Shattered Stars | Warrior Cats

Chapter 3

From the crest of the hill, I could admire the huge expanse of the StreakClan highlands, green, hilly, and dotted with waving flowers. In the distance, I could see the glitter of the stream, surrounded by flatter land and sturdy trees. RainClan territory, I noticed, a strangled yowl catching in my throat. I no longer lived there, but still the familiar tree type brought back memories and nostalgia. Frozenpaw stepped closer to me, placing her tail on my shoulder and dipping her head grimly.

"We should stay a good ways away from the stream, now that DuskClan is just beyond there..." Tawnypool muttered, his voice betraying anxiety. I peeked over my shoulder, needing to look away from the treeline. Tawnypool's bushy tail was twitching and his breath seemed to come in quick gasps.

"Is everything alright?" I mewed, concerned. He looked frightened, possibly of DuskClan? I didn't know why he would be. We were all the way up here, the trees scruffy dots far ahead.

"I need to get back to camp. Maybe.. um.. see Clearpond." His paws shuffled in the grass, and he quickly turned around. My sister's mentor, Goldencloud, stepped away from the top of the hill, following Tawnypool. She went to his side, mewing into his ear.

I was incredibly worried. I considered asking StarClan for help, because I knew Tawnypool needed it, but I easily had second thoughts. They hadn't answered me last time, when I asked for Snakestrike's life, and let the whole rest of the Clan fall. What would they do for Tawnypool? This panic was far smaller than the destruction of a Clan, and they probably wouldn't even lift a claw to help him.

Finally, after several painful moments of thought and waiting, I noticed Tawnypool seem to calm. He turned to look at Goldencloud, dipping his head to the cream she-cat. "Sorry," he murmured. "I guess I just... panicked."

"It's okay!" Frozenpaw mewed, bounding past me. "You're better now, thank StarClan. Shatteredpaw and I had no idea what was going on!"

I sighed. It was true, I had been confused and worried, and I wondered what would have happened if I had asked StarClan for help. Would the anxiety have subsided quicker? Frozenpaw seemed to have faith in them, hence her "Thank StarClan," but I wasn't sure if I was ready to trust them. I decided to express my relief, padding up to Tawnypool and placing my tabby tail on his spine.

"You're alright," I meowed. "Let's get back to camp. I don't mind cutting the tour short. You should probably tell Clearpond that happened."

Tawnypool nodded, whispering a thanks. We trekked through the territory, which I still wasn't exactly used to. Sometimes I tripped trying to crest a hill, or jumped when a flower tickled my fur, but I was trying. I wanted these cats to not consider us RainClan cats a burden. I needed to adjust to my new home, and to do that meant I needed to figure out how to walk properly on this ground.

We arrived at the edge of camp, standing on the crest of the surrounding hill. Below cats were huddled in groups, and Ravenstar was standing on his tree. What's up? I wondered, and air of tension filling my body. Goldencloud brushed past me, Frozenpaw anxiously padding behind and Tawnypool on her tail. I followed, trying to restrain the urge to race down the hill and feel the wind blow through my fur and instead trotted carefully down the slope behind my patrol.

I ambled into camp, the stalks of grass trembling as the four of us headed into the mess. Several cats looked our way, but most were busy talking among themselves. My hazel visionaries scanned the clearing, and finally fell on three cats, huddled together and surrounded by five warriors. Their claws were unsheathed and their eyes flickered warily, which gave me the impression that these cats were dangerous.

On the left was a scruffy orange tabby tom, his ears cut and shredded. He seemed very on edge, the muscle under his fur tense and his yellow eyes narrow. Beside him was a slim white she-cat with a v-shaped black patch on her chest, who didn't seem that beaten down but who's fur was not properly groomed. Finally, on the far right, was a pale brown tom with scars on his muzzle and around his light green eyes. He seemed to be the youngest of the bunch, but still slightly bigger than me. I recognized some of the guards, a pure black tom named Sootfeather, who was chatting with a she-cat beside him called Heatherwhisker. Another cat I recognized, although didn't know very well, was a dark gray tom with white paws. Stonesomething, I couldn't quite remember.