Flames At Night: Book 1: A Shattered Path

Chapter Eleven

Dolphinpaw

Dolphinpaw wasn't sure exactly what had brought him to SparkClan territory. All he knew was that the cat he had saved was a pain in the tail, and he needed to get away from her.

When he had went to visit her, she had declared that she was going to save the clans.

"My name is Fire Lily, and I have come to WaveClan as part of a prophecy!"

Dolphinpaw had pointed out the fact that most prophecy cats didn't need to be saved from huge monster fish. Fire Lily had glared at him and said that it wasn't part of the plan to be attacked by a swordfish.

He wondered what a swordfish was for a moment, then decided it must be a Twoleg name for the monster-fish. Fire Lily did look sort of like a kittypet, after all.

She had quickly proven herself to be as annoying as Echopaw, that apprentice he had met at the Gathering. So he had left, and now he was here.

The gray apprentice guiltily stepped out of the shrubbery. Patterpaw was glaring at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I just wanted to get away from camp." And see you, he added silently.

"Well, you should be glad it was me who caught you," she meowed. "My mentor might have clawed your ears off." She stopped, looking a bit lost. "If he was here."

Pawsteps sounded farther away in the forest. Patterpaw's eyes went wide with panic. "Hide!"

Dolphinpaw dove back into the bushes just as a fluffy red tom walked into sight. "Patterpaw?" he mewed. "I was collecting mallow, and I heard voices, so I came to check it out. Are you helping with the moss?"

"Hi, Swiftpaw. I am," Patterpaw said, looking down at her pile of moss. "I can't believe how many cats are sick. I hope it's not like this in the other clans as well."

Sick? Dolphinpaw wondered. Cloverpaw did say that Poolheart was sick...

"Rowanfoot and I can't figure out what herb treats it," Swiftpaw sighed. "We've tried everything we could think of."

"I'm sure you'll find something," mewed Patterpaw. "Do you need help carrying the mallow back to camp?"

"...No," Swiftpaw said. He stared at the black and white she-cat. "Listen, Patterpaw, there's something I have to tell you."

Patterpaw was about to turn and leave, but she looked back and set down her bundle of moss. "What is it?"

Swiftpaw took a deep breath. "I like you. I know I'm not supposed to, because I'm a medicine cat, but I can't help it. You're my best friend."

Patterpaw's face was a mixture of shock and apology. "I...I'm really sorry, Swiftpaw, but I don't like you that way."

"I thought so." Swiftpaw began to pad away, but she called him back.

"You're still my best friend too," Patterpaw said. "It's not your fault," she went on, gazing at Swiftpaw. "I just don't feel that way. About anyone."

The medicine cat apprentice pressed his side against Patterpaw's. "That's okay."

Dolphinpaw didn't hear anything else. He quietly swam through the river, back towards home.