Luckypaw watched Goldenpaw leave the den without even looking at her. They had used to be so close, but now secrets and lies were wrapped around Goldenpaw. It was like they weren't related anymore.

Dovewing and Ivypool are so lucky. She thought wistfully. I wish my relationship with Goldenpaw was that easy.

She padded out of the den, scratching at the ground with her claws.

"Luckypaw! Fetch some prey for the queens and kits in the nursery, please." Lionblaze called from where he was grooming himself with Hollyleaf.

"Okay, Lionblaze," Luckypaw replied, marching over to the fresh kill pile. She picked out a juicy vole and a fat rabbit and brought it to the nursery.

"Hello, Dovewing, Daisy and Ferncloud," Luckypaw greeted the queens. Millie was evidently somewhere else, perhaps with Graystripe or perhaps out making dirt.

"Thanks for the fresh kill," Dovewing replied, nuzzling her kits closer to her. "Kits, have you met Luckypaw before? She's my apprentice!" she told the kits.

"No!" Thunderkit mewled.

Flowerkit responded by leaping onto Thunderkit's back. As the smallest, he couldn't defend himself, so Swiftkit came to rescue him. The three kits wrestled on the ground joyfully and Luckypaw felt a pang of sorrow. It had been ages since the last time she had play fought with Goldenpaw.

"Are you okay?" Dovewing must've seen her expression.

Luckypaw shook herself. "I'm fine," she told her mentor.

Daisy and Ferncloud eagerly gulped up the rabbit, leaving the vole for Dovewing and her kits.

"Here kits, this is vole, have you had vole before?" Luckypaw watched Dovewing encourage her kits to eat the vole.

"I have!" Flowerkit piped up.

"I'll be leaving now," Luckypaw nodded to Dovewing before dipping her head to Ferncloud and Daisy.

Leaving the nursery, she thought about Goldenpaw. She spied Fogwhisker sitting forlornly beside a tree in the camp; part of his punishment had been confinement to camp. Fortunately for him, his moon was almost over. Alarm flashed through Fogwhisker's eyes and Luckypaw jumped. He had clearly scented something.

"Intruders!" he yowled desperately. Luckypaw's fur was bristling and her ears were perked. She was ready to fight! Luckypaw would do anything to defend her Clan.

Almost immediately, a flood of cats burst through the thorn barrier. They were WindClan, Luckypaw realized. With a snarl, she launched herself at the nearest WindClan cat, a tom, and pummeled his belly with her hind legs. Claws unsheathed, she bit and scratched viciously, dodging his attacks. To her dismay, another WindClan cat had joined the tom, it was an unfair battle now! It was a she-cat apprentice.

The tom had pinned her down, and the she-cat was preparing to give her a nasty bite, when a blur of golden fur sped by. Goldenpaw had knocked the she-cat down and was grappling with her. They were the same size and speed and Luckypaw watched amazed, as they matched movements and techniques. She couldn't help wondering if they were trained by the same cat; their movements were so precise and predicted.

Finally, the enemy she-cat gave Goldenpaw a quick blow, no, a quick lick to the shoulder before murmuring a couple words in her ear and darting out of the camp. Luckypaw glanced around and let out a breath of relief. Her Clanmates were winning the battle. Dustpelt and Ferncloud fought side by side to defend the nursery, Graystripe and Millie leapt out of the camp to chase off a WindClan tom, Firestar was battling with the WindClan leader, Onestar.

"How could you, Onestar!" he snarled. "After all I've done for you in the past?"

"The time for friendship is over! Your warriors have been intruding in my territory!" Onestar retorted, before striking Firestar with a heavy blow to the belly.

Was it just her, or did Goldenpaw look guilty while Onestar was speaking? She shook her head; she couldn't worry about that right now. There was a battle going on, for StarClan's sake! Yet Luckypaw still held onto the tiny kernel of hope that Goldenpaw was still loyal and trustworthy.

"Onestar, leave the camp. You are outnumbered. Most of your warriors have already fled." Firestar's voice was cold as he bounded onto a rock. Only two WindClan warriors remained by his side, his deputy, Deathblow, who was named for his powerful forepaw that could knock any warrior unconscious with only one swipe, and a warrior that Luckypaw did not recognize. Onestar returned his look furiously before signalling with his tail for his warriors to retreat.

Luckypaw bared her teeth at Deathblow as he passed her and he snarled back, showing great big teeth. "Don't you dare set foot in our territory again, we'll just drive you off and you'll flee like the cowards you are," she hissed and drew back, allowing him to pass.

"No, you'll all die," he growled back.

"Deathblow, enough," Onestar looked down at his deputy.

