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Reada2001: Thanks! And here's the next chapter!


Chapter 2: Goldenpaw

They walked, and walked, and walked, and walked, and then walked some more. Honestly, after sunrises of endless traveling, Goldenpaw was getting sick of it.

She snorted as they jumped yet another crevasse on the mountain walls. "When are we stopping? Where are we even going?" She complained as Pinestar, the last to leap the chasm, landed on the hard, cold stone.

He bored his serious amber gaze into her eyes and replied, "We'll stop when there's somewhere safe to stay."

"What're we hiding from, anyways?! It's not like there's anything here, just rocks and bushes!" Goldenpaw snapped, her patience wearing thin as paper. She kicked a pebble into the gap they had just vaulted across to accentuate her point.

The large tom sighed and stared at the ground with a look that could break a tree in half.

"What I think Pinestar meant to say,"Goldenfur butted in, "Was that out here we could get hit by a rockslide, and it's not sheltered enough for a den."

The brown-striped apprentice curled her lip, her eyes narrowing and teeth baring. "And who asked for your opinion? What are you two, best buddies?"

The warrior closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning around and walking the other way, refusing to confront her.

Mouse-heart, she thought furiously, still bitter towards him for what he'd done to Nightpaw and Blackfur. Oh, yeah, she knew about that. Greyleaf had told her everything, and the fact that Goldenfur had just let the fox maim Blackfur only made her hate him more.

Her mother turned to her with sad eyes and said, "Goldenpaw, you should've been kinder to him."

She was disgusted. "After what he did! No, mother! No I shouldn't!"

Greyleaf just gave her a somber look as she trotted off to speak to the blue-eyed tom, with Pinestar following in quick succession.

"Serves him right," Nightpaw growled, but then his voice became serious, "But you shouldn't have said that to Pinestar."

Goldenpaw blanched. "Why shouldn't I have? Face it, Nightpaw, we're in the middle of nowhere!"

"Well you're not helping things at all," he snarled, rounding on her.

Nightpaw never, ever yelled at her.

"O—okay then," she whispered, visibly shrinking, her ears going back and her tail dropping down as she crouched.

"Hummf," her brother snorted, hard as the gigantic stone walls that towered around them, gray and boring as mousemeat. He trotted away to join the others, and Sparrowpaw came to her side.

"It's okay," the little grey she-cat soothed, petting Goldenpaw's back with her fluffy, spotted tail, "He's just tired, that's all."

The younger—though only by a few seconds—apprentice sniffed and stood back up to her full height. "Thanks, Sparrowpaw, I'm sure you're right," she mewed, before batting playfully at her sister's nose.


Chapter 2: Nightpaw

The dark gray-brown tom swiveled an ear back to hear his sisters scuffling along the rugged, stony floor. Good, he thought, Sparrowpaw came to the rescue. Now Goldenpaw can deal with her own problems without bothering me.

"You ready to keep going now," he asked as he approached the adults, "We need to find a den before nightfall."

Goldenfur nodded, and Pinestar replied, "Yes, I think its best that we move on."

His eyes darted to the cliffs high above on either side of them. They formed a solid walkway that extended straight onwards, with no detours or turns of any kind. The entire face of each stone embankment was so smooth; Nightaw imagined that it had been weathered down by years and years of wind. As if summoned by his thoughts, a fierce, howling gale suddenly tore through the open tunnel from the direction in which they came, odd scents tinged within it.

Pinestar's nostrils flew wide, and his pelt fluffed up so much, he looked to be twice his—already large—size.

"We have to get out of here," he hissed, eyes wide and filled with horror, their pupils slits, "Now!"

No one—not even Goldenpaw—asked any questions, they just ran.

The others appeared panicked, but Nightpaw just calmly ran stride for stride with his father. There was no apparent immediate danger, the amber-eyed apprentice's alert senses told him that, but the white-chested leader probably knew of a threat that he didn't. And if there was one thing that Nightpaw knew, it was to almost always trust the knowledge of your elders.

When the seemingly endless hallways of stone finally ended, Pinestar took a hard left and expertly led them through a tangle of strong-smelling bushes. He stopped still in the middle, hunkering down and freezing like a rabbit for a long time, his eyes always scanning the surrounding area. After about an hour of hiding in the shrubs, in which time much frightened breathing and thundering heartbeats sounded between every member of the group but Nightpaw, Pinestar signaled them to stand with his tail.

"Is everyone okay," he whispered, looking them over with meticulous care.

"I—I think so," Greyleaf replied, obviously rattled.

"What was that," Goldenfur asked, ears pricked for signs of danger.

Pinestar shook his head slowly, pelt still on end. "Something you do not want to run into," he replied.

Nightpaw scented the air for the unseen menace, but the fragrant aroma of the surrounding bushes masked any scent that could be lurking outside of their position. It did not, however, overpower the metallic odor of blood that permeated the area surrounding his mother and sister's paws, as well as Goldenfur's.

"Check your pads," he ordered gruffly, and the grey and golden she-cats did as instructed, with the latter of the three reluctantly following directions as well.

The pads of their paws were riddled with cracks and fissures. Angry red flesh glowered in between the unfolded flaps, and small pebbles and rock pieces were strewn within it. The damage must have been done when they were running, as there had been no sign of injury beforehand. Goldenfur and Goldenpaw tentatively shook the gravel from its hold, and Greyleaf winced as she licked a paw.

"Woah," Sparrowpaw breathed, grey pelt dark against the reddish bushes around her, "That's not good! You two need some coltsfoot!"

She started to bounce away, her darker grey-tipped tail held up high, but Pinestar quickly mewed a, "Stop!"

The medicine cat apprentice immediately halted, one paw frozen in midair as if to take another step, and turned questioning green eyes to her father.

"You can't go," the leader—well, former leader—said, worry in his voice, "It's not safe." He walked over to her and gently laid his broad head atop hers, the first gesture of affection Nightpaw had seen him use for his progeny. "I'll go, instead. You all stay here," he added, turning back to look at them gravely.


It was not long before he returned with the herb in his jaws. The black-striped tom laid them at Sparrowpaw's feet and mewed an apology for his harsh-sounding words earlier, one that Sparrowpaw answered to kindly—as she did with everything. Pinestar instructed them that the shelter of the bushes was the safest place for them to stay, tonight, and no one argued with him.

As they finally laid down their heads to sleep, Nightpaw couldn't help but wonder how Pinestar knew so much about this place.


YAAY! Second chapter down!

Question Of The Day: Why do you think Pinestar knows so much about the mountains?