warriors: in the trees

chapter six, moon six

The walk back to camp was uncomfortably silent. Applestar's gaze did not drift away from the path in front of them, he was heavily focused. Briarpaw could sense the leader was troubled about the rising tension between MahoganyClan and MoonstoneClan.

Sootshadow, Sunclaw, and Owlhaze silently discussed something, their pelts bristling. Briarpaw tried to eavesdrop, on their conversation, but she felt that Owlhase could sense her listening in, somehow. Embarrassed, the brown apprentice started to disassociate.

Frostwhisper and Snowfreckle were separated from the rest of the patrol. Their silver and white pelts stuck out like a sore paw as they walked, whispering more calmly than the group of senior warriors. The sisters always had very little taste for hardcore battling; Briarpaw had noticed that they were always the last to volunteer for patrols and the two cats who brought back the least amount of prey. Doefoot was sometimes grouped with them, but the spotted brown she-cat was an excellent hunter, unlike Frostwhisper and Snowfreckle.

Briarpaw didn't feel like talking, out of introversion and tiredness. Her paws dragged along the twigs and leaves that blanketed the forest floor, unashamed of scaring away prey for once. Floweringpaw, on the other hand...

"And it was unnecessary for her to call me out like that! Bad enough everyone already recognized me as the careless trespasser..."

At least you had that MoonstoneClan tom to protect you. Briarpaw knew that Longpaw was making advances on Floweringpaw, and she didn't like it. Her sister needed to stay away from all forms of danger; especially annoying MoonstoneClan toms that think they're hot stuff. LavenderClan had no place for code-breakers.

But Briarpaw didn't say that. She loved her sister and hated thinking of her as a rule-breaker. Instead, she said, "Maybe next time, rethink begging Applestar and Ivylight for something when they know better than you." It came out a little meaner than Briarpaw expected.

Floweringpaw twitched her tail out of annoyance, her gray neck fluff puffing up. "Don't pretend you weren't on my side before."

Briarpaw had no reply. The night was getting cooler; the brown apprentice could feel the delicate breeze in her thin fur. She liked it. It was a change from the hot days that had become more and more frequent lately.

Briarpaw did not speak again until a few moments later when a particular gray she-cat fell in step with her and her sister.

"Some Gathering tonight, eh?"

Briarpaw looked up at the she-cat with wide green eyes. Ivylight was the one deputy to not get worked up about the fight. She sat and watched quietly, like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to bash its prey. Briarpaw would bet her first-born kit that Ivylight was disappointed Applestar called off the Gathering before her chance to strike.

Ivylight continued. "I say it's not our problem." She let out a yawn. "LavenderClan does not need any negative shit going on with how good the clan has been doing. We even killed JadeClan's pathetic leader," Ivylight declared with a snicker. She was one of the only warriors Briarpaw had heard use profanity before.

"I wish I could've given a leader a piece of my mind. Any of them. They're all dimwitted squirrel brains." Ivylight paused. "Except Applestar, of course," she mewed a little louder.

The deputy was right, LavenderClan had been doing undoubtedly well the past few moons since that last fight with JadeClan. Even if JadeClan was planning to attack again in the next few moons, Briarpaw knew LavenderClan would beat the fox-dung out of the swamp cats a second time.

"Do you think Moorstar's accusations are true?" Floweringpaw asked. "Is MoonstoneClan that bad?" Of course, she was worried about them.

Ivylight took a moment to reply as she danced around the Silverpools. They weren't magical, as they were before. StarClan's anger manifested in the clouds that blocked the full moon from giving the water any mystical glow.