Yes, I know it has been a long time. However, this is my last week of school, so I will be able to type more often. Hopefully, I'll also be putting other stories up as well. I have two or three Warrior ones I've started writing.
Thanks to Swiftwind, ravenblaze123, lakestorm, and Echosky of ForestClan for reviewing. It means a lot. And thanks to everyone that favorited this story. You're all awesome!
So, here's the chapter. Hope you like it.
Chapter 33: Battered Hearts
The waxing moon shone against the sky, inching closer to a full circle. The Gathering was growing closer, meaning half a moon had passed. Apprentices of each Clan had trained their speed, their muscles, and their fighting skills. On the half moon, Maplepaw had ventured to Mothermouth with Spottedleaf. Neither cat had received a dream from StarClan mentioning the war, nor had the other cats. Yellowfang was shone where to find catmint for her Clan, Barkface had been told of a goldenrod patch near the edge of his territory, Mudfur was told where yarrow had escaped the frost, and Spottedleaf learned of a deathberry patch near camp that had been revealed due to melting snow. She would warn the cats not to go near it, in case a few scarlet berries had escaped the cold.
Maplepaw had dreamt of Goldenflower, seeing the queen ragged and weak. Her belly was swollen, indicating kits. But her stick-thin body made her appear ill. Around her neck was a silver thread that glinted in the light through rusty, caked on blood. Goldenflower turned to look at Maplepaw, her eyes wide and scared.
"Help me." she whispered. Yowls sounded behind her, causing both she-cats to flinch. Mist swirled, blurring the queen. Maplepaw called out her name, frantically racing toward her. The mist evaporated, turning to darkness. She opened her eyes, seeing the dark cave around her. Beside her, Spottedleaf stirred. The dappled she-cat seemed unnerved, but didn't speak.
Maplepaw urged to tell her about Goldenflower, but when she opened her mouth, no words came out. She let the vision go, knowing she couldn't help the queen.
However, she kept having nightmares of the disappeared queen. She couldn't even tell her sister, for Cloverpaw was having problems of her own.
Cloverpaw sat in the apprentice's den, nursing her recently-dislocated shoulder. I'm such a klutz. She thought, letting out a sigh. During hunting, her paw got stuck in a mouse hole. It was the same shoulder that she injured by sparring Thornpaw. For such a young cat, she had already been through her fair amount of insanity and bizarre stunts. Unfortunately, there were more to come.
"Cloverpaw, you should come out. The clouds disappeared and the stars look amazing." Fernpaw called, sticking her head through the entrance. Cloverpaw stood to her feet, feeling a small ripple of pain in her shoulder. She padded out of the den, Fernpaw at her side. The other apprentices stood in a semi-circle as they stared at the sky. The two she-cats joined them, settling next to Brightpaw and Thornpaw.
Mossblaze, Graystripe, Fireheart, and Ravenshadow had left camp to do a night run through the forest. Cloverpaw wanted to go with them, but was told to rest. She saw Featherfur pull a rabbit into the nursery, her plume of a tail sweeping across the ground. Cloudsplash rested next to Mousefur, the two laughing as they ate. Bluestar was in Spottedleaf's den, checking up on Lionheart.
The Clan seemed peaceful under the stars.
"You guys are so lucky! You get to be in the battle!" Ashpaw complained, looking at his den-mates. Thornpaw and his sister shared a look before shrugging.
"It's not that big of a deal. We're just defending our Clan." Brightpaw meowed, flicking her ear.
"And we are the oldest apprentices." Thornpaw added. Immediately, Ashpaw and Scarpaw glanced at Cloverpaw.
"She's the same age as us. It's not fair that she gets to fight." Scarpaw retorted.
"It's because she's Mossblaze's apprentice. She gets special treatment." Ashpaw sneered. Cloverpaw flattened her ears, not knowing what to say. Thankfully, Thornpaw was on her side.
