Chapter 8

She looked at them, then meowed upsetly,

"I wanted to come with you!"

Graytail felt sympathy for the apprentice.

"Foxpaw?! How could you be so disobedient?!" Carvy growled as Foxpaw stumbled after Bunnypaw.

"Don't scold her. Be more patient." Graytail hissed at Carvy.

"You could have told me you were leaving." A deep mew rang from behind them.

Graytail recognised the nearby scent,

"Wolfear?" Carvy echoed her thoughts.

The muscular gray tom pricked his wolf-like ears in the air as he heard his name, and walked toward them.

"I followed Bunnypaw." Wolfear mewed. Bunnypaw's eyes got wide with surprise,

"And Foxpaw too."

"I guess I know why." Carvy teased.

Wolfear flicked his ear in embarrassment.

"Keep your jaws shut." he growled, Bunnypaw turned her head in embarrassment.

"Cat has forgot I am here?" Graytail heard the familiar woof.

"Sorry Aruq. Bunnypaw, Wolfear, Foxpaw, this is Aruq. He's going to show us where to go to get to the mountains."

The blind dog nodded approval,

"Aruq still not know your name," he replied

"I'm Graytail, a that's Carvy" she meowed, pointing to where the other four were sitting.

"Let us go." Aruq walked over to the four cats, Graytail at his side, and they walked toward the mountains.

"Well thanks a lot," Carvy fell behind and walked the same pace as Graytail,

"You were the one to tell her where we're going! Now the other one knows, and he decides to follow us!" he said, as he pointed his tail to Wolfear. He sounded more worried than annoyed.

"We'll return soon, safely. Don't worry." She rasped her tongue gently around Carvy's ear. He grunted and let his pelt brush against her's in thanks as he paused to join Foxpaw, Wolfear and Bunnypaw. He left Graytail at the front of the group, she walked with Aruq.

"He is nice cat," Aruq teased.

Graytail ignored the dog.

Graytail knew Carvy shared the same anxious feeling as her. Would they ever return home safely?

"Uh, Graytail, Bunnypaw fell asleep, and she won't get up!" Carvy padded up once more to the front.

"Yeah! What do we do?" Foxpaw trotted after her mentor.

"I'll carry her." Wolfear offered.

"Sure." Graytail meowed back.

"Aruq, could you help us put Bunnypaw on Wolfear's back?"

"Bunny has fell? Okay."

Aruq tenderly picked Bunnypaw up, her scruff in his jaws. Wolfear crouched down as Aruq laid Bunnypaw gently on his back.

"Let's keep walking." Graytail mewed.

They soon came to a small cave, it seemed small enough, and warm enough.

"Let's rest here tonight." Wolfear panted in the frosty air.

"Sure. It seems good enough." Carvy replied.

They settled in, Foxpaw curled up next to Aruq's soft white fur, Carvy at a small space, Bunnypaw close by, and Wolfear padded to the entrance.

"I'll keep look out." Wolfear told them.

"I want to keep an eye on for that runt of a warrior."

Graytail knew he was thinking about Needleclaw. She shivered a little bit.

"Okay."

As she walked to where Carvy and Aruq laid, the dog scooted to a corner, prodding Foxpaw gently up, as if he wanted to give them some privacy.

"Gray, I don't think we're safe out here." Carvy growled, she thought the same too.

She sighed,

"We'll just have to deal with everything. But I swear by Moonclan that I'll bring you guys home safely."

She tried to convince herself at the thought of that.

Carvy looked back to where Aruq slept,

"He's a good friend, I would welcome him to the clan if I were leader."

"Yellowstar would have kicked you out by now!" Graytail teased.

"Yeah. I'm just saying he's good to us."

Graytail curled her tail around herself, Carvy did the same on the other side.

"Carvy, what do you think about Bunnypaw and Wolfear?" she dared to ask when Wolfear was in earshot, but he didn't notice.

"Oh, I could say lots of things! I've known Wolfear before. Well, when I first came to the forest." Carvy replied

As if to answer, Bunnypaw lifted her head from sleep, but put her head down again.

"We better get some rest. Tomorrow we'll be traveling farther." Graytail drifted into sleep, and the last thing she felt was Carvy's tail twine with her's.

"Gray? Gray, wake up."

Graytail's tail felt cold in the morning, until she noticed that Carvy had untwined his tail from her's, and had stood up.

"This early? Now?" she replied.

"Gray, I wanted to go hunting. "

Graytail opened her eyes, and looked up. Carvy's gentle ice blue gaze stared down at her.

"O-okay."

When they returned from a silent hunt, they found Wolfear outside, with Bunnypaw.

They were sharing tongues. Aruq laid on his side a little farther away, his eyes closed as he took in the faintest warmth of the fading sun. Foxpaw curled up next to the dog.

"You're finally back. What were you guys doing up that early? I wouldn't say just talking." Wolfear teased. Carvy snarled and dropped the piece of kill he had.

"You can take this as evidence, you stupid furball." he walked away.

Graytail had noticed Carvy only being nice to her, but with the others, he wasn't so pleasant.

I wonder why. He's a good friend.

"Graytail, wake up! You and him have grown closer to each other on the trip! Don't you see it?" Bunnypaw stood up, pressed herself to Graytail's side and followed her gaze to the sharp-tongued warrior.

"He likes you!"

Then she herself looked back at Wolfear, who was dozing off in the cave.

"I used to think Wolfear liked me too." she meowed softly.

Bunnypaw, you idiot. He likes you! A LOT! Graytail thought. But maybe she's right!

Graytail hasn't thought of that!

"I-I just thought Carvy was a good friend…" she trailed off.

Bunnypaw padded back to Wolfear, and left Graytail alone.

Her mind spun and spun,

But… but how?...

She shook her head a bit,

We don't need distractions right now.