Nightfire- Thanks! I try to be as descriptive as I can. You might have seen a bit of Rock/Forest (teehee, I'm so naughty), and yes, some Rock/Falcon, too. You'll see how it all plays out...
catatheart- Sorry. I haven't read that fanfiction of yours, but since it bothered you so much, I changed Flametail to Embertail.
Mossface from WindClan- Hardly! :)
Illusionpool- Thanks!
SpottedHeart2646- It's perfectly okay. Thanks for the review!
Twitchtail13- I know, isn't she adorable?
And one final note--I love that Mother is getting so many favorites, but some of you favorite-ing people aren't reviewing the story at all. Please do-I really want to hear your input!
Disclaimer: Sroirraw sgnoleb ot Nire Retnuh.
Chapter 9: Spies
I woke up the next morning feeling lighthearted and almost giddy. As soon as I stepped outside I was bathed in the coming sunlight; it warmed me to the tips of my fur. It seemed as if yesterday's battle had never occurred; all was peaceful and bright. Warriors, queens, apprentices, and kits alike were in the clearing stretching, yawning, and shaking the final fuzziness of sleep from their minds. Affable meows of greeting echoed all around as everyone mulled about, half-listening to Voleclaw as he organized patrols.
"Hungry?" Birchpaw asked, coming up beside me in mid-yawn. "I barely ate anything last night, I was so exhausted."
"You, of all cats, should know that 'a Clan cat must feed the Clan before herself'," I teased, rasping my tongue over her ear.
"I think we deserve an extra morsel or two, after all the amazing fighting we did yesterday," Birchpaw protested. "I did save your life, if you don't recall."
"You're not going to hold that over her for long, are you?" purred Crookedpaw in amusement, padding out to join us. "I'm sure Forestpaw could've knocked him out in no time."
Birchpaw flinched, undoubtedly waiting for my hostile reaction. But I just laughed. "I'm sure you are correct. Right, Birchpaw?"
She was dumbfounded, but regained her composure quickly. "Whatever you say, o wondrous fighter." As we all trotted towards the fresh-kill pile, she whispered to me, "What happened?Do you have bees in your brain? Are you sick?"
"Let's just say we had a misunderstanding. Everything is good now," I replied loftily. "Anyway, I thought this was what you wanted."
"Do you hear me complaining?" Birchpaw laughed, twitching her whiskers playfully. "Now let's beg Thistlefoot and Reedheart to let us devour the fattest fish before being sent patrolling all day."
Our mentors didn't let us do quite what Birchpaw had planned, but they did let us sneak in one small mouse each. "For proving your excellent battle prowess yesterday," Reedheart meowed proudly; Birchpaw shot me a smug glance.
After we finished, we were put to work. Birchpaw got sent to the elders' den for 'tick patrol', as we called it, and Crookedpaw and I joined Aspenfur and Pebbleshine on a hunting patrol. In all the time that I had spent living in RiverClan, I had grown to like Pebbleshine's cheerful, gentle manner; the way she was always ready to help if you were sad or angry, or join in your laughter when you shared something funny. In some ways, she had become a mother to me, a replacement for the one I had barely known.
Aspenfur was a whole different matter. Yes, he was quite an able warrior and you probably couldn't find a cat more loyal to his Clan, but he was also irritable, prickly, arrogant, and temperamental. He never failed to criticize my hunting style or fighting techniques, and was forever comparing me to Crookedpaw. Oh, and one other lovely detail-his mate was Larchsting. Birds of a feather flock together, indeed.
"Your stance is all wrong," he told me now, while I was perched by the river. I tried to concentrate on the wriggling fish while he continued loudly, "Your paw is too high in the air, and your shadow is looming over the river. It's-"
I flashed my paw in the water, but only came out with a wet paw. Aspenfur sighed noisily from his pile of three fish. "Apprentices these days," he meowed to Pebbleshine, shaking his head. She tactfully ignored him.
"How do you stand him?" I hissed to Crookedpaw, turning my eyes back to the river, determined to prove to Aspenfur I wasn't a useless hunter.
He shrugged. "He's not that bad. He-oh, get that one! Oh, too bad. You'll get one, don't worry. Aspenfur can be grumpy sometimes, but he's a fantastic mentor. I owe everything to him. There's another one!"
"Got it!" I exclaimed gleefully, flipping the gleaming silver fish onto the bank. It struggled for a moment, then lay still.
Crookedpaw's eyes shone; he touched his tail to my flank momentarily. "Well done. I've never seen one so big."
"You sound like a mentor," I meowed teasingly, but my chest swelled with pride at his appreciation.
His eyes shone even brighter. "I really want to be a mentor once I become a warrior. Isn't it amazing, the pride you feel when you know you're contributing to the Clan by teaching others? And," he added quietly and a tad shyly, "it's a must if I ever hope to become deputy."
A queer ache formed in my throat. "You want to become deputy? And leader?"
Crookedpaw purred. "Doesn't everyone? It's a great honor, one that surpasses all others. Think of all the good you can do for your Clan, how much they can benefit if you make wise decisions. With a good leader, a Clan can become so strong!"
