Willowkit sniffed. It was dark outside. She could hear the owls outside. They seemed so distant. Everybody in the nursery was asleep. Willowkit was curled up in her own corner, her mother in another. Snailkit and Acornkit were comfortably nestled against their mother.  Willowkit shivered, not because of the cold. Slowly, she got up and padded out of the nursery. She didn't know where she was going. All she knew was that she just wanted to get out of there. The camp was weirdly silent. Every cat was in their nests, sleeping peacefully, their stomachs full. Willowkit's stomach gave an angry grumble. She hadn't eaten since the day before. It wasn't like Mintspot checked up on her. Willowkit wandered to the fresh-kill pile. There, she found a half buried raven. It was scrawny and dead long ago..., but it was food. She dragged it out of the small hole in the ground and started to chew. She spat out the feathers and gnawed on the bare bones. Feeling much livelier, Willowkit trotted past the warrior's den. She didn't turn back to the nursery. She headed for the camp entrance. She didn't care that she wasn't allowed out. She didn't even think about how much trouble she might get into. It's not like anybody cared. They wouldn't mind if she got eaten by a fox, she told herself. With that, she slipped out of camp. She found herself in a whole new world. Large trees loomed in front of her. She crossed a patch of long grasses and entered the dark forest. Crickets chirped, owls howled and shadows danced. Unbothered, Willowkit kept trotting away from camp. She felt the fresh dirt under her paws. She felt the tingle of excitement running down her back. Everything here was new. New smells, new sights. It was great! She could smell food everywhere although she couldn't see any. Finally, she heard some rustling. She accelerated towards the noise. It was the fast trickle of water. She pushed past a few bushes and through some tall grasses. She found herself at the bank of a river. The water was dark and rushed down angrily. Willowkit tilted her head. She stared at it for a while. Then suddenly, she felt teeth on her scruff. She was lifted off the ground. She let out a small cry as a cold wind hit her face. 
                "I found her!" came a muffled voice. Willowkit frowned. She knew that voice. She knew the voice of all the cats in her Clan. And their smells too. 
                "Lizardpelt?" Willowkit said. 
                 "Yeah kit," Lizardpelt replied, setting Willowkit down. "You should not have been wandering out of camp at night." There were a few thuds then out of the tall grasses appeared Gorsestar and Halestorm. A moment later, Doestripe appeared at their sides. 
                "Thank StarClan," sighed Doestripe. 
                 "What in StarClan were you doing out here?" exclaimed Gorsestar. "We're getting back to camp and you're going to explain, then apologise and then we'll find a fitting punishment for you. You know that you're not allowed out of camp. Not until you become an apprentice."
               "Sorry," mumbled Willowkit looking down at her paws. She could feel all the warriors' eyes on her. She had never had so many cats pay attention to her. Her fur rose on her back. She wanted to retreat and hide. 
               "Let's go," Gorsestar said, flicking his tail. Willowkit trotted after Gorsestar, trying to keep up. They entered camp where Wrencry was waiting. Willowkit peered past Wrencry to where Snailkit and Acornkit were peering at her from the nursery. 
              "Oh you're alright!" exclaimed Wrencry happily. I didn't know how to respond. She seemed happy. I didn't want to ruin it. 
              "Right, thanks everybody," Gorsestar said, motioning to the warriors. "Go get some rest. I know you're all on the dawn patrol tomorrow." Lizardpelt and Halestorm nodded briefly and retreated to the warrior den. 
              "What were you thinking?" sighed Doestripe. 
              "Yes, I woke up and you weren't there anymore! I got such a fright! I thought something terrible had happened to you or something," interrupted Wrencry. Willowkit shuffled on her feet. She didn't know how to respond. She could feel their disappointment in the air all around her. She hated it. She hated it so much. She already knew that she was a disappointment but to see the leader and deputy look down at her like that... She shook herself. What did she expect? A celebration? No. She deserved this. She had broken a rule. 
              "Why did you leave?" asked Gorsestar, more gently. 
             "I-I don't know... I'm sorry. I- I couldn't sleep... So I um... I took some food from the fresh kill pile...," Willowkit trailed off, unsure whether to keep speaking. She glanced up, to check if they were still listening, if they even cared, if she was boring them. Gorestar, Doestripe and Wrencry were still watching her, listening. She didn't know whether to continue. They were listening to her! She didn't want it to stop. They were actually paying attention to what she was saying! But what if she talked too much? And she bored them? Her mind whirled. 
