Whispers and Echoes

Chapter 14

When Echopaw and Whisperpaw returned to camp, trying hard not to show their shock at what they had just witnessed and discovered, they found that the dawn patrol had returned and Cloverpaw had already gone out on the tour with Meadowheart.

"How long do you think we have been gone? Do you think Sagetail knows we were up to something?" Whisperpaw hissed urgently in Echopaw's ear as they passed the nursery.

Echopaw shrugged, "I don't know. She'll probably think we were just trying to find a place to bury it. But we don't know how long we actually were. We didn't pay attention to time while out of the camp."

Whisperpaw meowed, "I guess so."

"What do you think they'd suspect we'd been doing? Obviously we didn't go to DayClan territory and back." Echopaw joked half-heartedly.

"I know, but still."

Echopaw and Whisperpaw walked past the sunning-stones and found Raykit chasing his tail by his mother. At least he's back to normal, Echopaw thought with a sigh of relief.

"Hey, look! Bronzepelt and Gravelpelt are back from the hunting and dawn patrols!" Whisperpaw meowed excitedly to Echopaw.

Echopaw followed her sister's gaze and found their mentors sitting with Twilightfoot, Sunfur, and Moonshine by the fresh-kill log. Bronzepelt looked up and flicked his ears at Echopaw, signaling to her that he'd be there in a heartbeat. Echopaw nodded and sat beside Whisperpaw while the warriors finished their conversation.

Before long, Bronzepelt got up and nudged Gravelpelt, who stood up as well. Both warriors padded toward Echopaw and Whisperpaw, and then Gravelpelt meowed, "Sorry, I don't think we'll have time for training today; it's already too late in the day to start anything."

Echopaw tried to hide her disappointment as she replied, "Alright."

Bronzepelt must have noticed, because he meowed, "Don't worry. First thing tomorrow we'll go out and do some hunting practice."

Whisperpaw sat up in eagerness.

"Yay!" Whisperpaw and Echopaw exclaimed together.

Then Echopaw flattened her ears in embarrassment and meowed, "I mean, okay."

Gravelpelt and Bronzepelt's whiskers twitched with amusement as they turned and headed back toward Moonshine, Sunfur, and Twilightfoot.

Whisperpaw sat up and licked her chest. "When do you think Yellowpaw, Goldheart, and Hailpaw will get back?" she asked.

Echopaw had forgotten that the three had been out all day collecting herbs along the stream and throughout the rest of the territory. "Hopefully they didn't meet any troubles along the way," Echopaw fretted.

"Yeah, I hope not," Whisperpaw nodded. "What do you want to do now? It's a little ways past sunhigh, but we've got enough time until the sun sets."

Just then, Spruceclaw came padding up to them and meowed, "Hi, Echopaw, Whisperpaw." He nodded to both of them, then turned toward Echopaw. "Echopaw, I know you're excited about the Gathering and your training, but Fogtail and Ferrettail have started to complain about their old moss-"

"Oh I'm sorry!" Echopaw exclaimed, feeling guilt churn in her stomach. How could she have forgotten she still had to take care of the elders for her punishment? "I'll go get the stuff you want right now! Oh, no...!"

"Stop. Look, Echopaw," Spruceclaw interrupted her, "it's okay. I understand why you'd forget. It's just that other cats will think you're avoiding doing it and making your mother do it instead."