Chapter 10
The sun hadn't even begun to peek over the treetops when Squirrelpaw woke, and she realized that she had been so used to waking up early to hunt with Stormfur that it had become a habit to be up before the sun. Shrewpaw shivered in his sleep beside her, and the ginger she-cat sighed, running her tail soothing down her friend's side before creeping out of the shallow scoop that formed the apprentice's den. Things were so much worse than she had imagined—the forest was nearly completely destroyed, her sister was missing…
The apprentice shook her head, trying to force away the pain that came from the thought. I know she's still alive. She's alive, and she'll find her way back to us. She has to. Her mind flickered—not for the first time—to Stormfur. If only Feathertail could come back to us…
"Up already?"
Squirrelpaw started, whipping around to see Dustpelt padding slowly towards her. She blinked fondly at her mentor. "I was going to do a bit of early morning hunting. We often got up and started travelling about this time."
The older warrior nodded. "Well let's go then. I haven't got anything else to do."
Squirrelpaw's ears perked. "Really?"
The tabby rolled his eyes. "You're still my apprentice, no matter how much you may have grown on your journey."
Squirrelpaw felt a purr rumbling in her chest, and bounding off eagerly when Dustpelt motioned again for her to lead the way. It was so much like old times that the bright apprentice could almost forget the hardships of the journey, and the destruction around her; until Dustpelt hissed for her to duck and be careful. She did so instantly, her ears picking up the steady roar of a monster.
"We're getting close to the old camp," he explained softly. "The monsters destroyed the entire thing."
"Rainwhisker told us, but…"
Dustpelt shook his head. "I still don't want to believe it myself. Unfortunately, it's true. We should stay away from that area, that's where most of the traps are."
The traps that took Leafpaw away from us… and Cloudtail and Brightheart… Squirrelpaw sank her claws into the cold ground beneath her. StarClan, why didn't you tell us sooner? If we had just had a little bit more warning… Maybe we could have actually done something!
"It's not your fault," Dustpelt rumbled, giving the lithe she-cat a rough nudge, breaking her out of her thoughts. "You and Brambleclaw have both done the best you could have. Going on that journey like you did, trying to save all of us…" His eyes met hers, and shining with approval. "You're more of a warrior than I've ever been."
Squirrelpaw's tail curled, her heart bursting at the unexpected praise. Dustpelt was among the most difficult warriors in ThunderClan to get along with, but as her mentor, he had always been (slightly) patient with her, and even when he wasn't, he was good natured about it. "I did learn from the best," she purred, flicking her tail-tip against his shoulder. "Now show me where I actually can hunt."
Dustpelt's whiskers twitched in amusement, though Squirrelpaw could tell that her words had touched him. "Right this way," he meowed, flicking his tail and leading the way.
By sunhigh, Squirrelpaw had only managed to catch a scrawny mouse, and though they searched for what felt like forever, that seemed to be all that there was. Upon returning to Sunningrocks, the ginger apprentice immediately brought it to Ferncloud, who was curled around her two surviving kits, Birchkit and Larchkit. The queen blinked gratefully at her, and Squirrelpaw felt a flash of concern for how tired and weak the queen seemed. Dustpelt joined the pale gray she-cat, curling protectively around her as if trying to keep her warm. Jealousy crashed through Squirrelpaw in a sudden white-hot wave, nearly making her stumble where she stood.
Stormfur… When can I see you again…? She tore her gaze away from her clan-mates, mewing a quick goodbye and stumbling to the edge of Sunningrocks, looking out at the river. Will we ever share a nest again? Will I get to hunt alongside you one more time? She scraped her claws against the cold stone. We said we would keep seeing each other, but when will we ever get the chance?
"Squirrelpaw," Brambleclaw's voice hardly reached her, but the touch of his tail on her flank brought her out of her thoughts, and with a frustrated sigh, she turned away from the river.
"What is it?" She tilted her head, trying not to let her frustration show.
Brambleclaw's whiskers twitched in the faintest amusement, and Squirrelpaw instantly knew she was doing a terrible job. "I know you miss him," he murmured, glancing around to make sure no one else was in earshot. "But gazing across the river like a love-struck hare isn't go to do anything for you or him."
Another sigh escaped her lips. "I know…"
"Come on then," he flicked his ears. "The Clan must be fed. Firestar had agreed to leave, as long as the other Clans will as well, remember? We just need to keep strong until then."
Squirrelpaw nodded, feeling a fierce determination bubbling in her chest. That's right. Right now, focus on ThunderClan. Focus on the prophecy and the job you must fulfill. When the Clans are safe again, Stormfur and I will work out what's going on between us. She bounded forward a few steps, feeling energized by her inner resolve. "Alright then, let's hunt! Tomorrow is they day we go to the Great Rock, so we should only have to push through one more day!"
Brambleclaw nodded. "Right, let's go."
Again, the results of the hunt were disheartening, at best. They had each only managed to catch one piece of prey; Squirrelpaw bringing back a bony sparrow, and Brambleclaw retuning with a squirrel that looked more starved than their clan-mates. Still, Squirrelpaw refused to let her spirits falter, dropping her fresh-kill on the pile and turning to go back out.
"That's enough for today," The ginger apprentice blinked up at Graystripe, who stepped forward and gave her a small nudge on the shoulder. "The forest isn't the same as it used to be, it's not safe to be out and about at night."
