Chapter 15
"Let all cats old enough to stalk the shadows gather beneath the High Branch for A clan meeting!"
Eaglepaw mewed a farewell to Quailkit and padded from the freshkill pile, grabbing a small frog as he padded to the group of cats gathering. He had been spending more time with the she-kit ever since her mother's death half a moon ago, and honestly enjoyed her company. Quailkit hasn't been her usual self ever since Silkyspark's death… and it sure hasn't helped since Viperhiss hasn't returned.
The clan had been on edge since the she-cat's shocking death, especially since her body went missing right before her burial. Cinderpaws and Gorsepaw had been out of camp fetching lavender for the body, and when they returned, Silkyspark's corpse was no longer in the den. Even stranger, a faint rogue scent was detected around Cinderpaws' herb storage, which had sent the gray tom into a frenzy. No cat had noticed any unknown cat sneaking into the camp, which made the situation even more bizarre. Viperhiss had also not returned since he stormed out that night, only adding to the clan's unease. With the strange rogue scent found in the camp, many cats feared that a rogue had gotten to the warrior and stolen Silkyspark's body, for whatever reason. Eaglepaw shuddered at the thought. Rogues are strange, but what in StarClan's name would they do with a dead body?
Now, Mousestar was holding a meeting to assign him a new mentor. Though he had accepted the offer, Eaglepaw refused to believe that his mentor was dead. Viperhiss is rough, yeah, but I still care for the tom. I do hope that he's alright, wherever he may be. He had hoped to see him during his Dark Forest training, but was disappointed to see that he didn't appear there either. Even Darkenedstreak expressed concern about the gray tom's disappearance. Darkenedstreak…
Ever since Buzzardpaw had been attacked by Spottedpaw in the mucky river, Eaglepaw and the ThunderClan tom were inseparable, Eaglepaw stepping in every time somecat even looked at him funny. Buzzardpaw did seem annoyed by this, but Eaglepaw felt a certain draw towards the tom that made him want to protect him. We do share a role in a prophecy after all… and he's-
His thoughts were cut off by Mousestar, who had continued speaking now that all the cats had gathered. "Good." She mewed, scanning over the clan. "Viperhiss has been missing for four sunrises now, and has left Eaglepaw without a mentor. I will be assigning him a new one now." A few murmurs rippled throughout the crowd. Mousestar's bright green eyes darkened with uncertainty. "I share your concerns about Viperhiss as well, but Eaglepaw must continue his training despite the circumstances. Thus, I have chosen Vulturefeather to be his new mentor." Vulturefeather nodded, as he had been told what was happening prior to the meeting. Eaglepaw padded to the brown tom and touched noses with him, then sat back down.
"We will continue the increased patrols," Mousestar went on, her voice ringing throughout the camp, "to search for Viperhiss and ensure that the rogues stay out of camp."
"And to get back Silkyspark's body!" Valleyskip called from the crowd, standing to his paws. Minnowtail, who was sitting next to him, nodded slowly. Silkyspark was his daughter, and Valleyskip's sister. They had also been greatly affected by the she-cat's death.
Mousestar blinked at the two sympathetically. "And to retrieve Silkyspark's body, so we can give her a proper, honorable burial. Flamescar and I have been discussing this, and we have decided to send patrols to the other clans to ask if they have potentially seen any suspicious rogue activity." Eaglepaw's ears perked. If the other clans had been having problems with rogues as well, a much greater issue could be at hand. He blinked at his mother, who was looking at her deputy. "Flamescar, would you mind sending the patrols now? It's almost sunfall, and it would be best for our cats to return no later than moon high."
Flamescar nodded, his tail neatly wrapped around his paws as he sat under the branch. "No, Mousestar, I do not mind at all."
Mousestar nodded, leaping down from the branch gracefully. "Very well then. Meeting dismissed." As she said this, the crowd of cats broke off into different groups, with some chattering anxiously about the disappearance of Viperhiss and Silkyspark, and the others padding closer to Flamescar to see who he would send to the other clans. Eaglepaw hoped that he would be picked for one of the patrols, but wanted to speak with Quailkit first.
Looking around, he spotted her sitting where he had left her, near the freshkill pile. She had a somber look on her face, her normally pretty, clean pelt unkempt and matted. Eaglepaw picked up his frog, then padded towards her.
"Are you alright?" He mewed, placing the prey down at her paws. "You should eat."
Quailkit continued to stare forward, as if she didn't hear him approach her. After a few heartbeats she finally spoke, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm fine." She looked at the frog, shaking her head. "I'm not hungry.
Eaglepaw frowned. "Come on, Quailkit. You've got to eat something." Quailkit had been eating less since her father's disappearance, and only had a few bites of vole after Cinderpaws' practically shoved it down her throat two sunrises ago. Eaglepaw remembered bristling as he watched the tom treat her roughly, thinking about how he could have been more considerate. I know he's grieving as well, but he shouldn't treat her that way. She lost her mother, and her father disappeared. Eaglepaw thought. At least she has her brother. Ashkit had been taking his parent's leaving much better than his sister had, being the only cat in camp that could cheer her up. As he thought this, Ashkit bounded towards them, his tail sticking straight up in the air.
