Chapter 12

   Flowerpaw spun around, seeing Thunderclaw rushing into camp, out of breath. Flamefur was first to ask, "What is it? Someone attacking?"
   "No, it's Stonepaw! He's gone!" Thunderclaw breathlessly yowled.
   Flowerpaw froze. "What does he mean gone?" She thought, "He couldn't have ran away? Or worse, got taken?"
   Flamefur seemed a bit too surprised her self, "What do you mean?"
   "I was giving him a test. I told him to go around hunting. And I was watching. But before I could catch up to him, he had vanished!" Thunderclaw looked almost insane, trying hard to make everyone believe it's not his fault.
   "Did you get any scent tracks?" The deputy asked.
   "No, his scent just stopped so suddenly... As if... As if he was lifted off the ground..."
   Flowerpaw felt her heart nearly thump out of her chest. "It must be a hawk or eagle of some sort," she thought.
   "But, I did scent a fox where he was. A bit stale, I might have mistaken it for a bird. As for I have never scented a bird," Thunderclaw looked frantically around the camp, waiting for the reaction.
   Flamefur looked to puzzled to respond, so she tried to not make the decision herself. "I'll go get Fawnstar." She walked away from the group of cats.
   Flowerpaw felt a ripple of worry cross her spine. She felt as thought someone was chanting in her ear, "Go, run. Run and find him." But she tried hard to stay back, as for whatever was out there, if it could catch her stronger brother, it would catch her.
   Fawnstar was half walking- half running towards the group of cats around Thunderclaw. "Flamefur told me what's happened. Is there any way you could show a patrol where you lost Stonepaw?"
   "Uh, sure," Thunderclaw mewed in confusion, "Who shall come with me?"
   "I'll go!" Flowerpaw meowed louder than she expected.
   "Oh, um, all right. Who else?" Thunderclaw yelled to the Clan.
   Silverheart stepped out, "I'll go, since she is going," she pointed her tail towards Flowerpaw.
   "And I will go."
   Flowerpaw never thought he would join in the patrol to find Stonepaw. The sleek, black tom stepped out of the crowd and stood beside Thunderclaw.
   "Are you sure, Crowpelt?" Flamefur had gently asked.
   Crowpelt nodded in answer.
   "Anyone else?" Thunderclaw meowed.
   "I suppose I'll go, as last cat." Flamefur joined the patrol. "Okay, Thunderclaw. Show us where the apprentice was when you lost him."

   Flowerpaw grew so worried, that she could hardly focus. She began tripping over things, bumping into trees, and sometimes walking straight through bushes. She had been only thinking about her lost brother.
   "Here," Thunderclaw came to a stop. "This is where I lost his scent."
   Silverheart took a sniff and tasted the air, "It smells like a mix of fox, rabbit, and bird..."
   Flowerpaw bent down and only scented fox. She wondered how the others could smell bird or rabbit.
   Crowpelt leaned over. "It smells like rabbit and bird, to me."
   Flamefur didn't know how to handle the situation with so many people smelling so many things. "How about we split up? Silverheart, Thunderclaw, and Flowerpaw can follow the fox trail, Crowpelt and I will follow the rabbit. Since the bird can fly, there's no use trying to locate it. I just wonder how all three came into a single place."
   "Sounds good to me. Let's split," Crowpelt went along, following the rabbit scent.
   Flowerpaw noticed that the fox and bird was following the rabbit scent too. She kept following it, and realizing she was following Crowpelt, Silverheart voiced her thoughts, "They're all going in the same direction."
   "That might change," Thunderclaw tried.
   "He's right, let's just keep following all three. But why would the bird be on the ground?" Flamefur sounded frustrated.
   They all stayed silent until they met up with ForestClan border.
   "I think I know what's going on. They were trying to trick us into going into their border, just to punish us!" There was real anger in Silverheart's voice.
   "They must of caught a bird, rabbit, and fox. And they dragged it along with them, with Stonepaw on their backs. Trying to confuse us into thinking that the animals caught Stonepaw!" Crowpelt concluded. "And that also means they were hunting on our territory!" He began a low growl.
   "But that means Stonepaw is there!" Flowerpaw pleaded.
   "She's right, we need to go see for ourselves. But listen, we're not asking for a fight. We won't battle unless they come at us first." Flamefur ordered. "Let's go."