|| The Prophecies Begin || Book 1 Of 6 || Warriors fanfic

~~Chapter 18~~

"I guess you're right. Let's head back.."

~.~

"Moonpaw!" Firepaw hissed into my ear. We'd been allowed to rest all morning, after working on repairs for most of the night. Tigerclaw had ordered us to be ready to begin training at sunhigh. The strong yellow light filtering through to the den told me it was already near that now.

I'd had a restless night. Dreams swirled through my mind each time I fell asleep, confusing and indistinct, but full of darkness and menace.

"Moonpaw!" he hissed again. This time, I reached up to swip at the tom.

"Are you awake, Firepaw?" Ravenpaw mewed from his nest.

Firepaw spat silently under his breath.

"Yes!" he replied.

Ravenpaw sat up in his bed of moss and heather and began to wash with quick flicks of his tongue. "Are you going to wake him?" he asked, nodding toward Graypaw.

A deep voice growled outside their den. "I hope so! Training is about to start."

Firepaw and Ravenpaw jumped while I hissed under my breath and shook out my long, white fur.

"Graypaw, wake up!" I poked my friend with one paw. "Tigerclaw is waiting!"

Graypaw lifted his head. His eyes were still heavy with sleep.

"Are you ready yet?" called Tigerclaw.

Firepaw, Ravenpaw and I crept out of the den, blinking as they emerged into the sunlight.

The deputy was sitting beside the tree stump. "Is the other one coming?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied, feeling defensive on behalf of my friend. "He's only just woken up."

"Training will do him good," growled Tigerclaw. "He's grieved for long enough."

I glared at the huge tom and held the menacing amber gaze for a few moments. Warrior and apprentice, for a heartbeat their eyes were locked as enemies.

Graypaw scrambled sleepily out of the den.

"Bluestar will be ready for you two in a moment," announced Tigerclaw. The words distracted me from my anger. Our first training session with Bluestar! Excitement surged through me. I had expected my wounded mentor to be resting still.

"Graypaw," continued Tigerclaw, "you can join my training session. Do you think you're up to it, Ravenpaw?" He glowered at his apprentice. "After all, you got some pretty nasty nettle stings while the rest of us were fighting those rats."

Ravenpaw looked at the ground. "I'm fine," he mewed.

Graypaw and Ravenpaw followed the deputy out of the camp entrance. Ravenpaw's head hung low as he disappeared through the gorse tunnel.

Firepaw and I sat and waited for Bluestar. She did not keep us long. The gray queen emerged from her den and padded across the clearing. Her fur was still matted in places where her wounds were fresh, but she betrayed no pain in her confident stride. "Come," she called to us.

I noticed with surprise that she was alone. Darkstripe and Longtail were nowhere to be seen. A thought occurred to me and suddenly my excitement was tinged with anxiety—here was an opportunity to tell Bluestar what I had overheard last night.

I caught up with her as she headed for the gorse tunnel and fell in step behind her. "Will your guards be joining us?" I asked hesitantly.

Bluestar replied without looking back, "I've ordered Darkstripe and Longtail to help with the camp repairs. Securing ThunderClan's base is our first priority."