Talonpaw and Morningpaw's curiosity had sparked something inside Gorsepaw. Her brother had whispered about it the entire way back to camp and then whispered some more as he lay next to her. He'd taken Embercreek's old spot in the den. Now he could chat with her whenever he wanted. Hawkpaw had hissed something when Gorsepaw had said something a little too loud. Breezepaw had promptly told him to shut up after that and Gorsepaw had passed out.
But his words had left her thinking.
Gorsepaw had said that it was strange that Shadestar hadn't been smug. He had even been shocked when Birdstar mentioned that Antclaw was a part of FirClan now. If Antclaw wasn't a part of FirClan now, then why had, Grayclaw, the warrior who had exposed Antclaw for who he was, act as if Antclaw had been hanging out with FirClan? Were those two toms a part of something? It just didn't make any sense.
Who could Antclaw be working with? Who was going to kill him if he returned? If it wasn't FirClan, or didn't appear to be FirClan, who was it?
Shadestar had been genuinely confused. Antclaw had not been conspirating with FirClan. That's what stuck with her as she padded with the border patrol. Wolfleap, Lightningheart, and Pebblenose padded ahead of her, and Hawkpaw padded dutifully, yet sullenly behind her. Wolfleap had been tasked by Badgerblaze to patrol the FirClan border every day, up and down. Hawkpaw had joined them today because Badgerblaze was busy. It didn't matter if there were any other cats on patrol, she was always steadfastly in this stupid patrol.
She could probably tell any cat exactly how the forest transitioned from sprawling oaks to towering cedars. The thick undergrowth slowly developed into sparse, rough bracken and ferns until it was just the bracken and then nothing but pine needles and sharp smelling cedar. You could see across the lake of pine needles for a fair distance, making it almost impossible to sneak up on the ForestClan border. She often saw patrols or training sessions in the distance, just on the edge of the bracken. Apparently, hunting on the lake of pine needles was for night only.
She also could probably tell any cat that asked where the FirClan territory and ForestClan became almost one and that the scents were almost indistinguishable if a cat weren't paying attention. The cedar forest devolved back into oak trees and thick undergrowth near the rogue territories. This part of the patrol was almost examined thoroughly. FirClan had crossed the border here to get the clearing between the border and Fallen Trees. Not a very useful hunting spot, she mused as they stopped there. It was just some grass and trees. The prey that they gathered from there was slim at best.
So, why had Antclaw wanted them to take it? She returned to her previous thoughts ignoring Hawkpaw as he brushed past her to talk to Pebblenose. What would Antclaw benefit from giving it to FirClan if he wasn't with them? Possibly he had fallen in love with a FirClan she-cat? But who? No she-cat had seemed distressed at the gathering.
Who did Antclaw answer to? Where had he gone? They hadn't scented him on ForestClan since the day he left, his scent disappearing at the edge of the FirClan border. And that! That should've been answer enough! Antclaw had traded loyalties to FirClan. But if that were true, why had Shadestar been confused. He would have used it against Birdstar. She groaned inwardly and wanted to bang her head into a nearby tree.
It wasn't FirClan.
Was it… was it the rogues?
"Breezepaw!" Wolfleap's sharp voice shattered her musing. She jumped and spun around, fur standing on end.
"Yes, Wolfleap?" She offered innocently, forcing her fur to lay flat. He scowled at her and gestured with his head for the rest of the patrol to pad along. Hawkpaw gave her a smug look over Wolfleap's back. He was tall enough now that he stood almost shoulder to shoulder with her mentor. She sent him a glare and he chuckled as he padded after the other two warriors. Wolfleap's tail tip twitched until the rest of the patrol was out of sight.
"Breezepaw, what in StarClan's name is wrong with you?" He demanded. She flattened her ears.
"What do you mean?"
"You're distracted. You aren't focused on patrolling. You barely speak. You aren't bringing as much prey back to camp as you usually do. You were much more focused when Maplekit died—" Fury drove a sharp thorn into her chest, and she bristled.
