Chapter 3:
Head Shake
Moonpaw stayed at camp during the gathering. It was disappointing not to go, especially with things heating up between Quailstar and Runningstar, but she didn't want Meadowpaw to have to entertain herself all alone.
Since the air was abnormally warm that night, Moonpaw and Meadowpaw decided to sit outside the apprentices' den to enjoy the weather while it lasted. Moonpaw abhorred leaf-bare and dreaded its impeding arrival, seeing that her paw pads froze over quickly and her darker coat made her stand out impossibly amongst the pure white snow. It was truly a dreadful period of time that she was happy to delude herself into thinking it wasn't happening this cycle for just a little longer.
Meadowpaw, though, she loved leaf-bare. Had it not been for the lack of prey, Moonpaw suspected that it would be Meadowpaw's favorite. Her coat was cream and she had fur between her toes to help keep warm and stay somewhat hidden in the sparkling white snow. They had both been poorly planned kits when last leaf-bare had struck ThunderClan and Moonpaw recalled, fondly, the way Meadowpaw liked to burrow beneath the snow and wait for an unsuspecting cat to walk past her to jump out at and surprise. That was the other thing, Meadowpaw was far daintier than Moonpaw and was light on her paws so she never sunk on the snow. At times, on the right type of snow, Moonpaw's enormous paws kept her from sinking, but usually she'd fall right through each time it snowed, leaving her flustered and embarrassed.
Even with her tingling hind leg, Meadowpaw was lighter on her paws than Moonpaw around the camp. They hadn't been able to settle on one place, each arguing in favor of different places.
Moonpaw would suggest, "How about we just stay by our den?"
But Meadowpaw kept shaking her head, "No, no," she'd tell her, "Then Falconpaw and Stonepaw will sit and listen to our conversation. We should go to the center of camp."
Then Moonpaw would scrunch her face up, "Then we'll be the center of attention, especially when the clan comes back."
Eventually they'd decided on a space by Quailstar's den. No one was around there during the night of the gathering and the untouched stone around it felt pleasantly cool on their bellies when they settled. There was a lovely view of the moonlight seeping through that acted as an invitation to keep quiet and admire it. The two did talk, of course, it was near impossible to be by a cat as chatty as Meadowpaw and not talk.
Meadowpaw was sprawled out, her belly facing the sky with her cream-colored face staring lazily at her friend, who laid more conservatively beside her. A soft breeze carried a warm current of air through their fur, eliciting a contented yawn from Moonpaw.
"Do you think Hazelpaw's still in her nest?" Meadowpaw asked quietly, adjusting her position so she laid on her side when it became too uncomfortable.
Moonpaw's whiskers twitched. "Probably not. She's always with Nightpaw, and since when has he ever stayed in on a gathering night?"
"Think she's alright?" Meadowpaw asked again. "You know how he can be."
Moonpaw suppressed an irritated flick of her tail. How Nightpaw treated Hazelpaw irked her. Hazelpaw was great company and she knew he was lucky she hadn't left him yet. One day, Moonpaw was positive Hazelpaw would realize the difference between how Nightpaw acted around Stonepaw and Falconpaw, the way Moonpaw acted around Meadowpaw, and see how it wasn't right in comparison, the way he acted with her.
The big-pawed she-cat tried to be nonchalant. "I'm sure she's alright."
The two were quiet after that, each lost in their own thoughts about Hazelpaw. Moonpaw had a feeling that Meadowpaw didn't believe her, but Moonpaw didn't believe herself either. Most of the clan just saw Meadowpaw as an aloof, goofy, flighty she-cat who didn't think all that much, but Moonpaw knew differently. She and Meadowpaw had been friends since their nursery days and she knew Meadowpaw was plenty intelligent, she just wasn't very mature about it most of the time.
"I want to go find her." Meadowpaw said abruptly.
Moonpaw's response was instantaneous, repeating Quailstar's previous words, "Apprentices are not to leave camp unaccompanied by a warrior after sundown." She looked at Meadowpaw, "We aren't allowed to leave."
"Nightpaw and Hazelpaw weren't allowed to leave either," Meadowpaw persisted, "I want to go find Hazelpaw."
"But Quailstar…" Moonpaw's meow trailed off, "The beast that bit you, it's still out there."
Meadowpaw flicked her tail in annoyed acknowledgement. "Yeah, it bit me, but just once, and I'm still fine. Leg feels a little weird, but other than that I'm fine! Even if we do find it again, we'll be okay."
