"Birdpaw," repeated the tom, his voice still firm but the faintest hint of realization was beginning to show in his blue eyes, "you can't be Birdpaw. She ran away moons ago and none of us could find a trace of her anywhere."

"It is me," replied Birdpaw, "I promise Whiskerstar. And those cats up there? They are your medicine cat and one of your oldest apprentices."

"Flowerstem and Dewpaw?" he asked, straightening from his battle crouch with the warriors behind him doing the same. The apprentice beckoned to her Clanmates, and they slowly began to walkdown the hill towards their leader and his apprentice. The leader looked at his medicine cat and Dewpaw before watching as they both gently put down the youngest kits. Flowerstem whispered something in their ears and nudged them forward. They took cautious steps forward and Whiskerstar lowered his head to gently touch their noses. Dewpaw and Birdpaw watched closely as both Flowerstem and Whiskerstar looked up from the kits, gazing strongly into each other's eyes. Dewpaw turned his head to look at Birdpaw and they both smiled at each other, it was sad that Sorrelkit and Sparrowkit would never know who their true parents were, but at least they got to meet them.

"I found them alone in the forest when I was searching for Birdpaw," mewed the medicine cat, still gazing into Whiskerstar's eyes, "they were only newborn and there was no scent of their parents near them. I called them Sorrelkit and Sparrowkit."

"But –"interrupted Inky, peering out from behind Dewpaw with her sister, but thankfully, the cream tom was quick enough to slap his tail over the older kits mouth. Inky looked furious that she had been silenced, but when the apprentice removed his tail, she didn't say another word.

"Who are they?" asked Whiskerstar, pointing to the two older kits. Birdpaw beckoned them forward and they approached the tom cautiously.

"Their names are Inky and Angel," replied Birdpaw, "I found them where I stayed and they showed the qualities of true warriors, plus I wouldn't have been able to leave if I didn't let them come."

"Are you going to give them proper names?" spoke up Stalkcloud.

"I figured they could choose their own names," smiled the apprentice, nodding to the two kits. They looked up at her with wide eyes and open mouths before breaking out into happy purrs.

"Vineleap," meowed Whiskerstar, turning around to the olive-coloured tom, "can you take the patrol, the kits, Dewpaw and Flowerstem back to camp? Birdpaw and I just need to have a little chat." The apprentice gulped and sat down, watching with a forced smile as Inky and Angel looked over their shoulder at her nervously before moving off with the rest of the patrol.

"Come Birdpaw," was all Whiskerstar said before walking off deeper into the forest. The apprentice gulped but trotted after her mentor, head throbbing slightly from the sunlight. They walked a long in silence before the tom eventually broke the silence.

"Why did you leave?" he asked, stopping and turning to face her. The apprentice stopped as well and sat down, looking away. She had prayed that he wouldn't ask her.

"I don't know," she whispered, before continuing in a stronger voice, "I just suppose that I thought everybody hated me and blamed me for Maplestar. I couldn't live there any longer with how some treated me and the snide remarks they gave."

"Nobody hated you though," replied the tom, "we never did."

"But it seemed like it though," she sighed, "I wanted Maplestar to stop attacking the Clan, so I ran away."

"That didn't stop him though," meowed Whiskerstar, "he still attacked us. I have known Maplestar since I was a kit, and he is one determined warrior. When he gets something stuck in his head, there is little hope of stopping it. He has his mind fixed on destroying our Clan, and we have little power to stop him. You running away isn't going to stop him, if anything, he will probably be madder."

Birdpaw sighed again, and laid down, rested her head on her paws as she looked into the forest. Her mentor's words had made herself feel a little better, but she still didn't regret running away. She wouldn't have found Flowerstem, Sorrelkit, Sparrowkit, Inky and Angel, would she?

"Do you smell that?" asked the grey tabby leader, jumping up with his nose rapidly sniffing the air. The apprentice jumped up as well, nose twitching as the scent wafted towards. She knew that smell, it was something she hadn't smelt in a little while, and it was a scent she would never forget.