Warriors: Shadows in the Light - Veiled Stars

Chapter Nineteen

CHAPTER NINETEEN

ROSEPAW | WINDCLAN MOORS

Rosepaw was surprisingly having a good day so far. She went out on her own to collect whatever she could find. She just wanted to move around. Rowanmask would certainly be impressed she went out without being ordered to.

The sound of approaching pawsteps made her look up. She tensed visibly, not sure who it would be. The sound of pawsteps had faded away gradually, and now all she heard was the whistling wind. Uncertainly, she looked back down, shoving her nose around to scent any herbs under the thick brush.

There was nothing. She backed out, still alert.

Finally, her paranoia got the best of her. "Hello?"

No answer. Now doubtful, she turned away. Rosepaw made sure she was sprinting away, swerving around rabbit holes. She slowed down when she began thinking about who it could possibly be.

Dawnstream. Rosepaw thought fiercely. Her sister was probably laughing her tail off. She turned around, marching back. She halted when she saw an unfamiliar cat streaking across the moor, coming straight at her. Terror flooded her veins and she stood there, paws rooted. When the cat crossed another bush, Rosepaw's paws finally began to move and she turned around, heading for camp.

They can't catch me! Rosepaw thought. I'm a WindClan - I'm faster.

She was just about to glance over her shoulder to see how close the cat was, but a yowl rang in her ears.

"Who are you and why are you on WindClan territory?" Aspenflower's commanding yowl made Rosepaw and her pursuer both stop in their tracks. Aspenflower and her patrol raced down the hill, surrounding the stranger before they got a chance to regain themself.

Thistlemoon, a brown-and-cream she-cat, gasped. "Sootripple?"

Rosepaw got a good look at the cat who gave her the chase of her life. She was fairly certain this was the killer who had been killing everyone... her eyes widened. She had been chosen as the victim. He was a dark brown tom with yellow eyes.

Aspenflower's eyes narrowed. "Why are you on our territory, Sootripple? Might I mention, chasing our medicine cat apprentice?"

Sootripple stayed deathly silent. His eyes strayed over to Rosepaw, as though expecting her to say something.

"I think he was trying to kill me." Rosepaw was surprised by how her voice didn't shake at all, even after running from death.

"Is that true, Sootripple?" Aspenflower prompted.

Sootripple's silence finally broke. "It is, but-"

The patrol hissed in shock and disbelief. They had all clearly thought Sootripple would never do a thing.

"H-How? You can't be the murderer who has been causing all these deaths?" Waspeye cried out.

Sootripple had fallen silent again.

"Cinderfall's mate has been avenged. She'll feel... slightly better."

"Rosepaw, head back to camp and inform Beestar. Lead him back here and we'll discuss what to do." Aspenflower ordered gently. Rosepaw nodded once and bolted off.

I can't believe it. We found the killer. Rosepaw reflected in awe. She flew into camp, startling cats sitting by the entrance.

"Rosepaw, what's wrong?" Duskface asked, looking up at her.

Rosepaw ignored his question, but snuck a glance. Dawnstream's tail was twined with his. Rosepaw felt her heart pricked by something, but she ignored that too.

"Where's Beestar?" Rosepaw asked the duo without gazing at them.

"His den." Dawnstream meowed, then asked with worry-laced tone. "Rosepaw, are you okay?"

Rosepaw hurried off, not waiting at Beestar's entrance. She trotted right in.

"Beestar." Rosepaw meowed loudly.

Beestar looked up from his piece of prey. He swallowed his bite, frowning at her. "Don't you know it's expected you wait outside my den to be let in?"

"That doesn't matter." Before Beestar could chastise her rudeness, she swiftly explained what happened.

Beestar immediately got to his paws. "Lead me to them."

Rosepaw dipped her head and raced back out of camp with Beestar on her tail - literally.

"Why are you so painfully quiet?" Aspenflower's exasperated mew reached her ears when she neared the scene. Beestar rushed past Rosepaw, going down the slope effortlessly. Meanwhile, Rosepaw neatly picked her way down, fearful she'd trip on her tail somehow and roll down and humiliate herself.

"We have to tell ThunderClan about this." Waspeye muttered.

"Sootripple," Beestar's venomous hiss made the ThunderClan tom shrink away, "you're a disgrace to the Clans."

Rosepaw widened her eyes. Those words were so harsh, even for Sootripple. But when she looked at the other warriors, they all nodded in agreement and had no sympathy for the tom.

Is it bad I sympathize for the cat who tried to kill me? Rosepaw wondered, watching silently.

"Why did you kill all those cats?" Beestar asked icily.

"I didn't," meowed Sootripple simply.

"That's all he's told us too. He won't reveal anything else. I believe he's just trying to lift the blame off of himself." Aspenflower growled, claws flexing. "Besides, we saw him chasing Rosepaw, so he can't deny that."

"Let's give ThunderClan a visit." Beestar growled, whisking his tail as a gesture to follow. Rosepaw didn't know if she was supposed to follow or not, but she reckoned Beestar would need her so she could tell her side of the story. She ran to Beestar's shoulder, trying to keep up with his speed. Her eyes scanned the ground wildly, leaping over any rabbit hole that come out of the blue.

Upon arriving at the ThunderClan border, the WindClan patrol waited restlessly. Aspenflower went down to the stream and hesitantly crossed, water splashing her paws. She was clearly hating the feel of water, but she still tasted the air, then went back to the patrol.

"The border smells freshly marked, so no patrol will come by here for a while." Aspenflower sniffed the border, reciting the information to Beestar. She wiped her wet paws on the grass, grumbling when they weren't drying efficiently.

Beestar gritted his teeth. "Let's just go then. Nectarstar will understand why we crossed ThunderClan's border."

"I think Honeypool is the reasonable one..." murmured Thistlemoon, barely loud enough for Rosepaw to hear. Rosepaw swallowed a chuckle; that was such a great point.

Beestar leapt over the stream that marked the border between WindClan and ThunderClan. Rosepaw took a deep breath and mimicked him.

Oh help me StarClan if we run through this forest. Rosepaw remembered her clumsiness on the way to the Moonpool.

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i spooked myself writing the early bit of this scene if im being brutally honest. i imagined a random cat coming right at rosepaw as though i was her and i had to grab my cat so i didn't feel alone and scared...

-artemis