/ / / / Warriors : Truth-Seekers \ \ \ \

/ / / Part One : Hidden Fog \ \ \

/ / Freepaw's Punishment \ \

So, Firststar was dead, Thunderclan was thinking that it was Emerald and his rogues that did it and Shadowclan was going to investigate the rogues themselves before deciding to wipe them out or…whatever was Brightstar's plan if she decided they didn't kill Firststar.

Freepaw tried to make herself more comfortable in the bush she had been sitting in for what felt like an eternity. It hadn't been easy to sneak to the Gathering without Windclan noticing her. But after that it had been a simple matter of finding a good hiding spot and waiting for one of her friends. Honestly, the most risky thing she had done was easily getting Maggotpaw's attention. She could have sworn her father had spotted her at one point, but she'd gotten back to her bush easily enough.

She looked up through the leafs of her hiding spot to see the stars glinting above her. Wishpaw and Maggotpaw also seemed to think that the rogues were innocent.

Freepaw scoffed to herself. Well, innocent in the case of Firststar's murder. She was pretty sure that Emerald was guilty of something, even if it wasn't being a killer.

But that begged the question of who killed the leader. A question that Freepaw wanted answered as soon as possible.

She was awoken from her thinking daze by the sharp cuff of a paw over her head, Maggotpaw's to be exact.

"Have you been listening?" The fish-smelling apprentice asked, pulling his paw from the bushes interior. "We need to decide what we're gonna do about this whole thing."

"And I say that we leave it to the warriors. Look, I know we know a tiny bit more about the rogues then them, but that's all. The warriors are gonna be far more competent in investigating this stuff then we would be." Wishpaw insisted.

"And I'm telling you that we need to do our own thing. As if we can leave it to the warriors. Half of them we just cheering that they should go after the rogues right now. Can't trust warriors to do anything, I'm telling ya…" Though she couldn't see him, just from the sound of his voice, Freepaw could hear Maggotpaw rolling his eyes.

"You're an apprentice, you are training to become a-" Wishpaw paused before starting again. "Look, lets examine the situation. We got messed up with those rogues, Firststar has to bail us out and then this happens. I'm almost considering telling Brightstar everything that happened that night but…"

Freepaw finished the thought. "You'll get in major trouble? Yeah, I'd wait and see what she gets from the rogues herself. She seems-" Terrifying "-smart enough to get as much info as we did."

"You're both being dumb." Maggotpaw said. "If you wait that long to tell them then you'll get in even worse trouble and look like a coward. Best time to tell your leaders was the night we got back."

"Tell me you didn't tell anyone. That what we agreed to-"

"Course I didn't. Difference is, I'm not even considering saying anything. Ever."

Wishpaw looked like he was about to say something but decided against it, tiling his head as he looked to Maggotpaw. "Don't take this the wrong way, but what's the deal with you and-"

"Was wonderin where it was ya ran off ta."

Freepaw retreated further into the bush, now barely being able to peer out. A tall, slender she-cat had approached them, her eyes narrowed on Maggotpaw.

"Good ta see ya making friends, but Ottertail is looking for ya. We're gonna be heading back to camp but he wants you ta meet someone. Probably shouldn't be chatting with Shadowclan anyhow." The she's voice was smooth as water, and not once did her slits change from the narrow slits that they seemed to be stuck as.

"Whatever." Maggotpaw huffed, stretching as he got to his paws. As the she-cat took off he made to follow her, albeit as a far slower pace, but not without looking behind him and saying, "I'll see you around. Hopefully when we find out what clans are gonna do about the rogues."

And with that, it was only Wishpaw sitting beside a lonely looking bush…or that was hopefully what it looked to the cats around them.

"So there's something up with Maggotpaw, right?" Wishpaw whispered to her. "He doesn't seem to like his clan or…anything really. Especially not rogues."

"Untrue, he seems to like us." Freepaw moved closer to him through the bush. "I suppose we should feel honoured. Or maybe we're just naturally charismatic."

"Says the cat hiding in a bush."

"Says the cat who was held hostage by some rogues."

"Fighting skill does not equal charisma. But you know what does? Not annoying other cats. Seriously, you gonna tell me what you're doing in there? I assume your hiding from someone."

