Lost Hope: Book 1: The New Star

Chapter 19

Burrowpaw and Sparrowpaw padded a few paces ahead of their mentors, exchanging brief words of gossip with each other.

"While I was giving Phoenixwing prey, I tried to casually ask her who the father of her kits was, but she just snapped at me!" Sparrowpaw said in a low voice, so their mentors wouldn't overhear.

"Wow," Burrowpaw replied. "So she's really not dropping any hints?"

Her friend shook his head. "Who do you think it is?" he asked.

      But before Burrowpaw could answer, Darkmoon hissed at them, "Stop chirping like a pack of starlings and pay attention to where you're walking!"

      Burrowpaw and Sparrowpaw stopped in their tracks and and raised their heads. The sand was only a couple mouselengths away and they had been too busy talking to notice.

"Sorry," Sparrowpaw mewed sheepishly. Burrowpaw didn't say anything. Her mentor was so bossy, but he'd been getting annoyed over the smallest things and it was driving Burrowpaw crazy.

The patrol started remarking the border. Then Ashpetal spoke up, urgency in her mew, "I see a BrookClan patrol, let's be quick."

Burrowpaw hurried over to the last marker and refreshed it, but the patrol had already spotted them and was diving into the water. Darkmoon sighed and stood his ground, watching the swimming cats with a fierce glare.

The head of the patrol, a tortoiseshell she-cat, leaped out of the water, followed by three other cats, and stood at the border. "Were you trespassing?" she demanded.

"As if we'd tell if we had!" Burrowpaw muttered with a snort.
Darkmoon silences her with a angry lash of his tail.

"No, Opalshine, we haven't," Darkmoon said, his voice calm despite his bristling fur.

"Ripplepaw, Spiderclaw, check and remark the scent line," Opalshine commanded, and the two cats scurried off. The warrior beside her snarled, "If you placed one claw across the border, we'll-"

"We'll just be on our way," Ashpetal interjected. "We have better things to do then waste our breath on these mousebrains."

Opalshine let out an aggravated hiss as Darkmoon led his patrol away. Sparrowpaw swished his tail across her shoulders protectively as the two apprentices glared back at the BrookClan cats.

"Let's not provoke them," Ashpetal told them sternly. "Rude or not, we don't want a battle with them."

Talking about BrookClan suddenly sparked an image in Burrowpaw's mind. Fogpaw. She'd be meeting up with him again tonight. They'd had so much fun the other night, so they'd decided to meet up again.

"Someone seems happy," Sparrowpaw's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Just excited to get back to camp," Burrowpaw quickly lied, shrugging. She didn't like keeping things from her friend, but this was something she had to keep to herself.

***

"Goodnight, Burrowpaw," Sparrowpaw yawned and curled up in his nest.

"Goodnight," Burrowpaw murmured. She buried her nose in her paws and closed her eyes. But as soon as she heard the soft snores of her denmates, she opened them again.

After making sure both her denmates were both asleep, she snuck out of the den. She stuck to the shadows as she skunk across the clearing. She recognized Scarletpetal on guard duty. The ginger warrior seemed to be having trouble keeping her eyes open.

      Burrowpaw crept up to the entrance, hoping Scarletpetal wouldn't notice. Their was a small gap in the bramble wall, kits big enough for her to squeeze through. Flattering herself to the ground, she pushed her way through. Brambles scraped around her from all sides, but she ignored them. She managed to get to the other side, her pelt full of thorns. She shook her fur, and started walking into the forest.

     Burrowpaw and Fogpaw and decided the other night to meet further downstream, to avoid and suspicion from either of their Clanmates. Burrowpaw spied the border in the distance and started to head right. She passed the end of the trees, and quickened her pace, hating being out in the open. She glanced around her, but all was still.

      When she felt the sand beneath her claws, she stopped and and waited. The evening air was a lot cooler than the mornings, where the heat of sun was present where ever you set your paws. Burrowpaw enjoyed the change of air as she sat beside the river.

      Suddenly, she saw a pale gray cat dive into the water and come back up on the other side. He shook out his fur, spraying droplets everywhere.

      "Hey!" Burrowpaw meowed, feigning annoyance as she held up her paw to shield her face.

      "Missed me?" Fogpaw asked, his tail swishing back in forth happily. Burrowpaw gave him a small nod and a smile.

      "What took you so long?" Burrowpaw asked. Fogpaw has been the first one by the river last time.

      Fogpaw shrugged. "Oceanwave had me busy sorting herbs until sundown." He laughed. So did Burrowpaw. It felt good to laugh after all the tension between their Clans.

      When their laughter died down, Fogpaw spoke again, "I bet I can beat you to that stone!" He pointed with his tail downstream. He started to run.

      Burrowpaw raced after him. "You're on!"