of my favorite things."

Brookfeather stalked over to Brambledusk, standing next to Rootstar. "We had every right to take them," she growled, irritation lacing her voice. "They were watching Rootstar and then they came over to him to talk to him."

"So you couldn't send them home?" Brambledusk asked, narrowing his eyes.

"They crossed into our territory," Brookfeather repeated. "It's not as if we would have harmed them."

"Let me speak to them," Brambledusk said, wondering where Rootstar had placed them in camp.

"Very well." Rootstar's tail twitched. "They're in the thorn bush over there."

"Thanks." Brambledusk followed Brookfeather as the brown-and-white tabby led her over to a massive thorn bush, where Brambledusk could see the pelts of the two WindClan apprentices underneath it. Brambledusk sat down, wrapping his tail around his paws. He knew they could smell him, and he was waiting for them to approach them first. Finally, the two cats appeared from the bush, in front of Brambledusk. Icepaw's blue eyes were clouded with humiliation and Hawkpaw scuffed the ground with her paw.

"Well." Brambledusk cleared his throat. "Why did you two cross into ThunderClan territory?"

"Icepaw and I were just hunting! Then we saw Rootstar doing something weird with flowers!" Hawkpaw exclaimed, immediately trying to defend herself. "We wanted to get a closer look."

Brambledusk sighed. "Weird? What Rootstar does in his free time has nothing to do with you. What was wrong with just turning around and going back home? Or…" Brambledusk leaned in. "Is there another reason you're not telling me?"

Hawkpaw swallowed.

"Hawkpaw." Brambledusk focused his gaze on Hawkpaw. He had no doubt that Icepaw was simply following her. It was Hawkpaw who was the ringleader. "Look at me."

The ginger-and-white tabby raised her head.

"Why did you run away?" Brambledusk asked.

The ginger-and-white she-cat said nothing. Icepaw stared at the ground, her fur fluffed out.

"Were you mad at Scorchstar?" Brambledusk pressed. "Is that why you ran away? And…" He turned to Icepaw. "Did you take Icepaw because… she also, was mad at her father?"

"Ah!" Hawkpaw gasped loudly as her head lifted and she stared at Brambledusk. "How… how did you know?"

I knew it. Brambledusk sat down and sighed. "Hawkpaw, you can't just run away from your problems. You need to face them, head-on. Scorchstar made you upset? Fine. Go talk to him. Redpaw made you upset? Then you need to face him as well. You've got to talk these things out. Running away won't help them. It'll make it worse. And you…" Brambledusk swung his gaze towards Icepaw. "We'll talk. Separately."

Icepaw nodded, her throat tight.

"We're going home." Brambledusk got to his paws and stared at the two apprentices. "Unless, of course, you'd like to live in ThunderClan."

"No way!" Hawkpaw jumped to her paws. "These cats are weird!"

"What a nice thing to say," Brookfeather scowled from where she had walked up behind Brambledusk, "considering we gave you food and a place to rest. But no, we're just weird." She rolled her brilliant green eyes.

"Dear Brookfeather." Rootstar walked over to the WindClan cats and let out a purr. "These two little flowers were just upset, weren't they?" He peered over to meet Hawkpaw and Icepaw's gazes. "Brambledusk is right, little ones. Do you know? The straighter a tree grows, the easier it splinters." He straightened his body. "I have no interest in keeping cats against their will. I fear that dealing with dear Scorchstar will be much more of a punishment than staying inside ThunderClan's camp." Rootstar turned to gaze at Brambledusk. "Take them, Brambledusk, and make sure they're all right. They are just young she-cats – they need the most guidance out of us all."

"All right." Brambledusk was pleasantly surprised at Rootstar's kindness. Even Hawkpaw and Icepaw gazed at the black-and-white leader with respect in their eyes. But Brambledusk couldn't forget about Spottedwing dying in this very camp. He gave Rootstar a stiff nod and got to his paws, gesturing to the two apprentices. They followed him on his heels.

Sunfire walked over to them, his yellow tabby pelt blazing in the golden sunlight. "Leaving so soon?" he asked, whiskers twitching.

"Out of the way," Brambledusk ordered.

"Maybe your apprentices should stop crossing our border," Honeyfeather retorted, appearing next to her brother. She glared at the apprentices flatly.

"You've never made mistakes as apprentices?" Brambledusk asked.

"We've never been so cocky about them," Honeyfeather growled.

Brambledusk snorted, ignoring their snide remarks as he led the apprentices out of camp and through the forest. Once the three cats were alone, with no ThunderClan cats staring at them, Brambledusk could feel the stiff tension in the air. First, Icepaw and Hawkpaw would have to face Scorchstar's rage. Second, Brambledusk knew why they did what they did. Once the cats jumped the stream and landed on the other side, Brambledusk turned and sighed.