"Eaglepaw! Vulturefeather wants you." Ashkit turned to his sister, patting her flank affectionately. "Come on Quailkit! Swifpaw wants to talk to us."
"Swiftpaw?" Quailkit mewed quietly. "But why?"
Eaglepaw didn't hear Ashkit's answer, as he had walked away to find his mentor. Vulturefeather was sitting near Flamescar, who was assigning the patrols to go to the other clans.
"Evergreenstride, Valleyskip, and Oatblossom," The flame colored tom was saying, "You three will be going to RiverClan." Eaglepaw sat down next to Vulturefeather, wondering what the tom wanted with him. "Nettleclaw, Velvetowl, and Flowerpaw, you'll go to WindClan, and Heatherflight, Vulturefeather, and Eaglepaw, you three will go to ThunderClan." Oh yay! I get to see Buzzardpaw! "Remember, you're going to ask if the other clans have seen any suspicious activity, then report back. Do not take any further action until you have done so. Got it?" The cats nodded in response. "Then off you go."
Eaglepaw turned to Vulturefeather, who was speaking with Heatherflight. The two warriors seemed to notice his staring, stopping their conversation to blink at him.
"We'll head out after the other patrols." Vulturefeather mewed, blinking kindly at Eaglepaw. "I would just like to get a word in with Mousestar first."
Eaglepaw nodded, sitting down next to Heatherflight. The she-cat was looking at him with an odd expression, making Eaglepaw's pelt prickle with unease. He stared at his paws but couldn't shake off her intense gaze. Why is she staring at me like that?
To his relief, Vulturefeather returned shortly, signaling with his tail for the small patrol to follow him out of camp. Heartherflight walked behind Eaglepaw, her gaze still boring through the apprentice. Becoming annoyed, Eaglepaw sped up to walk next to his mentor.
"Will we be starting training tomorrow?" Eaglepaw mewed, trying his hardest to ignore the she-cat behind him.
Vulturefeather nodded. "Yes, we can work on battle training. I'm sure Viperhiss has taught you well, but since you haven't trained in half a moon, you've probably become a little rusty."
Eaglepaw nodded, his eyes blank. With his intense training in the Dark Forest nearly every night, his fighting skills could never become rusty. He winced as he thought about the previous night's training, and how Darkenedstreak had nicked his ear when he couldn't understand how to execute a difficult move.
The three had reached the ThunderClan border, and Vulturefeather stopped abruptly. He lifted his head to see if a ThunderClan patrol was nearby. Eaglepaw peered through the dense undergrowth to see Nettleclaw's patrol pad along the lake's shore. Their trek to WindClan would take a while, and Eaglepaw blinked gratefully. It's good I'm not with that patrol, otherwise I would be tired tonight. He shuddered. And I sure don't want to face Darkenedstreak's fury!
The bracken on the other side of the border rustled violently, indicating that a patrol was coming. Shortly, Dragonflywing, Dingomuzzle, Russetprowl and Koipatch burst through, their faces alert. Dragonflywing noticed them first, and began to bristle.
"What are you three doing so close to our border?" The tom growled, his pelt bristling. His eyes flashed in anger as he noticed Eaglepaw, making him smirk. Eaglepaw had left a nasty gash on his shoulder a few nights ago, and now Eaglepaw could see the pink scar wriggling like a snake every time the warrior moved.
"We've come to speak with your leader." Vulturefeather mewed, keeping his voice calm. "May we please pass?"
"What do you need to speak with him about?" Dingomuzzle asked, his voice low. Eaglepaw was wary of the muscular tom. Dingomuzzle had bested him in a fight, almost blinding him when he scratched at his eyes. Eaglepaw lifted his chin, trying to seem dignified.
"There seems to be a lot of rogue activity on our territory, and Mousestar wanted to ask if ThunderClan has experienced this as well." Eaglepaw admired how cool Vulturefeather's tone was, despite the hostility radiating off of the two ThunderClan toms. Training with Vulturefeather will be completely different from my sessions with Viperhiss, that's for sure.
Dragonflywing opened his mouth to speak, but Russetprowl cut him off by lifting his tail. "Now, before you gon' an' open your mouth an' make things worse Dragonflywing," The red tom mewed, his amber eyes glowing. "Why don't we hear these folks out? They ain't doin' any harm now, are they?" He looked at Koipatch, who gave him a small nod. He nodded back, then turned back to the ShadowClan patrol. "Now, y'all come follow us, an' we'll take ya to Goldn'star." Eaglepaw wrinkled his nose at the tom's funny accent, trying his hardest not to laugh. Buzzardpaw has an interesting mentor, that's for sure.