"Fine." He muttered before stalking towards the now ruined thorn barrier. Onestar disappeared after him. The other warrior surveyed the ruined camp, gave a snort of disgust and contempt and left after his leader and deputy.

"Good riddance," Goldenpaw flicked her tail, but her straying eyes betrayed her. She was staring at the exit of the camp with a wistful expression.

Why does she want to leave? Is it related to the apprentice she was sharing tongues with? Luckypaw wondered curiously. She saw Goldenpaw talking with Firestar and finally their leader nodded. Goldenpaw looked excited and headed out of the camp eagerly.

"Goldenpaw! Where are you going?" Luckypaw questioned her with narrowed eyes.

"Hunting," Was her brisk reply.

"I want to come too. It's been awhile since I went hunting," Luckypaw tried.

"No," Goldenpaw snarled. She turned on her heel and strode off, leaving Luckypaw in the dust. All her hope disappeared like the sun on a stormy day.

Feeling rejected, Luckypaw turned to pad to her den but then realized her perfect opportunity.

"Ivypool! Come with me I need your help," she called to her sister's mentor.

"Alright. I'll follow you," Ivypool replied. The two cats nodded respectfully to Firestar then left the camp.

Luckypaw led Ivypool along Goldenpaw's scent trail and wasn't surprised when they were led straight to the WindClan border. Goldenpaw was chatting with the WindClan apprentice.

"Look, Ivypool, I don't mean to give orders, but please hide behind that bracken. Just watch and listen," Luckypaw mewed nervously. How would Ivypool react? Would she be offended or would she listen?

"Sure," Ivypool mewed back briskly. Relief flooded Luckypaw and she strode over to Goldenpaw confidently. In the corner of her eye, she saw Ivypool duck behind a wall of bracken and hide.

"Hello, Goldenpaw. How are you?" Luckypaw hissed coldly.

"What are you doing here?" Goldenpaw's snarl was abrupt but she stunk of fear-scent and WindClan.

"Who's your friend?" Luckypaw strolled casually up to the border and looked the WindClan cat in the eye. "Duskpaw, isn't it? I saw you at the fight, licking Goldenpaw's shoulder. Are both of you being disloyal to the clan?"

Goldenpaw sneered. "You think you're so smart? Well, I'm working for the Dark Forest! For DarkClan! I don't need ThunderClan anymore, it's so useless. All its cats hate killing, yet DarkClan loves it. DarkClan helped me to realize who I am. They don't limit me. I've become stronger. I like my new self."

"Don't you know they're training you to be evil?!" Luckypaw shrieked.

"Of course. But I want to be evil. Luckypaw, now that you know this, you must join DarkClan or...die." Goldenpaw hesitated at the last couple words. "I don't want to have to kill my own sister. Please?" she begged. "I might have treated you a little unfairly since we became apprentices, but I really couldn't kill you. We share blood!"

"No. I'll never join the Clan that corrupted my sister." Luckypaw replied firmly. It felt like her heart had been crushed under a rock. Her sister had betrayed her.

"Duskpaw, if I capture and contain her instead of killing her, will you tell the other warriors?" Goldenpaw asked the WindClan cat.

"Fortunately, you're more important to me than her. I won't tell." Her ferocious expression softened. "I love you like a sister even though we met with a fight."

"Same," Goldenpaw answered quietly. "Very well." She turned to Luckypaw. "Choose. Death, inprisonment or joining us."

"Inprisonment. Go on. Inprison me. But I'll tell you now, I won't go down without a fight. And I will fight both of you by myself and win." Luckypaw puffed out her chest.

"You won't." Duskpaw stood with Goldenpaw. She leapt at Luckypaw, claws unsheathed, scratching and biting.

Luckypaw leapt back, spitting with fury. Goldenpaw sprang at her too. Luckypaw knew she couldn't take on the two trained apprentices while she was still injured from her fight with WindClan. She dodged Goldenpaw's thrust but that put her in a perfect place for Dustpaw to attack her from behind.

"Surrender!" Duskpaw hissed. She too, was bleeding from a dozen scratches from the battle but they were healing quickly. And she was powerful from training in DarkClan.

"Surrender? Never!" Luckypaw growled in shock.

Suddenly, Goldenpaw bowled her over, hitting her over the head with a strong paw, and everything went black.

When Luckypaw woke, she was in a dark tunnel. A small stream trickled next to her; she was lying on a small bed of moss. Gingerly, she raised her bruised neck to drink. The water revived her and she sat up. After grooming her blood-stained fur, she spat the taste of blood out of her jaws and began to explore the tunnel. Luckypaw noticed the stream flowed into every 'cave, and the cave room she found was a round cave with natural light flowing down from a Twoleg material. Luckypaw shuddered, she had never met a Twoleg and their monsters but from the stories the elders told she was terribly scared of Twolegs.