….ugh, whatever. It was embarrassing but Wishpaw seemed like he would understand it. Plus she probably owed him a little. If a cat did look over then it would appear that Wishpaw was talking to himself or an empty bush. Something she'd find quite funny if she wasn't the one in the bush.

"Alright…look I may be in some trouble with my clan. Nothing big but…well, big enough for Cloudystar to say that I couldn't come to the Gathering. It's actually kind of funny, he-"

Wishpaw spun towards her immediately rising up to double his height. "YOU SNUCK HERE!?" It was only when he realised that his outburst had drawn a few cats eyes that he sunk back down to his normal stature.

"Why would you do something like that? Don't you know that-"

Whatever he had been about to lecture her on, it was interrupted by something that was much worse. Before Wishpaw could hiss at her whatever he had been planning to, a familiar voice hit Freepaw's ears.

The voice of her father. "Ah, you are Robinwing's apprentice, correct? My apology but I seem to have forgotten your name."

Freepaw retreated far enough from her father that she could barely hear Wishpaw's nervous voice through the branches and leafs.

"I-it's Wishpaw a-and you don't have to apologise. We didn't exactly meet for too long and I had other things on my mind…s-so how have things been in Windclan? Is….is Freepaw doing okay there?"

"Well, things have been up and down but I shouldn't expect perfection, should I? Ah yes, I should inform you that my name is now Blackclaw…" A sigh of disappointment. "And on the subject name, if you know Freepaw's new one too then she must be the one in the bush…as I…" Wow, another sigh. "…suspected. Wishpaw, your clan should be leaving any moment. I'd appreciate it if you left me to speak to my daughter."

Wishpaw's jaw hung open for a few seconds before he mummered a, "Good luck, Freepaw" and too off in the same direction Maggotpaw had. Freepaw was willing to bet Wishpaw didn't have this much trouble with HIS parents. Whatever. Wasn't his fault.

Freepaw considered running of course, but with there being a single exit off of the island and all, that wasn't much of an option. But at the same time she really didn't want to come out of the bush and get in more trouble.

"Freepaw."

Maybe if she stayed quiet he'd just leave? Then she'd at least be able to put off the lecture for some time.

"Freepaw, come out here."

Maybe she could learn to swim? How long could it take, like five seconds?

"Bell. Please."

…..oh, he just HAD to use her old name, didn't he?

Freepaw finally emerged from the bush, shaking a few leafs from her pelt. Thankfully, the island had almost completely emptied at this point, the only cats still there being Blackclaw, herself and surprisingly (and worryingly) Cloudystar, who sat atop the log that connected the Island to the area around it. And, of course, he was looking right at the two of them.

And when she took her eyes off of Cloudystar, she was met with an even worse sight; her father. He didn't look angry or mad as she had expected. No instead he just looked….tired. And disappointed. And it was that moment that Freepaw decided that the situation was far worse then she thought.

"Hey." She said, deciding to take a quick and firm interest in the ground.

"Freepaw…you know the consequences." Blackclaw's voice reached her ears.

"Sorry." She whispered.

Blackclaw turned his back to her and began to pad off in the direction of Cloudystar.

"Yeah. I know."

"So, let me see if I understand the situation." Stillstone looked like she was a step away from losing her mind. "First, you insult the dead leader of a clan who just today lost yet another. Next, you insult our leader. After that, you SNEAK onto ANOTHER CLANS TERRITORY in the middle of the night. And then, after your told your not going to the Gathering, YOU SNEAK THERE AND SPEND THE ENTIRE TIME TALKING TO CATS FROM OTHER CLANS?!"

"She's not dumb enough to say anything important to them." Blackclaw whispered, looking at the wall of the den. He hadn't looked Freepaw in the eye since he had caught her.

"Of course I didn't say anything." Freepaw stopped herself from hissing the words, feeling the intense stare of her so called mentor upon her.

Cloudystar purred, relaxing in a next in the corner of the den. "Relax Stillstone. They probably had other things to talk about. That Gathering wasn't exactly a conventional one."

Redrose spoke in his usual buttery tone, but with a hint of annoyance thrown in. "I hate to be the one taking this off topic but should we look into getting a leader den of some sort? Having such negative feelings in the medicine-den may throw me off for some time."

