The Roaring Winds

Chapter Sixteen: Racing Heartbeats

Chapter Sixteen: Racing Heartbeats

Her paws rapidly thumped against the ground as her heart began to race. The reeds beneath Mossypaw's feet were smashed down while she ran across the open space. Each time her paws hit the wet soil beneath her, they would quickly rise again in her dart. The RiverClan apprentice hardly had the chance to even feel the ground with her swift strides. Her breath came out uneven and ragged, and it made her feel light-headed.

But, Mossypaw couldn't care in the slightest. She couldn't afford to waste any time. With each moment that passed by, Streamstar's kits would get even sicker than before. Her heart twinged for the innocent lives at risk. Kits should never face through such hardship––their lives were meant to be simple and happy. Why did StarClan curse them with such an unfair fate?

Anger arose in her senses, and her claws started to unsheathe themselves. Why did StarClan have to be so unfair? Why did StarClan have to curse the Clans when they could help them instead? Why did everyone have to suffer so much? Why did she have to suffer so much?

Her breath hitched with her thoughts. She attempted to pull herself together––she couldn't afford to look back on the past now. The present was much more important right now. Mossypaw took a deep breath. All she had to do was breathe deeply, run across the territory, search for the coltsfoot within WindClan's borders, and get back to camp as fast as possible. It was probable, and there, likely, wouldn't be any problems.

A light droplet of rain splattered on her dark brown forehead. Mossypaw fought back her groan as more pellets of water struck down on the earth and on her pelt. Would she have to fight both the elements and her emotions to get through this? She felt her irritation with the world begin to burn once more.

Cool winds streaked past her thick-furred pelt, which caused it to fluff up slightly. It was an odd habit that her fur had. It would instantly spring up whenever some sort of breeze brushed past it. The problem probably came from her blatant avoidance of water. RiverClan cats naturally had sleek fur due to both their diets and the amount of time they spent in the water.

Mossypaw attempted to redirect her thoughts. It would still take her a while to reach the Twoleg bridge, where she'd be able to cross into WindClan territory. She stuck with the route that RiverClan had taken to the Gathering. RiverClan had walked for about a quarter of the night to reach the hollow, so Mossypaw still had a large interval before she would reach the bridge.

Her mind drifted back to the sound of Streamstar's scream. The sound instantly filled her stomach with dread. Mossypaw had never heard such a loud screech of pure grief and horror. She was terrified of the notion of what it meant. Mossypaw didn't want to know what it meant. But, the predictions of what it could mean stuck in her brain.

Mossypaw sped up her run pace. Adrenaline created by pure fear, anxiety, and agitation fueled her movements. It was a pretty similar speed to what she ran back when Glistenpaw and Briarpaw had interrogated her on that earlier patrol. She shivered at the bizarre memory. She had never felt so panicked before that very day.

All that happened within RiverClan just felt so strange. Why had so many aspects of the Clan dynamic changed in a span of only two days? Before that span of time, Mossypaw had always snapped at her Clanmates and put in as little effort as possible. But, then, all of a sudden, she now started to save lives, be more friendly, and contribute to her Clan. Along with that, cats were nicer to her, appreciated her, and now... they prepared for war. What changed?

Mossypaw glanced around at her surroundings. The reeds around the area were flattened down and well-trodden. She sniffed the air, and mingled with the scent of damp air and water, were the sharp scents of her RiverClan Clanmates. Her cobalt blue eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she recognized the smells of Stonepaw, Troutpaw, and her own faint trace, which still carried small traces of Woodpaw's, Blazepaw's, and Stormpaw's scents.