Chapter 4.
"Thornpaw! Thornpaw!" She blinked open her eyes to see Rainpaw hovering over her, an excited glimmer in her eyes. "Dawnstar has called a clan meeting, the dawn patrol is back."
Instantly she was on her paws, following Rainpaw into the clearing. She sat at the back beside Brackenpaw, who completely ignored her. On her other side was Stormpaw.
"I wonder what happened?" He meowed.
"As most of you may know, a loner has wondered into our camp," Dawnstar flicked her tail toward a dark orange tabby tom, instantly Thornpaw was on her paws, claws unsheathed.
"Calm down!" It was the first time Brackenpaw had paid any attention to her, he rested his tail on her shoulder.
"He claims to be Alastair, he says Midnight sent him." Everyone gasped at the name of the she-badger. "What have you got to tell us, Alastair?"
Everyone turned and faced the shy tomcat. "Well… maybe it would be better if we could talk alone, with you and you're deputy?" He stammered.
"What's wrong with right here, right now?" Smokethroat growled. "How do we know we can trust you, loner?"
"I would never do anything to harm any of you, I was sent here to tell your leader something, a message from Midnight… about a certain… she-cat." Alastair looked at Dawnstar, trying to make a point across.
"If it's so important, why didn't Midnight come herself?" Blackclaw asked, stepping infront of Dawnstar.
"I didn't ask questions, she told me to go as fast as I could. She didn't tell me I would meet a bunch of cats questioning my every move, think I'm going to attack!" He rasped.
"Fine." Dawnstar spoke finally. "We can talk, but Blackclaw and Redpelt will come with us, in my den."
"Very well." Alastair nodded. "Let's just get this over with, Midnight said it's crucial I tell you right away."
"This meeting is over." Dawnstar meowed sharply. "You can all go back to your duties."
"Well this was one big waste of time!" Ivytail murmured.
"I don't trust that cat for one heartbeat." Smokethroat hissed, leaning in to talk with his sister.
"None of us do," Berryfrost added. "he even looks untrustworthy."
Thornpaw couldn't help overhearing them, she wished she could talk with them, but they would never take her seriously. She was barely an apprentice.
"Cut him some slack!" Lionfur rasped, padding up beside Berryfrost. "If Midnight sent him, it must be important, and Midnight is trustworthy."
"How do we know Midnight actually sent him? He could just happen to know of her, and that she knows us… and I'm making no sense. No cat could get information like that without knowing Midnight…" Ivytail replied confusing herself.
"Exactly!" Lionfur meowed proud to have made his point.
"I guess so…" Berryfrost trailed off.
"I still don't know about this, he just seems so… I don't know, mysterious?" Smokethroat half asked, half remarked.
"Well I agree with Lionfur, how could any cat get information like that without knowing Midnight and being sent by her?" Thornpaw spoke for the first time, all four warriors stared at surprised.
"Who asked you?" Smokethroat was first to reply.
"Lets not be hasty." Lionfur grumbled.
"Yeah, Smokethroat, why are being so rude?" Ivytail tapped him on the nose with her tail.
"Well… she is an apprentice, not like she knows anything." Smokethroat rasped.
Thornpaw felt embarrassed. She slowly slipped away to the apprentices den, crawling in her nest for a long sleep…. Hopefully.
… And then I saw him! Him! Brackenpaw! In my dream! What was he doing here? I didn't care, I was glad to see him.
He was looking at his reflection in the water, the still, no moment, no ripping, water. Carefully she stepped toward him, he didn't notice her. 'Is he still angry with me?'
She stepped toward him again, this time carelessly knocking over a rock which landed at his paws. Still no reaction from him. Then she realized, it wasn's Brackenpaw's reflection in the water, or Brackenpaw at all. It was Firestar. The former ThunderClan leader she had endless heroic stories about. He looked up at her, his broad face pointing directly at her.
"Hello, Thornpaw." He meowed. His voice sounded different then she imagined.
"How… how do you know my name?" She shuddered, backing away.
"There is no time for small talk, I have to warn you. Someone you love deeply, is going down the wrong path, you must help them before it's took late." The StarClan warrior flashed a deep scar at her on his flank, she winced at the look of it, so brutal. She hadn't noticed that he had caught her staring, instantly he covered it with his tail. How embarrassing?
"I don't… I don't understand what that means?" She choked. "Explain that to me, all my loved ones are safe, in ThunderClan, where they should be."
"That's what you think…" He murmured, before disappearing in a puff of mist from the water.
Thornpaw woke up, her muscles were stiff and ached from lying in the same position all night. She glanced over her shoulder at Brackenpaw, he closed her eyes just as she looked at him. 'Was he watching me?'
"Maybe Blackclaw and Lionfur will let us hunt together again?" She offered.
He opened one eye, and lifted his head. "Blackclaw is giving me a day off, he says I'm already working too hard."
"Oh… tomorrow then." She suggested, feeling awkward.
"Doubt it."
This was bound to happen something, she decided it was going to be now. "Why do you hate me so much?"
He looked taken aback at that, totally mystified. "What?"
"I said-"
"I know what you said." He huffed.
"Well?"
"I don't hate you-"
"Don't give me that, I know you do." She growled.
"Maybe we should go somewhere and talk, so you don't wake everybody up?" He offered, standing up.
"Fine, but I better get an explanation." She stalked off infront of him, every hair on her pelt bristling.
He led her out of the camp through the dirt place, and toward the lake. His paws barely touched the ground, even though he was walking slowly, she rushed to his side.
"So? We're away from everybody now?"
"I thought you hated me!" He rounded on her, his eyes burning with anger, his claws needed at the earth.
"What? Why would I hate you?" She had never been more shocked by a comment in her life, she stared at him in awe.
"Well, every time I… I try to tell you…"
"Tell me what?"
"You get all angry with me, and leave." He completely ignored her question.
"Tell me what, Brackenpaw?"
"Should I have to say it? If you weren't so blind you would that I-"
"What are you two doing out here?" They both jumped as Smokethroat brushed past the brambles to where they stood.
"Uhh… sorry Smokethroat." Thornpaw replied meekly.
"We were just heading back." Brackenpaw added.
"Right…" The warrior snorted, following the apprentices back to camp.
Thornpaw lie awake in her nest that night, wondering what Brackenpaw could've possibly wanted to tell her. 'Stupid Smokethroat', she cursed.
Every encounter with him after that was awkward, he would say hi to her but that's it. Mostly he hung out with Tigerpaw, Stormpaw, and Rainpaw. The older apprentices, he acted different around them then he did her, maybe because he thought of her as a kit. Not yet old enough to be taken seriously. She didn't even want to think about it anymore, the thought of him… that day, searching for the right words to say to her, just made her so frustrated she wanted to tear up moss from it's root like he did. But then the thought of that, made her even more angrier, everything reminded her of him. Why couldn't it just be simple, why couldn't he just tell her. And stop being so shy. It's not like she would laugh, she actually… secretly, adored him…