"This is why you weren't chosen. You're acting like kits and kits are no use in battle." he meowed calmly, staring at the younger apprentices. Scarpaw and Ashpaw pinned their ears to their heads.
"You need to calm down." Fernpaw scolded, turning to her brothers. They let out a hiss before walking back to the apprentice den. Stupid toms. Cloverpaw thought, flicking her ears. Along with the other apprentices, she switched her attention to the sky. The stars shimmered, white against the ebony horizon as the lights blanketed the sky.
"Having fun?" Runningwind asked, padding towards them. Spottedpaw glanced at the warrior and smiled.
"In a way, since my annoying brothers are gone." she replied, casting a glance to the apprentice den. The entrance rustled, causing Runningwind to laugh.
"I can talk to their mentors. Otherwise, I think you should make sure you guys get some sleep soon. I know tomorrow's going to be a hard day for every cat considering there will be a Gathering. If you do well, you might be able to go." he meowed. The apprentices nodded, taking in the warrior's consideration. Among the recent events, he was recently becoming a senior warrior.
The young cats bowed their heads before heading back to their den. When Fernpaw poked her head through the bracken and brambles, she saw no sign of her brothers.
"They're gone!" she gasped, facing her den-mates.
"What? That can't be." Spottedpaw retorted. She pushed herself into the den and searched the small area. Turning to the others, her eyes widened as she picked up her brother's scent. Ashpaw and Scarpaw had managed to squeeze through the back of the den in order to not be caught by anyone.
"We need to find them!" Fernpaw shouted, her fur standing on end. Cloverpaw snorted, her eyes harsh as she stared at the distressed sisters.
"Let them get in trouble, they deserve it." she murmured, sitting next to Brightpaw. She flicked her ears as the splashed she-cat whispered something to her.
"That's horrible. What if they get hurt? Or what if Tigerclaw takes them as hostages?" Fernpaw glared at Cloverpaw as Spottedpaw stared at Brightpaw and Thornpaw. The two sisters twitched their tails before bolting past their den-mates. They headed towards the dirtplace exit, vanishing into the forest.
"We need to go after them." Brightpaw meowed, her fur rising.
"All seven apprentices can't go missing. What would Bluestar do if she caught us? We need to tell one of the warriors." Thornpaw insisted. Cloverpaw unsheathed her claws, trying to control her anger as she dug them into the snow.
"Then they'll hate me even more!" she shouted, her green orbs wide.
"But we need to do something!" Brightpaw retorted.
"I'll go tell my sister. She'll cover for us until we can get them back." Cloverpaw muttered, padding to Spottedleaf's den. When she returned, Maplepaw was following her. The light brown she-cat was wary of the other apprentices as she met up with them.
"I'm coming with you." she stated, flicking her tail from side to side. Thornpaw opened his mouth, but was cut off. "I already told Spottedleaf that you're going to help me search for herbs. That way, we'll be covered for and if we don't find anything, it will be understood by Spottedleaf."
"Nice work." Cloverpaw purred, touching her sister's ear with her tail. Maplepaw smiled before lowering her head.
"I just hope we get them back safely." she whispered. Brightpaw and Thornpaw flinched, realizing the gravidity of her words. Sharing a glance, the four apprentices headed towards the dirtplace. Casting a glance at Swiftclaw, who was now on watch, they snuck out of camp.
Scenting the air, Thornpaw caught the sibling's scent. He led the others along the path, stopping every few moments to make sure they were on the right trail. Once they reached Snakerocks, the apprentices saw pawprints move two different ways, confusing them.
"Fernpaw and Ashpaw went this way, Spottedpaw and Scarpaw went that way." She meowed, pointing with her tail. Fernpaw went to the left with her brother with the other two going right. They seemed to be heading around the boulders, being cautious of anything that could be hiding in the crevices. But it was puzzling on why they left each other.
