"Amberkit, step forward."
Brookpaw proudly watched her friend as Hawkstar summoned him. In fact, she felt almost as proud as Amberkit's parents, Firelight and Grasscloud.
"Do you promise to train with all your ability and to learn to serve your clan?" Hawkstar meowed, his gold-green eye blazing.
"I do."
"Then from this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Amberpaw. Snowblaze, you shall mentor him. Pass on your strength and loyalty."
The clan cheered.
Brookpaw was both happy and sad. Happy that her friend would be training alongside her now, sad that she would no longer be the one training him. Well, hopefully I've at least given him a head start.
Amberpaw tried to make his way over to her, but Snowblaze cut him off before he could. Brookpaw heard the white tom say something about going to see the borders, then he shuffled Amberpaw off towards the entrance.
She shot Ravenfoot a look. Can we go with them?
Her mentor shrugged. "I don't see why not."
They bounded off towards the gorse tunnel after the two cats.
"Hold up, Snowblaze," Ravenfoot called, "We're coming too. It won't hurt to stretch our legs a bit."
That, Brookpaw thought as they padded through the extremely thick snow, was an overstatement. Nevertheless she was happy to be with her friend. It had been a while since she'd really had fun. The battle with Willowlight's happy little death squad had been about a moon ago, and since then leaf-bare had really settled in. So far, there had been no more incidents with the neighboring clan. Hawkstar and Crowstar had agreed to not battle over Sunningrocks until green-leaf, giving their clans time to recover and think it through some more.
Still, Brookpaw wondered if the RiverClan would keep his word until then.
"Where are we going first?" Amberpaw asked, his big golden eyes wide.
Snowblaze thought for a moment. "I think we'll only do half the territory today. We'll go up to Fourtrees first, then circle around the border until we get to Twolegplace."
Avoiding RiverClan, then. Excellent. That meant there would be no encounters with with Iceheart or Slywhisker.
Brookpaw cursed herself for even thinking about him. She knew she should hate him. She tried to convince herself that she did. But deep down, she knew she simply couldn't. Surely no one could hate that smooth voice and those occasionally charming remarks... she scowled. Is there no making sense of this? She thought irritably.
"Do you guys smell that?" Amberpaw meowed quietly.
Broken from her thoughts, Brookpaw tasted the air. "Smells like a cat. A rogue, probably."
Ravenfoot nodded. "We could split up. Brookpaw and I could track down the scent and you two could continue your tour."
"But—" Amberpaw cut himself off.
Brookpaw knew he wanted to come along, too. He was the one who'd found the scent, after all. She spoke up. "Nah, we could stick together. The scent is fresh. It probably wouldn't take long to find the rogue."
Snowblaze seemed to consider this, and Amberpaw shot her a grateful look. She smiled at him and waited for his mentor's reply.
"Okay, fine," Snowblaze meowed. "But let's make it quick."
Brookpaw and Amberpaw lead the way, working together to track the scent. Thankfully, it was much stronger than the scent she and Leafpaw had tried to follow a couple moons ago. It lead them near the Thunderpath, heading in the direction of Twolegplace.
The fumes of monsters made Brookpaw's nose twitch. Why would anything want to live in this place? Eventually the scent became so mixed with all the other smells of the Twolegplace that she and Amberpaw lost the trail.
"It was probably just a rogue passing through," Snowblaze meowed. "If we find them on our territory again, we'll teach them a lesson." He sounded dismissive, as if his comment ended the whole search.
"We can't just give up now!" Brookpaw insisted. "Leafpaw and I found another scent a little while ago, another rogue, we think. Maybe this is related to-"
"Since when is the scent of a rogue a strange thing? We encounter several a season." Snowblaze seemed amused.
"I don't know, I just-"
"I appreciate your concern for making others respect our borders, Brookpaw, but letting one rogue go isn't going to hurt anything. Besides, we'll never find the scent again here. Let's just get going with the tour."
Brookpaw shot a desperate glance at Ravenfoot. Please, help me out here. But for once her mentor didn't seem to be on her side. He shook his head slightly, which translated into it's not worth it.
