Chapter 15
Cloudpaw stalked in the shadows that seemed to follow her as the dark tabby moved farther and farther away from SkyClan territory. His dark fur helped give him cover amongst the darkening earth, but having spotted him when the sun still shone high above, Cloudpaw was able to keep him in sight. Her robin above her head let out an alarm claw and Cloudpaw glanced up, watching the small bird take off into the night. Cloudpaw turned her attention back to where Ratpelt had been skulking a moment before only to find him gone. Cloudpaw's heart raced and she padded forward, hoping to see his shadow or something.
Suddenly Cloudpaw could hear footsteps coming from behind her. Whirling around, Cloudpaw spotted a dark brown cat padding towards, his gray eyes sharp and narrowed. With a snarl, Cloudpaw lunged at the cat, landing in between his shoulders. "Mmphf!" The cat coughed as Cloudpaw drove his muzzle into the ground and her opponent flipped over sending the gray-and-white she-cat crashing onto the earth. The cat's fur was bristling with anger and Cloudpaw was about to turn tail and run, but as the cat came closer, she recognized him.
"Airpaw!" Airpaw's gray eyes widened in surprise and then as he recognized Cloudpaw, relaxed.
"You fleabrain!" Airpaw hissed in annoyance, his ears flat, "You didn't have to claw at me!" Airpaw glanced at his shoulder where a small trickle of blood was flowing. "Hasn't Songheart got enough cats to take care of?"
"Sorry Airpaw... I thought you were-" Cloudpaw's voice trailed off.
"Thought I was who, Cloudpaw?" Airpaw asked. Cloudpaw didn't answer. "You thought I was Ratpelt?"
Cloudpaw looked up in surprise and asked, "How did you-" But Airpaw cut her off.
"We're littermates, Cloudpaw, I can sense these things," Airpaw meowed and then added with a purr, "Plus Waterpaw and I are following him too."
"Waterpaw? Where is she?" As though Cloudpaw's words had dragged her out of the air, Waterpaw padded towards them.
"Hey Cloudpaw," Waterpaw meowed, "I saw Ratpelt heading towards a barn or something from that tree over there." Waterpaw mewed, flicking her tail to a massive oak, "We're still tailing him right?" Airpaw nodded. "Care to join us, Cloudpaw?"
"Join you? I was tracking him long before you two showed up," Cloudpaw scoffed.
Waterpaw's fur bristled and Airpaw interjected, "What made you follow him, Cloudpaw?"
"Well I was with Sandfire and Birdheart and Sandfire went to mark the borders. Birdheart said that she and Sandfire could take over from here so she suggested I meet up with you and hunt for a bit. I had just picked up Darkshadow's scent when Ratpelt padded by. I- I don't think he saw me. I was wondering why he was out here alone so I followed him." Cloudpaw explained.
"Yeah, we thought he looked suspicious too," Airpaw meowed.
"So are we following him or not?" Waterpaw demanded and her littermates nodded.
The three cats followed where they had last seen Ratpelt and a dark barn loomed up ahead. Cloudpaw led the way and soon the cats were right outside the barn. With supportive glance from Airpaw and Waterpaw, Cloudpaw took a step forward and the scent of rat hit her. Cloudpaw shared another glance with her littermates and suddenly they both could hear snarling coming from behind them. Cloudpaw whirled around and raced forward, her heart racing as she saw two toms wrestling in the grass: Sandfire and Ratpelt.
Ratpelt was clawing at Sandfire's face was the ginger tom had his teeth sunk deep into his Clanmate's leg. Without even thinking, Cloudpaw raced forward knocking Ratpelt away from Sandfire. Ratpelt hissed and spit at her, but his claws were sheathed as he patted her away. Cloudpaw cocked her head to the side confused. Why wasn't Ratpelt attacking her?
"What happened?" Cloudpaw demanded, Airpaw and Waterpaw at her side as they tried to seperate the two toms from each other.
"I was with Birdheart and I saw this piece of foxdung slinking into the shadows so I followed him," Sandfire snarled, bleeding from his throat. Cloudpaw took a step towards him, eyes soft with worry. "He's been working with the rats!"
The two she-cats gasped, but Airpaw meowed calmly, "That's a serious accusation. I trust you have proof?"
"None!" Ratpelt snarled, but no one listened to him.
"I saw him talking to rat," Sandfire growled, eyes flashing. "He's obviously a traitor! He deserves to die!"
"That's not your decision, Sandfire," Waterpaw whispered quietly, "He has to stand trial in front of Mintstar."