"Why would they split up?" Cloverpaw asked, gazing at her sister. Maplepaw tilted her head, wondering the same. Above them, an owl screeched as it flew by. The apprentices sank to the snow, lowering themselves to fool the bird. When it was clear, Cloverpaw padded to the left, her nose to the ground. The two paw trails intertwined, smudging the path. She couldn't tell which one was Fernpaw and which was Ashpaw's.
"This is infuriating!" Thornpaw shouted, coming up behind her. She whisked around to see him, noticing that the others were gone. Before she could open her mouth, her unasked question was answered. "Brightpaw and Maplepaw followed the other trail. We thought we could divide and conquer." Cloverpaw nodded, though her stomach felt slightly uneasy.
"W-we should keep going. Fernpaw and Ashpaw are getting away." she replied. Thornpaw's smile vanished as a snowflake fell on his nose. It melted, but was replaced by another, and another. Since they left camp, dark clouds gathered in the sky. Now it was snowing.
"Mouse-dung!" he yowled. The flurries grew bigger as they began to stick to the frosting ground. The trail they had been following was starting to disappear. Hurriedly, Cloverpaw raced from her spot; her gaze not moving from the dissipating pawprints. Thornpaw bolted after her, staying as close as he could while they tried to beat the snow.
The moon peaked out behind the clouds for a moment, causing the forest to become a maze of shadows. Due to their training, they were able to run faster than before, but had a hard time beating the snow. As they weaved through the trees, they noticed that the forest started to thin. Instead of the aspens and oaks that populated their territory, weak juniper bushes and spindly willows began to appear.
"I can't smell any ThunderClan scents! I think we've gone farther than any other cat before." Thornpaw called, his voice barely traveling through the wind and snow. The track became lighter, heading towards a twoleg nest.
"Why would they come here?" Cloverpaw asked, stopping at the edge of the nest. A kittypet smell barely reached her nose. Hopefully Ashpaw and Fernpaw are around. I'm going to claw their ears off for this. Shaking the snow off her pelt, she heard approaching pawsteps.
"Thornpaw! Cloverpaw! Your trail led you here too?" Brightpaw shouted, stepping towards them. Maplepaw followed, her expression a mix of worry and irritation. The wind buffeted the apprentice's fur as shards of ice blew in their faces.
"Yes, but we can't find the siblings. There's a kittypet smell, meaning one of them lives here." Cloverpaw answered. A yowl sounded, causing the four to turn to the noise.
"What are you doing near my house?" a cat demanded, leaping towards them. A blazing red tom landed in front of them, his eyes furious as he dug his claws in the snow. Maplepaw flinched as Brightpaw shared a glance with Cloverpaw. Thornpaw, feeling courageous, stepped in front of his Clanmates.
"We're sorry, but a few of our friends have gone missing. You haven't seen them, have you?" he meowed calmly. The red tom snarled and looked over the apprentices. His expression changed, though a sliver of anxiety shone in his eyes.
"I saw four young cats sneaking by earlier. They headed towards the city." he responded, flicking his tail towards a path by his home.
"Thank you. We promise that we're not here to harm you. We just need to bring our friends home." Thornpaw replied. The kittypet narrowed his eyes.
"You're not more Clan cats are you? I'm sick of those TigerClan cats saying that they rule the city." he spat. Cloverpaw flinched, hearing the tom's harsh tone.
"N-no, we're from ThunderClan in the forest." she stuttered, staring into the tom's amber eyes. Beside her, Maplepaw fidgeted from paw to paw while Brightpaw seemed to be shaking. I wish we had a warrior now! Cloverpaw thought. True it would be four on one if there was a fight, but it would be hard looking for the others with wounds.
"Fine. But if I see you cats near here again, you'll be lucky to escape with the tail between their legs." the kittypet warned. Thornpaw nodded, causing the red tom to turn back to his home. The four apprentices shook their fur, releasing the snow and shattering the fear they had.
