Warriors: Rise of the Shadows (Book 2)

Chapter Eleven

Kinkpaw and Fallenpaw padded through the forest, ears up and eyes alert for any sign of prey or intruders. The two apprentices were bored and would rather do anything but patrol the territory. 

Kinkpaw yawned, longing for her nest in the apprentice's den. She yearned to curl up in her nest and drift to sleep while the other apprentices did the duties.

"Look, over there." Fallenpaw meowed, staring straight ahead with her ears perked.

"What is it?" Asked her sister and she followed Fallenpaw's gaze. "I don't see anything, Fallenpaw, are you sure you saw something?" Kinkpaw checked, looking back at her sister.

Fallenpaw looked confused and shrugged her shoulders. "Must've been my eyes playing tricks on me," she joked.

Kinkpaw laughed and nodded, tail flicking in amusement. "Old already, huh?" She teased, earning an amused glare from her sister.

"Come on, mouse-brain." Fallenpaw meowed, angling her ears back up the path. "Let's go home, I can't smell even a mouse out here and my paws are cold!"

**********

When Kinkpaw and Fallenpaw got back to camp, a grim-looking Heartfire approaching them. "What's wrong, Heartfire?" Kinkpaw asked, head tilting with confusion.

"Mapleflame has joined StarClan," Hatchtumble meowed, coming from behind Heartfire and resting his tail across her shoulders. He looked to his daughters, eyes pools of grief. "She had a seizure and Branchstep and Halfmist couldn't do anything to stop it."

Kinkpaw and Fallenpaw exchanged a glance, mostly to avoid Heartfire and Hatchtumble's gazes. "Come on," the white apprentice meowed quietly to her tabby sister. "Let's go to our nests and get some sleep."

Padding towards the apprentice's den, Kinkpaw and her sister froze at the call of Starlingstar on the Highrock. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here to hear what I have to tell you!"

Groaning, Kinkpaw and Fallenpaw headed over to the Highrock and sat down side by side, gazing up at the leader. 'What does she want now?' Kinkpaw thought with annoyance.

The large gray swirled she-cat flicked her tail. "The Gathering is tonight but sadly Mapleflame will not be joining us. She has joined StarClan due to a seizure." She meowed, ear flicking. "The cats who will join me to the Gathering are as follows: Halfmist, Whitefang, Clawfeather, Watchertail, Ravengorse, Haystep, and Kinkpaw."

Kinkpaw felt disappointed that her sister wouldn't go to her first Gathering with her and she noticed Fallenpaw looking down at her paws, clearly upset.

"Get some rest and get warm because the walk to the island is going to be a bit lengthy." Starlingstar meowed and leaped down from the ledge.