"Don't you dare bring Maplekit into this!" She snarled. Wolfleap watched her, unbothered.
"As soon as you stop grieving, as soon as you don't have something to ignore you get sloppy," he said easily, his eyes flashing with surprise and then irritation as the thought settled in. "If you don't focus, it will get you injured, possibly even killed. With Antclaw running around hanging out with rogues—" All pain was replaced with sudden eagerness.
"So Antclaw isn't with FirClan!" She exclaimed and stepped forward, immediately forgetting what he had just said. "What do you know!"
"Breezepaw—"
"I've been trying to reason it," she started, pacing back and forth, "I knew that it was surprising that Shadestar seemed surprised when Birdstar accused him. Even FirClan seemed shocked that Antclaw had been a part of the scheme. But his scent led to FirClan border when he left—"
"Breezepaw, stop!" Wolfleap snapped at her, and she recoiled, flattening her ears. She held his gaze as he inhaled deeply. "Don't talk about things you don't understand—"
"But, Wolfleap—"
"Stop. Asking." She glared at him. "Antclaw is a traitor. It doesn't matter who he was consorting with or who he wasn't," Wolfleap said quietly. "He is dangerous. He is a cat without a Clan and will resort to anything. He has no code anymore, Breezepaw, and he is dangerous. You need to be focused. If you can't focus, you will join the new apprentices." She sighed, resigned. Wolfleap would be no help in solving where Antclaw was and what he was doing. But he had told her something crucial. Antclaw wasn't with FirClan, he was with rogues. Featherberry must have discussed it with him. They might've been siblings. They were both very, very gray. And scary. She blinked and then looked back up at Wolfleap.
"New apprentices?" She inquired. Wolfleap let out a very irritated sigh.
"Birdstar is naming Otterkit, Adderkit, and Spottedkit as apprentices after sunhigh. I was hoping we would make it back by then," he glanced upwards, and the sun was just at sun high.
"We can still make it," she offered. He turned away to hold back something mean, she assumed. Once he collected himself, he turned back to her.
"Remember what I said, Breezepaw," Wolfleap warned. She nodded vigorously, hoping to get across that she would really try her best, she really would. His tail tip twitched and then he padded past her to lead the way back to camp. She followed him obediently.
Could she tell Gorsepaw what Wolfleap had told her? His tone had indicated he didn't want her to share the information he'd given her, albeit on accident. If they knew where Antclaw was, potentially they could be prepared for any problems in the future. If he was with rogues, he could bring them to the Clan. The rogues were especially known for having no code. It was chaos. They did respect the border of the Clans, for what reason, she wasn't sure, but they had had no problems while Breezepaw had been alive. Gingerleaf had mentioned nothing in the Clan's past either. She would've if there had been an issue because it would've made a wonderful story.
Maybe, maybe, she thought, there was no reason for the rogues to cross into Clan territory. The rogues had all the prey they needed, and the Clans had all they needed. If the rogues were so organized, why didn't they just become a fourth Clan? They would be much safer than living on their own—
"Breezepaw," Wolfleap cut into her thoughts. She jumped to attention, padding quickly to his side. They were almost back. "What can you smell?" Such a simple question. She scoffed internally.
"I smell," she inhaled deeply, parting her jaws to get a deeper smell. Soft scent of mouse, mole. The musty scent of squirrel and rabbit. "Mouse, vole, squirrel, rabbit, some kind of bird," she wrinkled her nose and glanced over to Wolfleap. Musky and thick and heavy and gross. "What in StarClan's name is that?" She asked, vaguely disgusted.
"Fox," he said grimly. Her heart started pounding in her chest. There was a fox? She had never seen a fox before. She had heard how when Gingerleaf was an apprentice, there had been one. It had killed one of the warriors. They were supposed to be dangerous.
"What? But… but so close to camp? That's… how did it get so close without some cat scenting it?" She stammered and stepped closer to him. He flicked his tail over her ear in reassurance as he glanced around.
