Dawnstar's Message

Chapter 22

***Hey! Thanks for all the reads, ya'll! Enjoy this chapter***

**...what the hey...i just had 923 reads yesterday and now theres 918... hm. life is funny that way.**

CHAPTER 22

"All EarthClan cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Great Bluff!" Dawnstar gave the call for a Clan meeting. It had been four days since the BeachClan cats had come, and Dawnstar was now choosing the cats to come along. It was the crack of dawn now, and long red shadows were cast by the boulders in camp.

"I will need 8 cats," he announced to the crowd. "for Beach Cleanup. Fawngaze, Smokeyes, Clovermist, Spottedclaw, Whispershine, and Sundance will come with me. Scorchpaw and Wavepaw, you come too. We're leaving before sunhigh tomorrow."

Dawnstar looked at Skypelt. "Skypelt, you get a break today, I'll set up patrols." The blue warrior nodded his approval. "Okay. I'll come down now, meeting dismissed." Dawnstar scrambled down the bluff and met the waiting group of warriors.

"Alright," Dawnstar addressed the crowd. "I need Shortwhisker to lead a border patrol to the FieldClan border. Take Thrushfall, Scorchpaw, Fawngaze, and Brindlepelt.   Peachnose, you can take Poppybreeze, Sableheart, and Clovermist and Mallowpaw to hunt by the apple trees, but don't leave until sunhigh. I will take Aldergaze, Wavepaw, Eaglefeather, Sparrowpaw, and Ringpool to the Owl Oak to hunt." Dawnstar twitched his tail, giving the signal for the patrols to gather.

Dawnstar padded over to Aldergaze. "Come on," he said to the brown tom. "Let's go get the rest of them."

Aldergaze nodded. He dashed off into the crowd.

Wavepaw came up to Dawnstar. "Do you think there will be owls at the tree, Dawnstar?"

"Probably not. If there are, then they are asleep. And if we wake them up, they'll eat all the prey or scare it away." Dawnstar purred. "So, I hope you're not hoping to see one."

The little blue tom shuffled his paws. "Well, I was..."

"Hasn't Shadowheart told you about Redpaw? When Shadowheart was your age, FieldClan had a litter of kits named Redkit, Bluekit and Blackkit. When they were apprentices, Redpaw climbed up the tallest tree in FieldClan. Then, a big black vulture came and," Dawnstar grabbed Wavepaw by the scruff. "Snatched the little she-cat right up!"

Wavepaw shook his pelt when Dawnstar put him down. "So what?"

"So, owls are bigger than vultures. So, if a vulture can snatch an apprentice just like that, so can an owl. Owls are bad luck; they take prey, snatch up little unsuspecting cats, and sometimes make these crazy noises at night!"

Wavepaw shuddered. "So there are owls in the tree?"

"Nope. That tree's abandoned," Dawnstar replied simply.

Wavepaw growled. Dawnstar laughed and they went together to their patrol, which Aldergaze had gotten together. All of the patrols had been organized and the warriors in the clearing were gone.

"Ready to go, Dawnstar," Aldergaze told his leader as they approached. As the patrol set off into the forest, the order began to take form: Dawnstar and Ringpool at the front, the apprentices next, and then Eaglefeather and Aldergaze bringing up the rear.

"So, are you excited to be out of the nursery again?" Dawnstar asked the black former queen as they walked.

"It's great," Ringpool mewed. "The warriors den is so roomy, and I don't have kits bugging me all the time!" She frowned. "Not to say that kit's aren't great, it's just so many moons spent without leaving the camp..." She inhaled the cold air. "If only it wasn't leaf-bare, I would enjoy it so much more!"