Gray Skies - Book One

Chapter Eighteen

The sun was setting beneath the treetops as Nightpaw scanned the cats around the camp. The golden eyes that looked in the darkness haunted her mind along with the prophecy. Now, since everyone was back in camp, she was attempting to figure out who had golden eyes and who didn't.

The eyes might be connected to the prophecy, Nightpaw figured.

Eaglefeather, Redbright, and Talonswipe were the only cats with golden eyes that she could spot. Three cats, but only two pairs of eyes. Creekfeather and Willowear's eyes looked golden in the sunlight, but their natural eyes were dark yellow. Why are prophecies so confusing?

Nightpaw decided to put the prophecy to the side for now. What if the prophecy wasn't just for ShadowClan? There had to be cats in the other Clans with golden eyes. Nightpaw looked up the oranges and pinks of the setting sun. This was her favorite time of the day. 

"Nightpaw, come over here!"

Nightpaw looked over to where a voice had called her name. Hazelpaw was beckoning her over to sit with her, Wolfpaw, and Riverpaw. They had a frog that another warrior had caught and were sharing it amongst themselves. Nightpaw bounded over to the apprentices.

"Hey," Nightpaw greeted them. Wolfpaw flicked her tail in greeting as she chewed her prey, but Riverpaw was staring miserably at her paws. Hazelpaw shoved one of the frog's legs toward her sister.

"The legs are the best," she purred. "Try it."

Nightpaw had never been a big fan of frog, disliking the slimy texture and feeling of it. But she bit into the frog's leg and slowly chewed the prey. It was chewy but strangely tasty. Nightpaw decided that she liked it, but would still eat voles over frogs.

"It's alright, I guess," she mewed. Nightpaw looked at Hazelpaw's eyes, recognizing their warm blue color. At least she doesn't have golden eyes. In fact, none of the apprentices had golden eyes. Wolfpaw had hazel eyes while Riverpaw's were orange.

Thinking about the cats' eye colors brought the prophecy back into Nightpaw's thoughts. Now she wondered whether she should tell Hazelpaw that she was possibly part of a prophecy.

But I don't want to look special. I want to be a normal ShadowClan apprentice.

"Hey, Nightpaw? Are you alright?" Hazelpaw waved a hazel-furred paw in front of Nightpaw's green eyes. "You look a little... what's the word? Distracted?" 

"Huh?" Nightpaw blinked a couple times before pushing Hazelpaw's paw away from her face. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I think I know how I feel."

Hazelpaw twitched one of her ears in concern. "If you're not feeling well, could you see Vineloop?"

"I said I'm fine." 

"Who's not fine?" Crouchbeam came up behind the two littermates, eye wide with questions and concern.

"No one is fine," Nightpaw whipped around, confused at her mother's sudden appearance.

"What?" Crouchbeam looked at Nightpaw in horror.

"No- I didn't mean it like that!" Nightpaw tried keeping her fluffy fur smoothed down as she spoke in frustration. "I meant that everyone's fine."

Crouchbeam looked from Hazelpaw to Riverpaw to Wolfpaw and back before letting her gaze rest on Nightpaw. "Excuse us," Crouchbeam muttered, laying her tail on her daughter's shoulder and leading her away from her Clanmates. 

"What are you doing?" Nightpaw growled. "I'm fine!"

"Are you sure? You seemed a bit confused," Crouchbeam mewed. 

Nightpaw let out a snarl of anger. First she was delivered news about her possibly having a part in a prophecy, and now she was being bombarded with unnecessary questions. "Yes, I'm sure!"

Crouchbeam looked down at Nightpaw's face, her yellow eyes burning into Nightpaw's. "I can tell that something's on your mind."

Nightpaw let out a sigh of frustration. She couldn't hide anything from her mother, but she could if she thought up the right excuse. She remembered seeing Crowbark with Sharpbright earlier and decided to use that to cover up the prophecy. "I... I just saw Crowbark with Sharpbright. They looked happy together."

Crouchbeam's usually soft yellow gaze filled with hurt. "They do seem happy together. It's hard, seeing your father with someone else. He still has a special place in his heart for us. Remember that." Crouchbeam licked Nightpaw's ear before touching her tail tip to her daughter's shoulder and walking away.

Nightpaw followed Minnowcall and Maggotspring through the thorn tunnel and into the pine forest. Eaglefeather had organized patrols again, Spiderstar still too wounded to leave his nest in Vineloop's den. Talonswipe had organized one patrol which was the one Nightpaw was on. She would've preferred to be on a patrol with Creekfeather, Hazelpaw, or Crouchbeam, but this was alright. They were only hunting.

"Let's try over near the RiverClan border," Maggotspring suggested, his sleek, fluffy red fur specked with raindrops. There was a light drizzle falling from the clouds, barely wetting Nightpaw's fluffy pelt. Minnowcall, even being half-RiverClan, hated water like any other ShadowClan cat.

They approached the marshes of ShadowClan and RiverClan territory and spread out to scent for prey. Nightpaw slightly opened her mouth and caught the scent of a vole by the border. Nightpaw questioned whether to catch it or not, for she had a change of crossing the border, but she dropped into a crouch anyways. Nightpaw stalked up on the rodent with careful paw steps and movements. She bunched her legs beneath her and sprung into the air, landing precisely on the vole to deliver the killing bite.

"Good catch," Minnowcall purred from where she was watching Nightpaw. Nightpaw dipped her head in thanks as Minnowcall dove away to stalk a shrew. Maggotspring came over to Nightpaw with a frog dangling from his mouth. The red tom began to dig a hole to bury the vole and frog in. Nightpaw nudged the prey into the hole once Maggotspring had made it deep enough. They buried the hole back up and went off to continue their hunt.

Nightpaw was in the middle of stalking a frog when she felt rain begin to plummet her pelt. It had quickened now, the sky filled with fat gray clouds. Nightpaw heard a sudden shriek from Maggotspring.

"The prey! It'll be ruined!" He was scrabbling to dig up the prey that he and Nightpaw had buried. Nightpaw ran over to help as the rain fell on their fluffy pelts. Minnowcall leapt over with a shrew in her jaws. Nightpaw and Maggotspring unburied the prey as quickly as they could, only to find it soggy and muddy from being buried in the marshes.

"Eaglefeather was smart to send out patrols in the rain," Maggotspring said as he kicked the prey away.

"You we're smart to bury them when it was alright sprinkling!" Minnowcall snapped. Maggotspring sighed and sprinted through the trees back to camp, Minnowcall and Nightpaw following with their one piece of prey.