"The scent is at least a day old. It might've just passed straight through the territory. But we need to tell Birdstar regardless, make sure it's gone," he informed her. "You can tell her," he added. She glanced up at him, shocked.
"What? Why?"
"You scented it," he shrugged and stepped onto the well-trodden path that led to the camp entrance.
"But I thought you thought I was distracted—"
"And I do," he conceded, "but you are a good apprentice, and I want you to succeed. Each moon we get closer to…" he paused here, licking his lips as he thought. "We get closer to turmoil within the Clans because of Antclaw, because of Shadestar, because of a lot of different things. I want you to be ready for when the time comes. I don't want you to be distracted. You will be a good warrior," he added finally. They stopped in front of the entrance to the camp. He was being unusually sincere. She blinked up at him, confused, but basking in his praise. She needed to take it where she could get it.
"I… Thank you, Wolfleap," she said, confused, "is everything okay?" He chuckled lightly.
"Everything is fine," he said. "Mousepool must be rubbing off on me," he added with a shrug. This was an opportunity to ask him about some personal information. This was the first time he had shared anything with her… ever. He was in a very sharing mood. Odd, but she would take advantage of it.
"Are you… will you… will Mousepool be having kits soon?" She finally settled on. Wolfleap let out a laugh. The first one she had ever heard from him.
"Let's go watch the apprentice ceremonies, Breezepaw," he chuckled in lieu of answering. She stared after him for a moment. She had not once expected him to offer such information, especially after having snapped at her earlier. Wolfleap was confusing. Mousepool was making him confusing. She shook her head and padded after him. The Clan had already gathered under the willow tree. The tree was beautiful now with new leaf comin, its feathery leaves drifting in the warmer wind. She scanned the Clan for her brothers. They both sat where the apprentices usually sat near the front of the gathered cats. Wolfleap himself had joined Mousepool in the middle of the gathered cats. Birdstar had already started talking to the three kits. Their mother, Robinheart, shone with pride behind them. Much like Stonefoot had done for them. She sighed.
"We are gathered here to name three new apprentices," she called, voice bright. Too bright. Forced. Badgerblaze sat behind her, tail tip twitching thoughtfully. She made eye contact with the deputy, and he tipped his head to her. She heated, glancing away to find her eyes landing on Hawkpaw, who sat at the back. She sighed and padded forward to join him. He glanced at her, his eyes flashing to land on the pink scar on her muzzle briefly.
"Wolfleap get onto you?" he murmured to her. She flicked an ear. Hawkpaw never usually spoke to her. And if he did, it was to snap or sneer at her. Every cat was acting strange.
"Nothing he doesn't usually do," she commented under her breath. She watched as Spottedkit, now Spottedpaw, was given to Lightningheart to mentor. The two touched noses, and she bounced over to sit next to her brothers. Yellowpaw greeted her warmly.
"What's been up with you?" he asked after a beat of silence. She glanced over at him, scowling.
"What do you mean?" she whispered at him. He gave her an unamused glance.
"Don't play stupid, Breezepaw, ever since the Gathering, for about seven days, you've been acting weird. You don't bring as much prey in, it's like you're distracted," he commented under his breath. She flattened her ears. Wolfleap noticing she was distracted was one thing. He was her mentor, and they spent all of their time together. Hawkpaw, a cat who had made his disdain for her obvious, noticing was completely another. She glanced back to the apprentice ceremony.
"Adderpaw, your mentor will be Darkfall. Darkfall," she turned to the black tom as he padded forward, "you are strong and disciplined and I believe you can bring out the bravery and courage in young Adderpaw. Are you prepared to do this?" Hawkpaw's father gave a tilt of his head in what she recognized as arrogance. Not the cruel kind, like Shadestar, but still just enough that it made the fur prick along her spine. Hawkpaw looked just the same when he was doing something better than her.
"I'm fine—"
"You're not," Hawkpaw interjected softly. "You don't bicker with me; you don't try to outdo me."
