Chapter Twenty Two - Clan Guard Guardian

The three she cats froze.

This was all very wrong because training (which Hazelpaw and Daisypaw were missing) was still going on. And if it was a hunting or border patrol, why were they sneaking around the log so quietly?

There was silence. Then a voice called out.

"Daisypaw? Hazelpaw? Are you here?"

It was Ashstar.

Hazelpaw felt Daisypaw press in closer to her and felt her tense muscles and pounding heart along with her own. She heard Oakbranch's sharp intake of breath.

She has come to find us! She knows!

Hazelpaw took a gasping breath.

Mothfur must have told her about the flower. She's going to kill us! Bury us in the swamp next to Whistlesong, and tell our parents we had run away.

Hazelpaw had thought she'd been afraid during the investigation, but that had been nothing compared to right now.

"Apprentices?" Ashstar called again. Hazelpaw saw dark grey tabby legs walk in front of the end of the Hollow Log. "Are you there? Come on out I've got a lovely surprise for you!"

I couldn't be more terrified if she had just said 'come out so I can murder you!'

"Mothfur told me there'd been a misunderstanding earlier." The leader continued. "Come out so I can explain."

There was a pause for what seemed like a lifetime. Hazelpaw hardly dared to breath.

She knows we're in the Hollow Log and is going to wait us out. What are we going to do!

Then the grey she cat suddenly felt a warm breath on her ear from behind.

"I'm going to go out and lead her away." Breathed Oakbranch so quietly, Hazelpaw could barely hear her. "I'll pretend I went out for some peace and quiet then lead her away to 'help' look for you two, allowing you to get away. But you must promise me you'll go straight to a Clan Guard and not try any mouse brained heroics on your own."

Hazelpaw risked turning to face the elder and shook her head slightly, brown eyes wide.

You can't! What if she knows you're the source, she would murder you too! And if she did we wouldn't be able to get justice without your witness!

"I'll be fine." Oakbranch replied in her ear as though she knew her thoughts. "But you must promise to go straight to the Clan Guard. Get help. I'll meet you there as soon as I can. But you must promise!"

The last part came out as a hiss. Her eyes lit with desperation.

Hazelpaw hesitated before giving a small nod.

She's putting herself in danger to protect us. So we have a chance to get justice. We must get to the Clan Guard as soon as possible. We owe her that much.

The ginger she cat blinked gratefully at her before lightly leaping over the two she cats and towards the log entrance.

Daisypaw's blue eyes widened with shock and she opened her jaws to protest, but Hazelpaw curled her tail around her mouth, stopping her. The grey she cat then gently dragged her friend back further into the darkness of the log.

The cream she cat made a muffled, indignant noise, but didn't struggle.

Meanwhile, Oakbranch made an over exaggerated yawn and stretch.

"What's all the yowling about?" The ginger she cat called as she poked her head out of the log. "I'm trying to sleep over here - oh Ashstar! Is everything okay?"

Hazelpaw couldn't believe the elder's nerve. She sounded so calm, like bumping into Ashstar was just a pleasant surprise. She could tell Daisypaw was impressed as well, despite herself.

"Oakbranch! What are you doing here?" The leader also sounded surprised, if not slightly alarmed.

The ginger she cat casually climbed out of the log.

"I came here to get away from camp. There's no chance of peace and quiet with them Clan Guards crawling around camp like fleas." Oakbranch replied with an irritable flick of her tail.

"Yes." Responded Ashstar somewhat guardedly. "They are being somewhat of a nuisance, dragging out a painful business more than they need to."

"And you've had to deal with them all day." Oakbranch's voice sounded sympathetic.

The she cats in the log heard a sigh from the dark grey tabby. "It's the duty of a leader I guess."

She no longer sounded so guarded. Hazelpaw felt herself relax slightly.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Asked Oakbranch. "Who were you yowling for just now?"

Hazelpaw held her breath, hoping Ashstar wouldn't get suspicious by the direct question.

The leader let out a huff of annoyance. "I'm looking for two apprentices who I'm sure are hiding out here somewhere and blatantly missing training. Hazelpaw and Daisypaw."

There was a pause.

"You haven't seen them, have you?"

Hazelpaw pelt pricked with panic and Daisypaw tensed beside her.

What if Ashstar's figured out she's covering for us?

"Oh right, the spunky cream she cat and that grey mountain cat who always follows her around. No I can't say I've seen them, but I could help you look if you like."

"Thank you Oakbranch." Responded Ashstar, not sounding suspicious in the slightest; more like - relieved.

"I knew I could always count on you."

Peering out through the end of the Hollow Log, Hazelpaw thought she saw Oakbranch flinch ever so slightly. To hide it, she moved and began to guide Ashstar away from the log.

