Ravenpaw skirted around the area. There were little trees, little shelter, and as he ran on, his heart beat faster. His heart beat faster not from exhaustion, but from fear.
Fear. He was scared of fear more than he knew. He feared Tigerclaw. He feared ShadowClan. He feared his own clan. But he feared what they would think of him if he just disappeared. He even feared what they would think of him if he stayed. He feared that his clan would not believe him. What if Bluestar wasn't around? Tigerclaw would do away with him, with the rest of ThunderClan cheering him on. Ravenpaw shook his head. Positive thoughts. Positive thoughts. He told himself, Positive thoughts.
Ravenpaw froze suddenly and pressed his belly into the wet earth. A ShadowClan patrol padded closer and closer to him. He shrank back, his fear scent flying off in waves. He watched them come closer. His breath was heavy. His eyes were huge, his pupils were small. His ears were bent back in fear. His tail was curl and motionless. His muscles tensed. The warriors padded closer still. One of the warriors froze, and breathed in scents heavily. With a fearful gulp, Ravenpaw took a breath and pulled himself underwater. The swampy water wasn't usually so deep, but in this storm, it was.
Ravenpaw stayed underwater, waiting. His eyes were shut tight, and his lungs were practically collapsing. He finally pushed himself to the surface, just his nose and eyes. After catching his breath, he examined the scents. ShadowClan had gone.
The scrawny black tom pulled himself out of the water, teeth chattering. With a jolt, he realized if he got sick, there would be no medicine cat at ThunderClan to help him. I'm on a mission, he reminded himself, I can't think of that right now.
He finally reached the border and dashed into his own territory. He would have liked to feel safe here, as he once had. But that feeling could not be restored to him. He raced through the forest, narrowly missing trees in his panicked rush and flung himself into the camp. Thorns were stuck in his fur and he was panting exhaustedly.
Sandpaw and Dustpaw noticed him first and trotted over. "What's wrong?" Sandpaw hissed, "Did you loose your friends?"
"Maybe they just ditched him. Leave it to a kittypet." Dustpaw meowed, glaring at the tired black cat.
"Shut up!" Ravenpaw hissed, pushing himself to his feet. "Firepaw and Graypaw would never do that!" Graypaw's words echoed around his head, "Now get going."
"Who's gonna make us?" Dustpaw hissed.
"Where's Bluestar?" he asked, ignoring the threat.
The two cats turned and looked at each other. "She's out of the camp." Dustpaw meowed.
Sandpaw whacked him with her paw. "You can't tell him that, he's a traitor, remember?" Her voice was quieted, but Ravenpaw tensed as he overheard.
He did care that they called him a traitor. But as he feared, Bluestar was not in the camp. And…
A dark brown tabby, broad-shouldered and fierce, padded up to him. "Well, well, well. What are you doing here, Ravenpaw, without your friends?"
Ravenpaw cowered and looked into Tigerclaw's amber eyes. His own green pools were clouded with fear, and as wide as the sun.
"Well?"
His eyes were glazed with fear, and he spoke in no more than a whisper. "Firepaw and Graypaw found the kits. I came to get a patrol."
"For four or five kits?" Tigerclaw meowed. "Is that too much for them?"
Ravenpaw quivered visibly now. "I don't know." They wouldn't believe me… oh StarClan, I don't want to die like this!
"Then…" Tigerclaw looked at his paws and moved his eyes around a bit as if he were putting two and two together in his mind. "Dustpaw, Longtail, come with me. Sandpaw, Frostfur, keep an eye on that one."
The fretful queen shot a look of pure hatred that made Ravenpaw's pelt ice over, and Sandpaw snorted superiorly. Ravenpaw quivered, and suddenly the bite on his leg hurt more as he looked at Frostfur's fury.
Dustpaw, Longtail, and the ThunderClan deputy, gathered together quietly for a meeting. It seemed to last ages before Tigerclaw lunged onto Highrock.
