Almost everyone shares one flaw in common, and that's saying whatever's on our mind before we think it through. Depending on their personality, others may have an easier time controlling that. Others, like me, struggle with that. Given a situation that we didn't prepare for or happens out of the blue and cause us to ignore our mind. We tend to say whatever comes to mind, and if it was supposed to be a secret or something best kept hidden, you find yourself regretting it.

Perhaps this is just human instinct. Saying what comes to mind is easy, it doesn't require much thought, but we all know there are times when we need to keep our mouths shut. When we speak up before we can understand the words, we all know that feeling of dread or confidence. If it's dread we feel, do we have enough strength to throw our pride on the ground and say we didn't mean it? 

Is there a way to stop ourselves from saying what comes to mind before we can understand what we're about to say?

X X X

"Entering CinderClan's territory and sneaking through the trees has got to be the most mousebrained idea and plan I've ever followed," Swiftbranch declared, gripping the tree branch underneath his claws. Mothpaw stayed at the ground, her eyes trailing up the trunk of the tree, new scratches painted its surface, showing her the struggles of climbing. Deerleaf was hanging on by both of her front paws while her back legs waved wildly in a poor attempt to grab the tree. Frostlight and Olivepaw kept watch, occasionally glancing over at their progress.

"Did I mention that CinderClan is a tree-loving Clan?" Swiftbranch repeated, and the apprentices lowered their ears in annoyance. Hiding his worry behind sarcastic remarks and pointing out all the flaws to Deerleaf's plan, Mothpaw saw a small resemblance with Olivepaw. Cautiously, the cream warrior crawled over to the spotted she-cat and extended a shaking paw. With one paw, the she-cat swung herself up, using his paw as a lever. She landed on the branch, and the tom lost his balance and crashed onto the forest ground.

Mothpaw grimaced and Frostlight rushed over, helping his friend up. Deerleaf rolled her eyes and stood up, eyes scanning through the trees. Beechpaw held his breath as they awaited the she-cat's report. In silence, she could hear the rustle of leaves and the soft song of a little bird. The forest was peaceful, sheltered from the sun by the tall trees, protecting life from rain or thunder. It was much cooler than out in the meadow, and it gave her a soothing feeling.

"Alright, I'm not picking up any scents," Deerleaf confirmed, motioning them to follow with her tail. "My father can't be far."

"Don't you find it odd that our mentors haven't found us?" Runningpaw noted, raising his tail. All eyes turned to the brown apprentice. He swallowed, collecting himself. "I thought they'd be onto us before we even reached the border. Unless I'm bad at picking up scents, I haven't even caught a whiff of them."

"Don't push our luck," Beechpaw hissed. "If we can get to this place without harm or getting caught, then we can find our answers sooner!" Frostlight padded over to the tree right as Swiftbranch leaped, locking his claws into the trunk. Slowly and staggering, the warrior began to claw his way up, furiously scraping the wood. Mothpaw flicked a chunk of wood away with her ear.

"I suggest we carry the apprentices," Frostlight said. Without waiting, Mothpaw let out a muffled yelp as the white tom picked her up. Getting closer to the tree, she braced herself and tried not to complain when the bumpy surface of the tree rubbed against her pelt. Her sister's former mentor did better than Swiftbranch but struggled as well. She could see a CinderClan patrol coming up and laughing at their pathetic climbing skills. It'd make things worse if Aspenstar happened to be out as well; endless mocking would be drilled into their skulls by the time Ashstar came to save them.

Eventually, Mothpaw was able to grab the branch with her paws. Frostlight rested his head under her and pushed her up, paws wrapping around the sides like a snake. Swiftbranch had made his way back up, and he groaned when he was lightly pushed back down by the older tom. Olivepaw and Beechpaw scampered over and were picked up next, leaving Runningpaw at the base. The older apprentice flattened his ears and jumped, locking his claws into the bark. Blinking, she watched in awe as he mustered enough strength to climb halfway up before it left him.

Slipping, he gritted his teeth, heaving himself up but fell back. Deerleaf jumped out of the tree, landing on the ground swiftly and gracefully. She turned her head around, and Runningpaw fell down, crashing his back onto her face. They tumbled to the ground, and Mothpaw clutched the branch, leaning forward as much as she dared. Olivepaw reached forward with a paw, knowing it couldn't help the two.

Deerleaf got back up and grabbed the tom by the scruff. She landed on the tree again and climbed up, surprising Mothpaw how easily she maneuvered her way up with an apprentice almost as big as her. Swiftbranch leaned down and grabbed Runningpaw and pulled him up, leaving enough space for the she-cat to rest on. Acting as if it never happened, the warrior bounced back, pointing her tail forward.

"Judging by these landmarks, we're somewhat close to the edge of CinderClan's territory. My best guess, it's gotta be hidden and tucked away. How come they haven't patrolled there? If it's this close to the edge, shouldn't they notice some foreign scents?" She gave the group a puzzled look. 

Frostlight stepped forward, putting his weight on the end of the branch. It sank down under his weight, and he used it to his advantage. Taking off, his body twisted in the air like he was catching a bird. Mothpaw felt a flutter of hope take flight at his success. One by one, the rest of the warriors leapt across.

