Lucid Tides book 1 - Flowering Hearts

Chapter 7 - Missing.

Lilypaw leapt through the forest, the steep mountain loomed ahead of him threateningly. Lilypaw's paws felt uneasy on the rocky ground, he padded up the slope, his paws slipping into small crannies. He fell into a rhythm, and climbing became much easier. Lilypaw sped up, finally reaching the small camp in the side of the mountain. Lilypaw jumped down onto the path below, walking along the thin ledge as he felt SlopeClan warriors watching him from their caves. He reached the medicine cave, he turned and looked at Heronpath, who was treating a small red apprentice. Lilypaw thought back to all the signs he'd seen, the one that stood out the most was the vision he'd received the night before, of a thrush stealing a lily flower from a heron's grasp. Lilypaw looked at the SlopeClan medicine cat, Heronpath's pelt was covered in strange markings, and according to Snakestorm, SlopeClan thought he was cursed as a kit. Lilypaw swallowed and finally spoke.
"Heronpath, I need to speak to you" Lilypaw began, Heronpath nodded and looked at the apprentice
"You may go, Thrushpaw. Stay off that leg and you'll be fine" Heronpath said to the apprentice. Thrushpaw nodded meekly and stood. Lilypaw suddenly interjected.
"Thrushpaw?" Lilypaw asked, thinking to the vision again.
"Thats my name-" Thrushpaw replied sadly. Lilypaw waved a paw for Thrushpaw to sit down.
"He can stay" Lilypaw noted, as Thrushpaw sighed and sat down. Lilypaw watched Thrushpaw, the young apprentice was scrawny, with short red fur. He had a strange yellow mark on one of his forepaws, shaped like a feather. The unmarked paw was twisted slightly.
"How did you hurt your paw?" Lilypaw asked, looking at the apprentice.
"I was climbing and lost my footing" Thrushpaw said, looking ashamed. Heronpath shot the young cat a sympathetic glance.
"It's always hard the first time" he assured Thrushpaw
"it wasn't my first time-" Thrushpaw retorted with a slight hiss. Lilypaw wondered how old Thrushpaw was, he looked fresh out of the nursery, but the way he spoke and moved looked as if he was ready to be a warrior. Lilypaw looked outside at the setting sun.
"you should be off soon, we can wait until the half-moon meeting, can we not?" Heronpath announced with a smirk. Lilypaw nodded quietly and padded out of the den. He walked back along the ridge and down the slope again. He knew if he went back to camp he'd be in trouble.
'i'll just camp out here for the night' he thought, sitting down under a bush. He rested his head on his paws and watched the sun set as he fell asleep.