Chapter 4
Willowcloud breathed in deeply as she tried to stay awake. She glanced towards Ghostwind to see that her brother had snoozed off during his vigil. Annoyance made her chest flare as she tried to ignore him. His pelt rose and fell with each breath he took. For once he looked peaceful, despite the fact that he was breaking the warrior code. Willowcloud sighed as she wondered why he got away with so many things.
Thornstar often ignored Ghostwind and even looked up to him. The LeafClan leader had been acting strange around her brother lately. There were times when he would keep an eye on Ghostwind and ask him to join the leader on patrols. Most of this was something that she'd observed while spending time in Ruststripe's den.
Her pelt ruffled against a warm breeze as she watched cats emerge from the warriors' den. The dawn patrol was getting ready to leave. Carefully she nudged Ghostwind, hoping that the sudden movement alerted him. Ghostwind jolted awake and glared at her. When she held his accusing glare, he looked away as Birdclaw approached them. The dark gray tom dipped his head respectfully to the new warriors as they blinked in unison.
"Your vigil is over now," Birdclaw meowed. "You can talk again."
Relief washed over Willowcloud as she shook her already ruffled pelt. Ghostwind blinked once more as he padded towards the warriors' den. Poppyfeather and Whitepelt nodded to him as he passed them. Neither warrior looked happy with his sudden appearance, but they chose not to speak. Willowcloud was quick to follow him, feeling exhaustion creep over her.
She saw that Mistybird had made a nest for her nearby. A yawn escaped from her jaws as she curled up and made herself comfortable. Sleep quickly took over, and Willowcloud found herself a fitful sleep for the first time in moons.
. . .
A paw jabbed at her side, and Willowcloud fought back a moan. She wanted to sleep a bit more before she went out for some training. The paw jabbed harder, this time in her ribs. Her eyes snapped open when she remembered where she was. Her heartbeat quickened; Sootclaw was standing over her, tail lashing in annoyance as he waited for her to awaken.
"You know, warriors don't generally sleep in," Sootclaw muttered when he looked over his shoulder. "Even Ghostwind knew to wake up early."
Willowcloud followed his gaze to see that her brother's nest was empty. Annoyance flared within her chest. Ghostwind had only woken up early because he'd slept during his vigil. She wouldn't dare say that out loud. Not only would Sootclaw refuse to believe her, but it would give Ghostwind another excuse to punish her. She couldn't let that happen, not after she'd just become a warrior.
Her tail swished from side to side as she rose to her paws. The dawn patrol had returned from seeking out the borders.
Birdclaw and Poppyfeather were sleeping together, ears flicking at the noises from outside. The two had always been close. Willowcloud wondered if more kits would be on the way.
She jumped when Sootclaw let out a quiet cough. Her eyes narrowed as she followed him out of the warriors' den. Sure enough two others were waiting for them. To her surprise Brightfur, the Clan's deputy, was waiting with them. Tawnywing was waiting for them as well. The two were sisters, after all, and did just about everything together.
Tawnywing dipped her head respectfully towards Sootclaw as the younger cat approached. Brightfur seemed amused by her sudden respect. Tawnywing was known for her sharp tongue, but not by showing how much she respected those around her.
"We'll be patrolling the DuskClan border," Brightfur meowed after shaking her head. "I want to ensure that they know when to stop crossing." Her claws scraped against the ground, and she glanced at Willowcloud sympathetically.
I don't need your sympathy, Willowcloud thought as she looked away.
The four of them left the safety of camp once things were settled. Brightfur led the way, her tail weaving from side to side as she padded through the clumps of ferns. Leaves crunched under Willowcloud's paws as she followed. A frown had creased along her face as she saw where they were headed.
This is where I found those DuskClan cats, she realized. They attacked me here and…. Her vision became a bit hazy as she tried to recall what had happened.
Tawnywing looked over her shoulder when she saw that Willowcloud had stopped moving. Concern flashed within her amber eyes as she approached the new warrior.
"Something wrong?" she demanded.
"I…I don't remember what happened here!" Willowcloud gasped. "All I remember is the pain I felt…when they…." Her claws unsheathed as she fought back a hiss of pain. By now the others had noticed what was happening.
"Look at the blood!" Sootclaw screeched. His voice was filled with fear when he recoiled at the sight. Spots suddenly began to cloud Willowcloud's vision as she tried to piece together what was happening.
"It's not real," Brightfur murmured reassuringly. "It is a vision. Willowcloud, can you move?" Her teeth ground together as Willowcloud struggled to move forward. Brightfur watched carefully, eyes clouded with anxiety as Willowcloud managed to take one step. "It seems that this place…holds something important for you," Brightfur added after a few heartbeats passed.
