Warriors: Light Comes with Darkness #1: Secret's Anguish | Never Again

Chapter 10

Robinpaw struggled to her paws. "Coming!" she muttered.

Padding outside, she asked, "What are we doing today?"

Redfeather nodded at her. "We'll be collecting moss. It helps your hunting and fighting."

Robinpaw bounded after him before they stopped at an oak, moss draped over it. She clawed a clump off before picking it up with her jaws. "This enough?" she mumbled.

Redfeather nodded. "Let's take it back to camp to dry. You can go help the elders. Get mouse bile from the medicine cats."

Medicine cats? She thought. Anger flashed inside of her. "Yeah," she gritted her teeth.

Padding into the medicine cat den, she glared at Echoleaf. "Hurry up, mouse-brain, and get me some mouse bile."

"Show some respect!" Mintpaw snapped. "She's done nothing wrong to you!"

Nothing but killed my mother and forced me to be an orphan! Robinpaw thought scornfully. Who knew how Echoleaf had poisoned Mintpaw's mind? Her lessons were probably: How to kill a cat or How to pretend you're nice.

In an icy voice, Echoleaf grabbed a piece of moss soaked in a smelly odor. "Yes...the mouse bile."

Robinpaw snatched the mouse bile and padded into the elders' den. Wrinkling her nose, she began to pat their fur with the mouse bile.

"You want to hear a story?" one croaked.

She nodded. She had heard Fireclaw and a few dark murmurs. As she opened her jaws to ask, she had just finished with their fur.

She then changed out their moss with some new moss.

"Thanks," they called after her.

Bounding out, she ran to Redfeather. He raised an eyebrow. "Are you done already?"

She nodded. "Yes, Redfeather."

"Then get some prey. You can go to sleep afterward," he mewed with a flick of his tail.

She grabbed a shrew and gulped it down. Pushing into the den, she caught Flowerpaw sending another admiring glance at Adderpaw. There was no way it was her imagination. She had done this many times.

Hesitantly, she asked, "Flowerpaw?"

"Hm?" Flowerpaw turned to look at her, yellow eyes looking like it was boring into her soul. "What is it?"

"Do you have a crush on Adderpaw?" Robinpaw asked.

Flowerpaw's eyes flashed dangerously. "And why do you want to know?"

"I was just wondering," Robinpaw muttered.

Flowerpaw sighed. "Okay, I do have a crush on him. But if you tell, I'll taunt you forever."

"How hard can that be?" Robinpaw asked. She immediately wanted to shut up.

Smirking, Flowerpaw sneered, "Where's your mother, Robinpaw? Did she run off because of your sheer mouse-brainity? Or did she want to get rid of a brat like you? You are nothing, Robinpaw. Nothing. She never cared about you. She probably died just to get away from you!"

Robinpaw stumbled back as Flowerpaw's words sank into her. "Th-that's not true?" she insisted, though she knew it sounded more like a question than a statement. Her voice trembled.

Flowerpaw's voice went back to normal. "That's just a sample of what's to come if you tell before I'm ready. I've always been told my voice is convincing, manipulative, sly. I'll make you try to run back to her and regret coming here if you tell. You won't, will you?"

"N-no," Robinpaw muttered.

Flowerpaw flicked an ear cheerfully, all signs of malevolence gone. "Well, good night, Robinpaw! Have a good sleep!"

Shakily, Robinpaw closed her eyes. Why did Flowerpaw do that? Of course, she panicked, that could happen to every cat, even heroes...

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