Moonpaw hesitated, glancing around to see if anyone was listening in on their conversation. "Okay," she relented, "But I don't want to go any further than Ancient Oak, alright?"
The cream apprentice brightened, "Great!" She got up and trotted with purpose back to her den, not looking back to see if Moonpaw was following.
Moonpaw sighed, already regretting her decision, but followed Meadowpaw nonetheless. She wasn't as stealthy as the slender Meadowpaw, her enormous paws making a slapping noise against the stone that drew some brief attention to herself.
She glanced at the little circle of warriors stationed near the camp entrance who were not chosen to attend the gathering as she made her way to her den. Snowfang, Crowflight, Shadecrest, and Thorntail were there, each looking somewhat curiously back at her before looking away again. It wasn't an odd thing for cats to look Moonpaw's direction when the usual hustle of clan life was paused like it was then, but Moonpaw still felt somewhat self-conscious over it; she was the only cat in ThunderClan who was that loud.
Falconpaw and Stonepaw were in the den, by the mouth of it but invisible to anyone just peering into it. Their eyes glinted in the dimly lit space, amber and viridian, and one could see their tails swish in the dark. They were talking about Nightpaw, eagerly awaiting his return, when Moonpaw came in, but the conversation quickly turned into talk about WindClanners. They hardly seemed to notice Meadowpaw's and Moonpaw's return, which Moonpaw was grateful for. She didn't want to have to deal with her brother's friends.
Meadowpaw was waiting by the breach in the den wall that Nightpaw and his friends had made at the beginning of their apprenticeships, her ear twitching impatiently.
"Come on." Meadowpaw hissed quietly, drawing Falconpaw's attention.
His amber eyes landed on the two she-cats. "You two are leaving, too?"
Stonepaw looked over now as well, his gaze narrowing on his den-mates, but he didn't say anything.
"Yup, just for a little bit. Need to stretch my leg." Meadowpaw said nonchalantly, squeezing herself through the break in the den before they could respond.
"I thought she couldn't go to the gathering because she couldn't walk?" Stonepaw asked skeptically.
With Meadowpaw unable to answer, Moonpaw responded for her. "She couldn't deal with the walk all the way to the island and back, she can handle a little stroll.
Falconpaw's eyes flickered, "Alright then. Good luck."
Moonpaw began to crouch down so she could go after Meadowpaw, "For what?"
"Fitting through there. I can't imagine someone of your caliber getting through that, Bigpaws." Falconpaw sneered.
Hurt and embarrassment burned Moonpaw's pelt, but she did her best not to let it show.
She took a final glance at her den-mate, her wide eyes twinkling in defiance through the dark. "If you can fit, Falconpaw, I should have no problem." Moonpaw retorted, wriggling out of the den.
She tried to fit through as quickly and gracefully as possible, and though she got through fairly fast, she knew she'd sprayed some dirt and bracken in her haste. Either way, Moonpaw felt like she got through with her dignity intact.
Meadowpaw hadn't heard Moonpaw's exchange with their den-mates, already poised to race up the path that Nightpaw found in the slick stone walls. "Ready?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Moonpaw gave slight nod, "Yeah. Just make sure you keep low, some warriors are out in the clearing that might see us."
Without a response, Meadowpaw bounded silently up the incline, making it to the top of the stone before disapearing into the bushes. Moonpaw followed, taking nearly twice as long in an effort to quiet her paws.
Meadowpaw purred when Moonpaw made it up, "I think we're in the clear!"
Moonpaw purred back in agreement, trying to put Falconpaw's comment behind her. "Yeah, we should be fine now that we're up here." She glanced back at the camp below, then at the sprawling forest before them. "So should we just wander around a little and see if we pick up Hazelpaw's scent or something?"
"Sure!" Meadowpaw chirped, her eyes widening a little as she faced the forest herself.
Without another word, the two slipped from the view of camp into the foreboding forest. Moonpaw and Meadowpaw were both far more alert this time, both undoubtedly nervous about being out at night again. Neither spoke for a while, all their energy focused on staying aware of their surroundings. There was no running, no playing, no joking, there wasn't anything. The light mood that the two shared at the top of the camp was long dead, succeeded by a feeling of nerve and dread that left them tense.
Moonpaw nearly asked Meadowpaw to let them turn around and go back, but held back. She knew Nightpaw wouldn't be as vigilant in keeping aware of his environment as they were being and she worried about Hazelpaw. Nightpaw was too arrogant for his own good.
