Chapter 2

Moving On

"It's sad, not having Blackpaw around anymore."

The day was bright and warm, the exact opposite of the Clan's sorrowful air. It had been a few days since the death of the young apprentice and although everyone was falling back into routine, nothing was quite the same.

"I know. We used to train together all the time," meowed a brown tabby she-cat. "It's weird not training with him and Ravenfur anymore."

"Poor Ravenfur," Sunpaw sighed.

Ever since the death of his first apprentice, Ravenfur was far less cocky and loud. Sunpaw wished he would just go back to being annoying so things could start to feel normal again.

"And Stonepaw. Blackpaw was his only brother."

"I know… You should have another bite, Leafpaw," Sunpaw coaxed, pushing the half eaten squirrel closer to her friend. Leafpaw wrinkled her nose as if disgusted, but took a small bite anyway.

"Sunpaw, come. It's time to go on patrol," Sunpaw's mentor, Thrushpelt, called.

"Here, you can finish this," the golden apprentice told Leafpaw, pushing the squirrel closer to her before bounding off to meet her pale tabby mentor.

"We're patrolling the WindClan border today," explained Thrushpelt as they began to walk out of camp. Another cat joined them but hung back to allow Thrushpelt to take the lead. "Specklewing, keep an eye out for the white tom."

The tortoiseshell warrior dipped her head and followed as they weaved through the forest. The reminder of the white warrior created an uneasy silence between the three she-cats and brought back memories that haunted Sunpaw.

A loud snap made the cats bristle their fur, and Specklewing even jumped. They paused to check out the source of the noise, then moved forward more slowly and carefully.

"Maybe we should have taken another warrior with us," Specklewing murmured uneasily, ears flat against her head. Sunpaw silently agreed, but her mentor turned on them so suddenly that she froze in her tracks.

"We are warriors, Specklewing. It's time we acted like one," Thrushpelt growled.

The heavy silence that plagued the patrol after Thrushpelt's scolding lasted until they reached the WindClan border. Sunpaw gave Specklewing a reassuring look, a little irritated with Thrushpelt for being so unsympathetic. I guess some cats grieve differently, she thought to herself.

All wariness about the white tom dissipated as they focused on renewing the scent on the border and kept a lookout for any WindClan patrols.

"What can you smell, Sunpaw?" Thrushpelt tested as they reached a large boulder.

"Rabbit," Sunpaw mewed slowly, letting the scents flow over her tongue. "Cats. Here not too long ago. A she-cat and two toms."

"Very good," Thrushpelt purred and they carried on.

They walked along the length of the border until the sun got too high in the sky. The next patrol would be coming out, so Thrushpelt led them back to camp. A warm breeze buffeted Sunpaw's fur, making her purr in delight.

Then it hit her.

Out of nowhere, Sunpaw remembered Blackpaw. How they always shared prey next to their favorite rock. How they always made a game out of their hunting excursions. How his golden eyes sparkled with delight when she called his name. He could have been her mate someday, she realized.

Sunpaw shook the thoughts out of her head only to find the two warriors staring at her expectantly.

"Uh, what?"

"I said, you did very well today," Thrushpelt meowed, tail flicking irritably. "Go eat and rest and we'll go hunting after sunhigh."

"Yes, Thrushpelt," Sunpaw said, dipping her head. Embarrassed, she padded over to the fresh kill pile and took the smallest mouse.

She passed by her favorite rock, knowing it would bring back painful memories of Blackpaw, and settled for a spot next to another apprentice, Stonepaw. Sunpaw wasn't really sure what to say to him- he had been Blackpaw's brother- so she just settled beside him and ate her mouse. He flicked his tail in greeting as he took small bites of his prey.

"How are things?" Sunpaw inquired at last, looking over at the gray and white tom. He fixed his blue gaze on her and shrugged.

"Okay I guess. Aspenfur gave me the day off. I wish she hadn't," he admitted, pushing his meal away and resting his head on his paws.

"Well, let's go do something!" she exclaimed as she finished her mouse in a few bites. "Let's go hunt for Oakflower and the kits."

"Would Rushstar be okay with us hunting since Blackpaw's death?" Stonepaw mewed hesitantly, though his blue eyes lit up.

"I don't think Rushstar would mind if we hunted for his mate and kits," Sunpaw purred. "Come on you big lump, let's get go ask Thrushpelt and Aspenfur."

Sunpaw found Thrushpelt sharing tongues with Aspenfur over by Highledge. She tried to be bouncy and confident in front of Stonepaw, but she was a little nervous approaching the she-cats, even if Aspenfur was her own mother.

"Thrushpelt, can me and Stonepaw go hunting?" Sunpaw asked. "We want to hunt for Oakflower."

"I gave Stonepaw the day off," Aspenfur mused, looking over at her apprentice.

"I really want to just get moving," Stonepaw admitted, casting his eyes to the ground.

"Okay, very well. But be careful and keep your senses sharp," Thrushpelt meowed.

Sunpaw nodded and led the way to the camp entrance, Stonepaw on her tail, when her sister, Marigoldpaw, and Sootwhisker padded into camp. Her sister's amber eyes were glowing and she was flicking her tail pleasantly, making Sunpaw uneasy. Sootwhisker was an older tom, a senior warrior, and the last two mates he'd had died while kitting. What was Marigoldpaw doing hanging around him?

"Well, are we going?" asked Stonepaw. She hadn't realized she'd stopped dead in her tracks.

"Yeah, sorry," she meowed briskly, shaking off her feelings of discomfort. "Let's go by the ancient oak!"

"Okay."

Together the two apprentices made their way through the forest, careful to make as little noise as possible. Sunpaw was enjoying the sounds and scents of the forest when a saddening thought came to mind. Had Blackpaw been out hunting and enjoying the forest when he got murdered? She shivered. Suddenly she wished they weren't out hunting without a warrior.

She heard a rustling of leaves and realized Stonepaw was gone. Great. While you were there lost in thought, you let Stonepaw get away, she thought worriedly. But a moment later the gray and white tom reappeared with a squirrel hanging from his mouth.

"Nice catch!" she praised. Her friend's tail curled with delight.

Maybe, just maybe with time they would all heal.