By now the vision was clearing. The stench of blood had faded as Willowcloud blinked away the splotches in her vision. She stared at Brightfur in disbelief as the deputy circled her curiously. Something about her pain must have made Brightfur realize that something was wrong.
"I think Ruststripe would be very interested in what just happened," the deputy added.
"Should she go see him?" Tawnywing asked. Willowcloud knew that she was more concerned about feeling the claws of her mother, Mistybird. Her mother was far more protective of her kits than she'd like to let on.
"No, for now we have a border to patrol," Brightfur replied. "We need to get our act together. We can't act weak in front of DuskClan, especially if they're planning an invasion."
Tawnywing blinked as her sister led the way once more. Sootclaw exchanged a look of concern and fear with the senior warrior. The only thing they could do was shake their heads and watch Willowcloud carefully.
Why did I have that vision? Willowcloud wondered as she followed them. I couldn't even move!
Memories of claws and teeth raked her mind as they reached the DuskClan border. She shuddered involuntarily as she recalled what Rosefang had said. 'The enemy must be eliminated'. Those words were what had terrified her. She knew that she stood no chance against two powerful warriors at the time.
The four cats had stopped when they reached the border. Sootclaw was marking the territory when a snarl came from the other side. Willowcloud stiffened when she instantly recognized the noise. That snarl belonged to Rosefang, who would have recovered by the fight near the border.
Sure enough a creamy brown she-cat with blue eyes emerged from the boulders nearby. Following her was a sleek looking pale ginger she-cat with green eyes. Willowcloud recognized the cat as Mothpaw, an apprentice she had met at the Gathering one time. Rosefang's eyes narrowed when she spotted Willowcloud nearby. Willowcloud recoiled when she saw the scars that now stretched across Rosefang's back and belly. Clearly her Clanmates had given Rosefang a mark she wouldn't forget anytime soon.
"I'm surprised they haven't called you Scarpaw yet," Rosefang sneered as she glared at Willowcloud. "Or let you die."
"I'm surprised you're stupid enough to say such a thing." Tawnywing took a step forward, ears flattened and teeth bared. "Say that again across the border, why don't you?"
"Rainstar doesn't want us to fight," Rosefang replied. Her tongue swiped over a paw as she gave it a gentle lick. "At least not yet. She's been planning an invasion for moons now. All we need are more capable paws, and we'll have scored yet more territory." A smirk fell upon her face when Brightfur gasped in alarm.
"What did you do to Graystar's Clan?" she demanded.
"He was already a weak-minded fool," Mothpaw spat. "All we needed to do was tell him that we can split the territory and Clan members, and he agreed to let us hunt there. Now we have full bellies and more warriors at our disposal."
"StarClan, there has always been three Clans in the forest!" Sootclaw snarled. "Why in StarClan's name does Rainstar think she can destroy them now?"
"Because unlike the past leaders, Rainstar is stronger," Rosefang explained with a mere shrug. She seemed oblivious to Sootclaw's swearing as she continued glaring at Willowcloud. "She knows the warrior code bides us together, and will provide her Clan with plenty of fresh-kill."
They're nothing but a bunch of fox-hearted cowards, Willowcloud thought.
"We'll be seeing you later at the Gathering," Mothpaw chipped in cheerfully. "Maybe by than Thornstar will have brains enough to agree with Rainstar's plan."
Well, I agree that he has no brains, but saying it out loud would only get me in trouble, Willowcloud decided as she glanced at her Clanmates.
By now the sun was beginning to set as the two cats left the group. Sootclaw's fur was standing on end while Tawnywing and Brightfur spoke in urgent whispers. Willowcloud felt her chest heave as she wondered what they could do about this news.
"We must tell Thornstar what has happened to PebbleClan," Brightfur finally said after moons seemed to pass. "He can't agree with Rainstar's plan, not after what she did to Graystar."
The others had agreed with Brightfur as she led the way back towards camp. Willowcloud's fur fluffed up as a cool breeze picked up. She was more concerned about the kits and queens in PebbleClan than she was of the Clan itself. She knew that Rainstar would convince the kits to join DuskClan before they knew about their own Clan.
A/N: Wow another long chapter. I've decided that this story will be either forty-five chapters or forty chapters long depending on how popular it gets. Also, more exciting news...or maybe bad news for those who actually cared. New Dawn was just deleted the other day because I felt no inspiration for it. I want to focus my attention on this story (which basically has no prophecy and is experimental) and finish it before summer. So thanks everyone for your reviews, and hopefully soon I'll be getting more :)