Run Away Bravely (Stormwind)

Ashfur padded up to The she-cat quickly. “You’re here!” He mewled quickly, Breezepelt panting as he recovered from his scare.

At Breezepelt's hiss, Rowanclaw, Robinwing, and Sorreltail all whirled around, just now spotting the faint outline of a cat in the shadows near Breezepelt.

Hollyleaf hissed back in fury that her cover was blown by her half-brother but stuck in the shadows, unable to go anywhere without revealing her identity. Breezepelt was also blocking her path.

Ashfur looked closely, padding up and down the cave to find their query.

Breezepelt had already been walking with his pelt brushed up against the cave wall, convincing himself that all he had to do was turn around and walk the other way if he got lost.  However, the tom startled when his fur brushed up against other fur and not the cold rock wall, the tom jumping back and hissing in surprise.

(*shoves Breezepelt at you*)

The other cats in the patrol frowned, looking around the cave and peering closely at the shadows.

Hollyleaf pressed herself against the wall of the cave, holding her breath. (We shall pretend that Hollyleaf was not actually close enough to a tunnel to hide in it and so is still in the cave.)

Ashfur flicked his ears, scenting the air in the cave. “I think she’s in here with us. Look closely.”

(Yes mwahahahaha! )

Hollyleaf stiffened as Robinwing suddenly looked directly at her, sliding farther back into the shadows.

Frowning, Robinwing sniffed the air and moved closer to Hollyleaf, wondering why it smelled like the she-cat was in the cave with them. He had only been a warrior for a few moons, he could be excused for not making the logical leap.

Sorreltail turned her attention to Robinwing and his odd antics. "What are you doing?"

(Maybe! And maybe Ashfur can be the one that pushes one of them to accidentally revealing it?)

Ashfur flicked his ear in acknowledgment, keeping a careful eye out for The she-cat as her scent grew fresher.

“And then we followed the she-cat’s scent, not yours,” Sorreltail pointed out.

Hollyleaf watched them from across the cave, hidden in the shadows of another tunnel, bristling slightly. Have they come to take me back, even not knowing who I am? Well, too bad! I'm staying right here! She thought viciously.

(So apparently Hollyleaf is the oldest of her littermates. She was born first, then Lionblaze, then Jayfeather.

*plots to reveal their parentage* Hm. Hollyleaf could hysterically blurt it out when they try to bring her back to the Clan, or Leafpool could reveal it when she is confronted about being pregnant (again), or Jayfeather/Lionblaze/Hollyleaf could reveal it when it is found out that Leafpool is pregnant (again), or Leafpool could reveal it if (when) Jayfeather/Lionblaze/Hollyleaf is badly injured (or vice versa, one of her kits revealing it because she got badly injured), or Leafpool could reveal it when Hollyleaf is brought back, she is so relieved. All accidentally, of course.)

“I don’t remember this exit,” mewled Ashfur. “We came in from the way I got out.”

Sorreltail glanced at her older half-brother, following Robinwing into the main cave. “How could what be right?”

“How could that be right?” Murmured Ashfur to himself, scenting the air.

Hollyleaf grew worried when she heard the pawsteps growing closer and she darted into a different tunnel than the one they were coming from, pawsteps light.

Robinwing pricked his ears when he started to see light ahead of them.

Ashfur followed, trying to remember that the scents of the four of them would be much stronger than his alone, and therefore it would be easier to find the way out if he got lost again in the dark depths.

Robinwing led the way this time, as he had been the one to find the trail.

Ashfur joined Robinwing, taking a deep breath. “Yeah,” He mewed, “that’s her scent.”

The other four cats in the patrol started sniffing around and all was silent until Robinwing found the trail that had been Hollyleaf following Ashfur. He beckoned them over.

(Hollyleaf has been in the tunnels long enough that she’ll smell like water and stone now, a distinct difference from her previous ThunderClan scent. Since she was never close to any of these five cats (never even met Robinwing), that’s enough they won’t recognize it)

Ashfur opened his jaws, trying to find follow her scent over all of the new ones that had just entered the cave.

Sorreltail nodded and glanced around the nearly pitch-black tunnel. “All right. Everyone start doing your best to find her scent.”

Meanwhile, Hollyleaf pricked her ears and turned to stare at a tunnel with a frown, thinking she heard voices.

Ashfur stopped abruptly. “This is as far as I went down; it’s where I ran into the She-cat.”

The still following.

Ashfur stopped at a branch, scenting the air before pointing them in the proper direction.

The four cats followed after him.

Ashfur opened his jaws, leading the group back down into the tunnels by following the scent trail he’d left earlier that day.

Eventually they reached the tunnel and Sorreltail gestured for Ashfur to lead the way after explaining what was going on to the rest of the patrol.

The new patrol followed, wondering why they in particular were picked to go out.