"Have you tried the shore nearer BrightClan territory?" Hazelpaw heard the ginger elder ask as the two she cats padded away. "I remember back in my apprentice days there being an endless choice of hiding places there.."

The elder's voice began to fade in the distance.

The two she cats in the Hollow Log pricked their ears as they listened to the receding paw steps of Oakbranch and Ashstar.

Then there was silence.

Daisypaw suddenly collapsed upon Hazelpaw with a sigh, shaking.

"Th..that was too close. I thought we were crow food."

Hazelpaw just shook her head speechless and body also quivering.

Daisypaw jumped up. "Quick! We need to get back to training now, before she comes back."

"Really?" Asked Hazelpaw, doubtful she could move anywhere at the moment; her legs felt as fragile as thin twigs.

"Do you want to wait for her here?" Retorted Daisypaw.

Hazelpaw shook her head, before following Daisypaw out of the log.

Once out, Hazelpaw felt as if there was a bright beam of moonlight on her, alerting everything to her presence. The grey she cat scanned the bushes and trees warily, expecting Ashstar to pounce on them at any moment.

Hazelpaw was so preoccupied with keeping alert, that she almost crashed right into a Clan Guard. It was the same one who had been at the entrance this past day; the heavy set dark tabby tom with a scar over his left eye.

Daisypaw shied away from him and Hazelpaw realised with horror that the cream she cat wanted to still finish the case without any Guard help, despite their close ordeal.

I can't do that. We're in too much danger! And not just us! I must keep my promise to Oakbranch.

The guard was already turning away.

"Excuse me!" Hazelpaw called out. "Wait! We need your help."

The Guard turned to her. "Yes?" He said politely.

"Please help us!" Said Hazelpaw, blurting it all out in a rush. "We know who killed Mousestripe. It was Ashstar and we know she also killed Whistlesong, our previous deputy, as well. And now she's coming after us! Please!"

The tom frowned, brown wrinkled and Hazelpaw could tell he didn't believe her. "I'm terribly sorry, but what are you talking about?"

"Hazelpaw don't!" Exclaimed Daisypaw when she realised what her friend was doing. The grey she cat ignored her.

"Ashstar is the murderer!" Hazelpaw cried. "Whistlesong was blackmailing her over what happened to Cinderpaw last year, so Ashstar killed her, disposed of the body with help from Mousestripe and then killed him. We have evidence and a witness!"

"That is quite true. I am the whiteness." Panted a voice behind them. Hazelpaw jumped and spun around to see Oakbranch.

"How did you get here so fast?" Breathed the grey she cat.

"Never mind that," she replied before turning to the Clan Guard, "these apprentices are telling the truth and I have witnessed the key to all this. I'll tell you, but first I must make sure these young she cats are safe."

The Guard stared hard at the ginger elder, before shaking his head with a sigh and beconing with his tail for the three she cats to follow him.

Hazelpaw felt herself sag with relief at being believed. She knew Daisypaw wasn't happy though, and could tell without looking at her that she was going to be difficult.

"All right," said the Guard once the four of them had settled behind some dense alder bushes. "What's all this about?" His expression was deadly serious.

"Hazelpaw has said too much already," Daisypaw huffed, tail flicking irritably. "I don't see why I should tell you anymore. Who are you anyway? You've been here all day and haven't even introduced yourself."

No! Please don't be offended by Daisypaw and throw us back out! Hazelpaw thought frantically.

Thankfully, the cream she cat's out burst only seemed to amuse him.

"I am Gorsestep, deputy leader of the Clan Guard Pine Forest Division." The Guard told them, sitting on his haunches and curling his tail around his paws. "And who are you?"

"I am Daisypaw of PineClan, daughter of Sparrowfeather and Rosethorn of PineClan," the cream she cat responded as if she were clan leader. "And this is my best friend Hazelpaw. And this is our murder case and we've solved it without you, thank you very much. No matter what Hazelpaw says, we don't need your help."

Gorsestep's ears pricked in surprise and his brow wrinkled again.

"Do you mean to say that you really have more than a whiteness statement you can show me?" He asked. "You can prove what Hazelpaw just told me about Ashstar?"

Hazelpaw saw Daisypaw squirm. She could tell she was having a real personal struggle of whether to reveal their cleverness to the Guard.

But we really have no choice! I really don't want to face a murderous Ashstar again on my own. We have solved the case and there's not much more we can do. As much as Daisypaw hates it, we have to tell the Clan Guard what we know if we want to save our clan and protect Oakbranch.

"Yes!" Exclaimed Hazelpaw before speaking rapidly. "We know that Ashstar killed Whistlesong. She was blackmailing her about what happened to Cinderpaw last season. Oakbranch witnessed it all!"

