Indigo Twilight

Chapter Twenty

News

The next day, Wavepool crouched behind a rock, observing Sweetpaw as she stalked a mouse. The apprentice leaped forward and killed the mouse with a swift bite to the neck. Wavepool nodded, pleased. She continued to watch as Sweetpaw lay the mouse on a rock nearby before she scurried off into the bracken. Wavepool listened and heard the call of an eagle. As it swooped down for the mouse, Sweetpaw jumped from the bracken on top of its back, and began clawing its feathers out. Blood spattered the ground, and the eagle let out a call of pain before dropping to the ground.

Sweetpaw picked up her mouse and buried it in the bracken before dragging her eagle into the clump as well. Wavepool decided the assessment was over, and padded out to meet her apprentice.

Sweetpaw bounced excitedly. "So, how did I do?" she asked.

Wavepool purred. "I think it's time."

Sweetpaw squealed happily. Then she ran into the brambles, pulling out the eagle.

Wavepool took it from her by one wing, as the apprentice went back in to get her mouse. The two she-cats padded back to the cave, depositing the catches on the fresh-kill pile.

Patcheye came in and licked his lips. "Oh, yummy." He picked up the mouse and padded into the nursery.

Wavepool hurried into Fogstar's den, Sweetpaw just behind. She was surprised to find Sleepytail, Swiftriver, Mousepaw and Drizzlefoot in the den too.

"…and after that we lost his scent," Drizzlefoot was saying. "But it seems as if he was leaving the territory."

Swiftriver shifted his paws uncomfortably. "Maybe he just needed sometime alone or something…"

"He left yesterday," Mousepaw sneered. "He's left the Clan, that's what's happened."

Sleepytail nudged her apprentice. "Hush!" she scolded.

Wavepool nudged forward between the cats. "What's going on?" she asked, looking from one Clanmate to another.

Fogstar bowed his head. "It seems," he meowed softly, "that Eaglewind has fled the territory."

Wavepool's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

Drizzlefoot glanced at her. "He ran out of the cave yesterday, angered." She shook her head.

"We think he left the territory because of that," Sleepytail put in. "We just need to figure out where he's going."

"Except we can't," Drizzlefoot continued, "because we lost his scent through a large area of snow."

Wavepool's heart began to race. Where could he have gone? "Take me to the place," Wavepool meowed.

"It'll be hard to scent anything." Swiftriver warned. "Are you sure?"

Yes! Take me, please! So I can see what dirty tricks he's up to! "Positive."

Drizzlefoot led the way out of Fogstar's den, followed by Sleepytail, Mousepaw, Swiftriver, and Sweetpaw, with Wavepool bringing up the rear. The patrol hurried out of the cave out into the afternoon light. They

raced down the mountain, and before long, they reached the massive area of snow.

Mousepaw curled his lip. "Twoleg stench all over the place. They're probably the cause of this thing."

Wavepool noticed a cat like trail in the snow. "He headed over there," she meowed, pointing with her tail. She followed the trail at a run, with her Clanmates behind her. They stopped at the end of the trail. Wavepool drew in the air over her scent glands. Suddenly, she smelt it; Eaglewind's scent! It was there, but it was very faint. She slowly followed it, keeping her mouth open to scent him.

When they had gone past the scent markers, Wavepool looked up from the ground. They reached a cliff edge.

Mousepaw and Sweetpaw looked over the edge. "Woah." Mousepaw's eyes were wide. "That drop could kill a cat!"

Sweetpaw pointed down with one paw. "Wavepool!" she called. "Come look at this!"

Wavepool hurried over to see what her apprentice was pointing at. She inhaled sharply when she saw.

A path led down the cliff into a large cave.

The IceClan deputy strained to hear anything coming from inside the cave. She picked up a few voices, but couldn't hear them clearly enough to hear what they were saying. She sniffed the air… Eaglewind's scent led down into the cave.

"We need to report this to Fogstar," Wavepool meowed.

"We'll go," Drizzlefoot meowed, glancing at Sleepytail, Mousepaw and Swiftriver.

"I'll come too!" Sweetpaw exclaimed. She hurried over to the leaving cats.

Sleepytail glanced back at Wavepool. "Recon?" she called back.

Wavepool nodded. "For sure."

Sleepytail's ears twitched. Then she followed Swiftriver back through the field of snow.

Wavepool turned back to the edge. She gulped.

"Here I go," she muttered.