Chapter Six - An Awful Event
After the evening meal, the she cats went into the warrior's Nest Lay den to gossip, while the toms stayed in the meal den. It was made quite clear that the younger apprentices, except for Eaglepaw and Mudpaw who got to stay with the toms, were no longer wanted by either group.
"Can't you go and play Daisypaw?" Asked Rosethorn, twitching her tail in a vague direction. "The warriors want to talk, Whitefur make them play."
Hazelpaw noticed Beeflight give them a sympathetic glance.
"That's okay Rosethorn." Said Daisypaw sweetly. "We can look after ourselves. We'll play hide-and-seek."
"Oh, if you're sure." Rosethorn seemed quite glad to have the apprentices cleared from her mind. "But play quietly."
"I'll make sure to look in on them from time to time." Said Whitefur with a stern look at the apprentices.
Hazelpaw wiggled slightly under her green gaze.
I can tell that Daisypaw is Up To Something and I can't help feeling uncomfortable - as though Whitefur might know it too.
"Beanpaw, you count." Said Daisypaw once the four she cats were on the second floor. "Now, Rosethorn said we must be quiet and that means staying only on this floor. You can't go back down the stairs to the first, okay, or else she will be fearfully cross."
Hazelpaw knew at once that Daisypaw was getting Lilypaw and Beanpaw out of the way for whatever she had in mind. Beanpaw nodded her head eagerly, looking excited, and Lilypaw, who had opened her mouth to argue, sighed and closed it again. Hazelpaw could tell the white she cat would have preferred to be sitting with the warriors and listening to gossip - but Beanpaw wanted to play, so Lilypaw would not disappoint her.
It is actually, awfully clever of Daisypaw - as usual.
Beanpaw positioned herself at the top of the main stairs, just outside the small blue pelted den, and began counting in a very carrying whisper. Lilypaw sighed again and looked at Daisypaw before scampering off towards the disused dens next to the older apprentice's den. Daisypaw nudged Hazelpaw before padding loudly towards their own den. The cream she cat paused for a heartbeat, before quietly padding back the way she came and down the Secret Stairs. Hazelpaw followed just behind, thinking once again how clever Daisypaw's plan was.
Beanpaw needs to concentrate when she's counting, so while she is doing it, she is quite oblivious to the rest of the world. It is once again quite clever of Daisypaw to suggest her as the seeker; Lilypaw might have noticed what we were up to but never Beanpaw.
The two she cats crept down the Secret Stairs before quietly padding over to the meal den, which was covered by the hanging wooden rectangle. The lower voices of the toms could be heard from inside.
Daisypaw grinned at her friend, "Good job Hazelpaw!" The cream she cat whispered. "Now for the second part of our mission. We have a good amount of time before Beanpaw realises we aren't on the top floor; time which I want to make best possible use of. It's clear from the way Spiderstreak was acting at evening meal that he is highly suspicious - much too interested in Cardinal Nest for my liking. The sneaky tom is definitely up to something, don't you agree?"
"He is being very odd," said Hazelpaw, "which might not mean anything, but-"
"Exactly." Said Daisypaw as if she'd been backed up entirely. "If you eventhink so, then we must be on to something.
The cream she cat lashed her tail. "I don't like him, and I don't like him being in my nest, around my family. Rosethorn is not very bright about cats and this time I don't trust her judgement at all. We already knew he was a bit sketchy back at PineClan, what else is he capable of? He must be watched - and this game gives us the perfect opportunity to do so. If we're caught we can say quite truthfully that we were hiding. Meanwhile, the goal is to observe Spiderstreak doing something compromising. He should be coming out of the meal den soon, after all. All right?"
Hazelpaw hesitated.
The grey she cat tried to convince herself that everything would be fine. This would be the most interesting potential case they would hit in moons - if it wasn't worth investigating nothing was - but the grey she cat couldn't help feeling apprehensive; Ravenwhisker's warning replaying in her mind.
No matter how much I try to convince myself this time will be safe and couldn't possibly turn into a murder, there's something telling me there's danger a paw - for some cat at least. Someone might end up getting hurt…..but, maybe that's why I should investigate. So I can protect my clan mates and prevent whatever's lurking from happening.
"All right." Said Hazelpaw cautiously, but firmly. "I'm ready."