"That is true," softly spoke the ginger she cat. "I witnessed when Ashstar told Cinderpaw she was her natural mother. I witnessed them meeting up on High Cliff at night and Ashstar striking Cinderpaw causing her to fall."

The Guard's brow went even higher with surprise.

"Yes and that was what Whistlesong was blackmailing her about." Began Hazelpaw again. "First for the deputy position and then to get her out of the clan altogether. So Ashstar silenced her, had Mousestripe help dispose of the body in return of him becoming deputy and then silenced him when he planned on going to the Guard."

Oakbranch nodded in agreement.

"I was the one who told Whistlesong about what I had seen." The ginger she cat said. "I'll testify to that and the fact that she told me she was blackmailing Ashstar to become deputy and then at the meeting when she was killed."

"And we also have other solid evidence to prove it! Show him Daisypaw."

The cream she cat hesitated before sighing.

"Oh alright, they're just at the training hollows. I'll need to get them."

"I'll come with you." Oakbranch offered.

A couple of heart beats later, the she cats return; Daisypaw with the leaf wrap in her jaws.

"Here they are," she said to the Guard, placing it at his paws. "Just remember that we are the ones who found these."

Gorsestep nodded solemnly before taking a look inside. As he did so, Hazelpaw and Daisypaw began a more detailed explanation of their investigation, starting from finding Whistlesong's body. They finished with how losing the violet flower ("Our most important piece of evidence!" Daisypaw had hissed furiously) had led to Ashstar and then finding Oakbranch in the Hollow Log who told them the other half of the case.

Hazelpaw could tell Gorsestep was only listening politely at first, but then the tabby tom's face became more and more astonished. At last he shook his head and let out a light chuckle of disbelief.

"Not bad for the Detective Society's first case."

"You believe us?" Daisypaw asked sharply, blue eyes narrowing.

The Guard nodded. "You present a compelling, if not slightly muddled, account of events. It's rather difficult not to believe you." Gorsestep said with a twitch of his whiskers.

"It's a pity you don't have the flower anymore, but I'm sure I can close the case without it."

Hazelpaw saw Daisypaw make a face at muddled but the grey she cat herself just felt relieved.

"And you'll look for Whistlesong's body?" She asked.

"Yes, I'll send out some of my Guards as soon as possible to the swamp to search. However," the tabby tom's face became very serious again, "I can't close the case until I know you two are safe from Ashstar."

He turned to Oakbranch. "That includes you too, warrior of PineClan."

"Elder actually, though I'm flattered you think so." Corrected the dark ginger she cat, amber eyes sparkling with amusement. "My name is Oakbranch."

Gorsestep nodded in acknowledgement.

"Well, for the meantime Oakbranch, I'll have you stick with me, I want to hear your story in full, but is there any place where these two young apprentices would be safe for a little while."

"We could go to the medicine cat den." Hazelpaw offered.

"Very good." Responded Gorsestep.

Oakbranch nodded her agreement. "They'll be safe with Mintpelt."

"In that case, you'll stay in the medicine cat den until I've arrested Ashstar. I'll have one of my Guards guarding you and I'll put another on her tail. But you must remember - no heroics - you've done quite enough."

"Well, we did just solve the case for you." Said Daisypaw.

The Guard stood up and smoothed down his chest fur with a couple of licks, before dipping his head to Daisypaw.

"Indeed you did, young warrior of PineClan."

Hazelpaw could tell he wasn't being entirely serious but Daisypaw was too pleased to notice, puffing out her chest and purring with pride.

Gorsestep also dipped his head to Hazelpaw, who blinked shyly at him before looking down at her paws quickly, pelt burning with embarrassment.

I'm certain I caught him winking at me, his amber eyes sparkling with amusement.

But when the grey she cat looked up at the dark tabby tom again, his expression was as polite as ever.

Hey everyone! What do you think of Gorsestep? He seems to be doing his job well and he believes the detectives. Tune in next Mon/Sun to see what happens next though. Daisypaw is not going to like being all cooped up and safe in the med-cat den so there's definitely more mischief on the way! Btw I'll be posting more pics on my profile later this week. Check em out and enjoy!

QOTD: Which is your fav name out of all the cats in the story? My fav PineClan warrior names are probs Riverrush and Thunderboom but my fav out of everyone is definitely Gorsestep.

-Fastbreeze37

Russetmoth – Yikes! Turned out it wasn't fake cliffie but they made it out alive! *Phew* But there are still quite a few more chapters for them to get into trouble instead. Roughly about…4 more chapters plus an epilogue. I'm glad you're enjoying my story so much! I am planning on making a small series of Hazelpaw and Daisypaw's detecting adventures which is why they can't be warriors yet, but they will soon. :.)

Guest – I like Lilypaw for the exact same reasons!