The entire time, Deerleaf had the most success, jumping branch to branch like a rabbit with the grace of a dove.

And that's when Beechpaw let out a protest that they had left all the apprentices.

"Deerleaf! What about us?! You can't just leave us! Or do you expect us to be able to jump across?! Do you have any idea that we---"

"Shut up!" Runningpaw snarled, slamming a paw into his mouth, cutting off the rest of the sentence. The commotion caused Beechpaw to stumble and lose his hold on the branch, making him fall. Mothpaw acted quickly and grabbed the closest thing she could - which happened to be his tail. Seconds later, her brother let out a piercing yowl, scaring the birds resting in the trees above them. Her brother's weight became too great for her, and she felt her grip on the branch falter.

Olivepaw grabbed onto her tail, causing Mothpaw to sink her teeth into Beechpaw's harder with her friend's sharp teeth digging into a sensitive part of her. Waves of pain rolled across her body, surging forward. Dangling in the air, her brother was yowling, paws squirming around him to grab onto something. Finally, the pain from her tail became unbearable and she felt the skinny tail fall out of her jaws. 

Two things happened: one, Beechpaw hit the ground with a thud and moaned, staying on the ground as he tried to move his tail. The second was Mothpaw let out a yowl of pain, yanking her tail out of Olivepaw's mouth. The force was greater than she expected, and she fell down as well, crashing onto her brother, pushing him further into the ground. Olivepaw and Runningpaw peeked over the edge of the branch, their eyes wide and ready to pounce. 

"Quiet!" Swiftbranch demanded. "Listen, we need you to keep watch for any CinderClan patrols or dangers! Yowling isn't going to help - you've probably gotten the entire Clan's attention just by screaming!"

"Don't blame them," Frostlight snarled, advancing on the younger warrior. "When we were apprentices, we did the same thing."

"Enough already! Knock it off!" Deerleaf snapped, louder than she expected. The group went silent and her eyes popped open, and they grew wider than the moon. She shut her jaws and looked around, fur spiked out. Swiftbranch and Frostlight glanced around and they all let out a sigh of relief. 

Beechpaw wiggled under her, signaling her to get off. She climbed off her brother and nudged him with her nose. He pushed her away and shook out his fur. Their friends stayed in the tree, eyes watchful like an owl's. The warriors didn't move a paw, making Mothpaw slightly aggravated that they didn't say anything. Inching forward, Deerleaf leaned down, whisking her tail around the branch.

"If the scent is right, then we shouldn't be far from my father. I know that it's wrong to leave apprentices out in enemy territory unguarded, but I can't bring you. If all three of us die, at least you guys can survive. My life is just as special as a piece of dirt."

"What about your kits?" Mothpaw said before she could stop herself. Deerleaf looked appalled, almost to the point where she lost her balance. Swiftbranch gave her a confused expression while Frostlight didn't show any shock. Olivepaw and Runningpaw hopped off and landed beside her, clearly confused. Beechpaw scowled at her, but then it dawned on him. Soon enough, the rest of the apprentices figured out what she meant and looked at the brown she-cat in the tree, who was staring at them with wide eyes.

"Right now? You had to ask it right now?" Runningpaw hissed in her ear. She batted him away, keeping her determined gaze rooted on Deerleaf. 

"Kits?" Deerleaf echoed, leaning further. The branch began to dip, and Swiftbranch noticed it was starting to fall. He worriedly began his way toward her, but Frostlight placed one paw on him, halting him. The she-cat's face was full of misunderstanding and curiosity. Mothpaw swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Yeah, kits," she repeated. "The Moon Tree, the day Echoflight..." Deerleaf titled her head, and her eyes lit up.

"That day when you guys left and I told you about the Moon Tree," she whispered, and the apprentices nodded. "You saw them, didn't you?"

"How could you leave them?!" Olivepaw demanded, stepping in front, fur rising. "If Mothpaw's right, does that mean you're the mother of the kits?! Why would you leave them there?!"

"Olivepaw---"

"You're the mother?" Runningpaw stepped back in horror, eyes flashing. "They... I thought they were... I can't believe you're the mother. You don't strike me as a kind of cat who would leave them there for an entire day. What if they get attacked and killed?"

"Stop---"

"Deerleaf!" Swiftbranch hissed as the bushes began to rustle. Mothpaw jumped on her paws, eyes scanning the green forest. A new scent was coming like the morning sun. The same scent that filled MeadowClan. A CinderClan patrol. After all their screaming, she was equally scared and unsurprised they were coming. The MeadowClan warrior turned toward the forest, her lips curling back in a low growl. She glanced at Frostlight, who was already darting away to another tree. 

Then she looked down at the apprentices, eyes full of concern. Deerleaf took a step back, and Beechpaw let out a snarl, giving CinderClan their location. Runningpaw huddled closer to Olivepaw, shielding her black pelt away from the incoming cats. Mothpaw hurried behind her brother, crouching under him to see the patrol. The warrior tightened her grip, teeth gritting. She said one sentence before dashing off, brown tail slipping into the thick forest, taking any chance to escape before the patrol came out. 

"They aren't my kits."