Chapter 12
As Leafwater headed out of camp with Sunpaw to go find Deerfoot's patrol, Featherkit begged to come. "Can I please come with you and help you find them?" "Yes! Can she come?" Sunpaw mewed hopefully. Featherkit was very surprised; no cat other than Leafwater wanted anything to do with her, and now this apprentice was asking if she could go with them? Leafwater was just as surprised. At that exact moment, Blizzardstar came out of his den. "Yes, I agree with the apprentice. Let her go with you, it'll give her practice for apprenticeship," he meowed, his meow sounding more like a satisfied growl. Featherkit had a feeling that something was fishy; that Blizzardstar was up to something, and Fernclaw was a part of it.
As they made their way out of camp, Featherkit thought she saw Fernclaw skulking in the bushes ahead of them, and her uneasiness increased. As they neared the border with StormClan, Leafwater stopped dead, stiffened, tasted the air, then backed away slowly, eyes wide with horror. "what's wrong, mom?" Sunpaw mewed, eyes wide with fear. "I..I don't know. I thought I got the smell of death, and something beyond death; something only Featherkit will understand." She looked at Featherkit, and in an instant it dawned on Featherkit: She was talking about the Dark Forest!
