WARRIORS: THE STORM AHEAD

Chapter 10

Mousepaw padded through ShadowClan territory, holding a frog in her jaws.
I need to at least do something to make my Clan happy after me and Cloudpaw went missing.

Suddenly the light brown tabby heard voices in the trees.
Patrol!
She recognized the voices of Mothheart, Featherpaw, Sorrelpool, and Cinderlight.
She turned her head for Cloudpaw, but the apprentice wasn't there.
The she-cat buried her frog near a small pine and tried to pathfind to Cloudpaw.

"Cloudpaw? Cloudpaw?"
Mousepaw then heard something scurrying; probably a mouse, followed by a hiss.
A white head popped out of the ferns beside her.
"You scared away my prey." Cloudpaw complained.
"I'm sorry." Mousepaw mewed apologetically. I wanted to call you because I found a patrol. We need to get there before it leaves."

Cloudpaw nodded. Mousepaw followed her steps back to the small pine where she could dig up her frog. It sounded as if the patrol was almost done.
"Mothheart! Featherpaw! Sorrelpool! Cinderlight!"
The apprentices heard paw steps come their way.

The first cat to approach Mousepaw and Cloudpaw was Featherpaw.
When the tabby met eyes with the apprentices, her eyes widened.
"Mousepaw! Cloudpaw! You're back!"
"Featherpaw?"
Mousepaw recognized the mew of Mothheart through the trees.
The warrior made her way to Featherpaw's side, the sound of paw steps following her. In a couple heartbeats Sorrelpool and Cinderlight burst out of the trees behind the tabbies.

Mothheart barely got a chance to speak before Sorrelpool flung herself at Mousepaw.
"My kit!" she cried. "Mousepaw, I was worried sick! Ever since Branchstar's death.."
Mousepaw squirmed under the she-cat, remembering how her father had gone out to investigate strange scents, but on the way a pine had fallen and crushed him. While Flightstar was getting his nine lives, another patrol had reported the same scent that stretched all the way into ThunderClan territory, heading to the Moonpool.
Maybe it's one of the rogues. They've been active lately.

"Mousepaw?"
Sorrelpool's mew jolted the light brown tabby out of her thoughts.
"Sorry." Mousepaw murmured. "I was lost in thoughts."
"I gave Cinderlight your catch." Cloudpaw meowed from beside the cats.
"Thanks." Mousepaw mewed back.
"We better get back to camp." Mothheart announced. "The cats need to know that you're both alive."
Sorrelpool nodded and let go of Mousepaw. As the ShadowClan cats made their way to camp, she followed.

...

When the patrol got back to camp, Crimsonclaw was standing at the entrance.
The mottled tom spotted Mousepaw and Cloudpaw's pelts in the group of cats.
"Cloudpaw!" he exclaimed in surprise. "And Mousepaw too! Where have you been?"
Sorrelpool shooed Crimsonclaw away and pushed Mousepaw into camp.

Bloodsight was organizing the evening patrol when he caught sight of Mousepaw in the clearing.
"Mousepaw! Where were you? And where's Cloudpaw?"
His gaze flicked to Mothheart's patrol as they entered the clearing.
"Cloudpaw? Where were you and Mousepaw?" Bloodsight mewed, a glare in his eyes.
Mousepaw gulped. He was going to tell Flightstar.

The deputy flicked his tail for Cloudpaw and the apprentice to join him. "We're going to go to Flightstar." he said, confirming the tabby's thoughts.

As they padded to the leaders den, Mousepaw was aware of Ravennight and Crowgale, the cats chosen for the evening patrol, staring at her. The she-cat's dried pelt clung to her skin, and her legs felt sore.

When Bloodsight and the apprentices reached the leaders den, Flightstar was quietly talking to Vinecurl.
"Vinecurl, can you excuse yourself? I have some certain apprentices Flightstar would like to see." the gray and black tom mewed.
Vinecurl dipped her head to the deputy and left the den. Flightstar turned to Bloodsight.
"You can talk to them yourself." he meowed before exiting the den.

Mousepaw squeezed closer to Cloudpaw.
"Hello, Mousepaw and Cloudpaw. Now tell me, what were you doing outside of camp?" Flightstar murmured.
"It was Cloudpaw." Mousepaw blurted out. "He wanted to find out more about the rogues, so he left, and I wanted to stop him, so he ran to the halfbridge, and I followed him-"
Flightstar silenced her. "Is this true, Cloudpaw?" he mewed, his stern gaze flitting to the white tom.

Cloudpaw nodded. "Yes, Flightstar. I'm sorry."
"You should be more careful." the sand-colored tom growled. "Especially after what happened to Branchstar."
"We were at halfbridge!" Cloudpaw protested. "We weren't even near trees-"
Flightstar silenced the apprentice with a hard glare. Mousepaw felt a pang of pity for the white cat.

"Thank you for the information. You may leave." Flightstar muttered.
As Mousepaw left the den, she felt a weird feeling as Cloudpaw was walking next to her.
He caused all this mess.
Suddenly the apprentice felt unsettled. What else could he drag me into?
As quiet as a beetle in the ferns, Mousepaw padded away.