Chapter 4

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

Redstripe and Silverclaw screamed in extra-extra suprised suprise for about 23 minutes and 42 seconds.

They had screamed so much my then that they began throwing up in each other's mouths over and over again. It wasn't a pretty sight.

Eventually they calmed down.

"Oh, hi Redstripe. Didn't see you in here."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SILVERCLAW WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"Calm down buddy," Silverclaw paused then added "I just wanted to use the bathroom. I've been looking for you for almost the entire day."

"Oh, okay. I hoped you would find me too. Unfortunately, you're not there. I'm just dreaming."

"Um, no. Redstripe, this is real life."

"NO! That's exactly what you would say in a dream! I refuse to believe you!"

"Redstripe, come on dude. Where's Mathpaw? And is that a RiverClan warrior's scent I smell?"

"Yeah... Oh by the way, she's not called REEeeEEE. Her name is Sparrowfrost. That's a really hot name. I love her even mo- WAIT! I NEVER SAID THAT! HEH HEH! WHAT THE HECK AM I TALKING ABOUT?! I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH A RIVERCLAN WARRIOR! EWW, RIVERCLAN! BLEH! NEVER!"

Redstripe tried his hardest to hide the secret that Silverclaw already guessed was true.

"Come on, Redstripe," Silverclaw repeated, more forcefully now. "Let's go home."

"I'm not going home." Redstripe said. He could feel his eyes clouding with sadness at the thought of never seeing his Clan again. It had been a hard decision, but Sparrowfrost was more important than Clan life. Plus, Silverclaw could possibly join him just like Mathpaw, and strengthen the team of ex-warriors.

Silverclaw had clearly guessed what Redstripe was thinking. He sighed, and it felt like moons before he responded. "Redstripe, we need you, but I understand. I'll go."

He started to pad away into the trees behind, but Redstripe stopped him quickly.

"Silverclaw, wait!"

Suddenly Silverclaw rounded on him, eyes narrowed with a mix of grief, hurt and anger. His tail was drooping. "What do you want now? You've already decided to abandon your best friend, so I don't know what more you could possibly need!"

He started to walk away again.

"No! That's not what I meant! We have loads of hamburgers back here! You could come with us!"

It was at this moment that he knew:

He f*cked up.

Again.

"I don't CARE about a stupid HAMBURGER! And no, I don't want to come with you! I could never live my life out there in the cold, especially after you just said to my face that you want to abandon everything you've ever known, except for that mushy she-cat! This is goodbye, Redstripe. Enjoy life without me."

This time Silverclaw didn't turn around. He raced back into Clan territory, ignoring Redstripe's desperate cries for him to come back.

Their friendship was over.

That night, Redstripe couldn't sleep. He was curled up beside Sparrowfrost, trying to allow himself to be comforted by her soft gray pelt, but tonight it didn't work out.

He slowly got to his paws, accidentally waking up Sparrowfrost.

"Where are you going, Redstripe? It's not dawn yet," She asked.

"I'm just going on a walk. I'll be back soon," He answered, and padded off into the trees without waiting for a response.

Redstripe wanted nothing more than some time to think right now. He decided to go to Jimmy John's, where he could talk to JimmyJohnPapaJohn, also known as Bob.

It wasn't far from here. Just a couple blocks north, on the Honorary Firestar street.

When he got there, he immediately spotted Bob back by the bar.

"Hey, Bob." Redstripe called a greeting to him as he jumped up onto one of the seats.

"Hi, Redstripe. Why did the chicken cross the road?" He asked, randomly throwing in a classic joke.

"I don't know. Why?"

"Because he wanted to run away from his Clan to be with a RiverClan warrior." Bob immediately threw his head back and started laughing hysterically.

Redstripe's heart lurched, and his stomach did a clean backflip.

"H-H-How d-did you n-n-n-know?" Redstripe stuttered. He was sure that everyone in the restaraunt could hear his pounding heart.

"Redstripe, your Clan is in trouble. Good idea, just sittin' back there like a king while they all suffer! HAHAHHAHAHAAHHAHA!"

Redstripe didn't even know what to do now. His mind was racing with questions.

Less than a heartbeat later, he found himself laid down next to Sparrowfrost in the forest, dawn light filtering through the thick canopy of leaves and branches.

He had been dreaming.

As Redstripe lifted his head, Sparrowfrost let out a mrrow of amusement.

"Would you stop thrashing about? You'll scare all the prey on Earth!" She teased, flicking his ear lightly with her tail.

Redstripe chuckled a bit, sharing the moment, but then let his mind wander.

Is my Clan really in trouble? What does this mean? Was that real?

But one question topped them all:

What should I DO?