"This storm is getting worse. We need to get them home now." Brightpaw hissed, wiping the snow from her eyes. Her brother nodded and started to move towards the mess of Twoleg nests. The others followed, entering the slight protection of the nests. Instantly the wind weakened though the snow continued to fall.
Cloverpaw was on edge in the 'city.' Walls towered over her, trapping her from the sky's view. She moved closer to Maplepaw, pressing her sister's long-furred coat against hers. Brightpaw and Thornpaw stood close, the siblings trying to keep warm as they moved along the hard paths.
The four's trek seemed in vain for there was no scent trail or visible paw marks. Cloverpaw started to doubt the tom's words, but since there were no other leads, she continued to move forward. Again, the moon peeked through the clouds. Its position had changed, for its beams reached through the walls to touch the ground. Objects littered the walls, looking eerie in the light. Rats raced across the path, trying to escape the cold. Cloverpaw's eyes followed one of the creatures, a growl rumbling in her stomach. Worried about the others hearing, she turned her body away and leaped forward.
"What in StarClan was that for?" Maplepaw asked, glancing at her sister. Cloverpaw flattened her ears and lowered her head at her "distraction." Before she answered, an indent in the snow caught her eye. The light reflected off of it and she moved her gaze. Surprisingly, there was a trail of the marks. Sniffing them, she recognized Fernpaw's scent. Perking her ears, she gave a bounce.
"I found their trail! They came by here!" she shouted, facing her Clanmates. She saw their expressions light up.
"Thank StarClan!" Thornpaw exclaimed, investigating the marks. Giving a small smile, he began to follow the trail behind Cloverpaw. Brightpaw and Maplepaw rushed to not be left behind.
The quartet trudged through the maze of alienated stones, snow, wood, and darkness. There wasn't any visible light, for the moon had hid itself behind a cloud. However, the scent trail was growing stronger as it progressed, giving the cats hope of finding their Clanmates. Turning a corner, they were met with a semipermeable barrier. Thick and hard silver webs had crisscrossed to create a wall between the two stone ones.
Brightpaw attempted to leap over the silver webs. But it was too high and she ended up almost squishing Maplepaw. Cloverpaw, being the smallest of the group, tried to squeeze through the opening, but only managed to put her paw through. Scenting the air again, Thornpaw traveled along the threads to the right corner. A wad of wrinkled brown fabric caught his eye and upon moving it, he saw a hole big enough to crawl through.
"This was how they got through." he meowed, showing the others. One by one, they squeezed under the intercrossed threads. On the other side, they followed the trail once again.
"It's getting late. I bet Spottedleaf has noticed we haven't returned by now." Maplepaw muttered after an eternity of silence. Cloverpaw grunted in agreement. When she last saw the moon, it was growing closer to the west. When sunrise came, the warriors would look in their den and see them missing. Their mentors and kin would go insane trying to find their scent after the fresh snowfall. Bluestar would be angry and disappointed in them, resulting in some form of punishment.
"I don't know about you, but my limbs are frozen. I can't even feel my tail." Brightpaw murmured, forcing herself to take another step forward. Thornpaw reached over and touched his nose to her ear.
"We have to be close though. They're smaller and must be freezing as well." he replied. Maplepaw nodded, fear of the apprentices' safety setting in. Her long fur kept her warmer, but she knew that the longer a cat stayed outside, the better chance they had of getting hypothermia or frostbite.
"Fernpaw! Ashpaw! Scarpaw! Spottedpaw!" Cloverpaw screamed, causing the others to flinch. Thornpaw whisked to face her, slight anger in his eyes.
"What are you doing?" he hissed. She ignored him and continued to call the other apprentices.
"Come on! We know you're out there! It's freezing and if we don't return to camp now, we'll be in more trouble than any apprentice in history! Don't you want to go to the Gathering?" she asked the air. There was no reply, causing her to growl. "I thought that would work." Her shoulders slumped as she dropped to the ground.
