WARRIORS: THE STORM AHEAD

Chapter 9

The brown tabby tom dived into the water, leaving Mousepaw and Cloudpaw with the ginger she-cat.

Come on, Mousepaw! Leafwhisker must've taught you some good battle moves!
She didn't have enough time to think before the she-cat sprang at her. Mousepaw tried to fling her into the grass, but she realized Cloudpaw was already clawing the ginger cat's back.

Mousepaw found herself trapped under the she-cat, and she was too squished under to reach her vulnerable parts. She managed to dig her claws into the ginger's side and free herself.

When the rogue was looking weaker, Cloudpaw jumped off her back. She barely managed to get up as Mousepaw watched. As scared as the ShadowClan cat was, she didn't want the ginger she-cat to die.

"Hi." Mousepaw suddenly blurted out. She took a couple steps back, afraid that the rogue would attack her.
"What do you want?" the she-cat snarled. Cloudpaw hissed in defiance and tore up grass with his bloodstained claws. Mousepaw could hardly breathe she prepared to speak.

"You-your, um, friend, didn't seem-um, evil." the apprentice meowed.
The rogue snorted. "The other Clan cats must've filled your brain with horsehair if you think strays are the evil ones." Once she ended, the ginger shot a hateful glare at Mousepaw and Cloudpaw.

What did the Clans ever do to rogues? the brown she-cat wondered. "W-we don't want any harm. Ple-please don't tell any other, um, strays, th-that you saw us."
"Not like we would have another choice." the rogue muttered. "Listen, cats, just go to your happy little camp filled with nice moss, endless prey and herbs, and soft feathery nests." There was a look of disgust twisted with grief on her face.

"Um-okay. We-we'll leave." Mousepaw responded. "B-but you need to leave too. The leaders will-track you down, if they smell your scent on this island. Leave us here so that we can cover it up."
"Yeah, leave us alone!" Cloudpaw hissed.
The rogue just stalked away and jumped back into the lake. Mousepaw turned her head to Cloudpaw.

"Okay, first we need to cover up the rogue's scent. Cloudpaw, you take the left side. I'll take the right."
The apprentices started sniffing for rogue scent, and marked sticks around the patch where the rogue had been. Eventually they decided that Cloudpaw would take the main patch, and Mousepaw would cover the trail that led to the lake.

When Mousepaw was done with covering the trail, she soaked her paws in the lakewater and shook them over the covered rogue scent.
That should be more than enough. the ShadowClan apprentice thought with satisfaction. "Cloudpaw, are you done yet?"
Cloudpaw was moving the sticks that had marked the patch into the trees of the island. "Yes. It's about time we get back to camp."

Mousepaw nodded as Cloudpaw dived back into the lake. The halfbridge from ShadowClan territory was still visible.
Mousepaw splashed into the lake after the white tom, clinging to his back when they both got to the surface.

Cloudpaw's paws were strumming the water in a fast manner. He didn't look like a RiverClan cat, but he was making progress toward the halfbridge.
Why does he swim so well? Mousepaw wondered. He hasn't had any swimming experience before. Surely he's not part RiverClan?
Mousepaw shook her head. RiverClan cats got their skills from other RiverClan cats. Cloudpaw was trained by ShadowClan cats.
He's all ShadowClan. All ShadowClan.

By then, the apprentices had reached the halfbridge. Mousepaw jumped from Cloudpaw's back and scrambled onto the wood.
Cloudpaw clawed his way up to Mousepaw.
"We made it." he panted.
"Come on." Mousepaw meowed. "Let's get back to ShadowClan."