"I'm not catching either of their scents, Moonpaw," Meadowpaw said, glancing around as though checking if her nose had deceived her, "Do you think they went towards ShadowClan territory instead of the lake?"
"Maybe," The gray she-cat said nervously, her anxiety building. Moonpaw shook her head firmly, "I think we need to turn back, Meadowpaw. I don't want to be out here anymore, if we get caught-"
"What if Hazelpaw gets caught?" Meadowpaw interrupted, her hackles raising.
"She'll be alright," Moonpaw insisted, "Nightpaw's with her, surely he wouldn't just leave her if something happened… right?"
Meadowpaw hissed, "Your brother's a flea-pelt, Moonpaw. Of course he'd leave her! Even worse, if the beast finds them, Nightpaw might even convince Hazelpaw to sacrifice herself so he can get away! You know she's faster than him by a long shot!"
Moonpaw bristled at the accusation. Nightpaw wasn't the best sibling, or even the best clan cat, but he was still her brother. "Hazelpaw's his friend, Meadowpaw, he has to care for her! I doubt he'd do something that vile. Contrary to what you believe, Nightpaw is not a monster."
Meadowpaw's tail whipped harshly to the side in ire, "He's close enough to one to me! I doubt even Duskpaw would deny that! You and Hazelpaw are probably the only cats in ThunderClan besides himself that would say anything good about him!"
"Cedardapple would! Our mother would defend him, Smokepath, too! His family knows him best, Meadowpaw. I'm his sister, not you!" Moonpaw snapped, baring her youthfully-white fangs at her friend.
Meadowpaw balked at Moonpaw, disbelief in her face as she continued to speak in Nightpaw's favor. Both cats had stopped moving now and were breathing somewhat heavily from their argument. "Why would you keep defending him?" She asked slowly. "He would never do that for you, Moonpaw, do you know that? Nightpaw wouldn't do that for anyone but himself."
"You don't know that." Moonpaw insisted, trying in vain to chase away the doubt in Nightpaw that was accumulating in her conscious. Nightpaw was a good cat, he just made bad choices.
Meadowpaw's jaws parted to tell her otherwise, but a subtle change in the air distracted her. She scented the air and her pupils dilated in surprise. "Hazelpaw." She said sharply, the conversation long forgotten by the cream-colored apprentice.
Moonpaw scented the air after, stiffening when she did recognize their friend's scent. She was upwind, closer to camp.
The two she-cats trotted side-by-side, the warm breeze ruffling their coats. Moonpaw hadn't been expecting to find any trace of Hazelpaw that night with their small search range and strained amount of time the gathering permitted. A part of her was relieved to know that Hazelpaw was alright, but another part wished she hadn't found her because that probably meant that Nightpaw wasn't there.
Moonpaw's tail twitched with concern for her brother. Meadowpaw thought she knew him, she thought he would sacrifice Hazelpaw to save himself, but Moonpaw knew he wouldn't do that. Her brother was a lot of things: lazy, self-centered, and arrogant, but he wasn't bad. He wouldn't throw Hazelpaw, or anyone for that matter, to the beast if things came down to it.
He was good, he would always be good.
The thick-pelted she-cat quickened her pace. If Nightpaw was in trouble, she wanted to find out as soon as she could. For him, she'd break the rules and go off on her own to find him because he was family, even if it meant punishment later.
Meadowpaw matched her speed without comment, but Moonpaw knew it was for different reasons. Her cream-coated friend thought Hazelpaw was alone because Nightpaw left her or tried to sacrifice her to the beast. Moonpaw knew otherwise.
Nightpaw would not let her down, not this time.
A few breaths later and Moonpaw could see her, tucked delicately into the shaded shrouds of foliage. Her figure looked lithe and effectively built, something Moonpaw envied, each edge of her highlighted by the milky silver of the moonlight. Though her form was ethereal beneath the full moon, she looked defeated. Her head was hung low, her slender tail dragging in the bracken behind her, undoubtedly catching burrs on its way, and her shoulders were visibly sunken and sagged even with the distance between her and Moonpaw.
She saw no sign of Nightpaw.
Muzzle raised slightly, Moonpaw scented the air. She could smell that Hazelpaw had been around him lately, but caught none of the signature burning odor of adrenaline or fear. Moonpaw felt her heart drop into her stomach and her paws suddenly felt heavier.
"Hazelpaw!" Meadowpaw bellowed, her voice carrying through the wind to where Moonpaw would've been worried about being caught had Nightpaw been there too.