"Ah yeah. Sorry bout this." Cloudystar yawned. "Stillstone doesn't like to yell in front of the clan and somehow the elders den didn't seem like a better idea."

Yes, once they had gotten back from the Gathering, Cloudystar had taken them into the the hollow boulder that was the medicine-den. And within, she had once again found herself facing the deputy, medicine-cat and leader of Windclan, with her disappointed father thrown in for good measure.

Freepaw wanted to sink into the ground and never, ever come back up. But if she did begin to, she felt as if Stillstone might leap in after her and drag her back to the surface.

"We can discuss that later. Freepaw had shown blatant disregard for the rules of the clans and what it is that not just I, but we have asked of her. Even when we try to punish her she ignores us and does whatever it is she wants. An apprentice should never act that way." Stillstone paced in the den, not taking her eyes off of Freepaw who couldn't bring herself to look at her mentor.

Redrose seemed to notice this. "Well now, let's give the cat some credit. That rogue she told us she saw? With the new information we've been given her story seems to speak the truth."

"Or it's coincidental." Stilstone hissed.

"It's not." Cloudstar meowed from the nest.

"How can you know for sure?"

"Leader's intuition. I can sense these things." He opened a single eye, looking to Redrose. "That's a thing Starclan gives leaders, yeah?"

"As far as I know? Possibly. You were given nine lives and each should have given you a gift when you became leader, though that may just be a ceremonial sentiment rather then a literal one." He gave Cloudystar a tiny kick. "Could you please get out of my nest."

"Nope. Got this for my third life."

"Cloudystar. You NEED to take this seriously." Stillstone groaned, looking down at her leader. "How can you be this calm?"

"I must agree with Stillstone." Blackclaw said, finally looking from the wall to the leader. "I'd appreciate it if you give this matter your whole attention."

Redrose laughed, strutting over to Blackclaw to pat him on the back. "Ah, I would expect this from you Blackclaw…but you Stillstone? Well…I suppose you haven't known Cloudystar for as long as I have. He's already made up his mind on what to do."

Cloudystar opened both his eyes, frowning. "Think you could tone down the smugness a little bit? I've almost made a decision."

"Sure…if you'll get out of my nest."

Cloudystar grumbled something and as he did, Blackclaw spoke up. "So, what have you decided?"

Cloudystar looked from him, to Stillstone, to Redrose, finally resting his eyes on Freepaw herself…..before he closed them. "Oh right. I've got a craving for a squirrll but I'm not super hungry right now. Stillstone, Blackclaw, could you go check if there's one in the prey pile? Don't wanna set myself up for disappointment."

Almost in sync, Freepaw and her father blinked in confusion, but he was the one to speak. "If this is a joke then I'm not laughing. What kind of-"

Stillstone began to pad out of the den. "Blackclaw. Come on. It'll only take a second." Though her father didn't see it, Freepaw spotted Cloudystar giving a small nod out of the corner of her eye, one the deputy returned without hesitation.

Blackclaw grit his teeth. "Fine. But you better be ready when we get back." With that the two of them walked from the den.

Redrose turned to a pile of odd looking plants in the corner of the den that smelled rancid. "Guess I'll just pretend to be deaf for a few seconds, eh?"

"Please and thank you." Cloudystar yawned. "Freepaw, look at me."

Clearing her nose she looked away from whatever it was Redrose was busying himself with to see Cloudystar had opened his eyes again, but different then she had ever seen them; Cloudystar's usually lazy blue eyes were now narrow silts as he gave Freepaw his undivided attention.

When he spoke though, his voice was the same sleepy tone he always spoke in. "Say, Freepaw…why is it that you want to be a warrior anyway?"

"I…huh?"

"Why do you want to be a warrior?"

"….uh." This was probably some kind of test. "…I..guess to protect this clan?"

"Starclan, like I haven't heard that a thousand times. Perfectly reasonable answer of course, but I get the feeling you ain't thinking hard enough. Cmon, answer again."

She sighed, almost preparing herself for another lecture. Cloudystar wanted an honest answer? Freepaw would give him one.