"Why does it even matter to you?" she said under her breath. Hawkpaw let out a soft snort. "I'm perfectly fine. I think I deserve to relax. I've been working really hard the last several moons," she added defensively.
"Because I'm bored. And you're much better than either of your brothers. I like a competition, and you're losing badly," he whispered.
"I am not, I'm still better than you," she replied haughtily and caught as Otterpaw and Littlebreeze parted ways.
"We'll see about that," he returned at normal volume. He flicked her with his tail as he stood. She recoiled from him with a glare. He ignored her look and padded to congratulate the new apprentices. Otterpaw immediately started fawning over him, gushing excitedly, glancing between him and Littlebreeze.
She watched them, quietly irritated. She was completely fine! Maybe Wolfleap thought something was off. And potentially, he was right. But she was happy. She wasn't trying to fight down grief or replace it with hunting or battle training. She had fought in a battle and won! She'd met new cats, BayClan cats. She had new information about what happened with Antclaw. And her dreams. Potentially, her dreams were tied to what happened with Antclaw.
And that was what had her distracted.
"Breezepaw!" Once again, Wolfleap pulling her from her thoughts. She glanced up and noticed Birdstar and Wolfleap standing next to each other. She jumped to her paws and bounded over to them, glancing between the two intimidating cats. "Do you want to tell Birdstar what happened?
"I… uh, yes!" She said hurriedly. She turned to Birdstar. "We—I scented fox on the way back to camp. It was close to the camp entrance. Wolfleap said the scent was a day old, but I think it's important we make sure it's still not on the territory." She finished with a firm nod. Birdstar nodded and glanced to Wolfleap.
"Breezepaw, go tell Badgerblaze. He will tell you what to do from there, Wolfleap, I have something I want you to do," Birdstar said. Breezepaw glanced between both cats. What was Birdstar going to have Wolfleap do? Why wasn't she going to be a part of it? Birdstar turned her cool blue eyes to Breezepaw, her expression softening a fraction, "thank you for letting me know, Breezepaw. Go talk to Badgerblaze. I need to talk to your mentor." She looked to Wolfleap, which shouldn't have been her final reaction, Birdstar's words were law, but he nodded too, effectively dismissing her.
She forced herself not to pout as she padded over to Badgerblaze, who, unfortunately, was talking to his apprentice.
"Breezepaw," he greeted warmly in that deep voice of his. Her mood lifted a fraction. Badgerblaze was always so kind and wise and handsome. She fought that last thought away as she glanced at Hawkpaw who was watching her expectantly. "How can I help you?"
"Wolfleap and I scented some fox. Birdstar told me to tell you, and you would know what to do," she told him. The gentleness disappeared as he focused on the information she'd given him.
"Right, Hawkpaw," he turned to the tabby tom, "go tell Littlebreeze, Darkfall, and Lightningheart to stay near the training hollow when they go out for their first session. Tell them there is a fox out. Breezepaw, thank you for letting me know. You can stay inside camp for right now. And you, too Hawkpaw." With that, he brushed past her to the warriors laying in the shade. She deflated instantly. She'd wanted to go out with them to follow the scent. She'd wanted to see a fox and chase it off with the other warriors.
"I won't be going out either," Hawkpaw sulked and then turned and padded to the group of new apprentices. She threw her head back and sighed loudly padding over to the apprentice den. She plopped down and glared at everything she could. She glared as Badgerblaze gathered Flamestorm, Stonefoot, Silverfur, Jaggedear, and Hailfang. She glared as the three new apprentices and their mentors nodded to Hawkpaw and then promptly left the camp together. She glared as Gorsepaw padded to join her. She glared as Wolfleap slipped out of camp on his secret mission from Birdstar.
"Who put your mouse in the dirt place?" Gorsepaw asked cheekily to her as he sat next to her.
"We're being forced to stay in camp," she grumbled just as Yellowpaw dropped sullenly next to her.