"But the clan needs to be fed!" Squirrelpaw objected stubbornly, her tail-tip flicking.
"Yes," her deputy agreed softly. "And it also needs every warrior to stay as strong as possible. We only just got you and Brambleclaw back, and you're both much more fit than any of us. The Clan needs you to stay that way, and to lead us to our new home when the time comes."
Squirrelpaw held her ground for a moment, before sighing. "I guess so…" Already it was nearly dark, twilight hovering eerily over the forest. "If that's the case, then I'll stand guard tonight."
Graystripe nodded. "Good, I'll let Ashfur know he's been relieved."
Squirrelpaw followed the big gray tom to where Ashfur was posted, looking out over RiverClan's territory. Maybe I'll see Stormfur… The apprentice couldn't stop the thrill that shot through her body at the thought, though she forced herself to remember her promise from earlier. ThunderClan comes first.
As Ashfur murmured a thank-you and left, Squirrelpaw took his place, sitting straight with her ears tall, listening for even the tiniest sound, her eyes scanning the border carefully. It wasn't an eventful watch, but something felt off to the ginger she-cat. Something's not right. She stood, glancing around, parting her jaws to taste the air. That scent… What is that scent…? Something about it brought back memories of the journey—of the small patch pf woods where they parted with Midnight and Purdy. Suddenly, it hit her, though as she whirled around to yowl a warning, she realized it was too late, and sudden shriek rising from the area Ferncloud was making her nest in.
"Fox! There's a fox!" Instantly, Sunningrocks was swarming with ThunderClan's warriors and apprentices, either trying to find the creature or trying to shelter the elders. Squirrelpaw searched wildly for the stinking animal, her heart nearly stopping as she saw it running towards the river, just a few tail-lengths away from her.
"It took Larchkit!" Ferncloud's wail chilled Squirrelpaw to the bone, even as she saw the tiny she-kit dangling from its jaws.
Oh no you don't! Rage burning in her veins, Squirrelpaw took off after the beast, which was attempting to wade through the river. Squirrelpaw was at the water edge when it swam to the other side. "Get back here!" She spat, racing across the stepping stones. It was wading through the shallows on the RiverClan side when a dark blur barreled into it, hissing furiously. Instantly, Squirrelpaw recognized the dark gray pelt, the stone she was on seeming to lurch beneath her feet. "Stormfur!"
She doubled her speed, flying across the stepping stones. "Stormfur it has one of Ferncloud's kits!"
Even as she yowled, Stormfur swatted at the fox's snarling jowls, causing it to drop the small form it held in the water. Squirrelpaw splashed desperately past Stormfur and the fox, snatching Larchkit out of the shallows and bringing her to the pebbly shore on Riverclan's territory. To Squirrelpaw's horror, the tiny kit didn't appear to be breathing. "Larchkit, no… You're stronger than this, I know you are…" She began licking at the kits soggy black pelt.
"Squirrelpaw, what's going on? Is the kit okay?"
The ginger she-cat shook her head helplessly. "The fox got into the hollow where Ferncloud was sleeping and took Larchkit, and now she's not breathing, and I don't know…" The RiverClan warrior brushed his tail across her mouth, silencing her as he bent over Larchkit. Carefully, he propped his paw beneath her, sitting her up. Squirrelpaw felt a wave of relief crash over her as the kit coughed, water trickling out of her mouth. "Thank StarClan…"
"It's a good thing you were here, Stormfur," Brambleclaw joined them, Graystripe and Dustpelt not far behind. Dustpelt immediately scooped up his kit, giving Stormfur a small nod before heading back across the stepping stones and to Sunningrocks.
Stormfur nodded. "I'm glad I was. No Clan needs a fox wandering their territory now that leaf-bare is starting.
Graystripe gave his son an affectionate nudge. "I'm proud of you, Stormfur," he rumbled. "You and Feathertail both." He then flicked his tail. "Come on you two, we should get back to camp."
Brambleclaw nodded, turning to follow their deputy, but Squirrelpaw hesitated. There had to have been a reason that Stormfur was hanging around the river—and the look in his eyes told her that it wasn't just to see her.
"Squirrelpaw," he hissed softly, beckoning her closer. Brushing his muzzle against her ear, he whispered urgently, "Leopardstar refuses to meet with the other leaders—RiverClan is declaring war on ShadowClan."
"What?" Squirrelpaw gasped, her eyes growing huge.
"Be sure to tell Brambleclaw," he meowed a little louder, before adding softly. "I'll see you soon, I promise."
Squirrelpaw blinked, watching as the RiverClan warrior turned away and vanished into the reeds, his smoldering gaze still burning in her mind. War with ShadowClan…? Oh, StarClan, this is all wrong! We're supposed to be coming together, not going to war!
Alright! This chapter is a little shorter than the last one, and I tried to add a little bit of drama. Really, I was planning on having the fox be the reason Larchkit died, but… I just don't want her to die Dx so… sorry, but she's gonna live lol. And to my reviewers:
joycewu333: I know it wasn't as exciting, and it just didn't seem all that great to me… but hopefully these next few chapters will make up for it!
KitTikKit: I'm glad you like it! And I will definitely keep an eye out for it! (:
Thanks again for reading, and remember that I always love to hear your thoughts! See you next chapter!