Warriors: Hollyleaf's Return

                                        Hollyleaf's Return
          Lionblaze awoke in the morning, ready to carry out his duties. He was surprised to see that he was the only cat still in the warriors den. He stretched and padded out of the den. He was startled to realize that it was very late in the morning, so he ran to where Brambleclaw was standing with a few warriors, ready to hunt.

        "Sorry i'm up so late, Brambleclaw." Lionblaze said, apoligizing for his absence earlier that morning.

        "Don't apoligize to me, apoligize to Firestar." Brambleclaw grumbled. Lionblaze replied as Brambleclaw and the rest of the hunting patrol headed for the camp exit, "Sorry. Where is Firestar, anyway?" He bounded to catch up with the other cats, all glaring at him for getting away with sleeping in late.

        Cloudtail whispered to his mate Brightheart,"If one of us slept late, Firestar would have us doing apprentice duties." Lionblaze looked at him as if to say,"I heard that." Cloudtail quickly turned his gaze away from Lionblaze and continued to converse with Brightheart about how lucky Lionblaze was.

        "He's leading another hunting patrol." Brambleclaw said. "Well-" Lionblaze began, but was cut off when Brambleclaw shouted, "Alright, split up in pairs. Cloudtail, go with Brightheart. Berrynose, go with Cinderheart. Lionblaze, come with me." The other two pairs headed off in different directions. Lionblaze began to bound in another direction as well, but he noticed that Brambleclaw wasn't with him.
        He looked back at Brambleclaw and said, "Come on!"

      "Come with me." Brambleclaw replied. Puzzled, Lionblaze followed Brambleclaw. Brambleclaw stopped when he reached the Sky Oak.

      "What in the name of Starclan are we doing here?" Lionblaze asked.

      "I went hunting earlier so we could talk. They prey is buried here" Brambleclaw said, pointing at the ground next to the Sky Oak with his nose. "It's about Hollyleaf." Brambleclaw said cautiously. A worried expression flooded across Lionblaze's face.

    "What about Hollyleaf? She's dead. Dead,dead,dead."
 
    "But she may not be." Brambleclaw said hopefully. "Firestar and I have been talking, and we think that it may be possible that she escaped and is now living alone. There was no sign of blood anywhere on the collapsed tunnels. No body was found. And a scent trail was found leading from the collapsed tunnels. Hollyleaf's scent trail." Now Lionblaze's eyes were watering.

      "We have to find her" Lionblaze whispered. "Well, that's partly what I wanted to speak to you about, Lionblaze. Firestar wants us to track her."

      "I'll do it. But what about Jayfeather? Won't he want to come?"

      "Yes, but he is needed here. It may be a long journey, and if he is hurt, we don't have another cat that can identify herbs. Leafpool won't have time to train another apprentice before her days are done." Now Brambleclaw's eyes were watering as well.

      "When are we leaving?" Lionblaze asked anxiously.

      "Well, Leafpool refuses to let us go without herbs, so we'll have to get those."

      "Leafpool? She knows about this,too?" Lionblaze asked angrily.

        Brambleclaw replied hastily, "Yes, but only Firestar,Leafpool, you, and I know. No one else." Lionblaze glared at him.

      "Well, I'd better go prepare myself for the trip. We are leaving tommorrow morning before anyone else gets up. Firestar will tell everyone that he sent us on a private mission." Brambleclaw said. "Oh, and dig up that prey so it looks like we've actually been hunting." Brambleclaw said as he was walking towards the camp. Lionblaze stared in Brambleclaw's direction untill he was out of view. Then he sighed and dug up the prey. He quickly made his way back to camp so Brambleclaw wouldn't look like a totall fool for not bringing back any prey. Once he was inside the camp, he dropped the prey in the pile.

        "Hey, Berrynose! Are Cloutail and Brightheart back yet?"

        "Yeah, you guys were last back!" Berrynose shouted.

        "Oh, well, bye!" He bounded over to where Firestar was standing."Hi Firestar!"

        "Hello, Lionblaze. I assume you know of your quest by now?"

        "Yes, Firestar. I do know. But why now? Why did you wait? She could be miles from here by now. And why me? You know Jayfeather can track much better than I can."

        "Because I believe in you." Firestar said, his eyes twinkling with faith.

        Brambleclaw padded over to them and said,"Lionblaze? You need to go rest up. Get something to eat and relax."

        Lionblaze managed to make his way over to the prey pile and force down some food before becoming completely hysterical at the thought of Hollyleaf being still alive. He was just barely keeping himself from crying when he reached the warrior's den. He laid down and tried to sleep. His dreams were flooded with wonderful memories of his sister, and terrible nightmares. Hollyleaf was running to the tunnels. She ran into them. Into the tunnels. And into her death. They were collapsing! "No! NOOO!!" Lionblaze moaned, as his sister was almost gone.

        "LIONBLAZE!" Brambleclaw hissed. Lionblaze snapped back into reality. "Wake up! We're late! And we still have to get Leafpool's herbs." Feeling very groggy and reluctant, Lionblaze followed Brambleclaw to the medicine cat's den.

        "Good morning." Leafpool whispered as the two sleepy cats entered her den. "I have the herbs here."