"We?" Gorsepaw wrinkled his nose. "I see your mentors are gone but Icetalon—" the white tom followed the warrior patrol out of camp. "We," he returned darkly.
"I scented some fox," she explained just as Hawkpaw joined them, pouting as well. "And Badgerblaze is confining us to camp, I guess, until the fox is confirmed to be off our territory."
"Well, that's absolutely wonderful," Gorsepaw whined and dropped down into the dirt. "Why did you have to try and protect the Clan, Breezepaw?"
"It's just my duty," Breezepaw said with a sigh, "I guess I could've let it eat you."
"You really should have let it eat him," Yellowpaw chimed in from his spot on the ground. "It'd be a benefit to us. Then we wouldn't have to listen to his theories about Antclaw being a spy."
"Antclaw being a spy?" Hawkpaw asked, intrigued. "He's a traitor. In FirClan—"
"No! That's the thing, Hawkpaw," Gorsepaw stressed, turning to face him. Breezepaw watched in amusement. Hawkpaw had no idea what he was getting into. "Antclaw can't be with FirClan. Did you not see the expression on Shadestar's face? And what he said? There is no way in StarClan Shadestar would keep Antclaw in his camp. He'd be way too smug about it—" Breezepaw barely listened, having heard and thought the same thing countless times herself. Gorsepaw rambled on and on, offering different directions of thoughts and evidence to prove his theory. Hawkpaw half-listened, half drifted off. He had never been much a part of their group. He wasn't their brother, and he could be kind of irritating. He'd given her a mark to remember him by even in StarClan. But he'd started to try to be somewhat likable.
Without Dewfeather to hang out with, Hawkpaw must've been lonely. That explained his strange behavior.
"Oh, Gorsepaw," she interrupted his tirade, "Wolfleap mentioned that Antclaw was running around with rogues—"
"Rogues!" Gorsepaw crowed loudly.
"Shut up!" She hissed at him, and he flattened his ears sheepishly.
"But rogues, Breezepaw!" He said excitedly at a normal volume. "This proves that Antclaw working with FirClan was a one-time incident! He was consorting with rogues!" Yellowpaw groaned inwardly and rolled away from them. Hawkpaw listened, intrigued. Gorsepaw glanced between them all gleefully, and then sobered as some thought crossed his mind. "But then why did he lead FirClan to Fallen Trees?" he asked softly.
"Maybe there was a cat in FirClan who is also working with the rogues?" Hawkpaw offered. Breezepaw glanced at him, surprised. He shrugged at her. "The FirClan warrior said Antclaw had led them there. They wouldn't trust Antclaw without some cat they trusted to trust Antclaw." Yellowpaw let out a loud groan mumbling 'not you, too.'
"I… that's very observant of you," she admitted. He shrugged again and glanced at Gorsepaw who was thinking hard.
"Do you think we should go check the border?" Gorsepaw asked suddenly. Their heads snapped to Gorsepaw in unison, and Yellowpaw rolled back.
"For what? Are you insane?" Yellowpaw retorted.
"Well, maybe we can see if we can find any scent of Antclaw. I mean, if I had gotten banished, I would want to stay near the territory. He still smells like ForestClan so any cat passing by his scent might not notice if it's him," Gorsepaw shrugged. "Our mentors are gone, so it would be quick—"
"Our mentors," Yellowpaw spat, "are out there right now. Do you know what they would do to us if they saw us out there without them!"
"Alright, there's no need to get snappy—"
"You are crazy," Yellowpaw shook his head and got to his paws. "I'm going to rest until Silverfur gets back and forget anything you ever said about Antclaw and rogues and traitors." With that, Yellowpaw padded into the apprentice den. Breezepaw watched him go and then turned to look back at Gorsepaw. His blue eyes were wide with anticipation.
"I…" she hesitated. Even if they did go, there was no guarantee they would see or smell anything. "I just don't think it's a good idea. The fox might still be out there." Gorsepaw groaned at her.
"It's not smart," Hawkpaw agreed, "we would get put on elder duty for moons."