"Um, I think your outburst notified some cats." Brightpaw whispered, seeing the shadows move. She stepped closer to her brother. Cloverpaw stood to her feet as her claws unsheathed. So much for my smart idea. She thought, her eyes flickering along with the shadows.
"What are you doing here?" Ashpaw demanded, stepping into their view. Cloverpaw held herself back from barreling into the arrogant tom.
"Searching for you!" she snarled. Thornpaw touched her shoulder with his tail.
"Try to control your emotions, we don't want them running away again." he whispered. She let out an irritated sigh as she sheathed her claws. Thornpaw turned to the gray tom. "Where are the others?"
"You're not going to believe me, so I better show you. Good thing you brought Maplepaw, we're going to need her." he answered, glancing at the light brown she-cat. She flinched, wondering what he meant. Snorting, Ashpaw strolled away from them, moving the way they were already heading. The four stalled, thinking about what he knew.
"Well, come on!" he snapped. The four cats jumped before rushing after him. They traveled close to the reddish wall, moving fast as the wind changed directions. After turning five corners, Cloverpaw grew annoyed.
"What exactly are you going to show us? In case you're unaware, time is something we can't waste." she meowed, shooting the tom a dirty look. Ashpaw growled but didn't look at her.
"Do you remember Goldenflower?" he asked, ignoring her question. At the queen's name, Maplepaw flinched as if fire had touched her. Cloverpaw tilted her head at her sister's behavior, but was stopped from saying something because of Thornpaw.
"Yes, she was the queen that vanished during the battle with rogues. What about her?" he replied. Ashpaw stopped, forcing the rest of them to follow suit. Cloverpaw gazed past him, seeing an almost hidden wall due to the snow that had fallen on it. Straining her ears, she picked up faint whimpers and soft purrs.
"Well, we found her." He stepped into the entrance, the others following. What they saw, caused horror to prickle through their fur.
In the snow, a ragged body lay with its side heaving. The golden color Cloverpaw remembered had become a pale brown along with a few blood stains. Around Goldenflower's neck was a silver thread coated in rusty colored flakes. Her ribs could be seen, meaning she hadn't eaten in the half-moon she'd been missing. Gasping, Maplepaw bounded to her side and began to examine her.
"We found her, while we were trying to get as far away from camp as we could. We just couldn't leave her, so we sent Ashpaw back to see if he could find help. I didn't know he'd find you." Spottedpaw muttered, stepping towards Brightpaw. Fernpaw and Scarpaw stayed by the queen's side, listening to Maplepaw as she spoke.
"Good think he did though." Brightpaw replied. Cloverpaw and Thornpaw moved towards Goldenflower, taking in her poor sight.
"What's that thing on your neck?" the ginger tom asked, sounding calm. The queen wearily lifted her head, her dull eyes focusing on the apprentice.
"It's what the rogues call, a choke collar. The more you struggle, the tighter it becomes. I don't know how you get it off, so I've been stuck here." she rasped.
"It's also wrapped around a stick. See if you can dig it out." Maplepaw ordered, placing a paw on Goldenflower's stomach. Cloverpaw nodded, knowing that her sister was doing her best. With the help of Thornpaw, they began to dig into the snow, flinging pawfuls behind them. The smooth stick finally was pulled out of the earth, showing clumps of moist dirt. Placing the stick near the queen, the apprentices were able to loosen the thread enough for Goldenflower to pull her head through. Using some of the snow, Maplepaw was able to clear away some of the caked blood on the queen's neck. Fernpaw and Brightpaw had gone hunting and were able to bring back a few mice. True they were small, but they were better than nothing.
"Now, getting back will be the hard part." Cloverpaw muttered, finishing her half of her mouse. Scarpaw looked at her between licks as he cleaned his muzzle.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because we don't have a trail anymore. We'll just have to trust our instinct and move as fast as we can." Thornpaw replied. The black tom nodded as the cats stood to their feet. Fernpaw and Maplepaw flanked Goldenflower on either side. After some short bickering, the cats left with Thornpaw and Cloverpaw at the lead.
