Chapter 5

"Blinding Flashes."

1/29/18 - 1/30/18 - 1/31/18 - 2/1/18 - 2/2/18

~ Aspenstone ~

Aspenstone's Clanmates were gathered around Littlestar and Finchblaze that afternoon. Aspenstone wrinkles his nose at the stench of the decaying rat by Flashpad's paws.

Littlestar looks up at Flashpad. "So, you found this by the Ancient Oak?"

Flashpad nods. "Along with the smell of rogues, I didn't find any of them, though…"

"You did the right thing telling us." Littlestar said.

Finchblaze narrows his eyes. "We're going to drive them out, right?"

"Flashpad didn't see anyone with the rat, we cannot spend the day chasing after shadows."

"Well, I don't want to risk turning my back on those rogues."

Littlestar stares into Finchblaze's challenging gaze, as a silent message passes between the two brothers.

"I won't, either." Littlestar whispers. "Never again."

"I wasn't saying that to hurt you." Finchblaze said quietly.

The ThunderClan leader looks at his Clan. "I'm proposing that no cat is to be near the Ancient Oak until further notice. This rule especially goes out for elders, queens and apprentices. If you want to leave at night you must have another warrior with you at all times…"

"Just what we need - competition."

Aspenstone jumps a little, Eaglewing's approach was so quiet, he didn't hear her step beside him.

"I know that once those crow-food eating fox-hearts let their guard down, I'll toss them in the lake!"

Aspenstone's stomach turns uneasily from the aggressive exuberance.

"I'd rather run for help."

The golden brown tom just notices Flashpad stopping next to him. His yellow eyes were locked onto his golden ones, leering.

"So you would flee from a fight like a mouse? I'm not entirely surprised, slow-cat."

Aspenstone's anger towards his kit-hood bully rises up, and his gaze turns to Eaglewing - and he instantly becomes defensive.

"You would want someone to die if it ever came to that?"

"I gave my vows to die for my Clan." Flashpad counters. "And that's what I'll do. You should've left us long ago if you're going to make a fuss about it."

Flashpad shoulders Aspenstone when Eaglewing hisses at him.

"The only one making a fuss is you, at least Aspenstone has his head on straight to pick his battles. But you can go ahead with your idea, don't blame us when you're up against six cats and crying out for your mom."

Flashpad narrows his eyes, almost ready to growl until Eaglewing holds his glare challengingly. Aspenstone's paws were itching with nervous fear.

Is he gonna attack her?

The gold brown tom jumps up when Flashpad snorts and pads away from Eaglewing, who is triumphant of the outcome. The dark brown tabby she-cat looks at a flustered Aspenstone.

"He's all talk when you call him out."

"I know." Aspenstone grunts. Embarrassment burns on his pelt for getting singled out by Flashpad, and then having Eaglewing shoo him away instead of Aspenstone himself.

Eaglewing's tail flicks under his nose.

"You just need to be assertive."

"After all I did was avoid him? He'll just laugh in my face."

"But at least you get respected by other cats, plus he's still younger than you, right? He has to stop mocking you sooner or later, especially since he got on Finchblaze's bad side."

Aspenstone nods his head. As a kit, Timberclaw often told him that he needed to stand up for himself when confronted, knowing that Flashpad and Cherrystem were always pushing him around through intimidation.

"Hey." Eaglewing pipes up. "How about we go out hunting again? Maybe that rabbit is still hanging around for us to grab it."

"That'll be a lucky break if it was." Aspenstone purrs. "Okay. I'll be there in a bit."

Eaglewing trots past Aspenstone, and to his surprise, Timberclaw takes her place.

"You seem to be getting along with Eaglewing." He comments, with a knowing grin.

… Although it went over Aspenstone's head as he nods.

"She's nice, although she's a bit rough. But she's bright, so it makes up for it."

Bright? Timberclaw often heard that comment when Aspenstone was a kit, and it's always related to Snowpelt. To hear Aspenstone say the same thing about Eaglewing…

"Well, do you like her?"

"She's my friend, of course I like her."

Timberclaw shakes his head to his foster son. "No, that's not what I meant. How does it feel when you're around her?"

