Warriors: The Undying Flame: Into The Wild

CHAPTER THREE

Ravenpaw stood panting beside his mentor as their Clanmates' expressions shifted from shock to outrage.

"RiverClan? Can't those fish-brains keep their grubby paws off our territory?" Mousefur exclaimed incredulously.

"Of course not." Only Darkstripe could make such a languid drawl still ring with sarcasm. "After all, they think it's their territory."

The story of Sunningrocks was one every ThunderClan kit learned in the nursery. Long ago, at the dawn of the forest, the river that formed the border between ThunderClan and RiverClan had run on both sides of the rock pile, so that only the strong swimmers of RiverClan could reach it. Then, one day, the water on the ThunderClan side of the border had mysteriously dried up, leaving the forest cats with a clear, dry path to the rocks. ThunderClan had taken this as a sign from their ancestors that the rocks should be theirs, but RiverClan hadn't been ready to abandon their ancient claim.

The debate between the two Clans had become like a thorny bramble bush, unable to be easily uprooted or untangled. Where words had failed, they had turned to claws. Moon after moon, the rocks had been contested, yet neither Clan had ever managed to convince the other to back down.

Currently, ThunderClan held claim to the rocks. They had maintained that claim through the last two leaf-bares, ever since their former leader Sunstar had simply strode into RiverClan's camp and announced his intention to remark the borders. He had defended his actions by observing that ThunderClan was better able to hunt among the rocks, a skill they would need when prey became scarce during the cold seasons. All the forest cats had been surprised when RiverClan had respected the reasoning and stayed away from the rocks for so long. Ravenpaw himself hadn't been born yet in those moons, but he realized now just how much that particular defeat must have rankled the rival Clan.

Ravenpaw found his attention drifting away as the Clan meeting dissolved into bickering. He knew what the senior warriors would say. Tigerclaw would advocate for swift retaliation, and he wouldn't be without supporters. Cats like Whitestorm and Lionheart would advise caution, and Bluestar would more than likely agree. It would be unwise for ThunderClan to be too aggressive over what could still turn out to have been an innocent misunderstanding.

As the argument went on, Ravenpaw noticed only one other cat in the clearing who wasn't entirely focused on it. 

Graypaw.

His fellow apprentice seemed uninterested in the debate, but not in the same way as Ravenpaw. Like their Clanmates, he had been startled by Tigerclaw's declaration, but he didn't look angry or offended like the rest of them. Instead, he looked almost afraid. 

Ravenpaw could understand why Graypaw might be concerned. He himself had never liked the idea of fighting. But Graypaw had always wanted nothing more than to be a warrior in the service of his Clan. The thought of getting a chance to defend ThunderClan in battle should have excited him. So what was he so worried about?

Ravenpaw watched Graypaw out of the corner of his eye, careful not to let the other young tom know he was being observed. He saw Graypaw's eyes widen as the older cats spoke, until Graypaw suddenly turned around and dashed through the camp entrance into the forest.

Should I tell some cat? Ravenpaw asked himself. He let his gaze flick to the thorn tunnel, where he could just see the tip of Graypaw's tail before it disappeared, then to his mentor, who probably wouldn't appreciate being interrupted just then.

No, he decided, he'd leave it alone for now. It wasn't like Graypaw was breaking any rules: he knew the territory, and the warrior code didn't forbid apprentices from leaving camp without supervision.