Warriors : A New Omen

Chapter 12 >> Sneaky

"Brightblossom," Willowpaw whispered, gently nudging her sleeping mentor. A tremor of apprehension ran through her. How far was she willing to lie in order to devise a good excuse?

The white she-cat cracked open a brilliant green eye. "Mphh?"

Willowpaw shifted her paws. "Ah, my belly doesn't feel good. Can we skip training?" Her voice raised a pitch.

Brightblossom didn't seem to notice. She only nodded and promptly fell back asleep.

That was easy! Willowpaw was relieved. She reentered the clearing.

I'm good at scenting, right? I'll just keep my distance... and stay downwind. Willowpaw reasoned. She waited until the camp returned to its previous undisturbed state before following them out.

Volefur remained asleep at his post. Willowpaw crept carefully around him, watching him all the while.

Good thing there's not some sneak attack patrol tonight. We would have all been dead, she thought with a snort.

Once she had entered the woods, she easily found the scent trail of the apprentices. They had made no effort to disguise it.

Somewhere in the treetops an owl screeched. It sent a jolt through Willowpaw. She realized just how stupid of a plan this was. Staying far enough away from them to remain undetected? Alone? Mousebrained. A hasty decision made in the heat of the moment.

Going off into the woods without Frostpaw – without anybody felt wrong. Especially with the continued prevalence of traps.

Her paws slowed until she came to a halt. Looking around, her gaze found only darkened trees and flitting shadows. She had a vague idea of where she was, but the forest looked vastly different at night. Once familiar landmarks where unintelligible.

The night had warped the landscape into something she didn't recognize.

Her all-to-acquainted friend, fear, joined her side.

Who knows what are in these trees at moonhigh? She fretted.

But Birdpaw's words echoed in her mind.

"Scared of everything..."

"She would never..."

Willowpaw bit her whiskers. She forced the tide of cold claws to recede. She steeled her gaze onto one point and focused all her mind on that object. Any other thoughts were shoved aside.

Placing one paw forward, she copied the motion with the next, and the next. Suddenly she was walking again.

Continuing to focus directly ahead of her, Willowpaw picked up the trail again.

The owl cried once more, echoing through the branches of bare trees. This time she did not dwell on what lay beyond the edge of her vision. All that mattered was moving forward. Not back. Besides, she could easily smell if a badger or fox were around.

Of course, fear did not take a complete absence. It was still there, pacing in the back of her mind. And Willowpaw used every scrap of willpower to direct her thoughts on the current task.

As she kept practicing her technique, the scents grew fresher. She was catching up.

Without realizing, Willowpaw had made her way towards the ShadowClan border.

Breathing in a deep lungful of air, she found that the path veered a sharp North as it neared the border. But, Willowpaw noticed, they skirted dangerously close.