"Good." Said Daisypaw. "I don't know it yet, but I think he's liable to do something sneaky with Cardinal Nest. He's just far too interested in it. He would probably ideally want to be alone - hence the 'fix things up after the celebrations' offer - but he could still get desperate and do something, whatever that entails, while we're here. Or trick Rosethorn into letting him. She might fall for it, but I will not! All we need is enough evidence to take to Falconflight so that he is kicked out for good."
The cream she cat turned around to face away from the meal den entrance, tail flicking thoughtfully. In front of her was a very tall, dark, square-ish tree without a leafy top and beside it, a faded, hard object with a soft, moss-like substance on top.
'What we need to do is hide." Began Daisypaw again. "You can get in the space under the tall tree and I'll hide behind that thing, I recall it's called a sofa, then we'll listen and watch for all we're worth."
Hazelpaw looked at the space under the tall tree object. It looked extremely small and dirty; a two month old kit could probably only just fit in there.
"Daisyp-" began Hazelpaw, but the cream she cat was already hiding, in the place with more space, naturally, so Hazelpaw had no choice but to squeeze herself under the dark tree.
It was very dark, cramped and dusty. Hazelpaw had to try and stop herself from sneezing, and every time she tried to wiggle into a more comfortable position, Daisypaw kept hissing at her to be quiet and still. By the time the grey she cat heard the wooden rectangle of the meal den creak open, and saw 12 pairs of different coloured paws walk past, she was thoroughly cross.
Sometimes being a part of the Flower and Leaf Detective Society is no fun at all.
"How about a game of Acorns?" Hazelpaw heard Sparrowfeather ask in his big round voice.
"Not for me," replied Spiderstreak from right in front of Hazelpaw. "I've got other things to do. Might take another stroll through the lovely forest here, or have another look around the nest."
"I hope you're not going to tire yourself wondering all over the cardinal forest like you were this afternoon." Said Falconflight in his lightest of cold tones. Hazelpaw could almost detect another implied meaning in what he was saying. "It's a celebration; you must remember to enjoy yourself."
Spiderstreak was silent for a heartbeat, but when he replied his tone oozed with smugness more than ever. "Oh, you mustn't worry about that. I always remember to enjoy myself. And I promise you, I won't tire myself needlessly traipsing around the surrounding forest. Everything I need is right here at Cardinal Nest."
Hazelpaw felt her muscles tense in indignation as she bit back a hiss. The tree-like object creaked around her.
She heard Jupinerbush give a snort.
"I don't like your tone-" began Eaglepaw hotly before abruptly stopping as if some cat had put a calming tail on his shoulder. "Shhh," Hazelpaw heard Mudpaw say, "Eaglepaw, don't."
"Indeed," said Falconflight. "Nothing to get upset about. Well then Spiderstreak, we shall leave you to it. Come on Sparrowfeather, Jupinerbush, Eaglepaw and Mudpaw; acorns."
Hazelpaw heard the sound of receding pawsteps heading towards the prey store den along with Sparrowfeather in what was supposed to be a whisper, "That tom! If he wasn't a guest here..…Why did Rosethorn invite him?"
There was a low murmur from Falconflight, and then they were gone. Spiderstreak was left alone in the long den.
Hazelpaw gave an inward groan as she realised she had to stay put, even though her back leg was beginning to cramp up.
Then came the sound of paw steps padding out of the warrior's Nest Lay den.
"Spiderstreak," Hazelpaw heard Rosethorn say softly, like a breath out.
"Rosethorn," said Spiderstreak, just as quietly. "Meet in the Nest Lay den in a few heartbeats."
"Yes," whispered Daisypaw's mother, before more paw steps came padding out of that very den.
Hazelpaw saw Whitefur's fluffy paws stop just in front of her hiding place.
"Oh, what a surprise." Said the white warrior. "I was just coming out to look for the apprentices to make sure they really were playing hide-and-seek."
"Well, they clearly aren't here." Said Rosethorn in an annoyed tone. "Really, can't you keep them under control? Whatever did I invite you for?"
"You are quite right." Replied Whitefur blandly. "I do apologise." But although that's what she was saying, Hazelpaw could tell she didn't mean it, and as she went striding off towards the nest entrance, Hazelpaw got the distinct feeling that she was doing the opposite to what she wanted to do.
Under her disinterested and proper exterior, Whitefur is just as curious about seeing Rosethorn and Spiderstreak together as we are.
But for now the scene appeared to be over, with Rosethorn wandering into the warriors den and Spiderstreak muttering something under his breath before heading back to the meal den.