"Listen," he said to them. "Scorchstar is furious. Even moreso than before. If there's something you want to tell me, say it now. Icepaw." Brambledusk turned to the silver-and-white tabby. "You haven't said anything at all, but in your heart, I know you're bursting. So, what do you want to say?"

"It's not Hawkpaw's fault." Those were the first words out of Icepaw's mouth. "I knew what she did, and I joined her willingly. I knew the consequences."

"Maybe you did." Brambledusk twitched his tail. "But why?"

"She was upset about Scorchstar," Icepaw said. "And I was upset about Lightningtalon. So, we both thought, that maybe if we were able to… you know…" Her voice trailed off.

Brambledusk sighed. "You thought that if you disappeared, your fathers would realize how much they missed you and would come to travel to get you."

Icepaw and Hawkpaw exchanged uneasy glances.

The WindClan warrior rubbed his head with his paw. He couldn't judge them. They had no cat that would listen to them – and not listening to them would further their rebellious streak even further. "Right. Okay, so that was your plan. Fine, I get it. Hawkpaw, first… Scorchstar loves you, very much. He was angry that you bit Redpaw in training."

"But he didn't have to yell at me like that!" Hawkpaw complained, lashing her tail furiously. "You're just going to be on his side! Like my mom is! Like Redpaw is! Like everyone is!"

"What if I said that I didn't agree with what he said to you?" Brambledusk asked Hawkpaw quietly.

Hawkpaw gasped. "R-really?"

"I didn't hear everything," Brambledusk confessed. "But I believe in talking things out and not screaming at other cats. Come back home, Hawkpaw. Tell Scorchstar why you're upset and why you did what you did. Look him straight in the eye when you explain."

"Okay." Hawkpaw braced her shoulders. "I will."

"But don't yell at him," Brambledusk warned her. "Or else you'll just be exactly what you're upset at."

Hawkpaw dipped her head. "Yes, Brambledusk!"

"Icepaw." Brambledusk turned her head to the silver-and-white tabby. "I don't know what to say to you about Lightningtalon, I really don't. Lightningtalon is my brother, and I know him better than any other cat does. He doesn't have the will to be a father – he wasn't ready, and I don't think he ever will be. I don't know what you could do to get his attention. I'm not saying it's hopeless. Maybe you could try to spend some time with him. How about… I ask Harewhisker to send you two on a hunting patrol? Together, so you can spend time. We'll see how that goes."

"It's a start," Icepaw agreed reluctantly. "Better than what I've been doing so far."

"So we have a plan," Brambledusk meowed. "You're all okay with this?"

The two cats nodded, but Brambledusk could still see the shadows of hesitation in their eyes.

"Great." Brambledusk rose to his paws. "Come with me. I'll be by your side when you talk to Scorchstar. I promise."

"Thanks, Brambledusk," Hawkpaw said, sighing. "You're the best."

"Farthest from." Brambledusk led the way towards camp. The apprentices were on his paws, but their steps were low and unsteady, and even though Brambledusk's words had been able to motivate them, they clearly weren't eager on facing Scorchstar's rage. Who would be? Brambledusk thought. He could hear their breaths hitch in their throat when they approached the ridge of the camp.

"Oh, gods," Hawkpaw muttered. "I really don't want to be down there."

Icepaw peered down, and Brambledusk followed her gaze. He could see Scorchstar pacing the camp in circles. Brambledusk turned to look at Hawkpaw.

"You're a brave cat, aren't you?" he asked her.

"I am!" Hawkpaw declared.

"Then this is something you can do." Brambledusk leaned down into her. "One day, you'll be fighting ThunderClan, and then RiverClan. You'll look back on today as the easiest thing you'd ever have to do compared to those battles. Consider this training for that day."

Hawkpaw nodded her head. Brambledusk plunged down the hollow, his pale, striped tail waving behind him. Icepaw and Hawkpaw were on his heels, and when the three cats landed in the clearing, Scorchstar, Wildheart, and Waspberry were already waiting for them. The three cats stared at the apprentices with their eyes made of ice.

"Well?" Scorchstar demanded when Icepaw and Hawkpaw exchanged a nervous glance. "Care to explain where you've been?"

Hawkpaw cleared her throat. "We… were in ThunderClan territory."

"ThunderClan territory?" Scorchstar's amber eyes turned into flames. "Where in all of the gods did you get such a stupid idea? And right after you attacked Redpaw, too! Hawkpaw, I warned you!" The WindClan leader was trembling with rage.

