Warriors: The Undying Flame: Into The Wild

CHAPTER THREE

In that split second of hesitation, the center of focus in the camp shifted to Bluestar as she leaped onto the Highrock, catching every cat's attention with a high-pitched yowl.

"Enough!" she called, putting every bit of authority she had into her tone. "I have heard all sides of this issue, and now I will need time with my senior warriors to decide how best to respond. Whitestorm, Tigerclaw, Redtail, and Lionheart, meet me in my den, please. As for the rest of you, I see that the fresh-kill pile is dwindling. Some cat ought to take out a hunting patrol."

"Right away, Bluestar," called Willowpelt. As the Clan leader disappeared beneath the Highrock with the cats she had summoned, the gray she-cat waved her tail to beckon a few of the cats nearest her. Longtail and Runningwind joined her as she padded through the gorse tunnel and out into the forest beyond.

The cats left in the clearing drifted apart, heading to their dens or the fresh-kill pile. Ravenpaw stood still for a moment, wondering what he should do. With his mentor already busy, he had no training to look forward to right then. Besides, he had just patrolled half the territory. Hadn't he earned a rest?

Ravenpaw sat patiently as the queens and elders took their pick of the meager fresh-kill left over from the previous day. The warrior code dictated that those cats ate first, out of the honor they were owed for their services. Once there were no more cats left to take prey before him, Ravenpaw strode up to the pile and chose a mouse for himself. He gulped it down in only a few bites. The meat was a bit stale, given the time it had spent in the middle of the clearing, but Ravenpaw didn't feel sick, and he was glad to have some food in his stomach.

With nothing else left to occupy him, Ravenpaw decided to head for the apprentices' den and lie down in his nest. He rose to his paws and padded over. As he got closer, he could hear two cats inside having a lively discussion. The voice of his brother, Dustpaw, echoed within, followed by that of the Clan's only female apprentice, Sandpaw.

Pushing his way in through the den entrance, Ravenpaw sat in his nest and curled his tail around his legs, glad for the moment of rest and doing his best to ignore his fellow apprentices as they jabbered on.

"They haven't directly challenged us yet," Sandpaw was saying. "Bluestar isn't that aggressive. She'll decide to wait, and that'll be it."

"She has to see what's happening!" objected Dustpaw. "RiverClan doesn't want us to have the rocks. They were only waiting until we thought we were safe. ThunderClan has to fight for what StarClan gave us."

"What do you think, Ravenpaw?" Sandpaw asked. "What should we do?"

Ravenpaw startled, surprised to be included. "Oh, I don't know," he responded weakly. "There'll be a battle, I guess."

Dustpaw flicked his tail across Ravenpaw's ear, causing Ravenpaw to flinch backwards and almost tumble out of his nest. "Stupid furball! Of course there'll be a battle! Those stinky RiverClan cats need to learn not to mess with us!"

Why can't they have learned already? Ravenpaw wondered morosely. Why do we have to go through this so often?

From his kithood, Ravenpaw had hated the idea of battle. He didn't think it made him a bad apprentice; after all, he still wanted nothing more than to provide for his Clan. He just thought there were ways to do it that didn't involve spilling so much blood.

Dustpaw and Sandpaw went on chattering, but Ravenpaw wasn't listening anymore. The thought of so many cats, with so many claws unsheathed to tear each other apart, made his stomach turn. Perhaps I shouldn't have eaten that mouse. He was thankful when Bluestar's voice echoed through the camp once again, summoning every cat back to the clearing.