Chapter 4:

A quarter-moon had passed since Rabbitpaw and Wavepaw disappeared. Flamepaw was out hunting a mouse. Leafstorm had gone to catch a bird of some kind while she went her own way. She had told Flamepaw to meet her back at camp once Flamepaw caught the mouse. The mouse Flamepaw had trapped slipped out of her golden paws. "Fox dung!" She murmured. As Flamepaw tried to find the mouse again, Flamepaw scented the reek of blood and death. There must have been a battle here, she thought. Then Flamepaw saw a bit of fur. Thinking it was the mouse, Flamepaw sneaked up on it then sprang. But it wasn't the mouse. Flamepaw tripped fell down onto something that was bigger than a mouse. Wavepaw! Flamepaw hopped off him to see if he was alive. Wavepaw was dead. His hind leg was disconnected from his body and his front paw was twisted unnaturally. Bite marks were on his muzzle but, Flamepaw didn't think it was from a cat. Some of his bone poked through the skin and it looked like something had eaten him alive. The look of him made Flamepaw shudder. Slowly, Flamepaw scanned the area and saw Rabbitpaw laying in a corner but unlike Wavepaw, she was alive! Flamepaw pelted over to her. "Get away from here Flamepaw…" she mewed quietly. "They will get you too… and kill you... Get away…. Silverclaw... she did not do this to me... We followed her... But it was a bad idea... We got lost at the wrong time..." Then her eyes got wide. "Tree-eaters... everywhere... big... loud... trees... dead...broken... bodies... none... left...alive...gone...wolves...here-" She murmured.

"Quiet," Flamepaw whispered. "We're going to get Rainfur and fix you up. Hang in there! Don't leave..." But what she had said rattled Flamepaw. She wasn't sure what Rabbitpaw meant. Flamepaw was about to pick her up but, the whisper of breath was gone. Flamepaw ran back to camp and howled, "WAVEPAW AND RABBITPAW ARE DEAD!" Frostblaze came out of her den, her eyes full of grief. "Show me where they are so I can see them one last time," mewed Frostblaze. Flamepaw sadly showed her where their bodies were, and then came back to camp. On the way back, Flamepaw thought she heard Frostblaze muttered something about Silverclaw. Flamepaw went to check in Icestar and to see if he was okay. "Icestar?"

"Come in," he rasped.

"Are you alright?" Flamepaw asked him.

"Yes," he meowed.

"Can I get you a mouse or anything to eat or drink?"

"Thank you, Flamepaw, but no. I'm fine."

Flamepaw backed out of the den and padded across the clearing towards Leafstorm.

"May I go get a drink, Leafstorm?" Flamepaw asked her. " By myself this time?"

"Yes, you may, just don't take forever." She replied calmly.

Flamepaw heart was pounding against her ribs as she exited the camp. Flamepaw ran over to the CloudClan territory border and whispered, "Thornpaw?" There was a rustle of bushes nearest to Flamepaw and out popped Thornpaw. "Thornpaw!" She purred. "Flamepaw!" He purred back.

"It was nice meeting you here," Flamepaw mewed. "I can't wait until the Gathering!"

"Did you get any weird dreams yet?"

"Nope, not yet. You?" Flamepaw asked.

"No, thank StarClan. When I have those dreams I can never sleep again." Flamepaw purred.

There was a faint rustle in the bushes and Flamepaw heard a distant yowl. "Oops," Thornpaw meowed. "I gotta go! See you at the Gathering!"

"Okay, see you then!" Flamepaw purred.

"Bye!" he meowed as he faded into the distance. Flamepaw's heart was tingling as she went to get a drink. Then, she went back to camp and took two water voles to the elders. They didn't talk much, but meowed their thanks as they ate. Then Flamepaw took a thrush for herself. As she tore into the flesh of the thrush, Flamepaw thought about her small feeling about Thornpaw… No. The way he talked... NO. Flamepaw shook myself harshly. After Flamepaw had finished her small meal, she slowly went into the apprentice's den and curled up in her nest.

Flamepaw woke up before everyone else and slipped out of the camp. She went to get some cold water for her dry mouth again. It will just take a minute...Flamepaw thought. Leafstorm wouldn't mind.

The water was cool and refreshing to Flamepaw's mouth. Her whole body relaxed as Flamepaw drank in as much as she could stand. Flamepaw was so wrapped up in drinking that she didn't hear another cat approaching. Slowly, Flamepaw looked up at the cat. He looked down at her like Flamepaw had three heads.

He was much smaller then Flamepaw so he looked like a kit. But he spoke like an apprentice like her, which surprised Flamepaw. He was a black tom with brown eyes and paws.

Flamepaw quickly stood up as he hissed, "What are you doing so close to our territory?"
"I was just getting some water. I am Flamepaw, cat of NightClan." Flamepaw carefully retorted. His face softened. "Sorry," he mewed "I'm Tinypaw, cat of LeafClan. Everyone knows that I'm a little tense sometimes."

"I got to get back to camp, Tinypaw," Flamepaw meowed. "See you at the Gathering!" he called.

She raced back to camp, pausing to catch a mouse. Flamepaw didn't want to come back with nothing. She quickly dropped her fresh-kill in the pile and got ready to go to the Gathering.