Meadowpaw ran towards a startled Hazelpaw, taking her off guard when she rubbed against her flank. Her eyes were wide and her fur was somewhat bristled when she stammered, "M-Meadowpaw? What're you doing out here?"
The cream-colored apprentice's eyes twinkled when she backed away from her denmate. "Looking for you! With that beast roaming around we," Meadowpaw backtracked, glancing critically at Moonpaw, "Well I, was worried about you! There's no telling what crazy thing Nightpaw would've gotten you into on a night like tonight!"
A low growl formed in the back of Moonpaw's throat as she fought the urge to defend herself and her brother. She knew there wasn't any point in telling Meadowpaw that she did care about Hazelpaw and arguing that Nightpaw wasn't a bad cat; Meadowpaw believed what she wanted to believe and there wasn't anything that could change it. So Moonpaw stayed at her distance and watched them, only giving an ear's twitch in defeated acknowledgement when Hazelpaw peered over Meadowpaw to see her through the hooded eyes of the moonlit night.
Hazelpaw gave a half-hearted purr, looking far more desolate than Moonpaw felt. She looked somewhat more radiant with the knowledge that her other friends had thought of her, but still held an overall gloomy stance. "Oh, that's nice." She said lamely, suddenly looking uncomfortable on top of everything else.
Then, Moonpaw found her voice, however quiet it was. "Where's Nightpaw?"
At Nightpaw's name, Hazelpaw's head bowed again. She looked miserable, "He left me. Wanted to prove that you guys were lying about the monster, that it was just some yappy two-leg dog that got loose and scared you both. I'm supposed to be running around the territory right now but I got scared and came back here to wait for him."
Meadowpaw hissed and snarled at the delivered accusation, her whole body doubling in size and her eyes narrowing into snake-like slits. "Lying?" She nearly yowled, "Why would I lie? How could I have lied? My leg still doesn't feel right! I hate him, I hate him, I hate him so much and I hope the monster kills him tonight! StarClan, I might even kill him! It'd serve that badger right!"
Hazelpaw perked up at Meadowpaw's response, taking on a defensive look. "Take that back, Meadowpaw! You saw the thing first-paw, no one deserves to die like that and you know it!" She told Meadowpaw, her voice quiet but firm, her own eyes narrowing as she spoke, her sorrow and disappointment fleeing from her expression.
Moonpaw, the silent spectator, watched in shock when Meadowpaw haphazardly swatted at Hazelpaw's cheek with an unsheathed set of claws. Hazelpaw's eyes broadened and she ducked under Meadowpaw's harmful reach and launched herself at her denmate, roughly head-butting her friend in the chest. Meadowpaw easily toppled over, her poor posturing sending her flailing into the leaf-sodden earth. She struggled on her back for a moment, furiously twisting around in her own skin, before she found her footing once again.
Her eyes were wild when she bared her fangs and flattened her ears at Hazelpaw, who watched her warily. A garbled growl emitted from Meadowpaw, her tail lashing angrily behind her, accumulating thorns and gathering leaves as it moved. There was a thickness to the air as the two stared at each other, waiting for a move to be made.
The moment of peace was enough for Moonpaw to think clearly again. The large she-cat came closer, snapping twigs as she moved. With each cracking sound she made, she noted that the feuding she-cats didn't move a muscle, their ears barely twitching to acknowledge the noise. Moonpaw went to Hazelpaw's side and looked at her cream-coated friend, who held a feral look in her normally bright, happy eyes. She'd never seen Meadowpaw act this way their entire lives. Meadowpaw may have had a temper, but she hardly held onto it, much less attack someone over it.
Meadowpaw's gaze shifted from Hazelpaw to Moonpaw, a flicker of disbelief flashing within them before her, side-by-side in apparent unison. "So that's how it is?" She asked, glancing from denmate to denmate. "Both of you turning on me? Over that awful tom? I can't believe this."
Moonpaw took a step forward, "Meadowpaw-"
A loud, cutting hiss flew from Meadowpaw's parted jaws, "Don't you dare!" Her facial features twisted in an unnatural way neither she-cats had ever seen before, then her stance seemed off, one side slightly slanted. Meadowpaw's whole body twitched and she was gone, running a sloppy, off-beat run that made her look like she would fall over at any second.
"Wait!" Moonpaw cried, "Meadowpaw, where are you going?"