Sandfire looked like he was about to attack the silver she-cat, but nodded, "You're right."
At that moment two other cats appeared: Darkshadow and Birdheart. Darkshadow glanced around him and at the bloody warriors, demanding, "What in StarClan's name happened here?"
"Were you attacked by rats?" Birdheart asked, her tone worried.
"By a rat pretending to be a warrior!" Sandfire spat.
"What?" Darkshadow asked.
"Sandfire thinks that Ratpelt is working with the rats," Cloudpaw explained.
"Traitor!" Birdheart growled.
"Thinks!" Airpaw inserted quickly.
"He has no proof!" Ratpelt snarled.
"I saw you talking to a rat!" Sandfire growled.
"Let me shred him!" Darkshadow snarled.
"No me first!" Birdheart growled, quite unlike her.
"That's for Mintstar to decide," Waterpaw allowed her voice to join the others.
"I'm deputy!" Sandfire protested.
"But not leader yet!" Cloudpaw meowed gently, resting her tail on the aggressive tom's shoulder.
"Let's take him back to camp," Airpaw suggested, "That way he can speak to Mintstar."
None of the warriors protested so the three apprentices led the way.
*
"What happened?" Mintstar demanded as the cats gathered around him. Songheart was sitting in between Sandfire and Ratpelt, checking both of their wounds. "Sandfire?"
"I saw Ratpelt talking to a rat," Sandfire answered firmly, glaring at his Clanmate.
"Chase him out of camp!" Birdheart snarled, but Mintstar raised his tail for silence.
"Ratpelt, care to defend yourself?" The old leader asked.
"I can't defend myself against lies!" Ratpelt growled.
"It's the truth!" Sandfire snarled.
"Silence!" Mintstar growled, "Ratpelt since you do not deny speaking to a rat, I'm afraid you must leave camp forever."
"Fine!" Ratpelt spat, "But when SkyClan is weak, don't come looking for me."
Ratpelt stalked away and Mintstar turned to Birdheart, "Take Darkshadow and follow him." Birdheart nodded and the warriors disappeared.
Mintstar watched them leave and then turned to the apprentices, "Can I speak to Sandfire and Songheart alone please?"
The three apprentices dipped their heads and padded away.
Waterpaw was the first one to speak, "Wow."
"Poor Sandfire," Cloudpaw meowed, shaking her head, "His first night as deputy."
"Is someone crushing on the new deputy?" Airpaw teased.
"How can you joke? A cat was just exiled!" Waterpaw meowed in surprise.
"This was the last thing SkyClan needed," Cloudpaw agreed.
"Does anyone else have that feeling?" Airpaw asked suddenly.
"What feeling?" Waterpaw asked, confused.
"Like we just made a huge mistake." Airpaw answered.
"Do you mean that we should have let Sandfire kill Ratpelt?" Cloudpaw asked.
"No," Airpaw shook his head, "I mean that I feel like Ratpelt shouldn't have been exiled."
"That wasn't our mistake," Waterpaw meowed, "If it was a mistake, it was Mintstar and Sandfire's."
"We shouldn't even care," Cloudpaw growled, but everyone could see in the worry in her eyes, "SkyClan isn't our home."
There was silence until Airpaw meowed, "I miss JayClan."
"And Woodstar and Gingereye," Waterpaw murmured, shaking her head sadly, "I wonder if Orangepelt has had her kits yet."
"How long have we been gone?" Cloudpaw asked.
"It feels like seasons," Airpaw sighed.
"It can't have been more than one or two moons," Waterpaw sighed, "The mountains took so long."
"They'll take longer when we head back to JayClan," Airpaw added, "We won't have Sandfire or Birdheart to help us."
"Unless Birdheart comes with us," Waterpaw meowed.
"What do you mean?" Cloudpaw asked.
"You guys must have seen the way Birdheart looks at Darkshadow," Waterpaw meowed, "I think she loves him."
"But he has Lakesky," Airpaw mewed quietly.
"They weren't official mates," Waterpaw pointed out.
"Does Darkshadow love her?" Cloudpaw asked.
Waterpaw shrugged, "I don't know. He doesn't tell me anything."
"I hope she comes with us," Airpaw meowed suddenly, "I'm not good with goodbyes."
Cloudpaw looked away, a feeling stirring inside of her. She felt that a goodbye was coming really soon.
Author's Note: Just so everyone knows the JayClan cats will soon be going home within the next few chapters. :)