Bloodflower

Chapter 16

Rosepaw wriggled her haunches eagerly, hardly able to sit still. The mouse in front of her was the fattest she had ever seen—and she had been born in greenleaf! This prey is as good as mine, she thought triumphantly. Imagine what the Clan would say when I brought this into camp!

With a hiss she sprang forward, quick as lightning, her claws flashing in the faint light that broke through the thick canopy over her head. Her claws sunk satisfyingly into the mouse's plump body, and she glanced down to dispatch it with a bite to its neck.

She froze.

The mouse had vanished. Instead, beneath her grip was a small black-and-white cat. His round amber eyes stared up at her, glazed with fear and pain.

Suddenly Rosepaw felt uncontrollable rage pulsing through her, burning through her claws and making her hackles rise. Why do I feel this way? she asked herself. And who is this cat? Why am I attacking him?

"Please don't," the cat whispered hoarsely. Rosepaw noticed he had nasty wounds dotting his flanks, and his struggles were feeble. Did I do this? she wondered in shock.

The thoughts of her real consciousness were drifting away, replaced by angry thoughts twisted by grief. Her grip on the black-and-white tom instinctively tightened, and she felt her teeth bared to close over his throat. She didn't know why, but she wanted this cat dead.

With a snarl, she lunged for his neck. Her vision clouded over in a haze of red, and she was aware of the cat's warm blood washing over her tongue. His agonized shriek—abruptly cut off—rang in her ears.

Part of Rosepaw was horrified at what she had done. This is against the warrior code! But another part of her felt the cold satisfaction of sweet, sweet revenge.

Revenge.

"Rosepaw, wake up!"

Her eyes snapped open as she woke with a start. She glanced around wildly for a heartbeat. She was back in her nest in the apprentices' den. Nightpaw's icy blue eyes glowed in the darkness, fixed on her anxiously.

"What is it, Nightpaw?" Rosepaw asked groggily.

"You were twitching in your sleep," the black apprentice replied. "Bad dream?"

"Bad dream," Rosepaw agreed vaguely, not wanting to describe the details of her nightmare. I'm not even sure about what I saw. That was weird.

"How's your shoulder?" Nightpaw asked with a glance at her wound.

"Better," Rosepaw responded. "As long as I don't open the wound again, I'll be fine."

"Good. Anyway," Nightpaw went on in a lower voice, "Do you want to sneak out again? I have a great idea of what we could do."

"What's that?" Rosepaw asked.

"You'll have to come with me to find out!" Nightpaw purred.

"Shadowpool and Minnowtail are still keeping their vigil," Rosepaw reminded her friend. "We'd be mad to try and leave while they're still on watch." But sneaking out again does sound pretty fun!

"Then we wait until they aren't watching." Nightpaw flicked his tail decisively. "They won't sit in the same place forever, will they?"

"I suppose not," Rosepaw mewed. "And besides, they've snuck out of camp before. If we get caught, at least they'll understand."

"Correction: Minnowtail has snuck out before," Nightpaw replied. "I don't think Shadowpool would approve, regardless of what his sister thinks. So we'd be better off just not getting caught."