"We?" Gorsepaw asked skeptically.
"Well, I know about this, too, now," Hawkpaw pointed out. "I won't just let you run around without some kind of protection—"
"Some kind of protection?" Breezepaw scoffed. "We can take care of ourselves—"
"With a fox out there? Please—"
"Like you've ever faced a fox—"
"You haven't either," he countered with scoff.
"You haven't been an apprentice that long—"
"Neither have you—"
"Wolfleap is a great mentor!"
"So is Badgerblaze!"
"Both of you shut up," Gorsepaw snapped. She and Hawkpaw traded narrowed glances. "I won't leave, I promise," he sighed in disappointment. "I'll just let the mystery of Antclaw go unsolved forever."
"Maybe when we're in StarClan, we'll know," Breezepaw offered. Hawkpaw let out snort of amusement. "We can ask about him in StarClan."
"Don't be ridiculous. Antclaw was a traitor. We won't see him in StarClan, and it'll be over for a long time by then," Hawkpaw scoffed. "We'll have forgotten about it by then."
"You can ask them for us," Breezepaw replied.
"And why would I do that?"
"Because you'll for sure be eaten by the fox," Gorsepaw chimed in. Breezepaw chuckled.
"I thought you were going to be eaten by the fox," Hawkpaw asked in confusion.
"It'll be you, now," Gorsepaw informed him haughtily.
"I'm sure," Hawkpaw said easily and shook his head. "Anyways, have fun with your theories, Gorsepaw, Breezepaw," he held her gaze a beat and then looked back to Gorsepaw. "I'm going to bother my sister until Badgerblaze needs me again." He stood and padded to the medicine den, slipping between the ferns. Gorsepaw sighed loudly and plopped down next to her.
"I do think we should check the border," he said softly. "Antclaw said we would see him again. I just… I don't think we should forget about him. He won't just go away." She leaned against him and sighed, agreeing.
"We can't just go running around without our mentors. Even if there wasn't a fox, we could get into a lot of trouble," she offered neutrally. "I think we need to talk to Featherberry—"
"Isn't she the one that knew about Antclaw's betrayal in the first place?" he asked a bit harshly. She pulled back to look at him. He looked vaguely angry.
"I… well, yes—"
"Obviously, she protected him. Why, StarClan will never know, but she can't be trusted to tell Birdstar anything—"
"Do you really think you can walk up to Birdstar and tell her your theories? She'd think you're crazy," Breezepaw pointed out, tail tip twitching. Gorsepaw flattened his ears.
"I'm right about this, Breezepaw. Featherberry didn't tell Birdstar when Antclaw came back covered in blood, begging for help. You said she kept his secret—"
"There must be something we don't know!" She insisted. "I've had strange dreams, and I need to tell Featherberry. She's a medicine cat, she can help—" Gorsepaw rolled his eyes and got to his paws.
"She didn't help Antclaw, and she didn't tell Birdstar. Do you really think she's going to help you?" he asked coolly.
"Then we can talk to Blackpaw—" She offered desperately. She needed a meaning for her dreams. She was tired of the darkness and the blind hunting and the scent of FirClan. The scent in her dreams had gotten more refined. It was the scent of a cat she knew, but she couldn't quite place it.
"She worships Featherberry. Featherberry can do no wrong in her eyes," Gorsepaw countered. He sighed heavily and looked away. "Whatever, Breezepaw, I won't go anywhere. Don't worry your fur off." He flicked her nose with his tail and padded into the apprentice den. She sighed. She wasn't sure when Wolfleap was coming back or when Baderblaze would finally give them permission to leave. She sighed heavily and followed her brother. A nap would do her good. She collapsed into her nest next to Gorsepaw. She rested her back against his, and even though he had appeared angry with her, he didn't move away.
Her dreams stayed the same as usual. Hunting through a pitch-black forest with a cat by her side. She had accepted this cat, whoever they might be, as her partner, their scent always distinctly FirClan. This particular scent had changed slightly over time from something she didn't know to a scent she did.
