Warriors: The Darkness Within

Chapter 13

Hey hey peeps! Sorry I haven't updated in a while... I'll hopefully pick up the slack soon. Enjoy!

Padding back into camp, his belly yowling with hunger, Pinepaw wandered over to the fresh-kill pile to retrieve some prey, choosing a plump vole and wandering over to the shade of the look-out tree. He heard faint voices but he was to exhausted and hungry to listen in, after the dawn patrol and then training with his mentor he was almost out of energy.
But he recognised the voices instantly, his litter mates seemed to be having a hushed but serious conversation and Pinepaw was immediately interested, he gulped down the last of his prey and started to scramble up the tree.
"I don't even know how I did it! I didn't mean to!" Birdpaw whispered, seeming quite distressed. Pinepaw placed careful paws on a branch not far from his brother and sister, making sure he was hidden within the leaves.
"I know. Thank StarClan that didn't happen to me! Can you imagine that..." his brother replied, seeming more calm than Birdpaw, "Hey, it'll be ok. We'll figure it out." Pinepaw saw Firepaw place a comforting tail on their sister's shoulders in an effort to calm her down.
"Thanks Firepaw. I feel better knowing you are going through the same, but should we tell Pinepaw? He is our brother." Birdpaw asked, more calm than before.
"I don't think we should. We don't know who we can trust at this point, what if... never mind." Firepaw cut himself off, and Pinepaw felt a tension rising within himself, what was so important that they couldn't trust their own brother?
"What if?" Birdpaw asked carefully.
"No, it's ridiculous." He said looking away from her, Pinepaw thought Firepaw could see him but if he had the ginger apprentice showed no sign that he had.
"Our situation is ridiculous enough, you may as well tell me." She stated.
Their situation... is something going on? Should I tell somecat? Or confront them?
Questions spun around Pinepaw's head like a hurricane, he couldn't listen to anymore. He leaped down from the tree, being sure to make sure no cat, including his siblings, saw him come down from the lookout tree.
Once Pinepaw was away, he decided to go out to try and clear his head, but as he was padding swiftly to the camp entrance, a call made him stop.
"Pinepaw! Hey, where are you off to?" Palepaw's cream pelt came up beside him and he looked into her pale blue eyes as she watched him with curiosity.
"Just out." He mumbled, looking down at his paws.
"Well you might as well help me carry some herbs, I need to restock the Marigold and juniper." She then trotted happily out of camp and when Pinepaw didn't follow she glanced back, "Something wrong?"
Pinepaw shook his head and walked up to the medicine cat apprentice, he spotted a flash of playfulness in her features and then suddenly, she said, "Last one to the pines is fox-dung!" And she raced off, into the trees.
Pinepaw was impressed by her speed but quickly followed her, taking off and plunging through the undergrowth, he veared off to the right, avoiding a patch of nettles and swerving to the left into a small clearing he had just seen Palepaw cross. He leaped high over a log on the other side and charged through a clump of bushes, nearly ramming into a tree trunk, he recovered quickly and pelted toward the sight of Palepaw a few fox-lengths in front, as fast as his tired paws would carry him. He avoided a bramble thicket and plummeted forward, coming up beside her, both of them panted hard as they ran side-by-side through the forest, he sped up a little, throwing up dirt and twigs behind him as he bolted ahead, triumph washing over him. A sudden cry from behind him made him skid to a halt, Palepaw lay a few tail-lengths behind, she slowly stood up, but avoided putting weight on her front right paw.
"Are you alright?" He asked closing the distance between them.
"Uh... yeah I think. Actually can you get some of that herb over there." She nodded her head towards a patch of leaves about 4 fox-lengths behind them, he nodded and quickly rushed over.
But before he could nip any stems he heard a rustle from where Palepaw had been laying and looked back to see her pelting in the direction of the pines.
She had faked her injury.
Pinepaw shook his head amused and gave chase, coming close behind her as they reached their destination, the great trees started to become more and more pine, the ground covered in their fallen needles.
"I won!" Palepaw exclaimed, panting but padding a triumphant circle around him.
"You cheated." He panted back, amused as he sat down on the soft needles that coated the ground.
"But I still beat you, and it wasn't cheating as much as using my skills." She explained, coming to sit in front of him.
"If your skills include cheating." Pinepaw teased standing up and facing the line of pines, his breathing returning to normal.
"So, What herbs are we getting?" He asked her.
Palepaw came up beside him, "Juniper berries and Marigold." Pinepaw remembered what Marigold smelled like But was unfamiliar with juniper.
"I know Marigold, but not juniper."
"Then you collect that, I'll look for the berries." She decided, not waiting for a reply before she trotted into the trees, her nose in the air to catch a scent. Pinepaw did the same, trying to ignore the mouth-watering scent of prey, he caught a whiff of a strong smelling herb and followed it, before he halted, having smelled a mouse hiding in the bushes not far away.
