Skypaw and Greypaw

Chapter 16

Chapter #16

Skypaw sighed deeply and rolled over in her nest yet again. She stared dully at the tightly woven bramble tendrils sheltering the apprentices from the howling wind. It was not raining, but small snowflakes swirled in the strong breeze. Skypaw shook her head and sat up in her nest. She extended her limbs and enjoyed a lavish stretch. She was tired, but at the same time wide awake. She snuck over to the mouth of the den, and peered out.

Just through the entrance to camp, she saw Plumfall, who must have been on guard. Skypaw thought a walk through the forest might make her sleepy. She stepped out cautiously, still gazing around as if she was going to attacked. Skypaw would prefer if she didn't have to explain what she was doing awake, so she moved around the edge of camp over to the dirt-place tunnel. She moved swiftly and silently, keeping to the shadows. A moon shone brightly from the middle of the dark sky. She figured it must have been around moon-high. She gave a quiet breath of relief when she safely got to dirt-place without being spotted.

Leaping over the low sheltering shrubs, she began to jog through the looming trees. Skypaw began to wonder what she had been thinking. It was freezing and dark, and the powerful wind buffeted her fur, which almost unbalanced the apprentice. She put up with it, as she wasn't going to head back now. Skypaw fluffed up her fur and flattened her ears, so the howling wind would seem quieter. She hissed bad-temperately and stomped on, hunching her shoulders as she wandered through the forest aimlessly. She didn't care where she walked to, though she veered sharply away from Leafclan's territory. Snow fell on her whiskers and fur, putting pretty, white dapples on her blue-grey pelt. She blended in with the moonlight, which sent grey shadows over the forest floor. Skypaw leaped deftly over a fallen tree branch, which must have been torn off of the large oak it landed by. On the other side of it, she stopped to sent the air, though she couldn't sense danger. The wind was carried towards her, which would warn her of things ahead.

Skypaw carried on, keeping her ears pricked for a small noise indicating prey. If she was taking a stroll, she thought it would be best if she at least tried to find some prey.

Skypaw stopped in her tracks, and then whipped around. She heard soft thuds coming from a few tail-lengths away. She crept behind another oak, and flattened herself into the snow. It sounded like pawsteps, coming from a cat. She growled softly with frustration; she had no way of scenting the cat who was stalking towards her rapidly. The thumping grew louder, until it was almost as loud as the wind. Her heart pounded faster, and her claws unsheathed instinctively. She combed the nature around her through narrow eyes, looking for the intruder.

A heartbeat later a large, dark cat emerged from the direction she had been travelling. Without a second of hesitation, she yowled with rage and flung herself at the cat. She leaped onto the cat's back. All her senses were clouded as she pricked her claws into the intruder's muscular and broad shoulders. She hissed and spat as she hurled the bigger cat onto his side. Even though it was the middle of the night, she had all the strength of StarClan with her to fight for her clan. Skypaw planted and unsheathed paw onto the trespassing cat's throat before it could recover.

“Wait!” Skypaw's jaw dropped open as the cat brought her to a halt. She brought her lip back in the beginnings of a snarl. Amber eyes shone in the pale light, a trace of fear, but fondness as well.

“Greystorm! What in StarClan's name are you doing here, you stupid furball?” Skypaw snapped. She shoved the tom away, where he scrambled onto his paws. “Why were sneaking up on me, you big lump? I almost shredded you!” Skypaw's tail bushed up in anger, but fear as well. What if I hurt him? Skypaw fretted silently. Her blue eyes glinted at the tom.

“I'm sorry, but-” Greystorm started, looking genuinely regretful. He studied his paws as if he was getting scolded by his mentor as Skypaw interrupted.