Aspenstone is genuinely puzzled. Why should he know how Eaglewing makes him feel? Seeing the blank stare, Timberclaw sighs, touching his tail tip on Aspenstone's shoulder.

"Listen, if you want to talk to me, let me know. Okay?"

Aspenstone nods. "Okay, Timberclaw."

~ Crowpaw ~

The stench of the mouse-bile is all Crowpaw can smell, even when trying to eat his jackdaw in the early evening. Heatherstar made it a point to place him and Tigerpaw on punishment for what happened two days ago.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Crowpaw. You're the oldest apprentice and are supposed to set an example for the younger ones."

Heatherstar's words ring in his ears as he licks his paw clean, and ignores the dark looks he's receiving. It's bad enough that he had to tell Heatherstar about the rabbit, but he had to involve their encounter with Crowpaw's former nursery-denmate, Mistypaw, and his ThunderClan grandfather, Windstorm.

Crowpaw is scrutinized by the suspicious stares and barbed comments toward his ThunderClan roots, he felt like a kit again…

He feels whiskers prickle his cheek, as Dapplepaw settles down beside him with a raven. Crowpaw didn't mind her company, she rarely spoke unless spoken to, and she's more mild than her sister.

"Dapplepaw!"

Crowpaw grimaced. Speak of the vixen, and she shall appear.

Dawnpaw flops down next to Dapplepaw, her green eyes withholding excitement.

"I just overheard Patchflower talking to Owlflight, and guess what?"

Dapplepaw decides to amuse Dawnpaw, asking. "What?"

"She's expecting kits!"

Crowpaw chokes on a piece of feather when Dapplepaw blinks in astonishment.

"Are you sure you're not mishearing things?"

"Owlflight said so!" Dawnpaw insists. "I'm willing to bet that the father is Weedclaw! Swallowfur and I passed by them, sitting together during our hunt."

"... Dawnpaw, are you sure you know how kits are born?" Crowpaw sniffs, earning a glare from the ginger and black she-cat.

"They could've just been sitting together, platonically, for all you know."

Dawnpaw snorts. "Then who do you think is the father of her kits? Longfoot? Everyone knows that time was a mistake on his part, so there's no other tom besides Weedclaw."

Dapplepaw suddenly hisses for silence as Patchflower passes by, striding towards the nursery. At the same time, Foxfur exits out the nursery and pads straight to Crowpaw. Dawnpaw and Dapplepaw dip their head to the ShadowClan deputy.

"May you two give me and my apprentice some privacy?" Foxfur asks the two sisters.

Dapplepaw and Dawnpaw obediently leave Crowpaw alone with his mentor.

"I've just talked to Heatherstar, and we both agreed that you need an assessment. You're still a bit young to become a warrior, but you should have a chance to learn how to operate in a patrol with other warriors."

"I'm gonna lead the next patrol?" Crowpaw exclaims, his dark blue eyes swirling with excitement. Foxfur snickers, shaking her head.

"Not really. It will be a long time before you can lead. Heatherstar will let you know when we'll put you on a patrol, just don't mention anything to the warriors. They might get offended."

Crowpaw nods enthusiastically. "Yes, Foxfur!"

~ Hollyflame ~

With the sun is preparing to hide behind the trees, Hollyflame wanted to take Twigpaw on one last hunt before retiring for the night, with the escorts of Minkfrost, Lightningstrike, Maplecloud and Fishleap.

Twigpaw accidentally steps on a stick, and the wood pigeon she was stalking flies away. The light gray she-cat winces and looks at Hollyflame guiltily.

"Sorry….

Hollyflame brushes her tail over Twigpaw's head. Her apprentice is nervous in every step, and she keeps glancing at the warriors guarding them.

With all that's happening, it's not easy to stay focused.

Twigpaw continues her search, when she, without warning, runs ahead behind the ferns.

"Twigpaw, no!"

The black furred blue-eyed she-cat catches up to Twigpaw. The light grey she-cat is bending down, sniffing a dead, grey rat. And when Hollyflame and the rest of the guards approach the rat, it has the stench of Twolegs and crow-food.