He stalked it until it sat less than a tail-length away, it's head under some leaves, he bunched his muscles and leaped with his claws outstretched and pinned it down, quickly nipping it's neck in a clean kill. He buried it and continued his hunt for Marigold, finding a patch of the strong herb he had smelled before he nipped a stem or two and rushed over to Palepaw who was sitting back where they had been, a pile of red berries at her paws.
"Is this it?" He questioned, dropping the herb in front of her, she looked up from her cleaning and gave it a sniff before shaking her cream-furred head and replying; "No, that's Parsley."
"Oh, ok. I don't know Marigold then..." he tried to remember what the herb smelled like but was interrupting when Palepaw wandered off into the bushes, Pinepaw waited a few moments for her to return, when she did she had a large mouthful of herbs, she rolled her eyes at him amused and bent her head to place them with the other herbs.
"Ok, that should be enough, let's go."
"Wait, I caught a mouse, let me go get it." He said racing back to where ha had buried it and uncovering it's body, he carried it back to Palepaw and the herbs, he carried the mouse, and the Marigold, Palepaw carried the parsley and made a carrier out of a dock leaf for the berries.
The walk back to camp was done in a comfortable silence, but Pinepaw could sense a strange tension between the two of them, something he hadn't felt before with any cat.
When they arrived, Pinepaw delivered the herbs and gave the mouse to Waterclaw who gulped it down greatfully, he then waited outside the medicine den for Palepaw.
The pretty cream apprentice emerged with strange herbs in her mouth, she flicked her tail in greeting and made her way over to Eaglefeather who was sitting with his paw raised.
"Let's see this thorn Eaglefeather." Palepaw examined his paw carefully and licked it until she grasped the thorn in between her teach and pulled it out, Eaglefeather winced but the medicine cat apprentice chewed some leaves and applied it to the sore pad with gentle licks until Eaglefeather relaxed.
"That's so much better, thank you Palepaw." He said, flexing his paw.
"Your welcome, but stay off that paw and check in with me tomorrow morning." She replied firm but kind, Pinepaw watched his mentor nod and limp to the warriors den. Palepaw gathered the remaining leaves in her mouth and turned back around, jumping when she nearly ran into him, she dropped the leaves to ask; "Pinepaw? What are you still doing here?"
"I wanted to talk..." he mumbled, flicking a pebble away with his paw.
"Well I can't now, I have to get things in order before the gathering tonight." She said picking up her leaves and retreating to the medicine den. The gathering. Pinepaw had nearly forgotten, he felt his excitement returning as well as his exhaustion, he wanted to attend his first gathering but he also wanted to curl up in his nest and catch up on his sleep.
Just then a squeal came from his left and he snapped his head in the direction to see two tiny fluffy bundles plod out of the den their mother and father guiding their every step. Weren't they a little young to come out of the nursery? They had only just opened their eyes. But Pebblefoot seemed to be thinking the same, because he went up to the family and said a few words to them before Whiteblaze nodded her head and lead her two young kits back into the nursery.
"Pinepaw! Are you excited for the gathering tonight?" Firepaw's voice sounded from behind him and he turned to see his brother bounding up to him, events from that morning flashed through his mind and he wasn't sure what he should be feeling towards Firepaw.
Should he be angry that his siblings didn't trust him? Sad because he was being left out of something? No, he had to be normal, they didn't know he had over heard their conversation in the lookout tree so he should behave normally.
"Yes! Of course I am!" He said with fake, and hopefully convincing excitement. He was excited of course, but he was also scared and worried that he would do something wrong or get left behind.
"So am I, and Birdpaw! What do you think it will be like?" His brother seemed to buy his act and they walked side-by-side to a shaded spot near the apprentices den where Nightpaw and Birdpaw were laying, sharing a squirrel.
"I don't know, but I've heard stories, I wonder what the other clans are like..." Firepaw nodded enthusiastically and added; "Featherpelt told me that Animalclan are vicious and that they have always been prey-stealers! Do you think the rogues will come up in Nettlestar's report?"
"Yes, she can't not report a battle, she needs to warn the other clans of potential danger." He pointed out, starting to slip in his act, he regained himself and they lay down next to the she-cats.
"Hey, what have you been up to Pinepaw?" Nightpaw asked, swallowing her mouthful.
"Lots! I have been on a few patrols and I just got back from racing for herbs with Palepaw." He replied laying his head between his paws and letting his eyes close, the conversation flowed without him until he fell into a light doze, waking up to a paw prodding him in the side.
"Wake up Pinepaw!" He blinked his eyes open and lifted his head, the sun was setting, casting a pale orange glow in camp through the gaps in the copse, Rockpaw stood over him, his paw outstretched.
"What?" He asked sleepily.
"Get up, Nettlestar is announcing who will be coming to the gathering!"

Hey hey peeps, it moi. Hope u enjoyed that chap and I'll (hopefully) update soon!