CHAPTER EIGHT
HAZELPAW | THUNDERCLAN FOREST
"Honeypool wanted us to check the border that we don't share with anyone," argued Buzzardtuft.
"Honeypool doesn't know anything." Fallowbriar snapped irritably. "We should be checking WindClan's border for suspicious activity, not this border."
"He already sent out a border patrol over there - and don't you dare disrespect him again!" Buzzardtuft hissed.
Hazelpaw watched from the caboose of the patrol, Palefang next to her shoulder. Stormpaw, Fallowbriar's apprentice, was in between the two arguing warriors, looking uncomfortable.
Fallowbriar scowled at Buzzardtuft. "Fine! We will go to the border he assigned us with and nothing eventful will happen. Nothing ever has happened there."
Palefang snorted. "Can you two shut up?" Being the oldest warrior here, the two younger warriors couldn't tell her to shut up. Fallowbriar shot Palefang the death glare though.
Hazelpaw twitched her whiskers, amused. She didn't say anything snarky because she didn't want that death stare on her.
"Let's hurry up with this patrol." Buzzardtuft fluffed his pelt out as a strong wind blew through, the promising smell of rain tickling Hazelpaw's nose. When Hazelpaw looked up, sure enough, there were dark gray storm clouds off on the horizon, racing toward the lake. "I don't want to be soaked."
The patrol sprinted through the forest, soon arriving at the edge of the forest. On the other side was a large meadow, but it wasn't apart of WindClan's territory. If you squinted hard enough, you could see the faint outline of a Twolegplace, but it would take a long time to walk over there.
It was a perfectly livable place... but it'd be too much territory to patrol. ThunderClan warriors occasionally crossed over the border to hunt during leaf-bare, but the prey was still sparse, no matter how many times they went.
"Look, nothing-" Fallowbriar caught herself, nose twitching. "Is that a rogue I smell?"
"The rogue crossed the border!" Stormpaw growled, sniffing at the border. She followed the scent until she disappeared into the trees.
"Stormpaw!" Fallowbriar sighed, exasperated. She chased after her apprentice.
"And Fallowbriar said nothing ever happened here." Buzzardtuft smirked, walking after Fallowbriar. Palefang and Hazelpaw stayed, marking the border.
A surprised shriek caused birds to flap out of the trees. Palefang and Hazelpaw shared a startled glance before racing in the direction the shriek came from.
"It's the rogue!" Stormpaw's exclamation reached Hazelpaw's ears. Palefang and Hazelpaw crashed through the ferns just as the first drop of rain splashed Hazelpaw's nose.
A dark blue-gray - nearly black under the trees - she-cat cowered underneath Fallowbriar's withering look.
"Why are you on ThunderClan territory?" Fallowbriar spat, tail curling in disgust.
The she-cat flinched away, dark blue eyes widening in fear. "I-I did not mean to encroach upon your territory." Rain was pouring now, getting all the cats wet. "My kits and I-"
"Don't tell me your sob story." Fallowbriar was frothing in anger now. Hazelpaw was frightened, and the anger wasn't even directed at her.
"Fallowbriar!" Palefang boomed, storming up to the ginger she-cat. "You aren't the one in charge here. I am. And since I am in charge, we will take this she-cat to our camp." Palefang paused, almost adding the last sentence as an afterthought. "And her kits?"
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Warriors: Shadows in the Light - Veiled Stars
ActionA few nights before the Gathering, a cat vanishes, no trace of them or their potential murderer found. Caution was advised, but no cat worried their tails off. But when three more murders followed after the first one only a couple days later, cats b...
