Camopaw's paws padded softly into the forest where her home awaited her. The trees brushed against each other and created shadows on the forest floor.

She sniffed the air, trying to see if a patrol had passed recently.

"There," she crouched, realising a patrol had passed sooner than expected. She didn't want to be seen.

Suddenly a cat sprung out of the bushes and crashed into Camopaw.

"Oof!" she said and fell back. Her white face looked at Camopaw for a second before her eyes lit up. "Camopaw!" Forestnose cried, purring and rubbing her body against her own.

The patrol that had just passed burst out of the bushes. It was Firefang, Birdseed and Spottedwatcher.

Forestnose continued to rub against her and Camopaw felt her pelt burn as the cold, angry eyes of the toms landed on her. It seemed like Forestnose was the only one happy to see her.

"Hi?" she grinned.

If cats could drag each other by the ear, that's what Firefang would do right now. He leaped over to her and picked her up by the scruff. He dragged her roughly away from Forestnose and dropped her like her was a naughty kit.

His eyes burned into her skull and Camopaw shrunk back.

"So?" he asked, the anger in his voice shone through like the sun on the forest floor.

Camopaw squeaked.

"Camopaw, you can't run off like that!" Spottedwatcher hissed, his usual calm and observant nature gone.

"But... Branchfall..." she muttered.

"My father died, but I didn't whine about it, did I!?" Firefang shoved Spottedwatcher out of the way and growled in her face.

"Firefang..." Birdseed said, putting his tail on her shoulders.

The older tom had no regret in his eyes, but he turned away. "I'm going to get Warrunner."

Then he padded away.

"Excuse him, he's had a bad day," Birdseed said. "But really, Camopaw, you can't run off like that."

Camopaw said nothing but pushed Birdseed's bushy tail off of her shoulders. She walked away and her Clanmates didn't bother to follow her. They knew she would go back to the camp.

Her paws lead her to the Apprentice Den, ignoring the pitiful eyes of her Clanmates.

Camopaw plonked herself down in her moss bedding and curled into the smallest ball she'd ever curled into. Her feel asleep with a empty void in her heart, longing for her dead mother.

A sharp claw nudged her awake. She humphed at her disturber.

"Camopaw... it's me, Branchfall..." 

Camopaw's head snapped up with hope filling her eyes, only to see Smokepaw grinning evilly at her. She hissed at the smoky grey Apprentice and swiped a paw to her.

"Woah, woah!" Smokepaw said. "I just wanted to say hi," she crowed smugly.

"Go away," Camopaw spat.

"Hey! Get up. Warrunner is outside. He wants to speak with you or something. By the way, it's moonhigh, and you are in my moss," Smokepaw said, nudging her with her claw once more.

Camopaw groaned then got up, stretched and hesitantly padded out of the den.

Smokepaw wasn't lying about it being moonhigh, and she wasn't lying about Warrunner sitting in the centre of camp. The clearing was eerily silent. Camopaw stalked over to her father and sat down next to her.

"Aren't the stars beautiful?" he asked.

Camopaw sighed, and decided to play his little game. "Why, yes, Warrunner, they are wonderful, aren't they?"

He looked at her funny.

"Camopaw, I want to know why you ran away today," he said quietly.

"Because my mother had just died. Hey, why aren't you angry? I thought you liked Branchfall."

Warrunner sighed, "I am angry, but I am also sad and I was worried about you."

"Don't worry, I met Zebrastripes and a cat named Oscar. Of course they call Zebrastripes Chloe now. Maybe I'll go back."

"Camopaw..."

"No, Warrunner, don't 'Camopaw' me. I'm upset, and I don't understand why you aren't either!" Camopaw stormed off out of the camp and trudged to the place she had sat with Pigeonthistle a night earlier.

She lay down, the peace of the stream calming her. She took a deep breath and her misty breath swirled away from her as she blow out. The dusty banks where slightly warm and Camopaw feel asleep to the swirling waters and misty breath.

Thunder cracked in the distance and woke Warrunner up from a uneasy sleep. His big green eyes flickered open and he looked around. Spottedwatcher was already awake and watching the den walls.

"Did you hear Camopaw come back?" he whispered.

Spottedwatcher didn't respond.

"Spottedwatcher!" he whisper-yowled.

The tom jerked into reality and looked at Warrunner.

"Oh, your awake. The thunder has been crackling for a while now."

"Did you hear Camopaw come back?" he asked again.

"No," Spottedwatcher replied. "Why? I though you talked to her."

"I did. But she ran off. I'm worried." 

Rain started to hit the roof of the den and made small flicking sounds, jolting awake Forestnose and Birdseed.