Meadowpaw yielded no response, further propelling herself into the depths of the oak forest.
Hazelpaw watched stiffly from Moonpaw's side, her eyes fixed on where Meadowpaw's distressed figure had disappeared to. Her pink tongue swiped over her muzzle nervously and her tail quivered just above the ground.
Moonpaw shifted anxiously on her paws, her attention viciously moving between Meadowpaw's sudden disappearance and Hazelpaw's frozen form.
"Did she hurt you?" Moonpaw decided to ask, glancing at Hazelpaw's pelt, which seemed to be without any outstanding abrasions.
Hazelpaw blinked, relaxing somewhat at Moonpaw's voice. "No, she didn't get me." She murmured, still not able to look away from that one spot in the woods. "I don't understand what happened with her, she doesn't normally do that, does she?"
"No, never, not even once!" Moonpaw responded. "I mean, she was a little irritated before we found you, but I would never have imagined that she'd attack anyone. I don't know what's wrong with her."
Hazelpaw took a deep breath, "Okay, I'm done tonight. I think we need to go back to camp, at least to the passage behind the apprentice den."
Moonpaw's tail twitched in disagreement, "But what about Meadowpaw? I think we need to go get her, the monster's still out there, Hazelpaw. I don't think anyone should be out here by themselves. It's bad enough that Nightpaw's out there by himself, but at least he's in his right mind! Meadowpaw can't be alone in the forest right now, not in her state."
"What about Meadowpaw?" Hazelpaw asked, vehemently, "What about us? I don't want to go find her, she's about scared the fur off of me, Moonpaw! We need to go back, now! I refuse to seek her out, she is dangerous and she's willing to attack us, her own friends!"
Moonpaw blanched, she knew Hazelpaw was right.
She looked somewhat expectantly at the dark recesses between the thick oak forest where Meadowpaw had bounded away as though her friend would come back at any moment. In her heart, Moonpaw had a feeling this wasn't going to be a once and done thing, that something snapped in Meadowpaw that she would never have the capacity to understand. She just didn't have the slightest clue what it was or why it happened. Meadowpaw was hardly aggressive, Moonpaw couldn't even find a memory of the cream she-cat acting truly hostile to anyone. She was outgoing and friendly, even with other clans during tense times. Meadowpaw had friends in RiverClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan who always brightened at the sight of her no matter the complexities of clan relationships. She'd always been a ray of sun streaking through the difficult crevices of everyday life.
"Moonpaw," Hazelpaw persisted, "We need to go back."
The gray apprentice looked fretfully where Meadowpaw had gone a moment longer before hesitantly flicking her tail in agreement. "Meadowpaw will be alright," Moonpaw said, quietly, "Nightpaw as well."
"Of course Nightpaw will be alright, he's one of the best apprentices in ThunderClan," Hazelpaw said, confidently, "He might even beat us back."
Hazelpaw, clearly on edge, made the first move towards camp, seeming to be in a hurry to get away from the area. When Moonpaw didn't follow straight away, she glanced at her over her shoulder, "Moonpaw? Come on, what are you doing?"
Moonpaw's ears twitched in acknowledgement. "Hang on, Hazelpaw, I just… I feel like I need to try to find her, I won't look for very long, I promise." She padded forward, away from her denmate, who watched impatiently, as though she was considering leaving Moonpaw and making a mad-dash for camp.
She didn't wait to properly see Hazelpaw's response, instead ducking into the heavy forest just as Meadowpaw had. Her senses were on overdrive, her nerves making her jumpy and uneasy as she tracked Meadowpaw's scent as her ears swiveled atop her head and her whiskers vibrated in the crowded space. Moonpaw's paws were careful, but still sounded a plethora of snaps and crunches as they moved her along the scent-trail.
"Meadowpaw?" Moonpaw asked, hesitantly, her eyes flickering anxiously in search of the cream-colored apprentice.
The dark, foliage, and fresh scent of Meadowpaw played tricks on Moonpaw. Shadows moved with the wind, casting phantom paws and fur shifting around her and the whole forest seemed to crinkle and shift as though to discourage her search. Moonpaw was vaguely conscious of the fact that Hazelpaw was by herself, waiting with fright for her to come back and she felt a pang of guilt. Had she convinced Meadowpaw to stay in camp, Hazelpaw probably would've gotten back to her nest by now and Meadowpaw might not have had her outburst.
All the sudden, she felt like a horrible clan member and friend.
