1Riversong knew something was wrong with Blacktip. The tom insisted that he be allowed to stalk a few mice, which he now carried. She led the way to the Border, anxiety pricking her paw pads. They were dangerously close to the Twolegs. She kept a close eye on Sunpaw. Longfang paused a few feet from the Border. "You guysh go on without me," he mewed, "I'm gonna shtay here."
"Oh, come on, Longfang," Blacktip pleaded, dropping the mice, "I swear, I'm not doing anything dangerous. It's fine."
"Not for all the shtars of Shilverpelt," Longfang mumbled around his fang, "We're too near to the Twolegsh. I don't like thish one bit!"
"Blacktip, what's going on?" Riversong asked. Blacktip scuffled the ground nervously with his black paws.
"Do you promise not to tell Sleetfur?" he asked. Riversong made sure all the others nodded. "Well, I have these friends, see? They're not kittypets, all right? They're not rogues. They're just...loners."
"Ish one or both of them a she-cat?" asked Longfang. Blacktip shook his head firmly.
"Oh, no-no-no-no!" he meowed hurriedly, "Their names are Dustin and Martin. They're really nice, but not the best of hunters. I met them a long time ago. Martin is, well...scary sometimes, but he's not dangerous at all. Dustin's a real sweetheart. You'll like him, I promise."
"Is that why you caught the mice?" Riversong asked.
Blacktip nodded. "I'm supposed to meet them at the Border at sunset every other day. That's today. I didn't want you to tell Sleetfur because...well, this sort of goes against the warrior code, doesn't it? I don't want her to think bad of me, but I also don't want to let my friends down."
"Wash that what thish whole thing about your demanding to be on the evening patrol today, Blacktip?" Longfang asked. Blacktip nodded in an ashamed manner. Riversong purred to comfort him.
"We'll go through with this. Besides, I'd like to meet these cats. Lead the way, Blacktip."
Blacktip led them to a small cave underneath the Thunderpath. Riversong felt the smooth, gray stone cold beneath her paws. She shivered. This was an unnatural Twoleg construction. Warriors didn't belong here. Sunpaw whimpered and drew closer to her. Blacktip dropped the mice at the entrance of the cave. He gave a softened caterwaul.
Suddenly, a sleek shape lunged from the shadows. Sunpaw screamed in terror as it landed on top of him. "Dinner's here!" a sinister voice hissed.
"Martin! No!" came a loud yowl, accompanied by a brown shape ramming into the figure. Sunpaw gave a soft whimper. Riversong nosed him carefully, checking for injuries. Nothing but battered nerves. She looked over to her left.
A stocky brown tom was sitting on top of a silvery one. He appeared to be lecturing the silver one. Riversong listened in to their conversation.
"No, no, and no again, Martin! That is not how you greet a guest!" the brown he-cat growled.
"But...we thought he was food! Don't be mad at us, Dustin. It was just a mistake! We won't do it ever again! Promise!" the silver cat whined. He sounded embarrassed and sorry.
"Still the same, you're getting less dinner tonight as punishment. Let that be a lesson to you not to–." He paused, noticing Riversong. "Oh, I'm truly sorry, ma'am," he meowed, "Please excuse my younger brother. Is your friend all right?"
Sunpaw shook his fur out. "I-I'm fine," he mewed, "But wh-what's up with the other one?"
"Allow me to introduce my comrades," Blacktip began, clearing his throat, "The brown cat here is Dustin. The other is Martin. Dustin, Martin, I'd like you to meet Riversong, Sunpaw, and Longfang."
"My pleasure," Dustin meowed.
"We're sorry, Sunpaw," Martin mewed, "We didn't mean to scare you so. We're not so bad once you get used to us. We were hungry. That's why we almost attacked you."
"Yes, well, Blacktip brought your food as promised," Riversong told them, flicking her tail towards the mice.
"I'm sorry if you're in any trouble because of us," Dustin meowed, hanging his head, "It's not Blacktip's fault. We asked him to help us. He didn't have to say yes."
"We're not angry with you, Dushtin," Longfang meowed, "Ash long as Blacktip can do thish, we won't tell a shoul."
"We are in very much debt to the brave warriors of DuskClan," Martin piped up with a mouthful of mouse, "We say this: Thanks for keeping our little secrets in your hearts."
