Chapter 9

Shadepaw opened her eyes, feeling more exhausted than when she'd gone to sleep. Her moss was messy, caught in her claws and pelt, and she took a moment to clean herself up as she reflected on last night's dream.

She had been stalking through the forest, as if after prey – but passing every prey-scent that crossed her path. Something had happened – there was a flash of hostility in the darkness, and then confusion… and then a big, wide feeling, like the forest was opening up before her into infinite possibilities that made her heart swell. Beneath that, though, was a sense of foreboding that creeped forth like a spider – the contrast of which confused Shadepaw.

What could it mean? She wondered. I haven't had a dream like that before… Was it a sign from StarClan? Shadepaw had no idea.

She was tempted to ask Brackenfur, but he was still dozing in his den. Shadepaw decided to leave him to sleep and head out into the camp.

The world felt so different after last night's storm. Though the ferocious rain had only lasted a few hours, it was sorely needed. The forest was already drinking the water in deep and desperately, and Shadepaw could see plants perking up along the ravine that had been raspy and dry the day before.

She shook out her paws, grimacing. The rain was needed, yes, but now everything was soggy – especially the area near the camp entrance. Paws had long since trampled out the grass, leaving dirt which was now a puddle of mud. The apprentice's den almost had its own stream flowing just outside – Shadepaw picked her way over it and poked her head inside. Had Nightpaw slept well last night? She had a feeling he might not have.

Nightpaw wasn't there.

Confused, Shadepaw scented the air inside the den. Nightpaw's scent was stale, as if he hadn't slept there last night. Worry pricked Shadepaw's pelt – where was her brother?

My dream… she thought, pulling her head out of the den. It must have been from Nightpaw! Her neck fur fluffed worriedly at the realization. What was he doing last night that caused such strong feelings?

Across the clearing, Shadepaw spotted Ferncloud padding out of the nursery. Her kits followed on unsteady paws – but their eyes widened at the sight of the puddles. Brichkit and Hollykit immediately jumped into the water, splashing one another with their paws. Larchkit whimpered, huddling behind Ferncloud's leg.

"That's enough, you two," Ferncloud meowed, waving both paws and tail as she spoke. Hollykit and Birchkit paused in their playing to complain.

Shadepaw tuned them out, looking towards the camp entrance. Had Nightpaw been caught out in the storm? She imagined her brother's small body clinging to a fallen log while rain and wind lashed his pelt.

If he'd been in pain, I would have felt it, she reasoned. Shadepaw knew from their kithood days that the two of them often felt when the other was in pain. It kept them from pulling pranks on one another, at least.

The gorse around the tunnel twitched, and Shadepaw felt a tingle of hope – but the black tom who emerged wasn't Nightpaw – it was Ravenpaw.

The barn cat looked surprised at the new, muddy stream between him and the camp and leaped the water easily, his whiskers twitching. His landing nearly made him ram into Shadepaw, who leaped back with a surprised mew.

"Sorry!" Ravenpaw insisted, eyes wide.

Shadepaw shook her pelt to chase away the flickering embers of a temper tantrum. "It's all right," she mewed. You could have looked where you were going! "No harm done."

Ravenpaw tilted his head at her. "Shadepaw, right? Tinystar's daughter?" he guessed. "It's been a while."

Shadepaw nodded, looking up at the black tom. Ravenpaw was one of Tinystar's oldest friends, a former ThunderClan apprentice who had left the Clan for his own safety and happiness seasons ago. Now he lived at the barn on the edge of WindClan's territory. Shadepaw recalled him visiting when she was a kit, moons ago when rogues had been threatening ThunderClan's territory – he and his mate, Barley, had helped drive them out.

"Did you want to see Tinystar?" Shadepaw asked.

"Yes," Ravenpaw admitted, "that's why I'm here. I would have been in last night but the storm caught me out…"

Shadepaw tried to hide her uneasiness. If the storm had caught Ravenpaw… then it definitely had caught Nightpaw, too. She was about to ask if he'd seen Nightpaw out there when one of Ferncloud's kits tottered over to the loner for a sniff.

"Stranger," mewed Birchkit. His pale fur was fluffed, and Shadepaw could see his tiny claws flexing. "New scent."

"Who is this?" Larchkit asked.

