DustStars Decision

※Chapter Nine: The Three※

BonnetPaw shook her head as she slipped into her clans camp,AdderRiot was indeed a rather attractive tom but he was a warrior as well as in a different clan. "Hurry BonnetPaw!" ThornPaw and DovePaw mewed,racing to BonnetPaw and herding her towards the warriors den where DustStar sat with PebbleLeap. "Your big day you three,let's get you looking less like scruffy rabbits." PebbleLeap purred,cleaning each apprentice at turn with a bright smile;Though BonnetPaw wasnt DustStar nor PebbleLeaps daughter they treated her if she was,as well as she wasn't ThornPaws or DovePaws sister yet they treated her as a sibling. "I know you three will make amazing warriors." DustStar smiled,almost looking as if he was going to overflow with pride of the three.
After the three apprentices had eaten and gotten their pelts neat,DustStar called a meeting. The whole of the clan gathered around with excited glances to each other,it was a big deal the leaders kin were becoming warriors! DustStar pointed his paw towards the center of the clearing,quickly the three apprentices dashed forward with excited squeals. "I,DustStar,leader of WindClan,call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these three apprentices;They have trained hard to understand your noble code and I commend them as warriors in their return." DustStar began once the clearing went silent of whispers,"ThornPaw. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code as well as protect our clan,even at the cost of your life?" After a moment the apprentice smiled quickly,"I do!" He declared. "Then,by the powers of StarClan,ThornPaw from this moment forward you will be known as ThornGaze. WindClan admires your commitment and bravery,as well as we welcome you as a full warrior." The leader smiled,dipping his head to his son. The clearing broke out into yowls of ThornGaze,ThornGaze,ThornGaze! After a moment DustStar continued. "DovePaw,you will travel with JuniperCloud to moonstone tonight to be granted your full name." DustStar nodded,watching as DovePaw walked to her mentors side then turned to BonnetPaw. "BonnetPaw,you joined WindClan from RiverLan and since then you've proved deep loyalty. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code as well as protect our clan,even at the cost of your life?" The molly smiled,her eyes beaming. "Of course." She bowed her head briefly,DustStar nodded back to her. "Then,by the powers of starclan,BonnetPaw from this moment forward you will be known as BonnetCloud. WindClan admires your determination and sharp tongue against enemies,as well as we welcome you as a full warrior." DustStar bowed his head,giving a wide smile as the clearing erupted into proud yowls of ThornGaze,BonnetCloud along with the medicine apprentice that was yet to be granted her name DovePaw! The leader then leaped off his rock,chatting with his deputy while the clan praised the three cats. "Let's do a practice battle for fun,BonnetCloud!" ThornGaze excitedly mewed,he was huge while BonnetCloud was a bit shorter yet agile. "Sure." She shrugged,nothing to loose. "I will personally claw both of your pelts off if you end up in my den." JuniperCloud warned,sitting down with DovePaw at her side near the two cats. Quickly,ThornGaze and BonnetCloud dropped into hunters crouches and circled each other; The both of them getting a bit nervous as the clan and their parents gathered to watch. BonnetCloud then sped forward,charging head on towards ThornGaze then swiftly leaped sideways. The tom let out a surprised yowl as he had slashed his claws one side,stumbling over his paws and falling down. Quickly the she climbed onto his back,putting a paw on his neck to show she had one. "Wow...! She's so petite that she's more agile than him!" DustStar mumbled,it was awesome that BonnetCloud had brought down one of the strongest and bravest warriors of the clan. "Great job you two! You will definitely do better when it's an actual fight." PebbleLeap praised with a smile,the two cats padding to her at each side and purring. BonnetCloud affectionately rolled her eyes,flicking her tail towards the exit to show she was going odd to hunt;She was smart enough to know she was now on vigil until the next sunrise. The rest of the clan continued on with their duties,BonnetCloud trotting amongst the sun-dappled moor lands. Blindly following a rabbits scent,not noticing how close the gorges edge was. The fluffy she crouched down behind a heather patch,slowly stalking behind the rabbit then her back legs silently springing out with full force;She then landing on the rabbit,suddenly the ground quivered and roared threatening...BonnetCloud let out a high pitched screech of horror as the ground slipped away,quickly flipping midair and digging her teeth into a weak branch that barely clung to the gorges edge. Anxiety surged through her as her tail dangled along with the fast moving breeze,her ears filled with the gorges loud  hisses. "Oh my! What a situation you've gotten into." BonnetCloud hissed as AdderRiot stood at the gorges edge,peering at her. "Don't just stand around! Help me you bee brain!" The nervous molly snapped,quickly the tom nodded and crouched down;Slowly inching closer and closer to the gorges edge with his claws dug into the falling soil. At once BonnetCloud was heaved up,dropped carefully on the soft moor grass. "You alright?