              "Yes?" pushed Doestripe gently. 
              "I er!" Willowkit's head shot up. They wanted her to keep talking!? She wanted to jump with joy. "Um... And I couldn't sleep so I just... decided to take a walk. I'm really sorry. I didn't realise the trees were that big though!" Seeing that the adults were still listening to her, she kept talking, encouraged. She wanted it to last forever. "And there were so many smells! It was like there was prey everywhere! And I saw the river! it's so so big and there's so much water. The water's really loud and dark though... Is it supposed to be like that? I imagine more of a-"
               "Willowkit," interrupted Gorsestar. "That's enough. Thank you." Willowkit shut her mouth quickly. She cured herself angrily. She had ruined it. She had talked too much. They didn't want to listen to her. Of course they didn't. How could she ever think that they wanted to listen to her? She whimpered slightly.  
               "Where's Mintspot?" asked Gorsestar. "She should know about this."
                "She's resting," said Wrencry.
                "She should have felt Willowkit leave," Doestripe pointed out. "How is she still asleep."
                "They weren't um... sleeping side by side," Wrencry said slowly, chosing her words carefully. Gorsestar frowned, giving her a questioning look. 
                 "What do you mean?" asked Doestripe.
                "I mean... you know.., they um sleep in different um... corners... of the- er... the nursery," Wrencry said, trying to put her words into a less hurtful way. Doestripe's brow furrowed and Gorsestar flicked his tail, thinking hard. 
                 "Right... ok... Well. We will tell her tomorrow then," Gorsestar said finally. He turned to Willowkit. "You're not to do that again. Understood? It's extremely dangerous. Do you know what kind of predators are out there?" Willowkit gave a small nod. 
                 "Yeah. Foxes, dogs, other cats, badgers, Monsters, owls...," listed Doestripe. "But you know that already. And you know you broke a rule."
                "Yes, one of the strictest rules," added Gorsestar.
                "I'm sorry," mumbled Willowkit, too soft for anybody to hear. She meant it. She would stay in the nursery till she died if that's what everybody wanted of her. She'd do anything for anybody, just for them to like her a little more. For them to despise her a little less. 
                "You are not to go out again, understood?" Gorsestar said in a strict tone. Willowkit nodded. She meant it.
                "Yes," she whispered, but nobody heard it. "I promise."
                 "Good," nodded Gorsestar. "Go back to the nursery. Rest well, ok?" He nodded to Wrencry.
                 "Goodnight," said Doestripe. Willowkit mumbled a good night back and Wrencry led her back to the nursery. 
                "I was so scared for you," sighed Wrencry. "You know you should not have done that."
                "I know, I'm sorry," replied Willowkit shamefully and softly. Her brain couldn't wrap around the thing Wrencry had said. "I was so scared for you". What did that mean? Willowkit couldn't help but feel a slight flutter at the thought of Wrencry, scared for her safety. They entered the nursery and Snailkit and Acornkit immediately bombarded her with questions. 
               "Why did you leave?" asked Snailkit, a small smirk on his face. 
               "What was it like?!" cried Acornkit excitedly. 
                "Did Gorsestar yell at you?" Snailkit demanded, his voice full of excitement and his eyes wide. 
               "Did you see foxes?" Acornkit exclaimed, his eyes widening. 
               "Did you see Twolegs? Did you hear Twolegs? Were you attacked?" asked Snailkit quickly. 
               "Are you ok? Why did you leave without me? I would have wanted to come. Now you've got to tell me everything," exclaimed Acornkit. Wrencry nudged her kits away from Willowkit lovingly. 
               "Now now. It's time for you all to go back to sleep. Willowkit was not supposed to go out of camp. She will have a punishment for breaking that rule tomorrow. You two are not to do it? And now Willowkit is tired. She's had a long... walk. Let her get some rest," Wrencry said, hushing her kits. Willowkit retreated to her spot while Snailkit and Acornkit pressed themselves against Wrencry, bombarding her with questions instead. Willowkit glanced to the other dark corner. Her mother laid there, unmoving. But Snailkit caught her eye. Mintspot looked at her for a moment, her eyes dark. Willowkit's heart started. Was Mintspot going to invite her to sleep beside her? Her eyes brightened. Mintspot turned away.