"First patrol, move out," Lakestar ordered. "Cover the left side of our territory, near the Shallowtree." Crookedsong, Berrywing and Thistlefrost were already lined up right outside of the apprentice den, right beside the gorse tunnel. With Lakestar's words, they started outside the camp.

Nightburr was nervous. Not of patrolling, but of himself. What did he just do? Never in a thousand moons would he convince himself to do what he just did. But strength triumphed over cowardliness, he supposed. He would be going on a patrol with two older warriors--he didn't want to embarrass himself, but at the same time, he didn't care what he did because of Honeyspots. Nightburr would do anything for his sister.

Without even one command from Lakestar, Briarleap and Rippledust already knew to step forward. Nightburr quickly followed. The three cats all turned around to face Lakestar, who was still perched like a bird at the top of the Highledge. Nightburr could see Oaknose baring his teeth at him, almost as if he was giving him a warning. He quickly looked the other way to avoid his fiery glare.

"You all will patrol the Jaggedrock. Understood?" said Lakestar. They all nodded. Nightburr noticed Lakestar was hardly looking at him at all. He tried to do the same and awkwardly looked at his paws. "Skirt around the pond if need be, to cover more area," he added. The three cats nodded meekly once more. With a gesture from Lakestar, they all began to head up the incline of the gorse tunnel and into the forest.

As soon as they got out, Nightburr jumped forward and started sniffing the air. The smell of NeedleClan cats was faint here. That was good, but they needed to cover more of the territory.

"Follow me," he said to Briarleap and Rippledust. Rippledust just nodded while Briarleap let out an annoyed meow under his breath.

Nightburr led the two as they passed tree stumps, thickets, and berry bushes until they reached a small clearing. They squeezed through the thin trees before sliding into more grassy thickets. The Shallowtree must be near here, Nightburr thought. He had only been to such a place only a few times, but he knew when he was near the tree, the forest floor would grow grassier.

Another sign they were near the Shallowtree was the dampness of the grass and bushes. It would rain in this specific spot often, so there would always be a faint smell of dried-up rain, unless it was very sunny out. It would be hard identifying NeedleClan cat scents in such conditions, but Nightburr wasn't ready to give up just yet.

The three of them continued to pad through the bushes until they reached their destination. Nightburr could see the great Shallowtree right ahead of them. Hence the name, it was a tall, thin tree with a gaping hole somewhere on its front. Squirrels, raccoons and other rodents would hide in there for shelter and to store their food, but Nightburr speculated that wouldn't be the case since leaf-fall was slowly approaching.

Rippledust stepped in front of Nightburr and began sniffing. "The NeedleClan scent is less faint here," she reported. Briarleap and Nightburr nodded and smelled, too. It was true--the scent was distinctively stronger in this area. However, it wasn't recent.

"That must mean some NeedleClan cats were around here, huh?" said Briarleap.

"Yes, maybe one or two," added Nightburr. "We should investigate further. Maybe the scent will be more appealing once we travel upwards a bit."

Rippledust turned and nodded. "Good idea."

They started toward the edge of the clearing and began heading upwards. It wasn't long, though, until the scent of NeedleClan cats became more remarkable than before. The three cats had only walked for a bit and the NeedleClan scent was more noteworthy than when they had been at the Shallowtree.

"The scent... it's getting stronger," Briarleap hissed, tensing his muscles. "Those dung-faces could be anywhere now."

"We need to take extra precautions," Nightburr said, turning around. "Briarleap is right--those NeedleClan cats could be watching us and we wouldn't even have the slighest idea. Stay alert, alright?" Briarleap nodded quickly.

"Wait," Rippledust added. "There's something covering up the NeedleClan scent just a tad bit." Everyone turned to face her. "I can't exactly identify it, but it smells like dung," she continued.

Nightburr and Briarleap sniffed the air instinctively. "She's right," Briarleap said. "Some big animal like a fox must have just did their business."

Then, an idea popped into Nightburr's head. The most brilliant idea ever. A plan that, if pulled off correctly, could prove to Lakestar that Nightburr was a real leader, that he was as worthy as everyone else in the Clan.

"Everyone, listen up," he said. "I have an idea, and it might just foil the plan that those NeedleClan cats have in mind..."