Warriors Super Edition: Redtail's Path

Chapter Eleven

Nivek321 of Howrse, or BlueJayCanuck here on Wattpad, made this beautiful cover. Please don't take it as she put a lot of effort into it. Thanks! :)

Chapter 11, oh my goodness! Credit to Erin Hunter, and enjoy!

Chapter Eleven

"I'm sorry," Solsticepaw whispered, her eyes pained. "I'm so sorry."

Redpaw woke with a jolt, Solsticepaw's voice still ringing in his ears. He looked around for a moment before he realized he was back in the apprentices' den.

"Are you all right?" Someone asked behind him.

Redpaw turned around and saw one of the younger apprentices in the shadows. He could just make out her silvery pelt, and her green eyes shone in the darkness.

Brindlepaw.  

Brindlepaw was only a few days younger than him, and she would be taking her warriors assessment the same time he was. He had started to take a liking for the apprentice. She was kind, caring, and sweet. Not only that, but she was extremely loyal and compassionate.

Redpaw nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Brindlepaw's tail twitched. "Are you sure?"

He sighed. "No, I'm not."

"Not sure or not fine?" She pressed.

"Both," he groaned, rolling over onto his back.

"What's wrong?" Brindlepaw asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "You can talk to me, if you like."

For some reason Redpaw was okay with that. He seemed comfortable sharing his troubles with the she-cat. He tightened his jaw and looked around. The other apprentices, including Willowpaw, were fast asleep. Only he and Brindlepaw were awake.

"Okay," he finally decided. "But not here. Come on."

He flicked his tail and silently slid out of the den. Brindlepaw followed, as quiet as he was. Redpaw snuck past the camp entrance and was pleased when Brindlepaw accomplished this as well. He was surprised that she had followed him this far- she hated breaking rules. And sneaking out of camp unsupervised was not the best thing to do.

"Where should we talk?" Redpaw asked.  Brindlepaw flicked her tail towards a small slope to their right.

"How about over there?"

Redpaw nodded.  "Okay. But are you sure you want to be so out in the open? We could get caught."

Playfulness glittered in Brindlepaw's eyes. "You're not scared, are you? Come on," she bounded past him and up the slope. "We'll be fine."

Redpaw grinned and loped after her. He realized that he trusted Brindlepaw immensely. He had grown up with her, after all. They trained together sometimes, shared prey, and played together, but Redpaw realized that he had never felt this way about the she-cat. He sat down beside her and smiled. She sat down as well.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Brindlepaw muttered suddenly, looking in front of her.

Redpaw followed her gaze and noticed she was referring to the sunrise. The dark sky was changing. Pink leaked into the navy and black, and yellow, orange, and red flooded after it. Right after that, the flaming orb appeared. In the back of his mind, Redpaw remembered that the dawn patrol would be leaving right about now, and they could be caught. But he pushed that thought away. At the moment, it didn't matter. All he could think about was Brindlepaw.

He had never noticed how beautiful the she-cat apprentice was. Her fur shone in the sunrise, her eyes reflecting the scene like two clear pools.

"Brindlepaw."

The she-cat looked at him.

Redpaw hesitated. "There's something I need to tell you."

Brindlepaw nodded. "You can talk to me."

Sighing heavily, Redpaw looked at the sunrise and spoke. "I have a secret."

Brindlepaw laughed. "Don't we all?"

He shook his head. "Not just any secret. It's about a prophecy."

Brindlepaw's eyes widened. "What is it? Is everything okay?"

Redpaw shrugged. "I don't know. It's a lot to think about."

"What does it say?" She asked.

"The Fox must reveal the Tiger's dark secret," he recited. "I've been told I am the Fox," He turned to look at her. "It sounds crazy, doesn't it?" He sighed in frustration. "I'm such a mouse-brain! You must think I'm crazy now!"

Brindlepaw looked at him seriously. "I don't think you're crazy. I believe you."

A surprised look crossed Redpaw's face. "You... you do?"

"Of course," she said. "And I'm always here for you. We can get through this together."

There was dead silence.

"Thank you, Brindlepaw." Redpaw finally said.

"You're welcome," she replied.

After a few minutes of sitting together, staring at the sunrise, he felt Brindlepaw's fear scent grow, but it was a different kind of fear. A fear that something might not happen. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her tail up, twitching slightly, as if she were thinking. Without a second thought, Redpaw twined his tail around hers. Brindlepaw's fear scent immediately washed away, and she tightened her tail around his. She leaned her head down on his broad shoulder and sighed happily. He looked down at her with a smile, his eyes twinkling.

"I love you, Redpaw."

He could feel Solsticepaw watching him again, and knew she was begging and pleading for forgiveness. Redpaw finally understood. If Solsticepaw had told him, he wouldn't have listened to her. She was only trying to do what she thought was right. But even so, his feelings for Solsticepaw faded away in the cool breeze that ruffled his and Brindlepaw's pelts.

"I love you, too."

Author's Note: Hee hee, I forgot about Brindleface until now. Did I make it flow well enough? Let me know! 

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