Warriors: The Trail of Centuries

Chapter 22

     At first, the grey apprentice reeled back in disbelief. Her amber eyes glittered and she inspected Spottedpaw slowly, as if the golden apprentice wasn't real. Spottedpaw shuffled her paws and offered a sheepish smile, waiting for Nightpaw to say something. The apprentice kept staring at Spottedpaw, opening and closing her mouth again as if she couldn't find the words to speak.

     "Y-You're alive . . . ." Nightpaw murmured softly, blinking a few times as if she still didn't believe it. "You're alive! Oh my goodness, Spottedpaw, you're— you're alive! How? I thought you were dead!" She rushed forward, touching her nose to Spottedpaw affectionately. Spottedpaw blinked in surprise and tried to swallow the warm, fuzzy feeling that rose in her chest when Nightpaw's whiskers brushed against her muzzle. She wanted to close her eyes and stay like this forever, but she knew she couldn't.

     "It's a long story," Spottedpaw croaked out, her ears heating up in embarrassment. "How are things at the Gorge? I know when I left, Deadeye was . . . well . . . ." The happiness quickly faded from Nightpaw's eyes, replaced by a sheen of unease. Spottedpaw felt her heart drop at the sight, and she almost regretted asking.

     "Not good," Nightpaw muttered, glancing into the clearing. "Molestrike passed away, and Dapplepaw did, too. Frozenleaf and Shortstep think that Blackpaw and Sunpaw don't have much time left; they said they're running out of herbs to treat them. Deadeye isn't taking it well at all; what you see on the Tallrock is the most composed he's been since you escaped."

     "Shortstep?" Spottedpaw echoed and glanced at the medicine cats briefly, not batting an eye at the death of the elder and apprentice. They were so fragile when I left, she thought, I'm surprised the other two lasted this long with the herb shortage.

     "Yeah," Nightpaw cheered up a bit when the conversation shifted from the dead elder and apprentice. "Frozenleaf gave him his full name at the half moon!" Spottedpaw glanced at the group of apprentices, furrowing her brows.

     "W-What about Riverpaw? I don't see him with the apprentices." Spottedpaw almost regretted asking about him, worried that the worst had happened to her sibling. The death of Brownpaw still rested in the back of her mind, along with the death of Hawkscar; Deadeye clearly had no regard for the safety of others.

     "Oh, right! Your siblings got their warrior names a few sunrises ago, actually!" Nightpaw waved her tail when she announced it, and Spottedpaw felt an unexpected wave of pride course through her. She didn't even care that they'd received their names before her. "Deadeye should be announcing them tonight, actually; their names are Fernspring, Dustleap, and Riverdash."

     "They're okay, then?" Spottedpaw mewed hopefully. She immediately searched the crowd, hoping to find her littermates now that she knew they weren't apprentices.

     "Yes, they're fine," Nightpaw purred in amusement. "Dustleap is faring the best of them all; he spends a lot of time with Deadeye, just like Greyheart does, and Deadeye seems equally interested in him. Riverdash has seemed nervous ever since you fled, but he and Fernspring are doing well. Your sister has gotten even closer to Shortstep, you know."

     Spottedpaw gave an amused snort. "Of course she is, she's so hopeless . . . how are you, though?" Spottedpaw paused and gave Nightpaw a searching glance. "Are you . . . doing okay?" Nightpaw blinked in surprise and fidgeted shyly.

     "W-Well, I'm doing a lot better now," the slender apprentice murmured softly. "Things are getting scary, though—" Yowls from the Tallrock called their attention, and the two mollies sent their attention to the leaders. Harestar stepped forward with a nod to the other Clan leaders, her tail drooping.