-...Other than you gave you came very close to death." AdderRiot nudged her side softly,giving a awkward smile to her hostile gaze. "I'm fine." AdderRiot dipped his head briefly at her hiss,blinking with concerned eyes. "Thanks...for saving me." BonnetCloud lifted to her paws,sitting down with her tail wrapped around her paws neatly. "Oh,no problem!" The tom beamed,making it way to obvious of how much he enjoyed the she around him. "Why are you even on WindClan territory anyways?-...I'm a warrior now,you know." BonnetCloud gave a exasperated growl from her throat,her fluffy pelt bristling. "I was just looking around at the border then I heard a yowl,so I came to check it out." He shrugged,his sleek tail touching hers;Though she pulled her tail back. "I didn't know the outlaw was kind,I indeed heard about how you attacked DovePaw as an apprentice." BonnetCloud narrowed her eyes,challenging him to get raged with her though he simply frowned.  "I was a jealous apprentice. I wouldn't ever hurt another cat now unless needed for survival or my clan."AdderRiot scoffed,though BonnetCloud swore she saw dishonesty within his eyes. "Hm,so...How's RiverClan going along with ShadowClan?" The she shifted uncomfortably,changing the direction of the conversation. "The apprentices attempted murder to each other." AdderRiot rolled his eyes playfully,BonnetCloud smiled. "What's your warrior name ,since I still know you as BonnetPaw?" The tom perked his tattered ears with interest,the she giggled softly. "BonnetCloud. Not as fierce as your name,AdderRiot." The she replied,for some odd reason she found herself warming up to the tom;Assuring herself it was only because he had saved her,and nothing more. "Well,I'd guess it shows that you have a gentle side." The tom suggested,humor streaming his dark green eyes. "I have none." BonnetCloud humorously,giving a surprised growl when AdderRiot leaned forward and gave her a quick nuzzle on her cheek. BonnetCloud quickly stood up,taking a pace backwards from the tom with flattened ears. "You should go,now." Her voice became cold,her eyes narrowed with hostility. AdderRiot leaped up with surprise,his eyes widened and fur standing,quickly he bowed his head then bounded off towards the border. For a moment,BonnetCloud stood in shock;Nothing could go on between them as they were warriors from two separate and enemy clans! Then BonnetCloud caught scent of ThornGaze,at once the goofy tom leaped out from behind her and sat in front of her. "You look like you just saw a hedgehog fly!" He remarked,tilting his head at her surprised look. "Oh no,nothing of that sorts. I just went to close to the gorge,that's all." She shook her head,feeling relief when he didn't ask more questions. "Your suppose to be on vigil!" LeanFlower stalked out the bushes,her eyes sharp as a tigers claw. "Get back to camp you two,it almost sundown anyways." Her tail thrashed towards the direction of the camp,the two newly announced warriors dipped their heads to the senior warrior then padded away. "She's always so strict!" ThornGaze snorted,
BonnetCloud was to deep within her thoughts about AdderRiot to respond. "You've been gone quite awhile,and with no prey!" DovePaw mewed,JuniperCloud within the medical den collecting traveling herbs;Leaving her apprentice outside with BonnetCloud. "Don't tell any other cat this,got it?" BonnetClouds eyes hardened,whispering to DovePaw. Quickly the medical apprentice nodded,gesturing to hurry with a flick of her ear towards the medicine den. "When I was hunting I got to close to the gorge and fell over,then AdderRiot saved me!" BonnetCloud breathed into DovePaws ear,stepping back and seeing shock in the grey mollys eyes. "AdderRiot...?!" DovePaws voice trembled,her ears swiveled back and flattened while her fur bristled. "While I'm gone,don't get into trouble with that fox heart! He may seem honorable,but once he gets the chance he won't hesitate to betray you." DovePaw sighed,touching noses with BonnetCloud then following JuniperCloud who had already passed by them a moment before. BonnetCloud stood for a moment longer,then turned her gaze to the russet dusk sky;Surely StarClan wouldn't mind her befriending...AdderRiot?
As BonnetCloud sat at the entrance with ThornGaze at the other side she was lost in her thoughts,sure AdderRiot had saved her...But why did she decide to warm up to an enemy warrior? Then it hit her,AdderRiot was a noble warrior like every other clan cat...She had made an opinion about him far to quick,before even knowing how selfless he was. The she then had unanswered questions for him,standing up when she remembered that he often ventured near the WindClan border. "If anybody asks why I'm gone,just say I saw an odd figure in the territory." She ordered ThornGaze,her stern voice must've scared him as he gave a quick nod. BonnetCloud then sprinted off,her paws beating against the soft moor grass until her paws slipped from underneath her-...