She felt herself stop at the thought, taking a breath to take in her situation: tendrils of brambles had woven into her thick fur; mud was caked onto paws and hocks with bits of leaves packed into it; and her heart was racing, fighting against her ribs with a rabid ferocity. She expected to feel like she was being watched, tracked by either Meadowpaw or the beast, but Moonpaw felt no eyes upon her. At the unexpected realization, Moonpaw was able to calm her erratic heart and take slower breaths.
She tried again, "Meadowpaw? Meadowpaw, can you hear me? Hello?"
Moonpaw stood, rigidly, awaiting a response, her shoulders sagging somewhat when she only heard the whistling breeze through the leaves. She nearly called out again when a familiar light figure staggered awkwardly through the thickets.
Meadowpaw's normally clear, bright eyes looked clouded with confusion and her fur looked ragged from her run through the dense area. She favored the back leg that was bitten by the beast, keeping it somewhat raised as she stiffly moved closer.
She met Moonpaw's gaze, a look of fear accompanying her haze. "M-Moonpaw, something's wrong," Meadowpaw told her, shakily, as though she hadn't run off in a fit of unreasonable rage moments earlier.
Moonpaw looked Meadowpaw over for any obvious hindrances aside from the stiff leg and noticed something was off with her face and posture in general. Meadowpaw's face seemed slanted, one side leaning slightly to the other, and she caught the young cat's face fighting a twitch. Her legs looked unsteady, like they were too frail to properly hold up her body and also looked to be fighting some sort of spasm.
For a breath, Meadowpaw seemed to get a break from the spasms, but they returned swiftly. Her head shook and her back started to curve inward, forcing her shaking head skywards, her maw cranking open as her paws began inching backwards to compensate for her head's forced position. Moonpaw watched, skipping breaths and feeling her eyes broaden and her pulse spike. Meadowpaw's head continued to shake and whip around in short but violent motions, her jaw starting to snap at nothing, spewing a broken, disturbed meow that cut straight through Moonpaw.
Then she was on the ground.
Meadowpaw started on her back, having fallen straight backwards, but quickly flopped on her side, her legs jutting out stiffly like logs. Her neck was taut between each horrible jerk that plagued her and the she-cat's body quaked, not quite as dramatically as her head and neck, but enough to add to the effect.
Moonpaw stood, frozen in horror before she had the sense to call out. "Hazelpaw! Hazelpaw, help!" She shrieked, her hackles rising and her tail doubling in size as she watched her best friend in what looked like the throes of death.
Almost immediately, Moonpaw could hear Hazelpaw come crashing through the undergrowth, nearly crashing into Moonpaw. The pale apprentice skidded to a stop less than a tail-length from her friend when she saw Meadowpaw, her fur and stare mimicking Moonpaw's.
"Moonpaw, what's happening? What's wrong with her?" Hazelpaw asked, frantically, backing closer to the thicket of brambles behind her and Moonpaw, recoiling at the sight of her denmate.
"I don't know!" Moonpaw exclaimed, her meow shrill. "You've got to get help, get Brightfur! Everyone's got to be coming back by now! Go towards WindClan territory, they've got to be close!"
Without another word, Hazelpaw fled the horrifying sight, leaving Moonpaw to watch in agony as Meadowpaw came closer to StarClan.
Author's Note:
I AM SO, SO, SO SORRY! This should've been up so much sooner! I've just been so busy and then this chapter just wasn't really coming to me and I sort of had to force myself to keep going around the midpoint... But yeah I had a ton of stuff going on, I had finals, my high school graduation, and I've been in a lot of pain lately so it's been difficult to think about the story very much. Since January, I've been having stomach aches off and on all day, every day and it's been taking a toll on me (I'm getting an endoscopy next week). And I'm moving next week, so that's been taking up my time along with my job.
So I've been a busy gal! Of course, that's no excuse, I should've updated sooner and I promise I'll get the next one up ASAP. Thank you all for your patience!
-Jay
Review responses:
I-really-hope-not: Glad to see that not everyone completely hates Nightpaw! Yeah, his relationship with Hazelpaw is definitely different (not in a very good way, though). As for the wolf pack thing, don't worry, Jag's story will come in later probably in one of Nightpaw's chapters. And this time I actually will be updating soon because I've already gotten a page and a half written of the next chapter!
Icytopia: Yeah Nightpaw isn't very loveable… or reliable… And Lyssa will be elaborated later on, probably on one of Nightpaw's chapters! By the way, thanks for reviewing on my other two chapters! :D