The ShadowClan patrol crossed the border and followed behind Russetprowl, prompting Dingomuzzle and Koipatch to walk by their flanks and Dragonflywing to take the rear. The tom swatted at Eaglepaw's rump, making him yelp. Vulturefeather whipped around and gave the warrior a warning glare, but the black and white tom simply smirked then motioned around, as if reminding him where he was. Vulturefeather grunted and continued walking, pressing close to Eaglepaw.
"And don't you dare put a whisker out of line!" Dragonflywing yowled obnoxiously loudly, making Eaglepaw flatten his ears in irritation. I'll show him.
The patrol eventually reached the ThunderClan camp, padding through the thorn barrier into the sandy clearing. Eaglepaw immediately became aware of the hostile looks thrown his way and tried his hardest to not glare back. He instead tried to look for Buzzardpaw, gazing around the large camp. Which den is the apprentice's den?
A kit looked at him curiously, bounding up to him.
"Hey look!" The cream tabby tom mewed. "It's Buzzardpaw!" Eaglepaw looked around curiously, but did not see the apprentice anywhere. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Buzzardpaw?" The other two mewed in unison. The ran forward as well, their expressions becoming dejected as they got closer. Wait, they think that I'm Buzzardpaw? Idiot kits! I don't even look like him!
"That's not Buzzardpaw, mouse brain!" A rose colored she-cat mewed, batting her brother over the head. "That's-"
"A ShadowClan cat." A deep voice finished for her, making Eaglepaw look up. Goldenstar stood before the patrol, his eyes narrowed in confusion. He stared into Eaglepaw's eyes, making him shudder. Oh, I wish he wouldn't look at me like that! The ThunderClan stared at him for a moment more, then finally addressed the patrol.
"Russetprowl, what are ShadowClan cats doing here?"
"They-"
"I'm the leader of the patrol, so I get to answer!" Dragonflywing mewed from behind the cats, roughly pushing past Eaglepaw to address his leader. Russetprowl looked at the tom with an annoyed look, but did not protest. Seems like even ThunderClan cats think Dragonflywing is annoying. "They wanted to know if we've seen rogues on our territory."
Goldenstar's eyebrows furrowed. "There was the scent of a rogue a quarter moon ago, but Buzzardpaw chased it off." Eaglepaw perked at the sound of the other tom's name. Buzzardpaw chased off a rogue? That's so cool! "Has there been a problem with rogues in ShadowClan?"
"We smelled their scent in our medicine den!" Eaglepaw mewed, not thinking. "They took Silkyspark's body. Also Vip-'' Vulturefeather bumped into his shoulder roughly, cutting him off. HIs mentor was staring at him sternly. Did I say too much?
Goldenstar recoiled in shock. "Slikyspark passed?"
Vulturefeather nodded gravely, speaking before Eaglepaw could. "She passed while kitting. We only came here to see if ThunderClan has witnessed any suspicious activity recently."
The ThunderClan leader shook his head. "Other than that one incident, we have not. Though, it makes you wonder what in StarClan's name a rogue could do with a deceased body."
"Well, you know what I'm wondering?" Dragonflywing shouted, pushing himself into the conversation once more. Eaglepaw's tail lashed in irritation. We don't care about what you're wondering, mouse brain! He couldn't say this however, because Dragonflywing continued speaking. "I'm wondering how ShadowClan cats can be so stupid that they dont even notice a body being carried out of their camp! I mean, how does that even happen?"
Vulturefeather stepped towards the smug looking tom, thrusting his hissing face into Dragonflywing's. Before he could deliver a stinging retort, Russetprowl pushed his way between the warriors, separating them. Smirking, Dragonflywing opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped by Goldenstar lifting his tail to silence him. The large tabby tom sighed, blinking apologetically at the ShadowClan cats.
"ThunderClan sends their condolences to ShadowClan." Goldenstar mewed, dipping his head. "Tell Mousestar that ThunderClan has not seen any rogue activity, but if things ever escalate, she will always have ThunderClan as allies to aid her."
Vulturefeather nodded, his eyebrows furrowed. "Thank you, Goldenstar, though that won't be necessary. ShadowClan can defend itself."
Goldenstar hummed, turning his gaze back to Eaglepaw. Eaglepaw stared into his golden eyes, his own blinking back knowingly. Goldenstar flicked his tail to a cream colored tom who was sitting nearby. "Palecloud and Russetprowl, could you escort ShadowClan back to their territory?" The tom nodded, flanking the ShadowClan cats and leading them to the thorn entrance. Eaglepaw glanced back to see Goldenstar staring back at him, an indescribable expression on his face. A small dappled she-cat sat next to the massive leader, looking tiny in comparison. She noticed what Goldenstar was looking at, and turned her head to glare at Eaglepaw, sending a chill up his spine. Jeez, what did I do to her? He was cut from his thoughts by Vulturefeather placing his tail over his shoulders, leading him out of the camp.
Author's Note:
Chapter 15! Sorry I couldnt get it posted yesterday, but here it is! There will be a pretty big reveal next chapter, so make sure you stay tuned for that! I'll have it posted by Thursday.
Thanks for reading!
~MeltingPopsicles