"My council and I have come to a conclusion about my apprentice, Ravenpaw." He mewed. The clan slowly exited their den and padded out from the warmth into the rain to listen to Tigerclaw. Willowpelt glared at Ravenpaw, and the queens that peered out of the nursery shot him glares of anger. The elders looked up from their stories with each other and gazed at Tigerclaw. "Ravenpaw was to come back with Firepaw, Graypaw, and coltsfoot for the kits. He has come back with no one. So, who is to say he didn't break away from the others and head into ShadowClan territory? Scent him, he smells of ShadowClan. Am I correct?"
Frostfur breathed in and Sandpaw drank in the air around Ravenpaw. She nodded right away.
"Then the first
thing he did returning was ask if Bluestar was around. She is not, as
we all know. Next, he asked to send a patrol into ShadowClan
territory. Claiming to have found our kits. He found the kits, but
did not find Yellowfang?"
The clan began to murmur amongst each
other, and Ravenpaw tensed as they all stole glances at him.
"My council and I
believe that he was asking for a patrol so while we are gone,
ShadowClan will attack! There will be few warriors left, and they can
easily overtake a camp of elders, kits, and queens. He was trying to
destroy us!"
The cats erupted in a roar and all turned at him
with fierceness in their eyes. Ravenpaw cowered and let out a
whimper. "No! I wouldn't do that!"
"It has always been just a matter of time!" hissed Longtail.
"Kill him!" hissed Frostfur, "Kill him for my kits!"
"No, please, wait!" He meowed, backing away as the mob of cats grew closer.
"Yes, please wait."
The voice that spoke was calm despite the current disruption.
Ravenpaw whirled around and sighed with relief. Bluestar. "What is
going on in my camp?"
Tigerclaw stepped forward and dipped his
head. "I have yet to tell you, for I didn't want to alarm you,
but while you were in the cave, speaking with StarCan–you recall my
leaving to check on the apprentices that were guarding the
entrance?–only Graypaw was there. A bit later, still before your
waking, Ravenpaw returned. He said little to me." He paused to look
at his apprentice. "You've already sent out a patrol to find the
kits, yet this cat wanted me to send out another. With another patrol
out of camp, ShadowClan could easily over take us. He smells of
ShadowClan as well. He has spoken to them."
Bluestar acknowledged his words with no more than a nod. "And what was this?"
Tigerclaw was silent for a moment, then, "The cats and I decided it would be best–for the clan–if we simply killed him. We would caused ThunderClan harm no more." A murmur of agreement rose from the cats behind him.
"He helped them steal my kits! He doesn't deserve to go to StarClan!" Frostfur hissed in her mad rage.
"Silence!" Bluestar hissed. Her voice lowered, and she turned her blue gaze to the small apprentice. "Ravenpaw, is all this true?"
The quivering apprentice gazed at Tigerclaw, then faced Bluestar once more. "I am no traitor."
"Very well. Where are Firepaw and Graypaw?"
"We're here, Bluestar," Firepaw mewed and entered the camp. He had cuts on his ginger pelt and Ravenpaw instantly was concerned. Where was Graypaw?
"Yeah, we're fine," Graypaw meowed, dipping his head.
Whitestorm, Mousefur, Darkstripe, and Runningwind all entered the camp. Each carried a kit. Behind them, Yellowfang padded into the camp slowly.
"You're safe!" Firepaw meowed and padded over to Ravenpaw. The apprentice was visibly shaking, and vibrated against Firepaw's bloody pelt. "What's wrong?" Firepaw asked, concern in his forest green eyes.
Ravenpaw said nothing, but shut his eyes and took in his friends kind scent.
"My kits!" Frostfur wailed, racing over. She happily took the kit from Mousefur, then butted her mate, Whitestorm, happily. Runningwind, Whitestorm, and Darkstripe entered the nursery behind the queen and gently let the kits down.
Whitestorm pulled Bluestar aside and spoke to her quietly. Firepaw did the same to Ravenpaw. "Ravenpaw, we attacked the camp, got the kits back, and drove Brokenstar and his rouges out." His summary was short, but Ravenpaw understood.
"It seems all is well." Bluestar jumped onto the Highrock. "Will all cats able to catch their own play please gather beneath the Highrock!"