Luckypaw looked up at the beam of light; it was dawn. Then it struck her. Ivypool would've seen the whole encounter! She wondered how her Clan was doing; whether they were eating enough, whether they were attacked again. Luckypaw scratched at the ground nervously. This tunnel seemed to have no exit.

Luckypaw spent the rest of the day exploring the tunnel system and to her amazement, there were no entrances or exits. Once or twice, she heard search parties looking for her, but although she could hear them, they could not hear her desperate calls. One of the search parties had consisted of Dovewing, Lionblaze, Cinderheart and Goldenpaw, but she knew her sister was only faking the search. Her other kin and her mentor were searching for her whole-heartedly. Unlike Goldenpaw. Hate coursed through her veins and she let out a wail. Why couldn't Goldenpaw be loyal? Why couldn't life be easy?

A wail responded to her.

What was that? Luckypaw wondered.

"Hello?" she called hesitantly. No one replied. She sighed. Perhaps she'd imagined it. Then it came back.

"Hello," That was a voice. It definitely was. Not of a cat that she recognized, but still a voice.

"Who are you?" Luckypaw tried.

This time, the reply came quicker.

"I'm Peacefern," It replied. The voice was soft and raspy, as if it hadn't been used in ages.

"What Clan are you from?"

"Hmm...I lived in StarClan. They gave me another chance. I descended from the blazing sky as a kit. A Clan took me in and named me Peacekit. But once I was 6 moons, I was made Peacepaw. I did not like that name. I worked harder than everyone else in my den. I soon became Peacefern."

"I'm Luckypaw, and I'm a ThunderClan cat. I was knocked out by my sister and her WindClan friend, then brought here. I don't suppose you know a way out, do you?" Luckypaw yowled.

Peacefern did not respond. Luckypaw waited a minute but it was no use. She traipsed back to the cave she had first emerged from and curled up on the moss bedding. She was so lost in memories she started to smell ThunderClan cats. No. Just one cat.

"Luckypaw? Luckypaw? Are you in here?" Hollyleaf was calling her in a dream.

It wasn't a dream! Luckypaw fought with her tired body, making it stand up and race towards Hollyleaf's voice.

Unfortunately, by the time she got to a small crack in the rock, Hollyleaf's scent was stale.

"Fox-dung!" she spat, collapsing against the wall.

Hissing and spitting, she pushed herself up.

The next few days passed in a blur. Luckypaw spent her time exploring and memerising the tunnels. She held onto the hope of when she got out alive she would teach the tunnels to her Clan and they would be able to use them in their advantage. However, she knew that the when was only an if. Luckypaw tried to not think about what would happen if she couldn't get out. She had tried to call to Peacefern, but luck was not on her side.

Another wave of frustration and fury shot through her as she thought about Goldenpaw's face. She clenched her jaw, hating her sister.

Suddenly, she heard movements. It was a mouse, and a fat one too. Ducking into the hunter's crouch, she sprang on it and with a satisfied feeling saw that the body was now limp and dead. She sat down to devour the food and sent thanks to StarClan for the morsel. This would feed her for a day or two.

"May I share?" A cat appeared beside her. It was Peacefern!

"Peacefern!" Luckypaw stammered. Peacefern had black fur, so black that in the tunnels she was a shadow. Her fur compared to Luckypaw's gold-brown fur was much easier to blend in but much more dull. Her amber eyes glowed as she looked down at the enticing mouse.

"Sure, you can share it," Luckypaw got over her shock and nudged the mouse closer to her new friend.

"So what brought you down into this tunnel system?" Peacefern twitched an ear curiously.

"It all started with a battle with WindClan..." Luckypaw explained everything, not knowing why she should trust this mysterious cat.

"But that's horrible!" Peacefern exclaimed.

"And why are you down here?" Luckypaw asked suspiciously.

"I was exploring the tunnels, when there was a huge rumble in the ground. I thought it was just me, but I decided to leave. I traced my path back, but the entrance had been sealed shut. I met a cat down here in the tunnels, Hollyleaf, and we kept each other company. Do you know Hollyleaf? I haven't heard from her since she left with a group of cats. I'm worried about her." Peacefern murmured.

"Hollyleaf's my aunt!" Luckypaw was astonished. "You say there isn't an exit?"

"I've explored these tunnels for moons, Luckypaw. There is no exit." Peacefern shook her head.

"There is no exit..." Luckypaw muttered. "Then how did they bring me in...?"