Facing A Forest of Shadows

Chapter Fourteen {Edited}

Pineheart joined the other warriors beside the barren bushes. His pelt was still spiked with fear from his perilous journey with Smallfire across the Thunderpath. The orange and white tom had lay down to rest, his fever threatened to overwhelm him.

"Where's Sweetmind?" Pineheart heard Elkleap ask as he approached. He glanced towards Frostfeather and noticed that the calico she-cat was nowhere in sight.

Dewdrop stepped around from behind Frostfeather, her expression dark. "She got caught under the paws of a monster. We couldn't save her."

Pineheart flinched with shock. Sweetmind is dead?

"She was trying to save me," Frostfeather choked, her voice drowned with a sob. Pineheart wondered what exactly had happened. If Dewdrop was keeping watch, there shouldn't have been any chance of this occurring.

Elkleap bowed his head. "That's a shame. At least it was a noble death. One of a true warrior."

Brokensong also spoke up, her face stunned with distress but her voice strong, "yes, she knew the sacrifice she was making. If she was saving you from the paws of a monster, it was truly the death of a warrior."

Pineheart leaned closer to Frostfeather to try and ease her pain. He could feel her anguish like hot sludge on his pelt. "It'll be ok..." he murmured, "she knew what she was doing." The familiar words seemed to tumble out of his mouth. Those were almost the exact words she said to me about Blizzardstar.

"I think it's Dewdrop's fault!" Frostfeather hissed, quiet enough for only him to hear. He glanced up to see her glare at the silver pelted medicine cat. Her eyes were narrowed with intense fury.

"How is it her fault? She was the one who was helping us to cross," he asked softly. He couldn't deny he had found the situation fishy, but why would Dewdrop want to harm them?

"She snagged my tail when I tried to cross! She must have wanted me to get hit, but it was Sweetmind instead!" Her voice rose to a helpless wail. She had gained the attention of the other warriors, who eyed her curiously.

"You've been through quite a shock," Elkleap murmured as he inched closer to Frostfeather, "but we should keep moving and stop dwelling on what happened. Sweetmind wouldn't want you to blame yourself."

Frostfeather shook her head, her suspicions going unnoticed. But Pineheart knew she couldn't be imagining it. For whatever reason, Dewdrop was trying to sabotage them!

~~~~~~~~~~

After a short breather, the patrol set off once more. They followed Brokensong's suggestion, to head towards the sunset.

As they plodded along, Brokensong started to formally introduce Dewdrop to the others.

"I'm sure you already know this is Elkleap," she began as she pointed her tail towards the black and brown striped tom.

"Ah, yes. And I know Sootsplash and Meadowshine as well," Dewdrop confirmed, "I may be getting old but my memory is still sharp. I remember seeing them along the border back when BreezeClan was still around."

"That was some time ago," Brokensong agreed, "but Sootsplash and Meadowshine also have a daughter." Brokensong turned her head to look at Lionpaw. "Her name is Lionpaw. She used to have a littermate as well. Her name was Shimmerpaw, but she died when the sickness started to overtake our camp."

"That's a shame," Dewdrop commented, "wherever we are going, we will need more young cats." Yeah, too bad you killed Sweetmind, Frostfeather fumed.

"We will have to figure it out when we get there," Elkleap grunted, "no sense worrying about it now."

Brokensong flicked her tail and continued her introductions to Dewdrop. "The white she-cat is Frostfeather, and the black tom is Pineheart. I figured you would recognize them, since you were the one who helped Spottedrose during her kitting."

"Ah, yes... they did look familiar," she agreed. Frostfeather squinted her eyes and stared angrily at the back of Dewdrop's head. What in StarClan's name is she up to, she wondered.

"Smallfire is the white and orange tom. He has been a bit under the weather since we left. I think he just needs a proper camp to rest in, with warm nests and fresh kill," Brokensong continued.

Frostfeather noticed Dewdrop's ears perk with mild interest. What's she thinking now, she pondered.

"If he has a fever we should stop and find some feverfew," Dewdrop insisted. She glanced up at the sky, which had already become streaked with the faint rays of the sunset. "I'm sure everyone could do with a rest."

They had traveled at a steady pace since they departed from the Thunderpath. No one was sure how long they'd have to walk before they reached a new home, but hopefully it was sooner rather than later.

After they had left the noisy Thunderpath, they hadn't encountered even a single strip of forest. Vast, grassy plains stretched into the distance, only lightly dusted with the frosty touch of snow.

"I'm not exactly sure where you're expecting us to rest," Sootsplash grumbled, "I'm not going to have Lionpaw and Meadowshine sleeping out in the open."

Elkleap rolled his eyes and reared back on his hind paws to inspect the horizon for any sign of trees. After a second, he dropped back down and turned to the others. "I still don't see any signs of a forest. I'll scout ahead to see if I can find any other shelter. Just stay put."

The tom bounded away into the tall, dense grass. Dewdrop faced Pineheart and Smallfire and walked closer towards them. "How are you feeling, Smallfire?" she asked kindly.

He groaned and flopped onto his side. "I'm so thirsty," he croaked.

"You'll feel better after we eat some prey," Pineheart reasoned as he bent over to nuzzle Smallfire's flank.

The patrol waited for some time for Elkleap to return. Darkness began to creep across the field, shrouding the Clan cats in shadow. "Maybe we should go looking for him," Meadowshine declared, "something could have happened."

Lionpaw whimpered and snuggled closer to her mother's side. "I'm sure Elkleap's fine," Brokensong replied curtly.

She was right; after only a few more minutes, Elkleap reappeared from the depths of the frost-tipped grass. "I found us an abandoned badger set. It's big enough for us all to sleep in," he reported in excitement.

"That sounds perfect," Brokensong mused, "lead the way."

The entire patrol slowly got to their paws and followed after Elkleap as he led them to the badger set. Dewdrop kept herself to the back of the group. She hovered close behind Pineheart and Smallfire, her head low.

"After we are all settled, Pineheart, Sootsplash, and I are going to go hunting to try and find some prey," Elkleap ordered casually over his shoulder. Frostfeather glanced up at the sky, where only a streak of sunshine remained. Hopefully they could manage to find something.

Frostfeather felt her stomach groan with hunger. After some fresh-kill and a long rest, they'd be ready for whatever this journey managed to throw their way.