Gray Skies - Book One

Chapter Thirteen

Nightpaw followed Riverpaw and Wolfpaw through the pine needle strewn forest floor as they approached the Twoleg nest. Nightpaw had seen it once so far, now twice. What was that kittypet's name? Morris, right?

Riverpaw let out a determined purr as she leapt up onto the fence. Wolfpaw followed her, gracefully leaping up onto the fence to sit beside her sister. Nightpaw bunched her hind legs beneath, ready to spring up onto the fence only to be stopped by Riverpaw.

"No, Nightpaw," she hissed. "Stay near the trees." Riverpaw motioned toward the roots of a pine tree. Nightpaw trudged toward the roots and plopped down between them. She growled, watching as Riverpaw and Wolfpaw jumped down over the fence into the Twoleg's small stretch of land. Nightpaw carefully stalked toward the fence to peer into the yard.

"Hey, Blake, Morris, come on out your scaredy-cats!" Riverpaw yowled at the back of the Twoleg nest from where she stood beside Wolfpaw in the small enclosure behind the nest. In a couple heartbeats, Morris, the broad-shouldered patchy ginger-and-white tom, came out with a large brown tabby tom at his side. The brown tabby was scarred and one of his ears was torn. Nightpaw saw Wolfpaw shrink backward. There was no way she was scared of a kittypet!

"Ahh, the ShadowClan mice are back, Morris," the tabby purred. Nightpaw remembered Morris saying something about his friend Blake the first time they met. She guessed that the tabby was that Blake cat.

"Perfect," Morris purred. "I was hoping I could shred something other than those fake littler mice inside."

"Fake mice? That's what you entertain yourselves with?" Riverpaw spat. Her teeth were bared, and her pale white and orange patched, speckled, and sleek fur fluffed up along her skinny, broad-shouldered frame.

"I'm scared, Blake!" Morris's eyes widened in mockery as he jumped behind his companion. "Protect me from the scary kit!"

"Glady!" Blake purred hostilely as he lunged at Riverpaw. He stretched his front paws toward the skinny she-cat, only for her to drop to the ground and roll aside. Blake crashed into the grass muzzle first. He stood up, rubbing his now bleeding nose with a paw. Riverpaw purred and Nightpaw watched as Wolfpaw leapt at Morris. The patchy orange-and-white tom reared up on his hind legs, only for Wolfpaw to serve around him and claw at his belly with her extended leg. Morris shrieked as Wolfpaw's claws raked his belly. He dropped to all fours and snarled at the ShadowClan apprentice.

"Ha!" Wolfpaw purred, leaping up onto the flat pieces of wood laid vertically along the ground a few fox-lengths out from the back of the nest. Morris lunged at her, only to crash into the wood. Meanwhile, Riverpaw was clawing at Blake's flanks and shoulders. Blake managed to claw a few tufts of fur from Riverpaw's pelt as she swept by him, but other than that, only clawed her hind leg.

Nightpaw tried to reenact a couple of the moves the apprentices used, but she really just watched them fight. She noticed how Riverpaw always dropped into a battle crouch before leaping at Blake, and how Wolfpaw dropped to the ground and rolled under Morris's belly to claw at the softer flesh.

The kittypets soon looked tired, giving the ShadowClan apprentices an advantage. They're only winning because they're trained fighters, Nightpaw thought. I wonder how often Riverpaw comes here. The apprentice had seemed eager to come to the Twoleg nest earlier. Was Nightpaw's Clan really that battle-hungry?

She had heard stories of evil cats who went to the Dark Forest after they died, but none of Nightpaw's current Clanmates were that evil to go there. They just enjoyed using their claws on other cats. As long as they didn't commit murder, Nightpaw didn't really care how they used their claws.

"Alright, alright!" Blake leapt backward before Riverpaw could snap at his ear. "You win!"

"What was the point of this, anyway?" Morris hissed, licking at his chest fur. "We didn't do anything!"

"Except lounge around in our territory!" Riverpaw puffed out her chest. Nightpaw didn't think her response was as good as Riverpaw thought it was. But the skinny apprentice quickly leapt over the fence, Wolfpaw scrambling after her. The two ShadowClan apprentices quickly approached Nightpaw.

"You see that?" Riverpaw purred proudly. "That's how you fight!"

Wolfpaw clearly thought otherwise. "It was only kittypets, Riverpaw, nothing special."

"You're just jealous you fought Morris instead of Blake," Riverpaw snapped.

"That's why you didn't fight ThunderClan earlier!" Wolfpaw shot back at her sister. Riverpaw didn't reply; she just huffed and started walking toward the ShadowClan camp. Nightpaw walked next to Wolfpaw as they followed Riverpaw back home.

"I think you fought better than Riverpaw," Nightpaw whispered to Wolfpaw. The small ginger-and-white she-cat smiled at Nightpaw.

"Thanks, Nightpaw." Wolfpaw cast a sharp glance ahead at her sister. "Riverpaw can be so bossy sometimes."

Nightpaw was about to respond as a crash came from the bushes. Nightpaw and Wolfpaw tensed, bushing up their fur and unsheathing their sharp claws. Riverpaw kept walking, unaware of the commotion behind her as a chestnut-brown-and-white tom burst from the bushes, accompanied by a small fawn-and-yellow tom with green eyes.

"Nightpaw! Wolfpaw!" the chestnut-brown-and-white tom growled; his dark yellow eyes fiery with anger. "What are you doing out here on your own?"

"Riverpaw took us out," Wolfpaw straightened and smoothed her fur. 

"Where is she then?" the second tom mewed more calmly then the first. Nightpaw tensed, recognizing the cats the moment they flew out from the bushes. Creekfeather was there along with Wolfpaw's mentor Shortleaf.

"Up ahead of us," Wolfpaw ratted her sister out as she pointed her tail ahead of them. The skinny apprentice was almost out of sight as she trotted toward camp. Riverpaw held her tail high as she headed toward camp.

"Apprentices," Creekfeather shook his head. "We've just been in battle. Shortleaf shouldn't be running around looking for you three." He nodded toward a bandaged gash on Shortleaf's hind leg. "Shortleaf, bring these two back to camp while I get Riverpaw." He bounded off toward the pale white-and-orange she-cat.

Shortleaf looked at the two she-cats before flicking his tail and bounding off into the bushes. Wolfpaw and Nightpaw walked behind him as the fawn-and-yellow tom limped in the direction of the camp.

They walked in silence until Shortleaf asked the apprentices a question. "So, does anyone care to explain why Creekfeather and I had to come all the way out to the Twoleg nest to look for you?" 

Nightpaw looked at Wolfpaw. She smelled like the kittypets that she'd fought, and she had a scratch on her spine. It wasn't bleeding badly, but blood trickled down her flank and stained her ginger-and-white fur.

"So?" Shortleaf pressed. Wolfpaw and Nightpaw exchanged looks before the younger apprentice nodded. 

"I'll tell him," she whispered. Nightpaw stared ahead of her and Wolfpaw at Shortleaf. She knew she'd get in trouble for speaking the truth, but it was necessary if she didn't want to suffer more punishments than usual.