Defeated, Brookpaw let out a small sigh. She really had no idea why she was so determined to find this rogue. Was it just instinct? Hadn't Ravenfoot said for her to trust her instincts? So much for that idea. She wouldn't be able to sneak into Twolegplace, not with Snowblaze and Ravenfoot watching her. Besides, she'd never been there before, and wouldn't choose to go there unless she had to.
---
The tour of the territory felt long and dull to her, even with Amberpaw bounding along excitedly the whole time.
"Wow, I never knew the territory was so big!" He exclaimed when they reached the Twolegplace border once again.
"And that's only half of it," Snowblaze meowed. "We'll look at the other side tomorrow."
The four cats squeezed through the gorse tunnel and back into the camp.
Berrypaw and Leafpaw were chatting with each other near the apprentices den. Probably about their assessments. The two sisters were due to become warriors anytime now. Brookpaw couldn't help noticing how they'd matured (at least in looks) since she'd first joined them in the apprentices den. Berrypaw had actually become one of the prettiest cats in the clan, with her dark red pelt, bright yellow eyes, and lean but strong build. Brookpaw supposed that was one of the reasons Rabbitflight had started hanging out with her.
No, she was not jealous. But it did make her feel a bit sad whenever she saw them chatting and laughing together. Only a few moons ago he, Fallingleaf, and herself had been good friends. But something had changed in Rabbitflight. Or perhaps in herself. Suddenly the white and orange tom had started to annoy her instead of making her laugh. Suddenly his humorous grin had become arrogant. Suddenly Brookpaw had lost a friend to her rival.
"I wonder what our names will be," she heard Berrypaw meow. "I'd like to be Berryclaw, but there are already so many 'claws' in the clan."
It was odd to hear the red tabby talking like an apprentice on their first day. No offense intended, Amberpaw.
"Leafwind sounds neat. Or maybe Leafdawn."
Berrypaw rolled her eyes. "You sound like you want to be named like a medicine cat! I want a fierce sounding name!"
Brookpaw saw Aspenglow's ears perk up when Berrypaw mentioned 'medicine cat'. The light tabby rolled her eyes and continued to sort the herbs she was sending to Silvershine.
The sisters continued to argue about their possible names, and eventually Brookpaw grew tired is listening to them. So, she decided to visit Duskpelt.
The gray tabby was stretched out in her nest, half awake. Twigtail followed her example in her own nest. Dustscar and Shalefire were chattering away, as if it was a bright, warm, new-leaf day outside. Brookpaw smiled.
"Ah, Brookpaw. You want to join the conversation?" Shalefire asked. The silver tabby couldn't help but to notice how much better he seemed since he'd retired. His sickness had gone away completely now, and his yellow eyes were bright and alert. He looked as if he was around Stormclaw's age. Is he? Was he just so sick it made him seem older?
She nodded to the former leader. "Sure, but if you don't mind, I'm going to see if Amberpaw needs some company real quick."
Sticking her head out of the end of the log, Brookpaw scanned the clearing for her friend. She saw him sitting near the apprentices den, looking absentmindedly at the ground.
"Hey!" She gestured with her tail for him to come over.
Perking up instantly, Amberpaw bounded towards her, his golden eyes wide. "What?"
"You looked lonely, and I figured you'd want to talk with Dustscar and Shalefire with me."
If it was possible, his eyes widened even more. Geez, his eyes are so big. They made him look so much younger sometimes than he actually was.
"Come on, they're waiting," she meowed and crawled back in the den.
Amberpaw followed her in and took a seat beside Dustscar. "Hi," he meowed nervously.
Dustscar dipped his head in greeting, as did Shalefire.
Brookpaw took the opportunity to ask, "Um, what are you guys talking about?" She assumed it was some tale she'd heard from Duskpelt before, but Shalefire's answer surprised her.
"The days before I became leader, when Pondstar was still alive."
Brookpaw filed through her memory, trying to think of a time when a cat named Pondstar was mentioned, but nothing came to mind. Suddenly her hopes rose. Would any of this explain Applefall's past?
"I know you've probably never heard of her, but in truth it wasn't too long ago that she ruled ThunderClan," Shalefire meowed matter of factly.
"Why isn't she mentioned, then?" Amberpaw asked. "Was she a bad leader?"
