Stormpaw had never seen these cats in his life. They obviously weren't BarkClan, but he couldn't place them from any of the other Clans. Regardless of where they came from, they were trespassing on BarkClan territory and they had to go. Dropping into a crouch, he pushed his way towards them.
A slightly bitter scent entered his nose as he got closer. Twolegplace...rogues. A white she-cat seemed to be inspecting a small clump of ferns with intense curiosity. A gray tom snapped something at her, but she ignored him with a twitch of an ear.
A twig snapped beneath Stormpaw's foot. The two cats froze and looked around before spotting Stormpaw. Silently cursing himself, he charged towards them, claws unsheathed. He hoped he seemed intimidating.
His hopes seemed to come true as both cats turned and scampered away. Normally Stormpaw would have let them leave, but he felt the need to make sure they left. He followed, keeping a safe distance back. The two cats glanced behind them. Seeing Stormpaw on their trail, they picked up the pace, forcing Stormpaw to move faster.
Stormpaw slowed to a walk as the two rogues squeezed through a small hole in a wooden fence. He waited for a heartbeat to make sure they stayed where they were. When they didn't come back, he turned back into the forest.
That wasn't the first time he had seen rogues in the forest, but it was definitely the first time he had to deal with them alone. Every once in a while some rogues seemed to get the idea that they could simply prance into the forest and take what wasn't theirs. It was almost never the same group twice, but there were a few lone rogues who were repeat offenders.
The trees grew more dense and in number as Stormpaw headed deeper into the forest. He found himself falling into step with a trail of ancient pawprints that lead to camp. They were the only way to get into the BarkClan camp without the risk of dying.
x
He slid behind a thick wall of ferns. The cool surface of stone touched his pelt as he moved forward. The stone sloped downward, opening up into a well-lit clearing. Cats milled around, many carrying tendrils of thorns and nettle to various dens. Others carried fresh moss, ducking into the dens to replace the old moss.
A large blackberry bush stood off to the right of the camp entrance. Cats slipped between its large, low sweeping branches, carefully weaving thorns into them. A dark brown she-cat watched closely, instructing the cats on where to place the foliage.
"Make sure you're putting them in the back, Beechfang. Leave no spot weak," she called into the bush. A grunt of acknowledgement came back in response. "Good. Daisyheart, could you go get more nettle?" A white she-cat placed the thorns she had on the ground and dashed off. "Ah, Stormpaw! Have you come to help?"
"Uh...well, I was coming to tell you I found some rogues on our territory again."
"And...?"
"I chased them off, Minkpelt. There were only two of them, but..."
"Good job Stormpaw. I'll make sure to tell Sandstar of the rogues. Would you please go help the other apprentices reinforce the nursery," Minkpelt asked. Stormpaw nodded. He didn't want to get on the wrong side of BarkClan's deputy. She was not a cat you wanted to be mad at you.
He walked towards a large, hollowed out tree stump. He had no idea what sort of tree it had been, but he had heard stories that lightning knocked it down and BarkClan had used it for the nursery ever since. While it was nearly impossible to break into it, there were still weak spots.
Two apprentices, Dawnpaw and Sparrowpaw, were busy plastering the back wall with mud. A third apprentice, Lavenderpaw, was placing branches of thorns in the mud. When it dried, it would be an extra layer for the thin wall of the nursery.
"Hey, Stormpaw," Dawnpaw called. She flicked a muddy paw at him, sending mud droplets on his fur.
"Hey! Be careful with that." Stormpaw looked around, making sure no warriors were around to see. He scooped up a pawful of mud and flung towards her. Dawnpaw roared with laughter as the mud hit both her and Sparrowpaw. Sparrowpaw huffed in annoyance before scooping up his own mud.
"Maybe you should be the careful one," he meowed. He tossed the mud, hitting Stormpaw square in the face. As he spit mud out of his mouth, Dawnpaw shook herself, sending even more mud flying.
"Don't think you're excused," Sparrowpaw warned, tackling Dawnpaw to the ground. Lavenderpaw peered from around the nursery.
"Look, I know mud is fun and all, but can we wait until after we finish this to have fun?"
"Oh, who made you leader," Sparrowpaw quipped. A pointed glare from Lavenderpaw silenced him.
"Oh, you just don't want to get caught having fun. You think fun is stupid," Stormpaw teased. "It would be a tragedy if Thrushclaw saw you goofing off just a teensy bit."
"Watch it, Stormkit," Lavenderpaw growled. "We wouldn't want Lionclaw to know what you've been up to at night."
"What, sleeping in my nest? I'm shaking in my fur. You can't scare me Lavenderpaw," Stormpaw purred. Lavenderpaw rolled her eyes and went back to putting up thorns. The four apprentices were silent for a moment, working in a strained teamwork.
Stormpaw placed the last of the new thorn wall. Even though he hadn't done much, he had to admit the other apprentices did well. Lavenderpaw gazed at it admiringly. She turned to walk off and was immediately pelted with pawfuls of mud. She groaned and stalked off, tail lashing in annoyance.
"Who replaced her prey with crowfood," Sparrowpaw muttered.
"Every cat in the forest apparently," Dawnpaw muttered back.
"Nah, mostly me," Stormpaw meowed.
x
The night breeze ruffled Stormpaw's fur as he exited the camp. It was a bit chillier than the past few nights, but he didn't mind. Patroling BarkClan territory was his favorite thing to do at night. Even if he wasn't technically allowed to do so.
Lavenderpaw was right. Every night after the last cats went to sleep, he would sneak out to do some extra patrolling. It was extremely peaceful at night- no cats to order you around, no one to tell you what was off limits.
Crickets chirped in the distance, but otherwise it was silent. He began to pick his way away from the camp. The forest was completely different at night. Sunlight was replaced by the pearly moonlight. Long, ominous shadows filled the forest. Never was there a same shadow and Stormpaw liked it.
A lone squirrel scurried around the root of an oak tree. Stormpaw crouched, ready to pounce. The squirrel began to scamper away. Stormpaw gave chase, but eventually lost in the darkness. So much for a midnight snack.
The imposing darkness reminded him of a nest of feathers. It was gentle and inviting. Welcoming to all those interested in trying it out. That's how Stormpaw liked things. If there was a task no one wanted to do or was supposedly too dangerous, Stormpaw was the first cat to volunteer. Sure sometimes he was forbidden to do things, but there were some things meant to be tested.
He suddenly realized he was around where he had been earlier. Why had his paws carried him here? There were no rogues or anything of interest now. Quiet as a sleeping kit...
Stormpaw heard rustling leaves above him. He looked up just in time to see a shadow dart among the branches. His eyes flickered about wildly, desperately trying to spot the shadow. Nothing.
He knew that something had been there. Shadows don't just move on their own. He slowly padded along the row of trees, cautiously scanning the branches above him. He heard more rustling leaves and turned just in time to see the shadow drop to the ground.
A/N: Wow it's been forever since I've written (anything...at all). Forgive me