Lurking Evil

Chapter 1

Echopaw padded through the forest, the dead leaves crunching beneath her paws. Her sister, Whisperpaw, was right by her side. Their pelts brushed as they walked, and their pace matched each other's pawstep for pawstep.

Just over two moons had passed since Echopaw's first Gathering. Leaf-fall was slowly leaving the forest, and leaf-bare was looming on the horizon. The trees' now-bare branches reached above their heads like long claws, and the few last-surviving leaves that clung to them were dead and brittle. With the chilling weather that came with leaf-bare, frost clung to the forest each dawn, turning the leaves on the forest floor white.

The sunrise after Echopaw's Gathering nearly two moons ago, a patrol of NightClan cats had come into the camp for the herbs, Cliffpaw one of them. Echopaw had been training with Bronzepelt and was glad she hadn't had to see Cliffpaw there, in case the NightClan apprentice had tried to be too friendly with her; DawnClan might have thought she was too good of friends with Cliffpaw, and she couldn't afford to get into trouble if she wanted to become a warrior at the same time as Whisperpaw, or go to the next Gathering; neither of them and gone to the last two Gatherings.

DayClan surprisingly had not been sighted or scented on DawnClan's territory in the past few moons. Rainstar seemed to be happy with the prey DayClan was catching on NightClan's territory; even though the flood had long disappeared in DawnClan territory, it was, according to DayClan, still affecting the moorland. Echopaw wondered how much longer Rainstar would demand to hunt in NightClan territory. Would she accept it if Beechstar, the NightClan leader, told her DayClan wasn't allowed to hunt in NightClan territory anymore? Or would she refuse? Or would she even try to hunt in DuskClan or DawnClan territory? After Rainstar's veiled threat at the Gathering two moons ago, Echopaw wouldn't be surprised if Rainstar began demanding hunting rights in the entire forest.

Echopaw shook these thoughts out of her mind; she and her sister had been sent on an all-day hunting mission to test their progression. Luckily their mentors would not be watching them, like during real assessments. She and Whisperpaw had the whole day to themselves to catch as much prey as they could.

Whisperpaw suddenly stopped and turned, and Echopaw ran into her.

Echopaw peered around her sister. "W-"

"Shhh!" Whisperpaw hissed, slapping her tail over Echopaw's mouth. Whisperpaw was scanning the undergrowth, her ears pricked and her eyes narrowed in focus. Echopaw looked around too, wondering what had caused her sister to stop so abruptly.

Then a warm prey-scent filled her mouth. A squirrel! Echopaw looked around her for the sight of its reddish-brown fur, but she couldn't find it. Just then a large heather bush rustled to Echopaw's right, and she slowly turned her head and saw a fluffy reddish-brown tail poke out from it. Whisperpaw licked her lips then dropped into the hunting crouch. Echopaw crouched down lower as well; if her sister was going to catch the squirrel, Echopaw didn't want to alert it.

Echopaw watched as Whisperpaw stalked closer toward the heather bush, her paws gliding effortlessly over the ground. Whisperpaw's ears laid flat against her head, and her tail almost dragged it was hanging so low. Whisperpaw waited in front of the heather bush for the squirrel to leave the safety of its hideout. Once it rustled its way out of the heather's branches, with seeds and nuts in its paws, Whisperpaw rocked her haunches, then sprang after the squirrel, giving chase as it scampered away. Before it could escape, Whisperpaw grasped it with her claws and killed it with one swift bite to the neck.

"Nice!" Echopaw sat up and congratulated her sister.

Whisperpaw buried her prey to pick up later on their way back and replied, "Thanks! Now it's your turn!"