Dustscar's eyes widened. "No, not at all. She was one of the greatest. Rumor has it she gave all of her lives for her clan."
"It's simply because so many of the cats that grew up under her reign died during the battle of the wolves and during the sickness afterward," Shalefire finished.
"So you were deputy then?" Brookpaw asked the black and white tom.
"Not at first. Pondstar's first deputy was Poppyflame."
Dustscar sighed. "Oh Starclan, she was a lovely cat. Friendly, kind, smart, but also extremely loyal."
Duskpelt snorted from the other side of the den. "He's still mooning over her."
The cream-colored tom rolled his eyes, but didn't deny it.
"What happened to her?" Amberpaw asked.
"It's a bit complicated," Shalefire began. "The ShadowClan deputy at the time, Bluethorn—"
At the mention of Bluethorn, Dustscar growled and muttered darkly to himself. Shalefire shot him a look that wasn't quite stern yet wasn't quite nice either.
"As I was saying, Bluethorn fell in love with her, and tried to force her to leave ThunderClan and to join him. But Poppyflame was much too loyal to ever do that. She also didn't share his feelings. So she told Bluethorn no. And, in his anger, he killed her."
Brookpaw felt shock spread throughout her body. "He killed her?!
Shalefire gave her a sorrowful glance. "Love can do terrible as well as wonderful things to us."
The silver tabby felt that there was something more in his remark than just repeating a saying. Had Shalefire had a cat he was in love with do something terrible? Or had something terrible happened to a mate of his? She didn't dare ask. Not now.
"And so I was appointed deputy, though it was a close call between me and Fernclaw."
"Wasn't she your first deputy?" Amberpaw meowed, eyes wide.
"That's right," said Shalefire, "And a very good one. I think her only fault is that she was a bit too serious."
"But she got things done," Dustscar meowed. "I miss her, too."
Amberpaw and Brookpaw looked at each other, then asked in unison, "And what happened to her?"
"She died in the bout of greencough after the battle of the wolves."
"Ah." This conversation is cheery.
Shalefire twitched his tail and spoke up again. "But let's go back to when both Fernclaw and Poppyflame were still alive. As Duskpelt can tell you, one time we had two big dogs show up near the camp, barking like mad. They were trying to get into our camp, but the gorse barrier was keeping them outside for the moment."
"You make it sound as if we were all cowering inside the camp," Duskpelt rasped. "Dustscar, Poppyflame, and I went out first to chase them off. At the time we didn't realize how big they were. As soon as we saw them, Poppyflame went back to get more cats."
"So it was the two of you against two giant dogs," Amberpaw said.
"Well, I dealt with one of 'em," Duskpelt meowed proudly. "Chased him all the way to Twolegplace. Dogs are so mouse-brained."
Brookpaw had heard that story before. "And the other?"
"Poppyflame and I fought her off," Dustscar meowed.
"I thought you said she went back to get more cats."
"She did. But they barely had the opportunity to help because Poppyflame made it back sooner than they did and helped me fight the dog off."
Dustscar looked like he could go on and on about it, but before he could Amberpaw let loose an enormous yawn.
"Sorry," he muttered sleepily.
"You'd better get some rest," Duskpelt told him sternly. "You too, Brookpaw."
She honestly couldn't object to that. She wasn't learning anything about her mother's past, though she had learned that Shalefire could be nice, and possibly charismatic.
"Thanks for inviting us to join you," Brookpaw meowed, and dipped her heads to the older cats.
Shalefire dipped his head in turn and bid her and Amberpaw farewell.
They stepped back outside and began making their way to the apprentices den. The sky had cleared and was darkening fast. Stars gleamed down on them alongside the now waning moon. The gathering had been only a few days ago. Brookpaw had seen Swiftpaw again, but Breezepaw had apparently been unable to come. Thankfully it had been much more peaceful than the last gathering, and she'd had time to really talk to Swiftpaw. Underneath his shyness, he really was a nice cat. WindClan was lucky to have him.
"That was nice," Amberpaw meowed, "but really short. Why'd they even invite us to join the conversation? We couldn't even add anything to it except to ask how all those cats died." His orange-yellow eyes saddened. "It seems like times were pretty bad after the battle of the wolves."