She slid along the forest floor and closed her eyes. There was no point in keeping her eyes open if she couldn't see anyway. Her whiskers would detect obstacles and her other scents would detect the distance of the cat and the distance of her prey and any changes in the wind. It was a pheasant this time. How she knew what kind of bird it was, she didn't even think about it. It was a dream. She was close enough, almost there. The bird pecked through the undergrowth.
"Breezepaw," a familiar voice whispered directly in her ear. She cried out in alarm and the pheasant took off in a flutter of wings. Her eyes flew open in irritation and came face to face with the laughing face of Stormpaw.
She cried out in alarm and woke up with a start. The den was full and the moon outside was high. It was the middle of the night. The den was full of the sounds of soft breathing. Spottedpaw, Adderpaw, and Otterpaw all were curled up next to each other on their side of the den. Hawkpaw snoozed near Yellowpaw. She glanced over to look for Gorsepaw and found him missing. Her eyes widened, and she glanced around. He was nowhere to be found. She jumped to her paws and leaped over to Yellowpaw. She poked him hard in the side.
"Yellowpaw!" She hissed under her breath. Yellowpaw groaned but didn't move. Gorsepaw must've taken it upon himself to explore the territory and scent for Antclaw. He was going to get himself in so much trouble if they didn't bring him back. "Yellowpaw," she tried again. His eyes flashed open in irritation.
"What, Breezepaw?" he snapped quietly. "It's the middle of the night."
"Gorsepaw is missing," she insisted. "We have to get him."
"How do you know he's not at the dirt place? Or something? You used to pace a lot," Yellowpaw yawned and rolled away from her.
"Yellowpaw, please!" She begged. Yellowpaw let out a low groan. "You know how he is. He would've gone after the scent."
"Fine! Fine," he growled as he got to his paws. He shouldered past her, and she followed him. "We better not get any trouble for this, Breezepaw, or I will literally murder you and feed you to the fox." She bumped shoulders with him as they slipped out of camp.
"We'll make it back before any cat notices we're gone," she promised. He let out a grunt of disagreement but said nothing else. She picked up Gorsepaw's scent, leading in the direction of the rogue border, and then a faint scent of fox below it. Anxiety rippled down her spine, and she cast a glance to Yellowpaw.
"This way!" She called. Her brother trotted after her as they followed their brother's scent through the forest. She barely paid any mind to what the forest looked like. Her anxiety kept her on edge, jumping at the slightest sound. The forest at night, without her mentor, was daunting, especially with the looming threat of fox. She hadn't been awake to hear if the patrol had successfully determined whether or not the fox was still on the territory. She desperately hoped it wasn't.
They crossed through the training hollow, scanning the surrounding trees, and then continued through to Fallen Trees. There they saw Gorsepaw sitting on top of the logs, staring into the rogue territories.
"Gorsepaw!" She growled up at him. He turned, body liquid silver in the moon light.
"Breezepaw! Yellowpaw!" He cried out in alarm, getting to his paws. "What in StarClan's name are you doing here!"
"What are you doing here!" Yellowpaw challenged, stalking up to the bottom of the pile of logs. "We could get in so much trouble for being out right now!"
"Well, you didn't have to come looking for me!" Gorsepaw returned harshly. "You didn't even want to see if we could find any evidence of Antclaw!"
"Because you were being ridiculous!" Yellowpaw snapped.
"I am not," Gorsepaw retorted. "Antclaw is a threat, and we need to be making sure he stays away, not ignoring it like Birdstar wants to do!"
"Gorsepaw," Breezepaw cried in exasperation, "this is dangerous! We don't know if the fox is out or not."
"It isn't," he informed her haughtily from his place on Fallen Trees, "we are perfectly safe." Unfortunately, he was wrong. There was an un-feline like snarl. Breezepaw watched in horror as Gorsepaw turned, fur bristling in terror, and then was tackled off of the logs by the fox.