Hazelpaw couldn't bear to stay under the big tree object any longer. As soon as it was clear, the grey she cat kicked and heaved her way out, hitting her head in the process and then flopped onto the floor, panting heavily.
Before she could blink, Daisypaw was next to her. "Did you hear?" She hissed.
Hazelpaw sneezed. "I couldn't have missed it."
"Exactly! Quick - to the Nest Lay den, before Whitefur comes back and sends us to our nests. We must be ready for the meeting."
Hazelpaw paused as she felt a twinge of worry at the pit of her stomach. She knew they had both heard the same conversations, but she wondered if it meant the same thing to each of them.
Spiderstreak is up to no good….but I also know that grown-up warriors sometimes go into quiet places together for different reasons.
Is this one of those times? Is this a mystery the Detective Society ought to be investigating?
"But Daisypaw…...are you sure?"
"Hazelpaw," snapped Daisypaw, "do you want to catch Spiderstreak being a criminal or not?"
Hazelpaw couldn't argue with that.
…..
Hazelpaw shivered as she felt a cool breeze on her back from the den floor. The grey she cat was currently crouched behind a soft, green object hanging from the den roof and partially covering the cracked clearstone in the Nest Lay den.
They were waiting for the two meeting parties to arrive. While Daisypaw seemed to bounce with excitement, Hazelpaw couldn't help feeling nervous. Worry settled at the bottom of her stomach like a stone.
What if I'm right?
The two she cats weren't waiting long before Spiderstreak casually padded inside, his face horribly smug. He positioned himself on the brown pelt to the side of the den and away from direct view looking in from the entrance.
He looked cheerful, but he started like anything at the sound of more paw prints padding in.
"See?" Hissed Daisypaw. "A guilty conscience!"
It was only Daisypaw's mother though, slipping through the entrance daintily, blue eyes blinking.
"Now be vigilant!" Daisypaw half mouthed to her friend in the dim light. "We must remember everything we hear so we can tell Falconflight afterwards."
But there was not much to remember.
Spiderstreak and Rosethorn simply stared at each other with great round eyes, like a couple of mooning apprentices.
If Spiderstreak is meant to trick Rosethorn into letting him poke around the nest on his own, then he certainly has an odd way of doing it.
"My sweet heart," said the black tom. "Sweetheart!"
He padded up to the cream she cat and embraced her, entwining his tail with her's. Rosethorn threw herself at the black tom's chest, purring and rubbing her head under his chin. Spiderstreak gave a rumbling purr as well before licking the cream warrior's mussel. Rosethorn returned the gesture, before the two warriors sank down onto the brown pelt, curled up together.
Hazelpaw nearly laughed. The two older warriors were looking so weird and odd and making complete fools of themselves.
But then she looked at Daisypaw.
The cream she cat had her mouth dropped open in shock. Her blue eyes were wide and glistening and her unsheathed claws were scraping the hard floor of the den. A single tear ran down the side of her face before landing with a plop on the floor.
Hazelpaw had never seen her friend weep before, believing it wasn't possible for her to do so. Seeing her made the grey she cat remember, with a jolt, how extremely serious this was.
This is Daisypaw's mother. Daisypaw's mother who is mates with Daisypaw's father. She should not be acting this way with other toms in Nest Lay dens. She should not be acting this way with other toms at all.
Spiderstreak now had his forehead pressed against Rosethorn's and the two warriors were gazing into each other's eyes.
Just then, Hazelpaw heard the sound of storming paw steps and Eaglepaw burst into the room. Mudpaw was just behind him and Hazelpaw managed to catch a glimpse at his shocked and horrified face - mouth opened almost as wide as Daisypaw's - before Eaglepaw roared, "ROSETHORN!" And the two warriors sprang apart as if stung by bees.
"Eaglepaw!" Gasped Rosethorn. "Spiderstreak was just—"
More paw steps thudded on the wooden floor and Falconflight came striding in.
"Rosethorn, are you in here?" Called the yellow tabby. "I want— what's this?"
"I was having a quiet word with Spiderstreak," explained Rosethorn quickly. "Eaglepaw interrupted us."
"A quiet word, was it?" Retorted Eaglepaw, fur spiking and ears burning with anger.
"Don't talk mousedung Rosethorn, you've done this too many times. If it were up to me I'd— Oh! Come on Mudpaw. Let's leave these foxhearted, clueless fleabrains to it."