"Oh yes, the battle of the wolves," Brookpaw scowled. "Everyone seems to bring it up, but I still know barely anything about it!"
"I heard Dustscar say that wolves had moved in below the clan territories, and had killed a few cats."
"Me too, but that doesn't explain what happened to my mother."
Amberpaw gave her a look. "What do you mean?"
She glanced around the clearing and said softly, "I'll tell you in the den. Come on."
---
"You mean she won't tell you anything? Not even who your father is?"
Brookpaw sighed. "No. I tried asking when I was a kit, but she only got mad and irritated when I brought it up. Whoever my father is, he must be a jerk or something."
"Does it bother you a lot?"
"Not knowing who my father is?"
"Yeah."
There was a silence. Brookpaw couldn't help but to think how nice it was to be telling somebody how she felt. She'd kept all this to herself for moons.
"It bothers me more that Applefall just won't explain anything. What happened that could make her be that way? Did she do something so wrong she's afraid I'll hate her if I know?"
Amberpaw considered this for a moment, then meowed, "Did you ever think that maybe she just wants to protect you from your father in her own confusing way? Assuming he's bad, of course."
She hadn't. "So you mean she might be trying to keep me from knowing about him so I don't become like him?"
"Something like that."
It was a possibility. But there was no way to prove it. Not now, at least.
"I-I tried asking Duskpelt about him once," she meowed softly. "But she gave me a dark look and said that was something Applefall should tell me about." She sighed.
Amberpaw yawned and stretched his paws forward. Immediately she felt guilty about keeping him up to talk about her problems. What kind of friend am I?
"Go to sleep," she told him, "I'm fine."
He glanced down at the nest they'd hastily put together. "Talking sounds more appealing."
Brookpaw rolled her eyes. "Let's swap then." She had a feeling that she wouldn't be getting much sleep anyway.
Amberpaw's eyes widened. "No, that isn't what I meant! That wouldn't be fair-"
He's so cute, she thought. "No, seriously, it's fine. I'm not that tired."
He tried to protest again, but Brookpaw ignored him and stood up, stretching, before she nudged her friend out of his nest and into hers.
"Hey, just because you're bigger than me-"
"Goodnight, Amberpaw."
The reddish apprentice gave her a look, but settled down in the nest, letting out a sigh as he did so.
Brookpaw smirked. I'm so glad he's here now. Now if only Hawkstar would make Berrypaw and Leafpaw warriors... She would miss Leafpaw, to be honest, but unfortunately the calico was part of a package deal if it meant getting Berrypaw out of the apprentices den. She sighed, trying to get comfortable in the makeshift nest. Eventually she did fall asleep, but naturally it was filled with nightmares.
The first one wasn't too bad. At first. It mostly involved Berrypaw taunting her, but then Rabbitflight joined the red tabby, and Brookpaw was forced to listen as the two cats cackled and jeered at her.
The second one? Terrifying. In it she and Amberpaw were being chased by a fox towards the gorge. Amberpaw was running out of energy, and he slowed down for moment-only to be snatched up by the fox. Brookpaw shrieked, and turned to fight the fox when suddenly the gorge appeared right behind her. Someone was calling her name from the other side, but she didn't have time to look for who it was before the fox snapped at her with it's bloodied fangs, causing her to jump back straight into the gorge.
---
Darkcloud casually flicked his tail back and forth, scanning his surroundings from atop the wooden fence. Scarlet sat beside him, licking her forepaw.
"Ozzy spotted another cat near the border yesterday," she meowed in between licks.
"A rogue?"
"Nah, another kittypet, we think. He didn't have a collar, but he was too well-groomed to be a rogue. Ozzy said he told him to get lost."
Darkcloud gave her an amused look as he watched her clean off her paw.
"What?" She asked, glaring at him.
He chose not to answer her question. Mostly for dramatic effect. "You said Frost had managed to find a few more recruits?"
"Yeah. Two toms, Harley and Sturgis, and one she-cat, Spark. They all seem okay." She began working on her other forepaw. "You think we have enough now?"
The black tabby nodded. "ThunderClan's numbers were low when I left. They can't have risen that much."
Unless of course—he didn't want to think about it. It would only make things more complicated. Much, much more complicated.