Shadowpaw stretched. She was worried. Emberpaw was gone. She left her nest, glancing at Ashpaw, who was sleeping soundly, purring softly.
Shadowpaw left the camp and suddenly scented Emberpaw's scent.
"Emberpaw?" She called softly.
Weaselgrowl, who had been on watch, must have went to report to Pebblestar.
Shadowpaw followed the scent of Emberpaw. The ground was disturbed in many places where her scent was.
The clever cat! She left a trail for us!

The trail was quite obvious, so soon Shadowpaw found where it led; right into ShadeClan territory.
Oh no! ShadeClan is full of murderers!
Shadowpaw ran back to the camp and jumped up to Pebblestar's den on the High Peak.

"Pebblestar!" She gasped.

"Yes, Shadowpaw. I'm sorry, we can't do training today."Pebblestar mewed.

"It's not that! I found where Emberpaw is!"

"Where!" Pebblestar was immediately on her paws.

"ShadeClan! They took her when everyone was distracted by the battle!"
But why they would take an innocent apprentice, I don't know.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! She left a trail. She must've been carried by someone, so she purposely dragged herself on the ground to leave her scent, and a trail of disturbed earth!" Shadowpaw insisted.

"That clever cat." Pebblestar mewed.

That's what I thought! Riverpaw mused. Pebblestar and I think alike!
"So, are we going to go find her or not?"

"Oh, of course!" Pebblestar exclaimed.
Suddenly, she leaped onto the High Peak and began to speak. "Let all cats old enough to catch there own prey gather here beneath the High Peak for a Clan meeting!" But I'm still here, Shadowpaw thought. That's weird. Usually the Clan leader doesn't talk while a Clanmates is still on the High Peak- especially not an apprentice for that matter.
As wounded cats pooled from the dens, Pebblestar spoke again. "We believe we have found Emberpaw,"

"Where?" Wildflame gasped. Shadowpaw remembered Wildflame was Emberpaw's mother.

"ShadeClan." Pebblestar announced, her lip curling upward.

"We must get her back immediately!" Yellowear yowled. His brother, Stormpelt was nodding in agreement. The two toms seemed set on their decision.

"Settle down!" Pebblestar called. "For the patrol to get Emberpaw back, I will take Brownwhisker, Bluewhisker and Nighthowl," Pebblestar spoke the names of the cats who were the least hurt. "Remember, we are not going to fight, but to get out apprentice back. We don't need more bloodshed."
Wildflame opened her mouth as though to protest, then quickly shut it again. She probably wanted to help get her daughter back.

"I will also take Shadowpaw and Ashpaw," Pebblestar added. "If they can get her back successfully, we may have three new warriors by tonight."
Shadowpaw glanced at Ashpaw. Excitement shone in his yellow eyes.

"Great!" He purred. "We'll be warriors soon!" But then his gaze darkened to a troubled gaze.
Shadowpaw was excited as well, but she carefully contained herself, as she didn't want to have to stay behind for being crazy. Pebblestar bounded off the High Peak, followed soon after by Shadowpaw. The cats who had been chosen gathered around Pebblestar with fierce glints in their eyes. Bluewhisker was clawing the ground with her claws; soon large lumps of brown earth and plants were piled by her paws.
Brownwhisker was glancing at the she-cat, amusement in his gaze. Then Shadowpaw remembered that Bluewhisker was his sister, as well as Blackwhisker was his brother. There's a lot of 'whiskers' in that family. Shadowpaw thought in amusement.
Nighthowl was waiting patiently for Pebblestar's orders. Her black wars were perked and her blue eyes swam with the joy of being able to go and save Emberpaw. She'd make a good leader. She's calm and thinks before she does anything, yet she's more sly then a fox and will always instruct her patrols well.
Ashpaw stared expectantly at Pebblestar, his gaze looking troubled.

Pebblestar swept them along with her tail. Soon they were trotting behind her on there way to the ShadeClan border. Pebblestar turned and looked at Shadowpaw. "Lead the way." She ordered.
Shadowpaw expected some objection from one of the warriors, but all three cats padded along in silence, along with Pebblestar and Ashpaw.
When they reached the trail of scuffed earth and long trails in the dust, Shadowpaw paused. She parted her jaws to taste the air. "It's this way." She mewed, whisking to the farthest point of the trail. It went along like this for a while, but then, suddenly she lost the trail. A thin circle of blood surrounded the place they stood.
Ashpaw padded up beside him and gasped. "Is this . . . Is this Emberpaw's blood?"

