Chapter 11- Nighttime Excursions

Rushsong opened her eyes. She listened carefully, searching for any sound that might indicate that another cat was awake. All she could hear were, slow, deep breaths. She lifted her head slowly and swept her gaze over the den. Finally being certain that nobody else was awake, she got to her paws and slipped out of the warriors' den.

The moon rose up high above the treetops, still almost full. The cool night air seeped into Rushsong's fur comfortingly. She was scared. What she was about to do would seem like treachery, it was treachery. Rushsong was preparing to betray both her Clan and her mate. But at the same time she was doing what was right. At the same time, she was doing what was best for her family. But was she ready yet?

Rushsong snuck out of camp by slipping through a small gap in the barrier behind the elders' den. Cats almost never went that way, but she had to avoid Moontide who was guarding the entrance. Once out, she crept slowly away from camp until she was certain she was far enough away to not be heard, and then she began running. She raced through the trees, and then into the hills. She was heading for the Pitcave. As she neared it she slowed, and then stopped on the crest of the final hill. She looked down and saw a lone figure standing by the entrance to the Pitcave. She padded down, her heart pounding.

The cat turned towards her. "I'm glad to see you came," he meowed, "You know, your daughter is quite a fine fighter. We could use cats like her MasterClan.

Rushsong hissed. "I said I would, StarMaster Elder, I said nothing about my kits."

StarMaster Elder nodded. "Indeed. Redpaw, isn't it? Redpaw would be too difficult to convince of our cause anyway. She has a strong heart, but I wonder if it lies where it should."

Rushsong began to snarl. "That's my kit you're talking about, StarMaster."

"Yes, I know. Now, come, it is time."

Rushsong took a step back. "I-I'm not ready yet."

"Rushsong, you can't wait much longer."

"I know, I know, just…another quarter moon, that's all. And then I'll come"

StarMaster Elder contemplated her request for a moment and then nodded. "Very well. Another quarter moon."

...

Redpaw opened her eyes and listened carefully. She could only hear Purrsong's slow, steady breathing, Rattooth's slightly nasally breath, and Poppytwig's harsh snoring. All the elders were asleep. She got up, stretched, and slipped outside. She snuck out of camp through the gap behind the elders' den. She never even noticed Rushsong's scent as she passed through.

Once outside she raced through the trees until she arrived at the boundary of ShadowClan's territory where ThunderClan's veered away. A slightly plump, dark shape slipped out of bush and into the moonlight.

"Hello, kittypet," Redpaw mewed.

"Hello, Clan-cat," replied John.

Redpaw licked his ear and then lay down in the soft grass. "The stars are beautiful tonight," she said, looking up at the night sky.

John lay down beside her and gazed into her eyes. "Yes, they are."

Redpaw glanced at him. "You aren't even looking at them," she muttered.

John nodded. "I was talking about your eyes."

Redpaw got brusquely to her paws. "And I was talking about the stars! What's the use of talking to you if all you can think about is me?!"

John got to his paws, hurt, but then he stepped towards Redpaw. "Redpaw…your eyes are stars. They are the most beautiful stars I have ever seen, the brightest of them all, and even if they aren't in the sky, they are the stars in the sky of my heart."

Redpaw stepped back. She had no idea how to react to what John had said. She felt flattered, and yet at the same time she was scared. His actions and feelings towards her were so…unfamiliar. "I-I…I have to go," she finally stammered. She stared at John for a moment longer, and then turned and fled into the forest.

John made no attempt to follow her. He didn't blame her for the sudden awkwardness between them. He hadn't meant to frighten or startle her, the words had just poured out of him. He didn't even understand what was happening. He sighed, and turned around. He looked up slowly, and then froze. Standing before him was Ivy, her fangs glinting threateningly in the moonlight.

"Hello, John," meowed the green-tailed she, "Long time no see. Well, that's not true. Long time no talk. Still living with those good-for-nothing upwalkers?"

John stepped back, frightened. "Y-yes," he stammered.

Ivy began padding around the frightened kittypet, running her tail over his flank as she passed around him. "Oh, John, you don't know what you're missing. Leave those horrible upwalkers and come with me. Join MasterClan, like I did. StarMaster Elder would be proud to have a cat like you supporting him."

John growled. "I'll never join that cat, even if my life depended on it!"

"And what if the life of another cat depended on it? Let's say… maybe that red-eyed vulture you've been playing around with?"

"Don't you dare even touch a whisker on her muzzle, Ivy!"

