(Outdated) Warriors: Clouded Skies #1 - The First Storm

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ravenpaw waited at the entrance of his den, watching anxiously at the camp entrance. It was dark, just past moonhigh, and Russetdawn was sure to be getting her replacement soon. When she went into the warriors' den, he would hurry out. The next guard would, of course, find his scent, but they would hopefully assume Russetdawn had seen him out.

He could deal with the consequences in the morning.

Then, there was movement. Russetdawn stood up and stretched her spine, then padded for the warriors' den. Ravenpaw watched closely, and the moment her tail disappeared he raced across the clearing and slipped down the pathway. His legs were numb and tired and he stumbled unsteadily down but managed to keep himself steady enough.

He hurried down into the dark forest, his legs feeling weak and his fur beginning to bristle at the look of the tall, towering trees. The shadows seemed to stretch out and grip for his fur, trying to drag him into their depths. He had been in the forest at night before when he had gone to the Moonstream for the first time, but Mossrain's company had distracted him. Now, in complete silence, he was scared and helpless.

If something jumped out at him, he wouldn't be able to protect himself. Fear crept through his fur, and he started moving faster, his fatigue forgotten and uncared for in order for him to go faster. Every time the forest creaked he jumped into the air, wanting to run back to camp and tuck into the side of his mother or littermates, wishing to be a kit with no worries.

But in one day everything had changed. He was happy he was finally training, but also depressed of having so many things he had to do. He shivered in fear as a fox called far in the distance. Licking his jaws, Ravenpaw got into a run, flattening his ears to ignore everything around him.

He tripped in the unfamiliar forest, pain flaring up his front leg. He forced himself to slow, his fur standing on end, and he tucked himself close to a fern bush, hiding in its depths as he checked his burning paw. He couldn't see much in the darkness, but it looked okay. He gave it soft licks until it felt better, then he hurried on again, sticking close to the ground. His fur brushed against undergrowth, and suddenly his paw touched smooth, hard-packed soil. He felt around to find himself on a worn path.

Relief flooded him. This was a common way his Clanmates had come for many moons, flattening down the earth until it was clear of dangerous vines and thorns. Feeling slightly more confident, Ravenpaw hurried along it, hoping he was still going the right way. It would've been easier to go through the moorland, but he likely would've been spotted by whoever took over moorland guard position from Silverstrike.

Then a faint scent came to his nose. A fresh, sweet breeze. He remembered it from when he traveled over SageClan territory. He hurried forward but hesitated after he left the path, and through a break in the trees he saw he was at the edge of his territory. He slipped from a patch of heavy undergrowth to see himself staring out at SageClan's moor. He looked out at the moorland, trying to remember where the cave was.

He had a feeling he wasn't quite close enough yet, so he hurried along at the edge of the forest. He could smell the scent markers from his own Clan and the other's, strong and threatening. He could feel the tension in the scent markers and guessed the two Clans had run into each other on their last patrols.

When he was pretty close to the Old Thunderpath, he looked closely over the moorland, anxiously searching for a SageClan patrol, but it was empty of cats, as far as he could tell. Shaking out his fur, he raced forward, breaking past the scent markers with a flash of guilt. He was breaking the warrior code by going into another Clan's territory.

But I follow the medicine cat code, he reminded himself, and he knew medicine cats were allowed to pass into another Clan's territory if they had to. And there was the rule for both codes that any Clan cat that needed to go to the Star Cave—with their leader with them—could go. Medicine cats can't be turned away, he told himself.