A tiny crunch of leaves made Fishleap turn his head to the left, growling. Hollyflame narrows her eyes, hissing quietly. "Twigpaw, run…"

Before Twigpaw could speak, two large toms jump out from the bracken and confront Lightningstrike and Minkfrost. Hollyflame spots a brown she-cat lunging for Twigpaw, she intercepts the attack and wrestles the rogue to the ground - she looks up at a frightened Twigpaw.

"Go, now!"

Twigpaw bounds away as Maplecloud is slashed on the neck, and bites down on the black tom's foreleg, and with Fishleap assisting her. Lightningstrike and Minkfrost were sticking close as they lashed their claws out at the three rogues ganging up on them. Hollyflame is thrown on the ground by the brown she-cat and feels the searing claws on her flank. Hollyflame swipes her claws across the brown she-cat's muzzle, and blue sparks fly off her claw tips.

The black, blue-eyed she-cat raises her claws to slash when blue embers score the brown she-cat's pelt. Yowling in pain, the brown she-cat races off with her pelt burning. Hollyflame looks at her paw, small blue embers fade away.

"Hollyflame!" Fishleap yowls.

The said she-cat looks back and sees a large, silvery white tom watching the rogues run by. He sneers down at them from the WindClan border, swishing his tail as it ripples in pale and darkened rings.

Lightningstrike snarls and charges after the rogue, wrestling him to the ground. The silvery white rogue immediately pins Lightningstrike down, scraping his claws on his neck.

"Stop!" Maplecloud shouts, fearing for her son's life. The rogue snickers, backing off of Lightningstrike and leaving before the light brown tabby tom could get up and retaliate.

"Lightningstrike!" Maplecloud snaps, stopping the light brown tabby tom in his tracks.

"Don't chase after him!"

Lightningstrike flattens his ears and pads back to the others, wincing at the injury on his neck. Hollyflame turns around to see Fishleap crouching down, staring at where the rogue tom went.

Minkfrost nudges Fishleap with his nose. "Hey, Fishleap. Snap out of it."

The deep, dark blue tom looks at Minkfrost with wide, clear blue eyes before blinking. Fishleap stands up and grooms his uneven fur.

"Are you okay?" Maplecloud asks Fishleap.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine." Fishleap's nicked ear twitches, even when he runs his paw over it.

Hollyflame looks down on her front paws for the blue sparks that never show up. The black and blue-eyed she-cat is unnerved, feeling the burning sensation within her toes.

The sound of rustling bracken put the group on alert, when Flashpad steps out and infuriates Hollyflame. "Were you in that bracken this whole time?"

"Yes, I…" Flashpad shows the others several claw marks on his side. "I was attacked before I could do anything."

"It must've been very quiet if we couldn't hear it." Hollyflame retorts.

"Hollyflame!"

Twigpaw returns to the group with Duskshade and Suncloud following her, with Littlestar and Finchblaze in toe. Finchblaze looks at Maplecloud and Lightningstrike with shock before being replaced with anger.

"What happened to you?" Littlestar asks the group.

"We were ambushed by rogues." Minkfrost said. "We managed to drive them, but one rogue harmed Lightningstrike."

"I'm fine!" Lightningstrike hisses as Suncloud smears the goldenrod on his neck.

"I wanted to join in, but I was attacked by them, too. Two toms were blocking me." Flashpad said.

Hollyflame narrows her eyes at how detailed his account sounds, but says nothing about it as she nods to Twigpaw. "I didn't want her to get caught up in it, so I told her to run."

Littlestar sighs. "It was probably a wise decision to keep her out of it. And you did a good job telling us when you did, Twigpaw."

The lithe, light gray she-cat ducks her head, bashful from being praised by her leader.

"We should leave this area. I don't feel safe out here." Finchblaze said, keeping his flank close to Maplecloud while entwining his tail with hers.

Littlestar leads the group back to camp. Every so often, Fishleap would look over his shoulder before staying close to Littlestar. Hollyflame keeps her eyes on Flashpad, who doesn't notice her suspicious glare.