        "Umm, wow. What exactly is that?" Lionblaze asked, referring to the small pouches made of leaves that were laying on the floor of the den.

        "Oh, I made sacks for you to carry the herbs in."  Leafpool said as she placed the leaf-bags around each of their necks.

        Brambleclaw quickly responded,"How interesting. I've never seen anything like it." Now both toms were observing the green, smelly pouches that hung loosely around their necks.

        "Well, its better than nothing." Lionblaze said rudely. Leafpool glared at him as if that hurt her feelings, but said nothing as she calmly filled the sacks with many herbs.

        "Good luck." she whispered as the two cats left her den.

        "Thanks. We're going to need it." Lionblaze mewed meekly, embarrased and sorry for what he had said earlier. They silently made their way over to Firestar's den.

        "Ah, good morning." Firestar greeted them happily. "Well, this may be our last goodbyes." Firestar said, a little more glumly than when he had greeted the two cats.

       
        A look of alarm spread across Lionblaze's face as he said,"Last goodbyes? What do you mean, Firestar?" Brambleclaw was alert as well.

      "Well, what I mean is, I'm getting older, and who knows how long you will be gone?" At that instant, Firestar was sorry for what he had just said. How awful it would be, searching for your maybe dead sister, and thinking your leader might be dead, too. Now Lionblaze's eyes were shining with tears as he tried to hold back his emotions.

      A split second later Sandstorm arose from her deep slumber. "You boys are up early." Sandstorm said as she was stretching.

      "Oh, yes. Firestar is sending us on a private mission." Brambleclaw said quickly. Her expression changed from happiness to a look of regret in an instant. Lionblaze didn't know why. He could tell she was hiding something, but he didn't know what.

      "Yes. I know of your quest. I almost forgot that today was the day." Sandstorm mewed sadly.

        Lionblaze looked up in alarm at Brambleclaw and said, "I thought no one else knew."

        "Yes, I didn't tell Brambleclaw she knew either." Firestar admitted. Without questioning his leader's secrecy about Sandstorm knowing, Lionblaze mewed farewell.

        "Goodbye." Sandstorm whispered. Brambleclaw nodded at Firestar and padded out of the den. Lionblaze followed, and as soon as they were both out of the den, Sandstorm looked at Firestar with eyes full of sadness.

        She mewed,"I wish Lionblaze could be here. I wish he could know."

        "Yes, but if he knew you would bear kits soon, he might not want to go on the journey." Sandstorm sighed and decided he was right.
                                                Chapter 2
        Lionblaze sighed, for they had been traveling for a while now, and they had reached a resting spot, far beyond their beloved Thunderclan territory. Brambleclaw stretched and sprawled across the small hill on which they were resting. Lionblaze noticed a hint of worry across Brambleclaw's face appear, and vanish as quickly as it had come. Lionblaze decided not to worry. After all, he already had enough to worry about.

        What Lionblaze had not known was that Brambleclaw had just remembered Sandstorm's kits. Lionblaze would not know this for the entire trip. But could Brambleclaw stand to keep a secret like this for so long? Lionblaze was just begining to feel drowsy when Brambleclaw sprang up.

        "What is it, Brambleclaw?" Lionblaze asked, wondering what could have made his clan's deputy spring up like a kit on the day of his apprenticehood.

        "Twolegs. Can't you smell their wretched stench?" Brambleclaw hissed.

        Lionblaze immediately smelled the foul stench of the twolegs. He could tell they weren't there to hunt, but to build. Lionblaze saw the new asphalt as it poured onto the ground beneath it. It smelled awful. He saw the machines which spread the asphalt along the ground. They looked as if they came straight from Tigerstar's worst nightmares.

        He felt his stomach churning as Brambleclaw spat,"Run! Follow me!" They had been standing three feet away from the hot, new road, but in a split second, they were ten feet away. They were sprinting as far and fast as they could away from the disgusting event which they had been watching. Once they couldn't notice any signs of twolegs, they stopped.

        Breathing very hard, Brambleclaw mewed, "I think...I think we're close to the tunnels." Both cats collapsed simultaneously, exhausted from their run. An hour later, Lionblaze awoke to find Brambleclaw, eating a mouse furiously. Lionblaze noticed their were two mice, and decided one was for him, so he began to tear into its soft flesh. The rush of blood filling his head was impossible to describe. The blood smell filled his nostrils as they flared, welcoming the wonderful scent. The taste of the tender, juicy, delicious meat flooded across his tastebuds. The sound of the mouse's guts made when he bit into them rang inside his ears. He ate every last bite. And he thought he hadn't eaten anything that good in moons.

        He stretched and said, "Okay, we need to find the tunnels and pick up a scent trail. Well, if...if there is one." Brambleclaw looked at him and turned around, heading towards the tunnels. Lionblaze sighed and began to follow the walking cat in front of him. A couple minutes later, Brambleclaw stopped in his tracks and pushed his ears back. He curled his lips back into a snarl.

      "What is it Brambleclaw?" Lionblaze asked.

      "Listen! There are animals moving near the tunnels. Big animals." Brambleclaw paused, and then hissed furiously, "BADGERS!!!!"

        As Lionblaze was running away from the tunnels, with Brambleclaw behind him, he shreiked, "Now how will we find Hollyleaf?!?!?"
                                        Chapter 3