"Oh, I won't touch her, you won't have to worry about that."

John unsheathed his claws. "You tell all those foxdung MasterClan cats the same thing!"

Ivy patted John's shoulder with her tail. "Oh, look, the little upwalker slave is starting to talk like a Clan cat." She unsheathed a claw, drew it over John's flank, and then disappeared.

John collapsed. He was dead scared, not for himself, but for Redpaw. He wanted to protect her, but he couldn't most of the time. She was with her Clan and he was with his housefolk. He wasn't with her most of the time, and he couldn't just walk into ShadowClan's territory and be her bodyguard. What was more, she would probably be able to protect herself better than John could. There was nothing he could do, except try and warn her, and hope for the best.

...

Rushsong crept towards the camp. Moontide was still guarding the entrance. Rushsong glared at her brother. Of course he would be doing his job. He was a perfect example of the perfect warrior- almost. He tended to be quite a hungry cat, resulting in a small break of the warrior code from time to time, though usually only during newleaf and greenleaf when the prey was plenty.

Rushsong ducked behind a tree as Moontide glanced in her direction. She waited a moment, and then peaked around the large trunk. Moontide had lain down, though he still seemed quite alert. Rushsong crept towards the small gap in the camp barrier. She slipped into a bush and peered through its branches. With no sign of movement, she crept towards the opening. She darted into it, tripped, and rolled into the camp, stunned. She leapt to her paws and faced the cat she had tripped over.

"I went to do my dirt!" cried Rushsong and Redpaw simultaneously.

Moontide leapt to his paws and rushed to the she-cats. "What in StarClan's name is going on here?!" he meowed. Seeing his sister and niece he slid to a stop. "Rushsong? Redpaw? Uh…any- uh- problems here?"

Rushsong and Redpaw glanced at each other. "No, Moontide," they replied.

Moontide nodded. "O-okay. I-I'll go back to…guarding the entrance…now…" He slunk away, feeling quite embarrassed.

"Embarrassed, isn't he?" commented Rushsong.

"Quite," confirmed Redpaw.

The she-cats looked at each other and then burst into mrrows of laughter. They soon recovered and studied each other seriously.

"What were you doing outside camp?" asked Rushsong.

"I-I needed some fresh air," stammered Redpaw.

Rushsong wasn't convinced. "Can't you get fresh air outside the elders' den?"

Redpaw nodded. "Yes, but…it's not the same."

Rushsong licked her kit's ear. "I know what you mean. I often need to do the same thing. Just try not to do it too often; it's quite dangerous out there right now."

"Yes, Rushsong. I'm sorry."

Rushsong nudged Redpaw towards the elders' den. "Go and get some rest. Beesting's planning on giving you an assessment tomorrow, isn't he?"

Redpaw scoffed. "Only if the elders can convince him they don't need me for most of the day. It's only because of them that he's even considering assessing me yet."

Rushsong eyed Redpaw sternly. "Be respectful to your mentor, even when he's not around."

"Yes, Rushsong. Goodnight." Redpaw scampered into the elders' den quietly, if such a thing was even possible.

Rushsong sighed and padded towards the warriors' den. She spotted Greenpaw and Tidalpaw slipping out of the apprentices' den. "And where do you two think you're going?" she asked. The apprentices froze. "Not sneaking off in the middle of the night are you?"

Tidalpaw shook his head. "No, Rushsong, we just wanted some fresh air. It's a little stuffy in the apprentices' den."

"And Spotpaw snores," added Greenpaw.

Rushsong nodded. "Ah, yes. How could I forget? Just don't cause any trouble. No sneaking out of camp, and don't wake any cat."

Tidalpaw nodded vigorously. "Of course not, Rushsong. We wouldn't dream of it. Do you think Moontide will mind if we guard the entrance with him?"

Rushsong eyed her brother suspiciously. "I think he'd mind very much. He'd probably chase you two back to your den. Or he might just give you the 'shouldn't you two be asleep right now' look and then ignore you. Just try not to get under his fur."

"Yes, Rushsong," mewed Greenpaw, "Come on, Tidalpaw."

The two apprentices padded over to Moontide. Rushsong continued towards the warriors' den, thoroughly exhausted, and feeling more than a little bit hopeless. Soon she would have to leave all this behind; her home, her Clan, her family…everything she had ever known. If only they could understand once she was gone. She hoped that they would defeat StarMaster Elder one day, but it could not happen anytime soon, and even once he was gone… would she ever be able to return to her Clan?