Shadowpaw shook her head. "It can't be. Smell it. It smells like a prey-animal. Besides-" she lowered her muzzle and licked the circle. "It tastes like squirrel blood."

Ashpaw gave a puff of relief while Bluewhisker mewed from behind her. "Good observation, Shadowpaw."

"Yes, I agree." Pebblestar purred.

"What do we do now?" Ashpaw asked anxiously.

"We could scout the whole area and look for more signs of her." Brownwhisker suggested.

"No, I don't think so. We know Emberpaw is probably in the ShadeClan camp, so why don't we just go there?" Nighthowl growled.

"That would be a bad idea," Bluewhisker disagreed. "Hawkstar seems evil. He'd probably do something horrible to us."

Pebblestar raised her tail for silence. "Quiet!" She ordered. "All those ideas are good, but I agree with Bluewhisker. We don't know what Hawkstar would do to us."

Shadowpaw could almost feel Ashpaw's rage when he opened his mouth and yowled. "WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'VE DONE TO EMBERPAW EITHER! SHE MIGHT NEED US!"

All five cats stared in astonishment.
"You know what?" Ashpaw growled. "I don't want to come anymore. If you won't come, I'll go by myself." Then he stormed off through the bush.
A moment passed before Pebblestar sighed. "I guess we have no choice but to follow him.
Shadowpaw almost felt grateful for Ashpaw storming out like that, because now they had to go. As they stalked across ShadeClan's border, they saw the oak trees start to change to pines.
"Woah . . ." Shadowpaw almost yowled in awe.

"Shut up, flea-brain," Brownwhisker hissed. "Or do you want ShadeClan to know we're here?"
Shadowpaw slapped her tail over her mouth. She couldn't believe she had done that! What an embarrassing thing to do.
When they reached the camp, Hawkstar was standing on a low broad branch of a huge pine tree. Needles rustled as Hawkstar began to speak.

"As most of you know, Shadowfang has captured a new apprentice from each Clan in all of our battles." He yowled.

"All of the Clans?" Nighthowl whispered. "He's already been into battle with all the Clans, and taken an apprentice from each?"

The massive brown tom began to speak again. "Emberpaw of EchoClan." He nodded at Emberpaw, who Shadowpaw realised was sitting at the roots of the trunk, huddled between two other apprentices.
"Gempaw from IvyClan," this time he nodded to a white she-cat who huddled closely next to Emberpaw, green eyes wide and scared. "And lastly, Waterpaw of StormClan." He jabbed his tail at the last cat; a blue-grey tom with yellow eyes.

No cats objected at this. They must be really scared. Shadowpaw thought. There must be at least a few cats who disagree with this . . . ?

"We will be training them our ways for a few moons, and then I will send them back to their Clans; as spies for us."

"What?" Briwnwhisker gasped. At this, Pebblestar leaped out of the bush and growled. "Give us our apprentice back!"

Hawkstar stared in shock. "Have you been spying on us?"

Pebblestar lifted her chin defiantly. "So what if we have? You stole apprentices from every Clan, and we want ours back!"

Hawkstar narrowed his eyes. "Fine take your apprentices. We still have Gemoaw and Waterpaw!"

Then Brownwhisker leaped out of the bush. "No you don't! Because we're taking them too! We'll deliver them back to their Clan safely!"

Hawkstar growled. "Ok, then. Well just have to take more."

The three apprentices ran over to where Shadowpaw and the patrol were.
"Was it you who found the trail?" Emberpaw asked.

"Yes!" Shadowpaw purred. "I was looking for you and I found it . . . Why did Hawkstar also take Gempaw and Waterpaw?"

"He wanted them for his stupid plan of taking over the other Clans," Emberpaw paused to roll her eyes. "Like it would work. The apprentices would probably tell the Clan all ShadeClan's battle moves anyway. Hawkstar is stupid . . . He was also going to give us names like 'Emberblood, Waterdrown and Gemcut'."

"That's terrible!" Shadowpaw gasped.
"It's ok though, because we found you. You'll be safe now."

"I know." Emberpaw purred. "I'll always be safe."