"Icepaw, why would you do something so stupid, too?" Waspberry growled at Icepaw.

"Wait!" Brambledusk exclaimed. His call froze all the cats in their tracks, and they all turned to glare at him. "I think you should hear what they have to say, first."

"Why should we?" Wildheart lashed her tail. "They broke the rules! Again!"

"Haven't we considered that maybe there was a reason they did what they did?" Brambledusk inquired, tilting his head. "Hear them out, Wildheart, Scorchstar, Waspberry."

Scorchstar exchanged a glance with Wildheart, and Waspberry let out a sigh. Finally, Scorchstar twitched his tail. "Fine. Hawkpaw, Icepaw, what do you have to say for yourselves?"

"I was… mad," Hawkpaw rasped. "With how you yelled at me. You told me that I wasn't going to go to a Gathering, or maybe even be a warrior. You didn't take into consideration how I felt. I wanted someone to hear how I felt, but no cat did, and all you did was yell at me! It made me feel like I was worthless to you."

"Worthless?" Scorchstar's face fell. "Why would you think that?"

"Because of how you talked to me!" Hawkpaw's tail lashed. "So I thought if I ran away, you'd miss me."

"You could never be worthless to me!" Scorchstar yowled. "You're my daughter. But what a foolish idea!"

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Waspberry growled at Icepaw.

"Hawkpaw told me her idea, and I thought it would work for me, too." Icepaw shifted her paws, not meeting Waspberry's gaze. "For Lightningtalon."

Waspberry sighed. "Oh, Icepaw, I've told you so many times before. Nothing you do will change Lightningtalon's attitude towards you."

"I know that, now." Icepaw hung her head.

"Okay, Hawkpaw." Scorchstar rubbed his face with his paw. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. But you can't get away with biting your brother like that. You need to settle things with him for all of this to be put aside." His gaze swiveled to the medicine den, and Brambledusk followed it. Outside of the medicine den stood Redpaw's dark ginger pelt. He padded over to Hawkpaw, wavering on his paws. Conflict shadowed his eyes, and Hawkpaw bit her lip.

Brambledusk nudged Hawkpaw. "You know what to do."

Hawkpaw padded over to Redpaw. "I'm really, really sorry about what happened. I had a lot of frustration and I lashed out in the worst way possible." Hawkpaw's voice trembled. "I promise to never get mad at you like that again. Will you forgive me?"

Redpaw got to his paws, seeming to hear the sincerity and emotion in his sister's voice. "...You weren't the only one in the wrong. I was being a jerk too. I'm sorry too. And I forgive you."

Hawkpaw touched her nose to his ear, purring loudly with relief and happiness. "Friends?"

"Eh." Redpaw flicked his tail. Then he chuckled. "Kidding. Yeah. Always."

Brambledusk's heart swelled as the siblings made up in front of the cats. Scorchstar let out a relieved sigh, and Wildheart pressed against her mate's pelt happily. Icepaw's face visibly softened, and Hawkpaw cried out, "Race you to the fresh-kill pile!" The ginger-and-white tabby ran off.

"Wait, Hawkpaw, you haven't hunted for the elders yet!" Scorchstar cried out. "And I still am not done with you for—"

"Scorchstar." Brambledusk's voice was hard. "It's over, now. She's learned her lesson."

"Next time, she won't get off so easy." Scorchstar sighed. "Thanks for getting them, Brambledusk. I'll talk to her later." The ginger-and-white tabby leader turned on his heel and walked away towards his den. Brambledusk watched him go, with Wildheart after his heels.

Waspberry and Icepaw stayed behind. Icepaw gazed at Waspberry steadily. "I'm sorry."

"I know." Waspberry sighed.

"I just wanted to make sure Hawkpaw was safe," Icepaw meowed, "and I thought it'd work for me, too."

"Icepaw, you'll always have me," Waspberry meowed, touching noses with the silver-and-white tabby, "and Frostpaw."

"And Brambledusk." Icepaw blinked gratefully at the pale tabby. "Thank you for everything, Brambledusk."

Brambledusk looked down at Icepaw. "You're welcome, Icepaw." He had been able to get the apprentices home safely, and he hoped that his words had sank into them. But Rootstar's words echoed through his mind.

"Take them, Brambledusk, and make sure they're all right. They are just young she-cats – they need the most guidance out of us all."

They needed guidance, that was true. But Icepaw's problems laid with Lightningtalon, and Hawkpaw's with Scorchstar. Brambledusk wasn't a father, and he wasn't privy to Hawkpaw's issues. Icepaw, maybe. But what could Brambledusk do for both of them? Would Icepaw and Hawkpaw need more guidance than Brambledusk could give them?