I was stunned. One reason was, of course, that I didn't realize Crookedpaw had the drive to become leader. I thought he was an incredibly skilled hunter and fighter, definitely, but he had never struck me as ambitious, quiet though it was. However, the bigger reason I was stupified was his motivation for achieving the position. I had only thought of me, and how everyone would have to respect me and honor my greatness. He was putting the Clan first, not thinking of how his power could benefit himself. Did that mean he was worthier of leadership than me?
Suddenly, Crookedpaw chuckled. "When we were kits, my sisters and I would plan out our future. I would be leader, Birchpaw would be deputy, and Sorrelpaw would be medicine cat. Birchpaw and Sorrelpaw would fight for ages about their positions. It's funny, they never disputed my right as leader."
His words registered in my head. "Wait a minute, who's Sorrelpaw? I didn't know you had another sister."
"Oh." Crookedpaw's eyes clouded. "I thought maybe Birchpaw had told you. Sorrelpaw was our littermate. She drowned three, maybe four days after our apprentice ceremony. It sounds so stupid, because RiverClan cats are such excellent swimmers. But there was a storm, and the riverbed was so slippery...It was horrible. My mother was utterly devastated, it being so soon after we had lost our father. Now that I look back, it seems so long ago, even though it wasn't." He fell silent, staring into the distance.
"I'm sorry," I murmured, pressing myself against him, feeling a little bewildered. It was amazing, I reflected to myself, how little I knew about him.
"Come on, you two," Pebbleshine called from further upstream. "We're heading back to camp."
Crookedpaw picked up his fish and turned around to follow the warriors without looking at me. Still feeling a bit shocked, I did the same, but lingered around the river for a little longer, trying to sort out our conversation.
Once I cleared my head a bit, deciding that I would try and confront Birchpaw with this new information, I started to head towards camp. Suddenly, I heard a small splash behind me. I jerked my head around, pricking up my ears. Nothing. I sniffed the air, but all I smelled was a heavy scent of mud. Then, I heard another rustle and a hurried whisper.
Dropping my prey, I crouched down and crept forward very slowly towards a clump of reeds. All my muscles were tense and my heart started racing as the adrenalin filled my veins. As I got closer and closer I could smell another scent below the stench of mud...
When I was a mouselength from the reeds, a hissing, spitting blur of brown-and-white fur tumbled out and pounced on me. Razor-sharp claws dug into my shoulders and raked down my stomach. I screeched and threw all my weight into pushing her off. To my surprise, it would have taken only the slightest effort, because she toppled backwards the moment I rocked forward.
Baring my teeth, I pinned her down. Her eyes were a bright leaf green, brimming with determination. WindClan scent was all over her. "Get off me," she snarled.
"And why should I?" I spat. "You're a WindClan cat. What are you doing on our territory?"
"None of your business," she retorted, squirming under my grip. I tightened it; she was so bony and helpless it wasn't hard to do.
"I think you're spying," I meowed coldly. "And you know what happens to spies? They get taken to camp, to be dealt with accordingly."
Fear flashed briefly in her eyes, but anger quickly smothered it. "I'm not afraid, you little piece of foxdung. Do with me what you will."
"Forestpaw!" It was Crookedpaw, bounding toward me, breathless. "We caught a WindClan cat slinking in on our territory. Seems you've found one, too," he added, looking down at the she-cat.
"We have to take her to camp. Help me," I said, releasing the she-cat. She got up, giving me a hard stare. I padded on one side of her; Crookedpaw on the other.
"So you two are apprentices?" she snorted. We kept silent. She gave a hollow laugh. "Silent treatment, huh? Whatever." But she was quiet the rest of the way to camp.
"Spies?! In our territory? Outrageous!"
"It's true, Basilclaw. Smell him; he stinks of WindClan!"
"Keep away from me!"
"Shut up. You have no right to be here!"
"Hey, look! There's another one!"
It looked as if all the cats of the Clan had gathered to jeer at the spies. They parted to reveal a skinny gray tom with patchy, unhealthy-looking fur. He met the she-cat's eyes and hissed, "So much for your little plan!"
"Hush!" she rasped, meeting every cat's stare with her chin held high. "Where is Thrushstar?" she demanded next.
"I am here," Thrushstar rumbled icily, padding forward. He looked furious. "What are you doing here? Who are you?"
"Surely you know me?" the she-cat replied, chuckling harshly. "Brightfang of WindClan. My companion is Stormwhisker."
"Of course," Thrushstar meowed, recognition flitting in his eyes. "Now, what are you doing here?"
Brightfang didn't answer, only swung her head away.
Several hisses of spite were launched by the RiverClan cats, myself included. Thrushstar signaled for silence. "I will hold you both prisoner in camp until you reveal to me what your mission is. Be sure that Spiritstar will hear from me at the Gathering—perhaps reinforced with sharpened claws." He turned to Voleclaw and Basilclaw. "Lead them to the old hollow by the warrior den. I want at least two warriors guarding them at all times. Do not let them escape!"
Now what could WindClan want spies in RiverClan for? You'll just have to find out...
Poor Crookedy. His dad is dead, one of his sisters is dead, his mother is cold and withdrawn (you'll see more of that in later chapters), and Birchpaw will...wait, I can't tell you! :)
Weiver!