Whispers and Echoes

Chapter 16

The gray-brown she-cat with black stripes she'd seen earlier answered. "I don't know. She disappeared a while ago, along with my brother, Bumblepaw. I think they went to meet other cats, but..." She sounded worried.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be fine." Echopaw sighed in relief. It didn't sound like her sister was in trouble. "They probably—" she started, but was cut off.

"I know they'll be fine," snapped the DayClan apprentice.

"Then why are you so worried?" Echopaw retorted.

The apprentice ignored her and instead asked, "What's your name?"

"Echopaw. But why—"

"Mine's Songpaw."

"Okay, but you still haven't answered my—"

"I don't know where your sister is, alright?" Songpaw snapped again, in a tone that said, we don't want you here, so go away.

"Fine," Echopaw muttered bitterly, and she walked away. Great StarClan! DayClan cats are so mean!  she thought as she stalked away back toward her mentor grumpily.

"Are you alright?" Bronzepelt asked as she sat down grumpily next to him.

"DayClan cats are so rude!" Echopaw growled.

"Shhh!" Bronzepelt hissed, but it was too late; Burningwood had heard her. He stalked forward toward them, and Echopaw shrunk in toward Bronzepelt for protection.

"What?" Burningwood growled.

"I-I just m-met Songpaw, a-and—" Echopaw stammered, trying to find the right words.

Burningwood seemed to have forgotten they were there and muttered, "I thought I told her to act nice and not give away anything about our..." and then he stalked away. Echopaw stared after him in relief, hardly picking up on what the DayClan warrior had said.

"That was close. DayClan is already upset as it is. We don't need to add fuel to their flame," Bronzepelt growled as he stared after Burningwood with narrowed eyes. He seemed to have picked up on the meaning of what Burningwood had said.

Echopaw nodded. "Is Burningwood Songpaw's mentor?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Well, let's hope he takes care of her!" Echopaw growled.

Bronzepelt purred in amusement.

"Oh, have you seen Whisperpaw?" Echopaw asked. "I haven't seen her since she went to talk to some DayClan apprentices."

"Maybe they dragged her to their camp and took her as a prisoner," Bronzepelt suggested playfully, but Echopaw just glared at him. "Um, no. I haven't. But it's nearly moonhigh and the Gathering is about to start, so we'd better go sit down."

"Alright, she'll probably show up then," Echopaw meowed hopefully, and followed her mentor to sit over by Spruceclaw, Gravelpelt, Copperleaf, Creekfall, and Aspenleaf. Echopaw noticed that a few DayClan cats glanced nervously at Aspenleaf when they saw her. Echopaw remembered that DayClan had given Aspenleaf her near fatal wound. Creekfall glared at them and Echopaw also remembered that he'd promised to shred the fur off the cats that had hurt Aspenleaf.

Echopaw sat down next to Aspenleaf and meowed in her ear, "Are any of them the ones who attacked you?"

Aspenleaf shook her head. "The one who actually gave me the wound isn't here. His name is Cougarfang. But that she-cat and tom over there," she flicked her ears toward a white she-cat with pale blue eyes and a dusky brown tabby tom with blue-green eyes, "were on the patrol that attacked ours. The she-cat is named Frostwhisker and the tom's name is Weedfoot."