Periodically, the cats would have to stop and rest for the sake of Goldenflower. Maplepaw insisted that the one cat should go on to camp and send Spottedleaf back. Ashpaw told her that was stupid and said that they needed to stick together in case Tigerclaw came looking for them. Scarpaw volunteered to run ahead to fetch Spottedleaf, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew the trouble they would get in. Maplepaw argued that Goldenflower's life was more important than them getting in trouble.
Scarpaw glanced at the medicine cat apprentice before racing away. Goldenflower flopped down in exhaustion, laying her head on her front paws. Her swollen belly moved slightly, causing Maplepaw to frown. She was frustrated with herself because she didn't know what to do.
While the cats waited, Cloverpaw killed time by sparring with Thornpaw. It got her blood running, warming her up as she practiced her swipes. She didn't want to admit it, but she couldn't have asked for a better sparring partner than Thornpaw. He was nice enough to know when you were hurt, complimented you, and knew how you could improve. She would miss it when he became a warrior before her.
Cloverpaw shot him a smile as they caught their breath. Thornpaw's eyes brightened up for a moment until his ears twitched. Worry crept into his expression as he heard pawsteps thud towards them.
"What in StarClan have you gotten yourself into?" Mossblaze shouted, coming into view with Runningwind, Spottedleaf, Swiftclaw and Scarpaw behind her. Cloverpaw's ears flattened and grew hot, her shame spreading like wildfire.
"It wasn't our fault!" she retorted, glancing at her mentor.
"I checked on them before I headed back to the warriors den. All of them but Ashpaw and Scarpaw were there." Runningwind meowed. Brightpaw stepped forward, her splotched fur puffing out.
"We're sorry. Ashpaw and Scarpaw got angry with us and vanished. Fernpaw and Spottedpaw went after them when we said we should tell a warrior. Then the rest of us tried to get them back into camp, but ended up on this journey, where we found Goldenflower. Maplepaw was worried about her, so we sent Scarpaw ahead and waited. We're so sorry for all of this." Her words came out in a rushed wave, barely allowing her time to breathe. Mossblaze looked from one apprentice to another.
"Bluestar will decide your punishment, but from what I've heard, I wouldn't be surprised if you get confined to camp for a moon. We were so worried about you! And with Tigerclaw out there, we feared the worst!" she scolded. Her gaze set on Cloverpaw, causing the speckled she-cat to flinch. "Just wait until we get back to camp."
"Spottedleaf, check on Goldenflower." Swiftclaw meowed softly, his eyes resting on his mother. Spottedleaf nodded and began to examine her patient.
"I can't believe we're going to get in trouble because of you guys. We were trying to find you and bring you back to camp, not force you deeper." Thornpaw moaned, thinking about how Cloudsplash would punish him.
"Hey, it was Cloverpaw's fault." Ashpaw retorted, glaring at the she-cat.
"How in StarClan is it my fault that you left camp?" she asked, lashing her tail. She looked at the gray tom like he was a mouse: small, weak, and ready to be taken down.
"You get to fight in the war, we don't. You're special and we hate it." he retorted, his claws unsheathing. Knowing a fight was about to break out, Thornpaw stepped in front of Cloverpaw while Spottedpaw blocked her brother. Mossblaze let out an annoyed hiss.
"That's what this was all about! Because you can't fight in the battle? Now I know who will get punished." she roared, causing the apprentices to stare at her with slight fear.
"Yeah, all of us except Cloverpaw. What a surprise." Ashpaw muttered, rolling his eyes. Mossblaze appeared ready to shred some of the apprentices to ribbons. Runningwind, being the senior warrior, intervened. He told them to keep their mouths shut and their claws sheathed until they returned to camp. The apprentices couldn't, and didn't, argue.
Spottedleaf found that Goldenflower was dehydrated and malnourished. She knew that she couldn't do much out here, but told Maplepaw that she had done a good job. Maplepaw seemed happy with the praise and was relieved that her nightmares would finally stop bugging her.