The cream and brown tom abruptly turned and shoved himself out of the den, looking ready to crumple up with rage. Mudpaw followed, darting one last shocked glance at Spiderstreak as he did so.
Poor Mudpaw, being caught up in all of this, and poor Daisypaw!
The cream she cat was still weeping.
Falconflight, meanwhile, was starring from Rosethorn to Spiderstreak and back again. Understanding dawned in his blue eyes.
"So Rosethorn," He said, voice low and tail flicking, "what were you doing?" The yellow tom suddenly sounded quite dangerous.
"I don't see what it is to you," retorted Spiderstreak, chin raised defiantly.
"For one thing," began Falconflight again, cold blue eyes now fixed on the black tom, "I happen to be Rosethorn's brother. And for another, I'd like to know a bit more about you Spiderstreak, we never did talk much back at camp. What were you doing this afternoon in the forest; looking for rogue scents was it?"
Spiderstreak froze.
"None of your business!" He snarled at last. "I was simply having a look around. Now I'd thank you to get out of my way."
With that, the black tom barged past Falconflight - very rudely thought Hazelpaw, hating him more than ever - and out of the den.
Rosethorn was left sitting on the brown pelt, tail wrapped around her paws and head hanging, looking forlorn.
"Sometimes you're horrid," she said to Falconflight. "Why do you have to always go poking your whiskers in?"
"Rosethorn, just listen. That tom - he's not the sort to be associating with. I strongly suggest you reconsider having him in the nest."
"Oh, stop being so melodramatic!" Snapped Rosethorn. "Just because he's my friend - and your clanmate too, Falconflight, for StarClan's sake!"
The cream she cat lashed her tail. "This is my nest and you can't tell me what to do in it."
"He needs to go, Rosethorn!" Said Falconflight, but the cream warrior had already stormed out.
The yellow tabby tom gave a low grow, tail lashing in exasperation before striding out after his sister.
Hazelpaw and Daisypaw were left alone.
The cream she cat was still crouched in their hiding place, gulping quietly and Hazelpaw didn't know what to do. Daisypaw had had a shock - the grey she cat vaguely remembered that thyme was supposed to help with that, but she didn't have any thyme on paw.
"Daisypaw," spoke Hazelpaw, trying to be encouraging. She knew she couldn't speak about what they had just seen. "Didn't you hear? It sounds like Falconflight is suspicious of Spiderstreak after all! We might really be on to something!"
Daisypaw sniffed. There was silence for a couple of heartbeats.
"Hazelpaw," she finally said in a very small voice as she crept out from behind the green twoleg object, "I think you may have a point."
Paw steps thundered on the wooden floor once again.
"THERE you are!" Cried Lilypaw crossly as she burst into the den, Beanpaw at her heels. "See Beanpaw? I told you they'd be hiding down here! You foxhearts! Come on, Whitefur says it's time to go to sleep now."
Hello everyone, hope you enjoyed the chapter! And that pretty much awfully confirms what was happening between Rosethorn and Spiderstreak which peeps probably guessed anyway. So what is Daisypaw going to do now? And what was Falconflight subtly implying and meowing about to Rosethorn? Tune in next Mon/Sun too see if these questions are answered (or if at least more clues come to light to help answer those questions).
Have a Happy Easter! :.)
-Fastbreeze37
Reviews:
FrostedShadowx – The feather is the one mentioned in the prophecy (it would be quite the coincidence for there to be multiple white feathers floating around). What secrets does it hold? And where did Spiderstreak get it? Can't say too much but that is a very good guess. Sparrowfeather's reaction certainly wasn't a very positive one but then Falconflight wasn't either….anyway, hope you enjoyed and I'll see what I can do about more frequent updates.
Hissing Mist – Yeah, they'll totally be best friends forever and ever! (And throughout all their time in StarClan) Glad you're excited about the oneshots. :.) I have for the most part finished writing this story but I usually update the oneshots when I have time and inspiration. Though I have a lot of ideas I just have to execute them…I will try and do the Bean and Lily one next and then hopefully another Daisy and Hazel one pre MMUL. Ah nicknames…I have one for my real life name but haven't got one for my username yet. I was thinking something like Breezy, but I think that's been done. Fasty doesn't sound right and neither does thirty-seven (ty) but I was poss thinking something like just Seven (kinda reminds me of the reindeer from frozen, lol).