"Forestnose, can I get a favour from you?" Warrunner asked.

"Now?" she yawned.

"Yeah. Can you track Camopaw's scent for me?"

"In this rain? It'll be impossible to track anyone."

"The rain only just started," Spottedwatcher commented.

"Oh. Why do you want me to track Camopaw?" Forestnose asked.

"I think she might be out in the rain." Warrunner saw Birdseed shiver. He had the thickest coat of all of them, yet he was cold. "If she's still out there, she'll freeze to death before sunrise."

"Have you checked the Apprentice Den?" Birdseed questioned.

"No," Warrunner said.

"Might want to do that first," Forestnose and Birdseed said in unison.

Warrunner got up and his misty breath swirled around him. He poked his head out of the Warrior Den and huge raindrops splattered on his head. He hoped with all of his heart she'd come back and was sleeping peacefully in the Apprentice Den.

Warrunner dashed to the other side of the camp and stuck his head in the Apprentice Den. Only Puddlepaw and Smokepaw were there. They were both asleep. Warrunner felt like a mouse was lodged in his throat.

They needed to find Camopaw before it was to late.

He raced back to the Warrior Den with ice for paws and snow for a tail and nose.

"She's not there," he said.

Forestnose leaped up. She put her nose to the ground and tried to track Camopaw's scent. But she said the trail stopped a few paces North of the camp entrance. Warrunner whined.

"We'll have to search for her, Forestnose, get the others." The she-cat nodded and padded swiftly away. "Camopaw! Camopaw where are you!"

Warrunner put his nose to the soggy ground and tried to track her scent farther than Forestnose had, but his nose wasn't as keen as hers and his trail stopped a pace from the camp entrance. He whined once more as Spottedwatcher, Birdseed and Forestnose padded out of the camp.

"Forestnose filled us in. Camopaw didn't go to the Twolegplace because her scent would go they way." Spottedwatcher pointed with his tail to the opposite direction Camopaw had traveled in. "So my best guess is that she went to Branchfall's favourite tree, the stream, the border, The Looming Trees or Fisher's Bridge."

"I don't think she went to Fisher's Bridge because that is outside Clan territory and I don't think she knows about The Looming Trees yet," Warrunner added.

"Ok, so Branchfall's favourite tree, the stream and the border," Forestnose said, nodding. "I'll go to Branchfall's tree."

"I can go to the border, I'm quick, and I have one of the best eyes," Spottedwatcher volunteered.

"I'll go to the stream then," Birdseed said.

"I'll go with Spottedwatcher. The border is big and needs two cats," Warrunner agreed.

They split up with rain heavily dropping on soaking fur and thunder roaring like lions.

Camopaw woke with a gasp and a shiver. She was back in the Medicine Den with Warrunner's body pressed against hers.

"You looked confused," growled Woodthistle. "Shall I enlighten you?"

Camopaw didn't respond.

"You and your father had a squabble and you ran away. The icy rain and thunder started and Warrunner, Forestnose, Birdseed and Spottedwatcher went out looking for you. They brought you to me and they woke me from my sleep. I wasn't happy about that. I was dreaming about Branchfall. Turns out you just needed warming up. Not treatment, just a heater," Woodthistle snorted then walked out of the den, muttering angrily about herbs.

Camopaw whined and beside her Warrunner stirred. He yawned and his green eyes looked up at her.

"You're awake!" he licked her ears and Camopaw tried to wriggle away. "Oh, come on, Camopaw. You still can't be mad at me?"

She huffed and didn't say anything. Warrunner stood and looked down at her. He licked his lips before padding out of the den.

Camopaw followed him out of the den but instead of going to him she trotted into the Apprentice Den. She poked her head around the thick brambles and saw Puddlepaw in a ball, sleeping.

She stalked over to him and nudged him awake. He groaned but sleepily stood.

"What?" he sighed.

"Come on, let's go hunting," she said.

"Why?" Puddlepaw asked. "You haven't been talking to me much recently. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I just want to go for a hunt with my friend. Am I not allowed to do that?"

Puddlepaw shook his head but he still followed Camopaw out of the camp. They stalked deeper into the forest.

"Here," Puddlepaw whispered, flicking his tail to a bunch of lambs ear.

Camopaw nodded and slipped down into a hunting crouch. She padded closer to the prey and looked behind her to see Puddlepaw signalling he would go around the other side and scare the prey to her. She nodded and her friend crawled away. 

Her crouched in position for little while before she though something was wrong. A sharp cry came from the other side of the bushes.

"Puddlepaw!" she yowled.

Suddenly the blur of a cat flew out of the bushes and slammed into Camopaw, knocking her to the ground.