Traveling back to camp was a struggling battle. The apprentices snapped at each other before getting scolded by the warriors. Mossblaze promised them three moons full of cleaning the elders den, but even the threat of punishment didn't stop them. She was at the end of her rope, unable to quell their anger against each other. She thanked StarClan infinitely when she saw the camp walls.
"Where are those irresponsible, thistle-brained, disorientated apprentices?" Bluestar raged once they entered the camp. The warriors pushed the apprenticed forward, seeing anger blaze through their leader's eyes.
"Bluestar, we're very-" Thornpaw started. He was cut off by Bluestar's growl.
"Do you have any idea what we thought when we couldn't find you? I thought Tigerclaw had snuck into camp and stolen our apprentices, every single one of them! I'm ready to have you imprisoned in your own camp for the next season!" Her words rang through the clearing, drawing out every cat. The apprentices shrunk away from the crowd, their ears pinned to their skulls.
"B-but we found Goldenflower." Cloverpaw stuttered, shuffling her paws in the snow. She heard her mentor hiss and cringed.
"And that makes disappearing in the middle of night okay? I am so angry at you, I can't think straight." Bluestar snapped. Whitestorm padded forward and whispered a few words to his leader. She snarled before gazing at the battered queen. Giving a small sigh, she lowered her head.
"I'll deal with the apprentices in the morning. Until then, if any 'paw leaves camp without their mentor, I'll demote them to a 'kit. And they'll stay a 'kit for two moons until I even consider giving them back their apprentice status." Bluestar snarled and headed back to her den.
The apprentices cowered in the snow, their mentors giving them harsh glares. Cloudsplash hissed something under his breath at Whitestorm while Ravenshadow, Mousefur, and Dustpelt argued about a punishment. Nodding, they turned back to the apprentices.
"Scarpaw, Ashpaw, Fernpaw, and Spottedpaw, you will be confined to camp unless only your mentor takes you out to go hunting. How soon that will be, depends on Bluestar. You will also be on elder duty for the next two moons." Mousefur warned. The four siblings gulped and lowered their heads, their ears pinned in shame.
"Yes, we understand." they whispered together. Mossblaze, who had been silent since she arrived at camp, glanced at Cloverpaw.
"You are my apprentice, and I say that you will only leave camp if either I or Cloudsplash take you out to train on your fighting moves. Otherwise, you will stay in camp and help Spottedleaf sort herbs and take care of the injured." she meowed in a low tone. Cloverpaw nodded, her speckled muzzle twitching. She was more ashamed receiving wrath from Mossblaze than Bluestar.
"Brightpaw and Thornpaw, you will only leave camp when asked by a warrior. They must ask you, you can't beg them. Otherwise, none of you will disobey any order a warrior gives you." Whitestorm added. The apprentices agreed and were dismissed to their den. Longtail stood in front of the entrance, guarding it to make sure they didn't leave.
Mossblaze sighed as she sent Cloverpaw away. I'm more angry at the fact that she might not have returned, not that fact that she did something wrong. In a way, she more of a daughter to me than an apprentice. She softly padded to the warriors den. Surprisingly, there were only a few sleeping mounds of fur.
As she settled down, she was relieved to have the apprentices back in camp, and in one piece. Thank you StarClan, thank you for looking over them. Even though they won't be going to the Gathering tomorrow, they're still safe.
And so was Goldenflower, which as a miracle in itself. Settling her nose under her paw, she didn't give any thoughts to who the father was to the pregnant queen's unborn kits.
Goldenflower's back, and can anyone guess who the father of her kits is?
The Gathering is the next chapter where fan-submitted warriors will be seen again. Also, would you mind submitting a few rogues that will be part of TigerClan? I have a few, but I could use a few more. No more than four cats per person though.
Thanks!
*Fireheart takes over* Kawakage does not own Warriors!
Sayonara!