"Honestly? I wasn't going with him to the clans at first. Me and my brother, his name is Flint, we were going to travel together, that's what he's always wanted to do. But when we told Blackclaw…I dunno, he just looked so sad. We had just lost our Mother too, so…I dunno, guess that made me want to stick with him."

"Don't get me wrong though. I'm not just here out of pity. Flint can handle himself…honestly?" Freepaw gave the grass below her a quick swipe, growling. "I probably would have just slowed him down. But when I told Blackclaw I was going with him? The way his eyes lit up…for those last few days at our old home, he was like a totally different cat. That's when he started talking more and more about the stories he learned about during the Great Return."

"And…that was what made me feel like I had made the right decision. Hearing all those stories…I wanted to be a part of one. I wanted something more then just travelling or-or whatever it was that Flint was planning. It's a selfish reason, but I-"

"And your father has been the one training you? Up until you got here?" Cloudystar asked, leaning a little closer to her.

Freepaw nodded, only now just realising that Redrose had turned back from his plants to look at the two of them, a questioning look on his face.

"Alright…welp! Your punishment has been decided!" Cloudystar said cheerfully.

Redrose tilted his head, thinking but then shook his head. "Okay, I got nothing. What are you planning and should I be worried?"

If Cloudystar was going to answer, he didn't do it in time. Blackclaw and Stillstone entered the medicine-den once again, Stillstone saying something about putting a squirrel aside. Freepaw was too concerned with this punishment thing to listen to her properly. Had Cloudystar thought her reasons weren't good enough? Was he going to exile her? He wouldn't do that…right?

Hearing her fathers voice however? That was enough for her to listen in.

"Cloudystar, please tell me that you've sorted something out." Blackclaw hissed. Freepaw didn't like seeing that her father's mood was slowly creeping into the 'angry' zone.

"As a matter of fact? I have." Cloudystar rose to his full height and looked to Stillstone. "Stillstone. We both know your one of the most capable warriors in the clan. But I think we can both agree that Freepaw isn't the usual apprentice. She wasn't raised in the clans so she might need more of an unconventional apprenticeship."

For a brief moment, Stillstone looked like she had begun to deflate, but it was barely noticeable. The next second she was once again standing proudly and gave a firm nod. "I understand, Cloudystar. You'll hear no objections from me."

Suddenly, something in Freepaw's head clicked. Was…was Cloudystar going to switch her mentor to…

Cloudystar smiled contentedly. "Alright then, that settles it. Freepaw. You'll be training with me from now on, got it?"

In that moment, four different reactions happened, all of varying emotions.

Freepaw simply blinked, the leaders words not registering with her properly. That had been…not at all what she had been expecting.

Blackclaw on the other hand? He both hadn't been expecting it and let it clearly register with him, expressing his thoughts beginning with, "You're going to what? She needs more discipline not-"

Stillstone seemed to age a few moons in mere seconds, closing her eyes and muttering, "Cloudy, that's not a punishment, if anything you're-"

And Redrose? Well, he decided he had had quite enough of the situation and decided to pop out for a short walk away. It was probably going to be awhile before he got his medicine-den back.

"Warriors." He rolled his eyes, swishing his tale in an arc, swaggering out the noise filled den.

Cats&Characters

(Redrose)

Few medicine-cats would worry about looking good while doing their work, but Redrose believes that, while appearances may not be everything, they are DEFINITLY something. Whatever this medicine-cat does, he tries to do it while looking as good as possible.

The tom is full of compliments and loves to hand them out while doing his work. Some cats enjoy this while others find it rather annoying. Regardless, as he is yet to take an apprentice, their only choice is Redrose. No matter his style, he is quite a skilled medicine-cat.

Stillstone has had a really, REALLY long day...night...whatever.

Anyway yeah, this chapter is pretty short. Dunno if that's a good thing or a bad thing but the next few are gonna be longer. We're getting into the thick of things now.

Next weekend? Shadowclan gets to investigating the rogues. And if they don't like them? Well...Emerald and his gang may need to find a new spot to live.

But also, before that, there's gonna be another chapter posted...Wednesday? Friday? We're going to be traveling away from the clans to see what else might being going on in the world. Now THAT one will be shorter then usual. Think of it like a mini-chapter.

So yeah. Hope you enjoyed and I'll see ya then.