Bloodflower

Chapter 24

Rosepaw slithered as quietly as she could over to the warrior den. It was the day after she and Shadowpool had gone on the border patrol, and the sun hadn't risen in the sky yet. No cat but her—and Harefoot, who was on guard duty at the camp entrance—was awake yet. This was good; no cat needed to see what she was about to do.

Her fur bristled with anxiety as she pressed herself against the outer wall of the den. She lowered the thick twig she was carrying in her mouth to the ground, taking it in her paws.

Let's make this quick.

Suppressing a grunt of effort, Rosepaw heaved the stick up between her forepaws and jammed it into the side of the den. The leaves and bramble tendrils crunched loudly, and a jagged hole opened up in the wall. Trembling, Rosepaw scurried away, back into the apprentices' den. She curled up in her nest beside Nightpaw's sleeping shape, and took several deep breaths to calm herself.

I hope Adderstar will have the younger warriors fix that hole in the wall. Pineclaw is one of them, and that means Shadowpool and I will have a perfect opportunity to slip away and investigate the Minnowtail situation.

As she steadily drifted back into sleep, Rosepaw's belly felt hollow with guilt. She just hoped that whatever she and Shadowpool found would be worth all the trouble she had caused.

* * *

"Great StarClan, where did that come from?"

Rosepaw's eyes snapped open when she heard Patchflower's gasp. She pricked her ears.

"Where did what come from?" Quickstorm mumbled drowsily.

"This huge opening in the den wall," Patchflower responded. "If it was raining, we'd all be half-drowned!"

"I see what you mean." Shinefur's voice joined the conversation. "That hole is as big as a full-grown kit!"

Then Minnowtail added, "It looks like that big stick caused the wall to rip. But how could it have done that with such force?"

Rosepaw found herself holding her breath as Willowstripe mewed, "If there was any strong wind last night, we would've noticed for sure. You're right, Minnowtail. It is a bit strange."

Oh, StarClan. Doubts about her plan began to race through Rosepaw's head. Sure, Adderstar would probably have the younger warriors handle the repair, but what if Shadowpool was one of them? Or what if her scent was still lingering where she had punctured the den wall? They would suspect she had something to do with it. How could I talk my way out of that?

She closed her eyes again. I'll just have to hope this works. I'm doing this for the Clan, she reassured herself. If Minnowtail turns out to be a traitor helping MoonClan, then everything I'm doing will be worth it.

With that thought passing over her, Rosepaw guiltily found herself praying that the silver tabby warrior had done something terrible. Just so that she didn't have to get in trouble for all of this.

I really am a terrible apprentice!

"I'm going to see if Adderstar is awake." Beestripe's voice reached her ears from the warriors' den. "I'll tell him about the hole and organize a group to patch it up."

"Good," Birchpelt grunted. "Maybe then I can sleep without all of you chirping like birds around me!"

"Oh, be quiet, you dormouse!" Minnowtail purred. "You're just tired because your kits are keeping you on your toes."