Warrior Cats: The Winding Path (Book 1)

Chapter 16 (Nightpaw)

A deafening yowl pierced the air, making Nightpaw flatten her ears against her head. She looked to Blacknose for orders just as the wail of pain cut off.

"Come on! It wasn't that far away!" Blacknose instructed. The four cats bounded toward the source, their paws thumped against the hard earth of the forest. The group of cats were nearing the Sky Oak and Nightpaw feared some cat had fallen from its tall branches.

Nightpaw burst through the undergrowth behind Blacknose to see Blazetail and Rattail fighting back to back against three WindClan warriors. Raggedpaw was rolling across the ground, latched onto a larger apprentice while Featherpaw lay bleeding on the ground. Instantly, the four cats leapt into battle. Nightpaw dove for the cat on Raggedpaw and pulled the apprentice away from her Clanmate by the scruff. She tossed him to the side and unsheathed her claws.

"Raggedpaw! Take Featherpaw back to camp!" she snapped. Raggedpaw nodded and without a moments hesitation he lifted his sister onto his back and raced away into the undergrowth towards the direction of camp.

She recognized the WindClan apprentice as Goosepaw, the cat she had fought two moons ago when she found him hunting on ThunderClan territory. The gray dappled tom didn't look any better than he did then, he even look thinner! Nightpaw could smell the fresh scent of mouse and woodland creatures clinging to the apprentice's pelt.

She leapt at him with a furious hiss. Goosepaw side-stepped but Nightpaw was ready for that. She lashed out a paw to her side and her claws raked along Goosepaw's side. He let out a yelp of pain before swiped a paw at her muzzle. Blood blinded her for a heartbeat and she shook the scarlet droplets away. She expected to be attacked again while she was temporarily blinded but nothing came. Once she was able to blink the rest of the redness away she saw that Sagepaw had launched himself into battle with Goosepaw. Nightpaw joined him, they fought side by side against the WindClan apprentice.

Suddenly, one of the WindClan warriors yowled, "WindClan! Retreat!" Goosepaw wriggled out from Nightpaw's grasp and raced away with the other three warriors. The ThunderClan cats yowled in triumph as they chased the WindClan warriors to the border.

"You both did well," Blacknose praised the two panting apprentices.

"Thanks, Blacknose," Nightpaw huffed.

"Oh, my kits!" Blazetail licked Nightpaw and Sagepaw between the ears frantically. "Are you both okay?" she mewed.

"Yes, Mom, we're fine," Sagepaw batted his mother's head away playfully.

"Thank StarClan!" their mother breathed. Nightpaw was glad none of the ThunderClan warriors had fallen to the paws of WindClan. ThunderClan couldn't afford to lose any warriors now that leaf-fall would be closing into leaf-bare soon.

"Let's head back to camp, we all have wounds that need treatment," Blacknose ordered. The group nodded and they began heading back to ThunderClan camp. Nightpaw limped slightly, the wound on her hind leg was nagging at her with pain. She could sense the exhaustion from the other cats around her too. All she wanted now was to curl up in a warm moss nest and sleep the day away.

Sagepaw sighed, "I guess we won't be training today."

Cinderdapple nodded reluctantly, "I wish those darn WindClan cats would just abide by the warrior code already."

"Why don't we help them solve their problem? If WindClan has been low on food for two moons, something serious might be happening," Nightpaw suggested. She waited for an excuse from the warriors not to listen to her words but none came.

Instead, Blacknose meowed, "I shall speak with Spiderstar about what you have said, Nightpaw. Maybe I can reason with him and Spiderstar can lead a patrol into WindClan territory to see the issue that has fallen upon them." Nightpaw's spirts brightened after Blacknose's promise, making the pain in her leg feel like moons away.

The patrol and two warriors padded into camp with bleeding wounds and heavy paws. They all made their way awkwardly to the medicine cat den as eyes peered out from dens and cats began to approach them from their meals. Spiderstar bounded in front of them, making them stop in their tracks.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"WindClan has come back to steal our prey!" Rattail snarled.

"We found them hunting by the Sky Oak. We only saw two at the time but we were quickly ambushed as more warriors made an appearance. Featherpaw was injured badly by a warrior,  Rattail and I were outnumbered while Raggedpaw was locked in battle with an apprentice," Blazetail explained.

"WindClan? In our territory hunting? Don't they ever learn?" Spiderstar hissed. Spiderstar leapt onto the Highledge and let out a yowl, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" The summoning was almost unnecessary for most of the Clan had already came forth to the patrol when they first entered camp. "WindClan has been spotted yet again on ThunderClan territory, stealing prey!" Spiderstar announced.

"We should attack them! Like you had said two moons ago," the call came from Leopardtail, who was lashing her tail back and forth with anger. Yowls of agreement rose up from the Clan but Blacknose interjected.

"Wait! I believe some cat has something to say before we make any decisions," Blacknose flicked his tail over Nightpaw's shoulder.

"Uh..." Nightpaw stammered, she didn't like having the curious eyes of the Clan on her like this!

"Come up here, Nightpaw, I'm sure the Clan would like to hear what you have to say," there was true sincerity in her father's voice that drove her forward to the Highledge. With a few mighty leaps she brought herself up to the rock beside her father. Nightpaw's stomach twisted, all the more experienced cats were watching her! Her pelt bristled with uncertainty. "Well?" her father hissed into her ear.

"I don't think we should attack WindClan," Nightpaw finally said. Silence followed her words as the Clan began to process what she said.

"What? Why not? Don't tell me Blacknose has turned you soft!" Leopardtail scoffed.

"It's not that-" Nightpaw was cut off by another warrior, it was Swallowfern.

"We can't just let WindClan steal our prey! When leaf-bare comes there will be nothing left for us!" the tom shouted.

"Silence," Spiderstar meowed, "she hasn't finished."

Nightpaw gave her father a grateful glance. "As I was going to say," she paused and glared at the two warriors who interrupted her before, "we don't know what's been going on in WindClan. What if something worse has happened to them to cause them to break the warrior code? We should travel to WindClan and see what has been going on over there. It could be that possibly WindClan have been acting too arrogant to admit their troubles. Maybe they just need the help of another Clan."

"Or maybe you've turned soft to the other Clans!" Leopardtail quickly rejected the idea.

Before any more argues could be sent Nightpaw's way the Clan leader silenced them with a wave of his tail. "Now remember, this is only a suggestion. Does any cat have any other ideas?" Silence followed Spiderstar's words and a few warriors looked down at their paws in embarrassment. "I've decided we shall try it your way, Nightpaw. I had not listened to you before because of your inexperience but you still seem sure of yourself. We shall travel to WindClan in three days with a patrol to see what is going on. I will order a backup patrol to stay hidden along the moor in case Mudstar brings battle between my patrol and his warriors. Does any cat have any objections or ideas?" Spiderstar questioned. The Clan stayed silent and the ThunderClan leader nodded to his daughter. "It seems like your idea will be set into action, thank you, Nightpaw," Spiderstar meowed.

Nightpaw quickly dipped her head and bounded down from the Highledge. Her heart was racing, she had just spoke to the Clan at a meeting! Sagepaw was looking at her with complete awe and his tail swayed to the side with slight jealousy.

"I can't believe you did that!" he whispered into her ear as they cats began to head into the medicine cat den.

"It was nothing, really," Nightpaw shuffled her paws, a bit embarrassed.

"Just nothing? You just spoke to the whole Clan! And Spiderstar didn't turn down your idea!" Sagepaw mewed. Nightpaw shook her head and padded away from her brother, deep in thought about what she had just did.