One step was all it took to go out there. One small, tiny step and I would be breaking the rules of RockClan. I would probably be punished greatly, like Goldpaw. But, maybe... Maybe that wouldn't happen. Maybe, I could sneak in and out of camp and be fine. No one would know! That's exactly what I'll do. Sneak in and sneak out, just a peak.

I prodded the soft ground before placing it fully. It was cold. And some-what stiff. Forget what I said earlier. It was cold and hard. Looking back, I took a few more steps. This ground, it was so different. Taking more steps, ad finally glancing my eyes to see what lay before me, was trees. Huge trees, brown, and only some leaves hanging on to the branches. It was bare, and beautiful. I took another step toward it. There was bushes of all shapes casting shadows. Leaves from previous falls littered the ground, masking a trail. I didn't want to stop walking. I wanted to keep going into the abyss of brown and the pale blue of the sky. But I couldn't. It felt like somebody was following me.

WHHISH! I turned my head to confront the sound. No one. I was starting to creep out. What's going on? I glanced once more before running to the nearest bush. I hid under the bushy skirt, thinking I'd be caught and sent home if I don't hide quickly.

"Tangleheart!" A booming voice almost made me scream. But a fluffy something hit me my mouth, silencing me. It was a white-tipped tail. Who had a white-tipped tail? My heart raced as I tried to come up with who it was. "Scout the area along with Stripewhisper and Oakbranch." I settled on my haunches and peeked under the bush. Gorgestar. The name scrounged through my mind. I almost yawned when I remember the tail around my mouth. I turned my head to see who it was. He had sleek gray fur. A quite-handsomely shaped face. A pair of pale gray ears. And when he looked at me, his eyes burned their pale green. I could barely see the flecks of gold. I almost laughed at my luck. Stuck outside camp, under the same bush as Goldpaw. But the feeling that someone was watching me didn't go away. If it wasn't the cat who commanded Tagleheart to scout the area, and if it wasn't Goldpaw... Who was it?

"Whiteblaze, Falconnight, Greenblaze, and Trapfoot: go and check in the Meadow," Gorgestar ordered. "Ashcry, I want you-"

I almost gave out a yelp. My father, Dad, was here. Why was he here? I could see myself faint, but turning my head to see the pale apprentice calmed my nerves. Everything is alright, nothing horrible is going to happen, you're just stuck. I stole a glance at Goldpaw again, but he wasn't looking toward me, he was looking down. I wondered what he was thinking. A way to escape? A way to get out of this mess? His nose twitched and glanced at me again. I looked away, embarrassed. But I found a way to look at him again. He was sitting up, his tail curled around his feet, as if keeping them from getting too cold. His black nose twitched every now and then and a small glance toward the way Whiteblaze went. I was about to ask Goldpaw what we are doing when he said something first.

"We are going to the meadow, before Tangleheart and his crew scent us," he whispered curtly. I nodded and watched as Goldpaw got up, a couple inches taller than me. He waved his tail and mentioned we should stick to the shadows. I looked over in a small gap that showed perfectly were Tangleheart was. His brown fur was shivering softly and he glanced at every landmark briskly before moving to another idea. He slightly bounced, probably to stay warm, I guessed. I was so intent on watching Tangleheart I hadn't noticed that Goldpaw already left. Oh no. I tried to find where he left, because I didn't see where the bush shake. I sniffed, but all that entered my nose was the cold air. GLancing back at Tangleheart and Falconnight (the others went in the other direction) I knew I didn't have much time, for he was getting closer.

"Goldpaw?" I whispered. I trailed around where he sat, but I couldn't get anything. Great, I thought, I'm stuck and I'm going to get into serious trouble. I looked back up and closed my eyes. Better not see Tangleheart stumble upon me with all his fury. A kit, in the middle of the forest.

"Blackpaw, come on!" Goldpaw's eyes came out of the ground. Wait, what? He disappeared without another word. Tangleheart was getting closer, his steps were clumsy and loud. With much hesitation, I jumped inside the hole. I was instantly hit with a gruesome smell. Once my eyes adjusted, I saw Goldpaw grinning with wild eyes.

"Where are we?" I asked. I crinkled my nose as I took a breath of the air.

"We're in a hole," he replied, his grin disappeared. He took a breath and walked forward. I felt his soft tail against my cheek, leading me. I smiled to myself as we continued on the underground trail.

Light sprouted ahead of Goldpaw. I strained to see what it was looking like. Goldpaw stepped out of the hole, which lead to a green landscape. The meadow...

I hope you enjoyed this chapter... The underground stuff, yeah, I know, original. But it was fun to write. Next chapter will have even more detail... She's slowly aging, remember?