Spiderpaw, who was passing by, dropped the moss in her mouth to mew, "That's Ravenpaw – he lives outside of Clan territory, in a barn. He eats more mice in a day than we see in a moon!"

"Is that why he's so r-round?" Larchkit asked.

"Larchkit!" fussed Ferncloud. "That's rude!"

Ravenpaw's whiskers twitched in amusement. "I'll admit I'm a little rounder than most," he purred, "but I'd be fatter than a kittypet if I ate that much!"

"Spiderpaw, hurry up!" Mousefur snapped from across the clearing. "Change that moss out so we can get on with hunting!"

Shadepaw blinked at Mousefur, who was waiting impatiently for her apprentice. Ferncloud touched her nose to Spiderpaw's ear and offered, "We'll handle it, Spiderpaw – you go hunt."

"Thanks, Ferncloud!" purred Spiderpaw. She trotted over to Mousefur and the two of them picked their way around the mud to the gorse tunnel. A moment later they were gone.

Shadepaw's belly flopped. Mousefur was heading out alone? Where was Mistyfoot? The two warriors had gotten much closer after Shrewpaw's death and hardly did many patrols without one another.

How can both Mistyfoot and Nightpaw be missing? Shadepaw wondered. She stared into the camp entrance worriedly. Had they met somewhere in the night? Is that what those feelings were?

A moment later, as if her thoughts had carried through the forest, the gorse tunnel twitched. Nightpaw pushed his way through, tugging a soggy, muddy rabbit behind him. Relief flodded Shadepaw – but that relief turned to worry again when she tried to pick up Nightpaw's emotions.

He's blocking me! She thought, a flash of temper in her belly. Why would he do that?

"I'll go see Tinystar now," Ravenpaw mewed. "Say hi to Nightpaw for me!"

Shadepaw acknowledged the loner with a flick of her tail as he sauntered off towards the Highrock. When Ravenpaw was gone, Shadepaw rushed up to Nightpaw, her tail fluffed. "Where've you been?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Nightpaw grumbled around the rabbit. He dropped the fresh-kill, not meeting her gaze. "I was hunting, duh. It's for you and Brackenfur."

Why are you telling half-truths? Shadepaw wanted to screech. She could feel it, didn't he remember that? Couldn't he feel her worry, too? Why are you blocking me?

She forced herself to say, "Thank you." It wouldn't look good if she exploded on her brother in the clearing for every cat to see. "Did you… go out last night?"

Nightpaw's eyes flashed. "No," he lied, his neck fur bristling, "I mean, yeah, I did – I couldn't sleep with the storm so I just… hunted instead."

Shadepaw searched her brother's ice-blue eyes with her own, trying to push against the wall he'd thrown up against her. It was like trying to press through a barrier of thorns, and Nightpaw grimaced at her effort.

"Stop it!" he hissed. "Leave me alone!"

"B-But!" Shadepaw stepped back, hurt pricking her pelt. Nightpaw snorted, and turned away. Panic flared in Shadepaw's heart. "I'm sorry, Nightpaw, I'm just worried-"

"Shadepaw!"

Brackenfur's voice carried over the clearing. Shadepaw swallowed, turning away from Nightpaw regretfully to look at her mentor, who was standing just outside the fern tunnel.

"Check on Dappletail and Frostfur, will you?" Brackenfur meowed. "This temperature change has no doubt made them sore." The way he adjusted his stance betrayed that the coolness was bothering his leg, too.

Shadepaw looked back to Nightpaw, only to find him gone. She saw the tip of his tail disappearing into the apprentice's den. The barrier was still there, prickly and impenetrable.

"Yes, Brackenfur," Shadepaw sighed. "Right away."

As she turned to the elders den, the gorse tunnel twitched again. Mistyfoot appeared this time, looking damp and tired, with mud caking her paws. She carried no fresh-kill, and Shadepaw watched her as she padded across the clearing and into the warrior's den. Shadepaw spotted Nightpaw's eyes from the shade of the apprentice's den, following Mistyfoot as she passed.

Now Shadepaw was certain – Nightpaw's evasiveness definitely had something to do with Mistyfoot. They had been out together last night.

She searched those feelings from her dream and frowned as she padded over to the elder's den. What happened between them, then? She wondered, wanting to wail.

What happened last night… and why won't Nightpaw tell me?