Warriors: A New Life ~Series 2 Book 1~

Chapter 4

Silverpaw's POV:

"Where's Nutwhisker?" A voice sounded outside the apprentices den, rousing Silverpaw from a deep, dreamless sleep. She raised her head and licked her dry lips, her whiskers twitching as she tried to shake the sleepiness away.

Eaglepaw stirred from beside Silverpaw too. He raised his brown mottled head meowed, "What's this about Nutwhisker?"

"I don't know..." Silverpaw rose to her paws, giving her fur a couple of swift licks before padding outside. Eaglepaw followed curiously after her.

She brushed past the curtain of ivy that made up the entrance to the apprentices den and blinked as bright morning sunlight hit her eyes. She narrowed her eyes against the glare of the sun and saw Dawnheart being crowded by a group of worried warriors. At the front of the group was a frantic-looking Watersplash.

"I didn't mean anything I said, it just slipped from my mouth.." The grey medicine cat was saying to Dawnheart. "Please send out a search party for him. He hasn't returned!" Her mew rose to a shrill cry and Dawnheart hushed the stressed medicine cat with a flick of her tail.

"Watersplash calm down. He might've just fallen asleep outside." The deputy meowed with a reassuring smile at the older she cat.

Watersplash shook her head. "No. Something is wrong!" She insisted with a lash of her tail.

Silverpaw eyed Watersplash carefully to see the grey she cat's stomach was buldging slightly. I haven't seen her eat that much lately...

"Come on, let's get closer." Eaglepaw meowed and tugged Silverpaw with him as he trotted toward the crowd of cats. She saw her siblings, Greypaw and Flowerpaw, already heading outside for a training session. Silverpaw wanted to go with them, but she didn't want to be rude to Ealgepaw.

Eaglepaw had stopped near the centre of the cats. Silverpaw felt Mousenose and Sunpatch pressing against her. "Eaglepaw, what are we doing?" She wondered.

Eaglepaw cast a glance over his shoulder to look at Silverpaw, "I wanna see what's going on!" He pushed further through the crowd, Silverpaw following.

They made it to the front, just behind Watersplash as the medicine cat begged Dawnheart to do something about Nutwhisker. Silverpaw saw Shinewing approach, the apprentice medicine cat wore a bitter scowl as she reached Watersplash, "Come on, Dawnheart will sort it. We must collect clean bedding today."

"But Nutwhisker was going to do that!" Watersplash whined, her tearful gaze meeting Silverpaw's for a heartbeat as she stared at the crowding cats desperately for help, "We have to do something!"

Shinewing hissed and latched her teeth into Watersplash's scruff. "Come on!" The ginger she cat muttered, her voice muffled from Watersplash's fur.

Watersplash still whined and complained about Nutwhisker but eventually, she agreed and Shinewing gently led the medicine cat down the tunnel and into the den.

The whole camp seemed to breath a sigh of relief once Watersplash was gone.

"Now," Dawnheart meowed impatiently. "Who was on guard duty last night?"

"Me." Dapplegrey shuffled forwards, her whiskers twitching as she met Dawnheart's gaze.

Dawnheart nodded, "Do you remember seeing Nutwhisker leave camp last night?"

"No. I was doing my routine circle around the perimeter, he must have gone when I wasn't at the camp entrance." Dapplegrey mewed, her green eyes flickering as she tried to remember what had happened that night. Silverpaw watched as suddenly, something seemed to dawn on the senior warrior. "Oh! I remember hearing a deafening yowl from the direction of the beach. I didn't think it was anything important so I ignored it."

"You said by the beach, yes?" Dawnheart asked, just to make sure.

"Yes." Dapplegrey nodded.

"Alright, I want a patrol to go out and search for Nutwhisker. Go to the beach and scout the entire stretch of sand for his scent." Dawnheart ordered. "Dapplegrey, you lead the patrol. Take Sunpatch, Ashleg and Flamefur with you."

Dapplegrey dipped her head, gathered her patrol and they raced out of camp.

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Flamefur's POV:

Yes! I get to go on a rescue mission! Flamefur was bursting with excitement. She was surprised Dawnheart had chosen her over most of the other warriors. Maybe it was because she was a good fighter. Did Dawnheart think they were heading into trouble? Maybe it was just a precaution.

Flamefur studied the other cats on patrol. Sunpatch, Ashleg and Dapplegrey. Flamefur was the youngest in the patrol, but it also seemed she was the only fighter. Dapplegrey and Sunpatch were better hunters rather than fighters, their sense of smell was extraordinary. Only Ashleg posed a little bit of a challenge to Flamefur's skills.

Hey, mouse-brain! Dawnheart got two fighters and two trackers for the patrol.

Oh! Flamefur nodded to herself in understanding. Then she stopped. Wait, who are you?

You don't remember the voice of your mentor?

Metalclaw! Flamefur gasped. What are you doing?

Following you, of course. Look behind you.

Flamefur narrowed her eyes and cast a quick look over her shoulder. Behind her, hiding in a clump of leaves and twigs were the burning amber eyes of her Dark Forest mentor. She dipped her head in greeting and turned back to catch up with the patrol.

She reached Ashleg's side and the grey tom glanced at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Flamefur meowed, thinking fast. "I-I thought I smelled a trace of Nutwhisker's scent back there, but it was nothing."

"Mm." Ashleg nodded and turned back to facing the front. "Exciting, isn't it? I've never been on a rescue patrol before."

"Me too." Flamefur chuckled.

"Will you two stop chattering like a nest of starlings and actually look for Nutwhisker?" Dapplegrey meowed sternly from in front of them. Flamefur ducked her head as Dapplegrey fixed her with a hard glare.

Ashleg flashed back at Dapplegrey, "We're not even near the beach!"

"Well, he might not have even gone on the beach." Dapplegrey hissed and flicked her tail in dismissal. "Get sniffing or I'm sending you back to camp."

Ashleg grumbled under his breath and stayed silent the rest of the way to the edge of the beach. Flamefur felt her paws slip into the softer sand and she nearly fell from the uneven ground. "I'm getting real tired of sand right now." She grunted as she placed her paws carefully on the ground to make sure she didn't lose her footing again.

"You're not the only one." Ashleg meowed. "I'd give my pelt for some solid ground."

"Quit whining." Dapplegrey snapped from a couple of tail lengths away. "And get sniffing."

Flamefur rolled her eyes and didn't reply. She didn't want to get into a fight. She lowered her head and trotted towards the right side of the beach, sniffing deeply.

They were sniffing around for ages, only catching tiny whiffs of the medicine cat's scent that led nowhere.

At last, Dapplegrey lifted her head with a sigh, "The tide must have come in and washed away the scent."

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