Sorry that I haven't updated for so long! I have been busy with planning out Dawn Sun on top of going back to school for a hybrid.
Shoutouts to MapleLily96, FrostedShadowx, Ambertail, FizzNBoo, puppyydogs68, and MoonStar of ShadowClan! Thank you all for reviewing!
Enjoy!
. . .
The Dark Forest
. . .
"How was the talk?" inquired Junipervine inquired. Quiverhawk looked up sharply, breaking out of his thoughts.
"You sound like a she-cat talking with her daughters. As for your question, it went well. This may be easier than I initially planned." He smiled evilly.
"Really? Is she cooperating that well?" Junipervine plopped down on the mossy, bad-smelling ground. Quiverhawk nodded, sitting down beside her.
"Maybe... Maybe you could lure Sunshadow in," he murmured. "Really?" she responded, slightly surprised.
"Yes. You could charm him into coming. We must have them both, or all of our work will be lost to the paws of a young piece of BlazeClan scum." Junipervine looked thoughtful for a moment. "I accept," she decided, standing up. "Good." Quiverhawk dipped his head in his own jerky way to the she-cat. "You shall begin tonight."
. . .
Sunshadow jerked his head up, eyes foggy from sleep. He must have sat up to fast, though, because his eyes blacked out for a second before going back to normal. He stretched, looking around the den. Most of the cats were already up, it looked like. The young tom decided that he should go out for a walk, maybe work on his plan while he was out. Or, better yet. catch Moonsong in the act. It would be best to bring another cat with him as witness if anything went wrong. He walked outside, glancing around the camp. He spotted his friend, Yellowthorn, sitting at the side of camp, and thought that he should bring him along. He padded up to him, flicking his tail.
"Hey, Yellowthorn. Want to go out on a hunt together?" he inquired, pulling up alongside him. Yellowthorn nodded.
"Sounds good. Might break up my day. Where were you thinking?" Yellowthorn responded, standing up eagerly. Sunshadow cocked his head slightly.
This was the perfect opportunity. "Maybe along the TwilightClan border? There are sure to be some prey there." Yellowthorn gave a murmur of agreement. "Lead the way."
As they left camp, Sunshadow noticed how warm the air was getting. Newleaf was almost over. Soon, it would be Greenleaf. There was a good scent of prey in the air, promising a successful hunt, maybe even a successful exposure of Falconstrike.
As the pair reached the border, Sunshadow said, "How about you head that way and loop around? I could head that way," he gestured with his tail, "and we could meet up in the middle. Maybe finish out hunting off there?" Again, Yellowthorn nodded. "Sounds like a plan," he meowed, and leaped off. Sunshadow made sure he was gone before sniffing around the border, looking for any sign of Falconstrike. He caught a scent, familiar to the other tom's. Must be him, he thought. He crept through the bushes, coming up behind a tom. He let out a silent cheer in his head.
"Falconstrike!" he hissed, and the figure spun around, unsheathing his claws.
"What do you want with my brother?" he snarled. Sunshadow looked taken aback. This wasn't Falconstrike.
It was his brother.
Burrowwink.
. . .
Moonsong sighed, lounging in the corner with Turtlefoot and Lavenderfern. Sunshadow had left camp earlier that morning, and the trio decided to make the best of it. The sun was beginning to set now, and Moonsong was beginning to get worried. Where was her brother? She decided she should confide her worries to her friends.
"Have you seen Sunshadow? He should be back by now," she fretted. Lavenderfern looked slightly surprised.
"I thought you wanted Sunshadow out of your life?" she meowed. Moonsong nodded. "I never wanted him gone. I just want him to leave me alone." Lavenderfern nodded, turning back to her grooming. Turtlefoot smiled at the silver she-cat comfortingly.
"Lavenderfern has a point, but I undertstand why you are worried. Didn't Yellowthorn go out with him? They are both strong cats; they will get through anything in their way just fine. But I suspect that both of them just wanted some extra time away."
As if on cue, Yellowthorn barged into camp.
Alone.
Moonsong felt worry overtake her. Where was Sunshadow?
"Hawkstar! Hawkstar!" The tom yowled. Hawkstar stepped out of his den, his face showing his confusion.
"Yes, Yellowthorn? Is something wrong?" Yellowthorn nodded. "Yes. Sunshadow has disappeared!"
By now, quite a few cats had come out into the clearing to see what was going on. Stormheart looked especially worried, with Cloudchaser at her side as comfort.
Hawkstar drew himself up. "Where was he last seen? And where do you think he went?"
Yellowthorn shook his head. "I last saw him at the beginning of the hunt, around the TwilightClan border, when he told me to loop around the opposite way he was going, then we would meet in the middle before heading back. I hunted for a good while before arriving at our meeting spot, but he never showed up. I checked everywhere twice, but I couldn't find him."
Hawkstar nodded. "Thank you, Yellowthorn. In this case, we will send out a search party immediately. Yellowthorn, you know the route best. Take with you C;oudchaser, Lightstep, and Jadeshine out. If you can't find him even then, come back and I will visit each Clan myself and find where he went." He leapt down from the Burnt Tree. "This meeting is at an end. The patrol may go." As the party filed out of camp, Hawkstar made his way towards Moonsong.
"Young Moonsong, I know you must be worried about you brother, but I am going to have to ask you that you get some sleep. I will send someone to wake you when he gets back." Moonsong dipped her head, ever so slightly comforted. "Yes, Hawkstar."
Lavenderfern sighed. "I'm sorry about all this, Moonsong. If it makes you feel any better, I am going to head out hunting, maybe look for him along the way." Moonsong purred gratefully. "Thanks."
"And I will come to the warriors' den with you," Turtlefoot decided. "Let's go."
As the pair fell asleep, Moonsong felt herself spiraling.
Down,
down,
down,
Into darkness.
. . .
Dark Forest
. . .
"Our training session begins, now."
. . .
Hope you all enjoyed!
Again, sorry for the wait.
And for the cliffhanger.
What do you think will happen to Sunshadow?
Find out!
-Russet