Chapter Nine
Moonlight seeped through the bramble walls of the apprentices' den. Shadowpaw laid in his nest, curled up with his eyes focused on the entrance to the den. Around him his denmates were sound asleep, tightly curled up into soft mounds of fur. Since returning to camp just before evening, Shadowpaw had been restless and filled with immense guilt. When Sagepelt went back for him, Shadowpaw had lied about losing the vole. Worried that his keen mentor would sniff out Cinder, Shadowpaw hurriedly left the small clearing. Sagepelt hadn't questioned him, simply just rejoining the border patrol with his apprentice. Upon returning to camp from their patrol, the young apprentice felt guilt-ridden and on edge. When Firepaw had offered to share a rabbit with him, he politely refused and made straight for his nest.
Breathing a quiet sigh, Shadowpaw glanced over at his sleeping denmates. Making sure each of them were asleep, he slowly rose to his paws and slipped out of the den. After returning to his nest earlier, he had made the decision to meet Cinder at midnight. Now all he had to do was sneak out of camp without being noticed. Luckily for him, his dark mottled tabby pelt blended in with the shadows—giving him enough cover to sneak along the edge of the camp wall. No cat seemed to stir, the grassy clearing turned silver in the moonlight. He could hear quiet murmurs from the entrance of camp, and he quickly dived into a tiny clump of brambles.
To his relief, the murmurs didn't seem to get closer. Maybe it's just night guards Echostar has set, Shadowpaw assured himself. If that's the case, I'd better leave through the dirt place tunnel. Belly just barely skimming the ground, Shadowpaw crept behind the nursery. Slipping through the narrow bramble tunnel, he pulled himself up and into the dirt place. Shaking his fur free of any bramble burs, Shadowpaw trotted near the entrance of camp. Carefully slipping under some bushes, he peered out in front of him. In the dim moonlight he could make out the tortoiseshell pelt of Amberfur, and the thick golden tabby pelt of Lionclaw. Just as Shadowpaw had guessed, the two warriors were on night duty.
Steadily slipping back out of the bush, he quietly padded further into LeafClan territory. Once he was no longer in his Clanmates line of sight, Shadowpaw crossed and headed straight for the clearing just south of the PineClan border. Shoving through the bushes and stumbling out into the tiny clearing, Shadowpaw gazed around. There was no sign of the gray flecked she-cat he had met earlier. Fur bristling along his spine, Shadowpaw could feel his guilt even more. He was breaking the warrior code for even being here! Anxiety threatened to sweep him away as well. His ears were perked, listening for sounds of his Clanmates in case they were out hunting late. Hunching over, Shadowpaw flattened his ears to his head. Where is she? He thought with a lash of his tail.
As if to answer his question, nearby bushes rustled and Cinder stepped out into the clearing. Her pelt wasn't covered in mud this time, instead her gray flecked fur shining silver in the moonlight. Blue eyes shining as bright as ice, Cinder confidently strode over and touched her nose to his in greeting. Shadowpaw returned her greeting with a quiet mew, and stood up.
"So you came," Cinder's eyes were glowing. "I knew you would."
Shadowpaw shook his head. "Only this once," he told her. "Whatever it is you need to tell me, please tell me now. I don't want my Clan to-"
Fury darkened his sister's eyes. "The Clans!" she spat with venom. "You must have really lost your memory to even consider being with those flea bitten fools!"
Flinching back, Shadowpaw stared at her with shock. Clearly the young she-cat wasn't fond of the Clans, but why? Taking a tiny breath of air, Shadowpaw met her gaze steadily. "Whatever your reasons are for hating the Clans, I can't agree with you," he rose his tail for silence when he saw her open her jaws to protest. "Maybe they were my enemy before I lost my memory, but they saved my life. That's all I remember them ever doing. I owe my life to LeafClan, and I'm not about to turn my back on them."
She gave an angry snort of contempt. "So you're just going to turn your back on your own kin?" Cinder hissed. "What about our mother, Shadow? Have you completely forgotten her too? Do you even realize how much your disappearance has hurt her?"
Shadowpaw blinked. He had never even thought about how hurt his own family may have been. Even though he didn't remember anything aside from his name, Shadowpaw felt a tight knot of guilt in his stomach. Was going home with Cinder the only chance he had to see his family again? To regain his memory even? Regardless, Shadowpaw was reluctant to leave the Clan that had been so kind to him for the past few days. And what about Sagepelt? What about Firepaw? Surely he couldn't just leave them behind to venture into the unknown?
Cinder seemed to sense his doubts, the fury in her eyes dying. "Shadow," she said, her tone more even now. "Is this what you really want? To stay here with these Clan cats?"
Shadowpaw stared down at his paws. "I-I don't know," he admitted. "I really like being a part of LeafClan. But I also don't know anything about myself or where I came from. Oh Cinder, what should I do? If you're really my sister, surely you'd tell me more?"
His sister's bright blue gaze was brimmed with an unexplainable emotion, before she turned away abruptly. "I'm sorry Shadow," she apologized, in barely more than a whisper. "I can't tell you anymore unless you agree to come back home."
Dismayed, Shadowpaw stepped forward. "Why not?" he asked, his eyes searching her face for any clues. "You should know I can't just leave LeafClan!"
Cinder shook her head, stepping back. "It's the order I was given," she growled, a guarded expression clouding her eyes. "And unless you come back home, I can't guarantee your safety within the Clans."
"What?" Shadowpaw gasped, his fur bristling in fear. "What do you mean? Is something going to happen to me? To the Clans?"
Turning away sharply, Cinder began to pad away. She glanced over her shoulder, her blue eyes burning with a cold fury. "You'll find out soon enough. Goodbye, Shadow."
Shadowpaw stared after his sister, as she thrust her way into the bushes. In an instant, she was swallowed up into the shadows, leaving the young LeafClan apprentice alone. Confused and scared, Shadowpaw trembled as he went to head back to camp. Should he warn Echostar? If he did, she would want to know where he heard Cinder's ominous warning from. He couldn't just tell his leader that he snuck out of camp, and got the message from his supposed sister! So just what was he supposed to do? Shadowpaw knew that he was on his own, and that he could tell no cat what he was told by Cinder. But was it the right choice? Could he really keep such a dangerous secret from his adopted Clan?
Sighing heavily, Shadowpaw started back towards camp with heavy paws. A sudden rustle in the undergrowth a few tail-lengths away jerked him from his thoughts. For a brief moment, Shadowpaw wondered if his wayward sister had decided to come back. His hopes were suddenly crushed, when he recognized the ginger pelt of his denmate emerge from the brambles.
"Firepaw!"
