//Un//marked

// chapter 31 //

    There was a certain tension about the camp in the days following Nightchaser's confession. Dewpaw found Beetlepaw less agreeable, as if she were angry about the DarkClan healer's death, and a cloud of gloom followed Lightpaw, who hardly spoke.

    With the expectation of a retaliatory attack, Jaystrike, Beaver, and Roxanne had stepped up the intensity of training once more, taking the trainees out for their first round before sunhigh, stopping by camp for a quick bite of freshkill, and putting them through a second round before sunset. Dewpaw longed for a day off by the end of a quarter moon.

    "We're doing some extra training today," Jaystrike said as he passed Dewpaw, Oats, and Crisp on his way to the camp entrance. "Would you like to join?"

    Oats got to his paws immediately, Crisp following soon after. Dewpaw noticed Flea and Penny heading for the meeting spot as well.

    "I can't," Dewpaw mewed back. "I was asked to go on patrol by Condor."

    Jaystrike waved him off with a flick of his tail, already on his way to training.

    Sprucetail was gathering up her own patrol of Roxanne, Killian, Leo, and Lightpaw. Dewpaw narrowed his eyes at the tortoiseshell, who was shuffling her paws awkwardly at something Leo had said. Not far from them, Webpaw and Hazel glared at her too. Even after her extended stay at the camp, Dewpaw still couldn't place why he felt so off about her.

    "Ready to go?" Condor asked, passing him with Shard at his side. The two toms had grown rather close after the junkyard gang joined their cause. "Gannet and Hazel will be joining us shortly." Dewpaw's eyes flicked to Gannet, who was busy play-fighting Beetlepaw, and found he disagreed.

    Sure enough, Gannet was the last to join them. Hazel scoffed quietly as he approached, his fur a mess. Realizing his dishevelled state, the black and white tom quickly licked down some of his stray patches of fur.

    "Where to?" he asked. Dewpaw looked the tom over, remembering his and Killian's conversation. Whose side was he on?

    "The fence closest to the DarkClan border," Condor replied, already setting a brisk pace. "We haven't encountered any cats there since Beaver's patrol a half moon ago, but we need to keep checking..."

    In case they are planning to attack, Dewpaw filled in. The rest of the patrol seemed to do the same.

    Along the way, Gannet managed to corner a mouse against a fence, killing it with one swift bite. Dewpaw had to admit that, if he was a spy, he was fitting into their camp nicely.

    They arrived at the border just after sunset, the inky blackness making it hard to discern where the others were. Gannet's white fur shone brightest, the black on him disappearing into the darkness. Dewpaw followed him most closely.

    "Mark the border quickly," Condor said. "I smell DarkClan, and I wouldn't want to get caught out here in this darkness."

    The patrol did as told, moving along the borderline swiftly. Dewpaw arrived at their meeting point first, followed by Hazel and Condor, and finally Shard. As they waited for Gannet, who had been given the section furthest from them, Condor suddenly stiffened.

    "Are those rebels I smell?" The voice coming out of the darkness dripped poison and cruelty. From the shadows emerged five cats. In the low light, Dewpaw saw that two were ginger, two were grey, and one, the smallest of them, was black.

    "We'll mark our territory and be on our way," Condor assured them, though he remained tense.

    "Very well." The leader of the patrol seemed to be the larger of the two grey toms. He stepped forward, closer to them, and Dewpaw's eyes widened.