Riversong looked up at the sky. It was starting to get late. They could stay here for a few more hours until it was time for the night patrol to relieve them. She looked over at Dustin, her blue eyes warm. The brownish he-cat gazed down at his paws, then back up at her. "So..uh, Riversong, was it?" he mewed. Riversong nodded. "How long have you known Blacktip?"
"Since we were apprentices," she told him.
"So you're Riverpaw?" Dustin asked, "Blacktip would go on and on for ages about you and a certain Sleetpaw."
"Sleetpaw is Sleetfur now. What did he say about us?"
"Oh, all sorts of things. He talked about how you were beautiful, but not quite as pretty as Sleetpaw... Fur... Sleetfur. He said you two were the best of friends, and how he could never work up the courage to talk to Sleetfur directly, so he used you."
Riversong purred with amusement. She remembered all that. Little Blackpaw would cautiously approach her, twitching like Longfang's new apprentice, Timidpaw. He would whisper a few phrases in her ear, like "Tell Sleetpaw someone thinks she's..." and "Make it a point that Sleetpaw talks to me today during training breaks, okay, Riverpaw?" Riversong, then Riverpaw, would dutifully pass these messages along. Sleetpaw had purred softly and come back with things like "Okay, then tell someone that I think that they're..." or "Ask Blackpaw what he wants." Sleetpaw had always known the mysterious 'someone' was Blackpaw, but she pretended to be oblivious.
"He did. I remember that. We had so much fun doing that." Riversong sighed. "It was cute when we were younger, but now I wonder when they'll stop flirting with each other."
"When they're ready," Dustin meowed, "Sleetfur is still young, as is Blacktip. They'll keep toying with one another until one day, one of them will get serious and talk to the other about the future. Cats have been doing these things for moons and moons, even back when the Great Ones still walked the earth."
Riversong gazed over at Sunpaw. He had gotten over his worst fears of the silver tabby and was now wrestling with Martin. Martin was being very gentle with the apprentice, hissing playful insults and minor swears under his breath to add to the drama. "We'll tickle your tail till it falls off into your momma's paws. Oh, curse you, you son of a badger, you!"
"StarClan help me fight this evil fox!" Sunpaw retorted playfully. Martin paused for a moment, then continued his moves. He was a fox now.
"Grf! Snr!" Martin babbled, trying to drool like a fox would in the presence of a young cat, "Mggraf! Yarf! Yarf!"
Unfortunately, his act was so convincing that it drove Sunpaw straight up a tree. His tail fluffed out as his shoulders bristled. "Riversong!" he mewed. Martin, seeing what his performance had done, quickly dropped the act.
"We're sorry, Sunpaw!" he cried, "Truly we are! It's just us, Martin, is all! Come down and play with us! We promise it won't happen again!"
If cats could blush, Sunpaw would have. He crawled back down, hanging his head in an ashamed manner. He had gotten carried away. "Sorry, Martin," he mumbled, "I kindas overdid that..."
"It's okay," Martin told him, "We overdid it a tiny bit as well. We won't do it again."
Just as the two were about to continue the 'fight,' a cry of "Sunpaw! Come on!" stopped them. The two toms looked up. Riversong, Blacktip, and Longfang were all at the Border, waiting for Sunpaw. Sunpaw heaved a sigh of disappointment and nuzzled his friend's pelt. "Bye, Martin. I'll miss you."
"Come back and visit us. Our cave is always open for you and your friends."
"I will!" Sunpaw mewed. He nodded a polite goodbye to Dustin before racing up to the rest of the patrol. Riversong carefully washed all traces of Martin's and Dustin's scent from his fur before they set out for the DuskClan camp.
"Remember, Sunpaw," she meowed, "No one, not even Radiantpaw, can know about this. This is the secret held between the four of us. That's you, me, Longfang, and Blacktip."
Sunpaw nodded. The sound of the world sent a trill of excitement through him. Secret! It was a beautiful word, so full of mystery and glee. Whenever someone said the word 'secret' ears pricked up everywhere. When he curled up in his den that night, the warmth of the evening's happenings stayed in his heart. And Sunpaw hoped they would never go away.