Warriors: Starbound Paws

Starbound Paws: Chapter 8

Badgerpaw sat silently outside the apprentice den, watching his clanmates group up and exit the clearing. While saddened that he wasn't chosen, he had noticed that Spottedpaw wasn't among the gathering group either. Her cream pelt was clearly visible from just outside the nursery, Embertail and Sunpelt alongside her chatting excitedly. The white splotches on her pelt were mesmerizing and her deep amber eyes shone brightly as she spoke.

"Still nothing?" Skunkpaw's mew broke him from his daze, "she sees you ogling her, you know."

"Shut up," Badgerpaw grumbled, turning his head towards his sister. "Is there something you want?" Excitement sparked in her eyes.

"Yes, actually," she mewed, turning her head towards where Tigerjaw and Heatherheart sat. "Tigerjaw said we can tag along on Heatherheart's herb-gathering if we want!" Badgerpaw felt ecstatic – he was finally going to explore the forest!

"We're leaving. Now!" Tigerjaw's stern tone reached them, his back already turned and his muscular body heading towards the exit. Heatherheart beckoned to them with her tail before turning and following Tigerjaw.

"Let's go," Skunkpaw padded after the two cats, her tail held high in the air. Badgerpaw followed slowly, tossing another longing gaze towards where Spottedpaw had previously been sitting. The spot was now bathed in moonlight, but the three cats that had gathered there were gone. Dismissing his disappointment, Badgerpaw gave a quick burst of speed to catch up with the group.

The outside of the camp was just as it had been when he, Spottedpaw, and Skunkpaw had gotten in trouble. The tree branches prevented a significant amount of moonlight from illuminating the path, but Badgerpaw guessed the older cats didn't need it for guidance. His paws followed the paw prints pressed into the dirt, the smell of his sister, Tigerjaw and Heatherheart up ahead. Pushing his way through a small patch of tall grass, Badgerpaw was greeted by Tigerjaw's unemotional gaze.

"Keep up," Tigerjaw scolded, "we scented a fox around here not long ago." His piercing amber eyes attached to Badgerpaw's, "it'd be a shame to see you go." Swallowing his fear, Badgerpaw nodded, still feeling his tail twinge with anxiety. Seeming satisfied with Badgerpaw's reaction, he resumed his lumbering trot through the underbrush.

"That fox was scented a moon ago," Heatherheart mewed under her breath, "he's just pulling your tails." Skunkpaw and Badgerpaw exchanged glances before following Tigerjaw once more, his powerful form pushing through the ferns effortlessly.

"I wonder if he was that big as an apprentice," Skunkpaw pondered beside him. That's a good question... Badgerpaw simply twitched his ears in response. "... He's not someone I would want to make angry," his sister concluded, bounding forward to close the gap between herself and Tigerjaw. Heatherheart lagged back, gazing after Skunkpaw, clearly lost in thought.

"Does Tigerjaw know where you need to go?" Badgerpaw questioned, seeing Heatherheart's eyes focus on the forest ahead of her once more. She began moving forward, pushing through the fern easily and trotting across the grass path.

"Yes," she responded a heartbeat later. "He's here because we're heading to the Earthclan border," she hesitated, glancing towards Tigerjaw tentatively. "Things have gotten worse since your adventure some moons ago... Starclan willing, Smokestar will propose a way to end this conflict."

"How would he do that?" Badgerpaw inquired, realizing they were falling further behind Tigerjaw and Skunkpaw. A long stretch of tall grass spread before them, only the shaking of blades signaling where his clanmates were.

"I suggested we just leave the past in the past," Heatherheart shook her head; "I don't think it'll be that simple, however." Heatherheart sighed, giving her chest a quick lick, "I didn't mean to dump all that on you. Sometimes I just get talking and..."