"What an odd situation..." BonnetClouds eyes widened when she realized she had fallen onto AdderRiot,the tom laughing softly. "What have you come for? You were running as if a fox was chasing your tail!" The tom remarked then  nudged her back up,BonnetCloud awkwardly sitting down. "Why did you save me?" BonnetCloud demanded,his eyes narrowed with a streak of humor in them. "Just because I'm the bad guy doesn't mean I'm the bad guy." He chuckled,leaving her belwired. "Why are you so close with ThornGaze?" AdderRiot dared,something in BonnetCloud told her the tom thought she liked ThornGaze...! "For the sake of the dark forest,I'd be better for you and I'm your enemy!" The tom growled,hatred for his brother burning in his dark green eyes. "I view him as a brother and nothing more. And you,as a enemy clans warrior and nothing more." She hisses boldly,seeing pain twisting within his eyes. "I'll see you at the war tomorrow." The tom mumbled,standing up slowly. "Wait." BonnetCloud blurted out,AdderRiot turning his head over his shoulder to gaze at her. "Never mind,good night." She sighed,the tom keeping silent and turning away into the shadows. BonnetCloud blinked slowly,frowning again and racing silently back to her camp. Sitting down where she had left,ThornGaze holding a concerned look. The she gazed up at the fading orange sky,silver-pelt slowly fading as the wispy clouds danced. Both newly announced warriors swiveled their heads back at once,bowing their heads as DustStar appeared out the ferns. "You two are released from guarding the camp." DustStar smiled,pride beaming within his eyes;The leader was always proud of new warriors,especially his kin. "I believe PebbleLeap is arranging dawn patrols,you'd better hurry!" DustStar nudges the two on,following behind them as they padding quickly into their busy camp. "Just who I needed! ThornGaze,you go on a border patrol with BonnetCloud and LeanFlower." The deputy instructed,LeanFlower sitting at QuietShades side and giving a half hearted smile to the two warriors. "I'll lead QuietShade and LeapingRock on a hunting patrol." PebbleLeap declared,at once leading the two cats outside the camp. "I'm leading this patrol." LeanFlower narrowed her eyes,standing up and gesturing for the two to follow. "What's that smell?! I've been smelling ShadowClan for ages and yet haven't ever caught the sneaky badger!" LeanFlower whispered sharply,BonnetClouds heart started beating as fast as a tigers run. LeanFlower quickly crouched near the border,ShadowClans dark thorny trees looming close by. "Come here mouse brain!" ThornGaze leaped out their hiding place,BonnetCloud let out a gasp of disbelief as he landed onto AdderRiot. "Why are you so close to WindClans borders?" LeanFlower demanded,placing a sharp claw on his shoulder and gliding it slowly. "I was just exploring..!" He stuttered, fixing his widened green gaze on BonnetCloud and watched as she shook her head disappointedly. "That's a load of badger droppings." ThornGaze snorted,rearing up and placing all his weight onto the ShadowClan warriors shoulders;BonnetCloud watched as AdderRiot gave a yowl of rage,twisting around until he rolled out from underneath ThornGaze. LeanFlower gave a surprised yowl when AdderRiot disappeared into the shadows then pinned her from behind,ThornGaze quickly grabbed the tom and shook his scruff;Throwing him against a ShadowClan tree and watching as he went limp,only his flank rising for shallow breaths. "Did you kill him..?" BonnetCloud mumbled,her heart pounding as if it was going to burst out her chest any moment. "Of course not!" LeanFlower snorted,watching as the tom heaved himself up and bounded into the shadows. "He fights as good as a kittypet." ThornGaze rudely remarked,licking a small scratch on his paw. "He fought better against DovePaw for starclans sake!" LeanFlower added,BonnetCloud winced awkwardly.
The patrol continued searching along their border,returning to their camp at sun high. DustStar was furious to hear about the attack, BonnetCloud kept silent about the planned war.
"You'll be fine,it's just a small scratch along your back anyways." DovePaw,now DoveBreeze mewed after she finished treating LeanFlower and ThornGaze. "You look a bit shook up,don't worry! I'll get you some poppy." DoveBreeze turned to BonnetCloud, JuniperCloud smiling as she placed cobwebs over the two cats. BonnetCloud crouched down once DoveBreeze placed a few poppy seeds in front of her,licking the pulps up and swallowing. "Thank you,DoveBreeze." She smiled to the second medicine cat,receiving a soft smile back. "I can't imagine what AdderRiot was going at our border,possible stealing prey or spying!" JuniperCloud sighed,shaking her head. "Well,he didn't have any prey when we caught him but I wouldn't put it past him to be spying. I heard RiverClan is living within ShadowClans camp now...Only StarClan knows what they are planning." LeanFlower replied,disappointment clouded her eyes as she spoke about her past clan mate. "Only StarClan knows..." JuniperCloud and DoveBreeze repeated dimly,shaking their heads once again. Did the two medicine cats know about the up coming war...?