"Leopardpaw, listen," Scarpaw hissed, "he told me himself. It's all true." Leopardpaw twitched an ear, shuffling her paws in discomfort.
"I believe you, Scarpaw, it's just... how do we know that any of this is connected? I mean, sure, theres some strange things going on, and Venomsight has a temper. But do you really suspect him of, I don't know... treason?"
Scarpaw shook her head. "I don't know. But I have a really, really bad feeling. Don't you remember the incident with Woodpaw? Didn't that seem a little strange to you?"
"Yeah, really strange. It's just... a lot to swallow."
The two apprentices sat behind the apprentice den in the bushes, alone in the darkness of the night, the only sounds coming from the distant frogs and the soft wind. Scarpaw had to share what she had learned, and this seemed to be the only way. It was late, and the moon hung high above them, illuminating the eyes of the two she-cats as they spoke in hushed voices, afraid of waking the other apprentices.
"Maybe Venomsight isn't behind everything, but... He and Rosegaze used to be mates. They even lost her first litter; she chased him out of the nursery."
"Yeah, so?"
"So, if he and Rosegaze fought over her kits, he could've been the one to kill her. She was pregnant when she died; maybe Venomsight didn't like the idea of her having another cat's litter."
"He wanted a son," Leopardpaw mumbled, "If she had a son with another cat, Venomsight would be furious."
"Exactly!" Scarpaw stood, pacing around the marshy grass. Her mind was swimming with thoughts concerning the darker warrior. "That could be why he's so tough on Woodpaw, too. Maybe he sees him like a son; he wants him to be strong like him, but Woodpaw can't live up to his expectations. He's not like Venomsight."
Leopardpaw gazed at her friend with concern. "So, what are we supposed to do? Should we tell Snowstar?"
"No, no way."
"What? Don't you think this is something he should know about?"
"If Snowstar knew, it would only cause more problems. He'd confront Venomsight before we even know for sure if he's behind any of it, and then we wouldn't be able to keep investigating. He'd be onto us."
Leopardpaw sighed, flattening her ears. "Scarpaw, I don't know... What if we're getting ourselves involved in something we shouldn't?"
Scarpaw blinked, anxiety forming in her belly. "That's an even better reason to get involved! If it affects the clan, it affects us, too."
Looking to Scarpaw for a few moments, Leopardpaw finally shook her head, looking up towards the night sky. "You know I'll be there to help you, no matter what."
Scarpaw flicked her tail. "So you will help me, then?"
"Do I have much of a choice?" Leopardpaw chuckled, padding her friend in the side with her front paw playfully. "If it means that much to you, then of course I'll help."
"Thanks, Leopardpaw," Scarpaw breathed, licking the top of her friends head in affection. "Listen, maybe we should just get some rest now, and try and find out more in the morning. Let's both try to keep an eye out for any strange behavior from Woodpaw, though; what Deadmouth said about 'watching the apprentice' still concerns me."
"What, you mean behavior even more strange than usual?" When Scarpaw twitched her tail in annoyance, Leopardpaw laughed, shaking her pelt. "Yeah, yeah, okay. Behavior even more strange than usual. Got it."
Scarpaw could hear the soft patter of rain from somewhere nearby, slow and comforting. Opening her eyes, however, Scarpaw was confronted not by her clan clearing or her den, but an abandoned two-leg fence, covered with moss and crumbling to the grass below. Beyond the fence stretched an expanse of grass and wildflowers, and behind her was the edge of the forest, thick and welcoming. Scarpaw blinked, spinning around, trying to figure out where she was and how she got there; the wind that blew around her almost seemed to whisper, but Scarpaw couldn't understand what it was trying to say.
Looking up, she noticed the stars, glowing brighter than ever before, and she watched in awe as one of them grew, falling towards the ground until it took the form of a cat with broad, strong shoulders, dappled in starlight, his eyes shining like two full moons. The older tom stood for a moment, taking in the sight of the terrified apprentice below him, before stalking forward, filling the air with the scent of fresh morning dew and thick, healthy growth in new-leaf.
Scarpaw gasped, scrambling back into the forest behind her, unable to speak. There was something gentle about the tom before her, even quite familiar. He lifted his head to smile, causing Scarpaw's pelt to prickle and grow warm.
"I am always here," he spoke with a voice as smooth as stone, "look up, and you will find me."
Scarpaw blinked, stepping forward to speak, but a crash of lightning behind the starry warrior interrupted her, and the soft rain began to fall harder and harder, pelting her like hail. The figure of the soft cat was now gone, and she was left in the unfamiliar woods alone, bolting when lightning struck the ground once again. Sprinting wildly through the dark, unfamiliar woods, Scarpaw yowled as she ran head first into a rose bush, the thorns digging deep into her fur. She could feel the blood pouring out from her sides as the voice from before boomed along with the lightning, yowling,
"Blood or clan."
Blinking open her eyes, Scarpaw gasped to see the bramble wall of the apprentice den, still neatly in tact, and Leopardpaw giving her a strange glance beside her.
"Great StarClan, Scarpaw, what's gotten into you? You rammed yourself so hard into the wall I thought the whole den was going to fall ontop of me!" Scarpaw narrowed her eyes, swinging around, taking in her surroundings. A calm breeze swept through the bramble den, and the other apprentices were just beginning to rise, yawning lazily and grooming themselves. Even jumpy Woodpaw was peacefully snoozing; Scarpaw was the only cat fully awake, breathing heavily, her pelt standing on end with fear.
"What's going on? You look like you've seen a fox," Leopardpaw questioned, tilting her head. "You haven't seen a fox, have you?" Scarpaw locked eyes with her friend, as the memory of her previous nightmare still hung heavy in her mind.
"Leopardpaw, can we talk? In private, please?" The spotted she-cat narrowed her eyes at Scarpaw, quietly nodding, then made her way out of the den to the camp clearing. A few cats were beginning to rise, enjoying the warm morning sunshine, no hint of any rain or storm. Scarpaw briskly made her way behind the apprentice den towards their usual hiding place, settling herself inside the small pocket of bramble. Leopardpaw did the same, watching her friend with concern.
"Whats all this about? Venomsight again?" Scarpaw hesitated before answering, flattening her ears.
"I received the prophecy; in a dream, last night." Leopardpaw blinked. "What do you mean?"
"The prophecy about 'blood or clan'; a strange cat spoke it to me. He was dappled in starlight, and..."
"And?"
"I feel as if I had seen him before, but I can't remember. He met me outside of the forest, near an old two-leg fence. I had never seen it before."
Leopardpaw's neck fur rose slightly as she listened to her friend. "StarClan... It must be. You said he gave the prophecy, did he say anything else?"
"Yes, but it's hazy... Before the prophecy, it was raining softly, and he told me to 'look up, and you will find me.' Then lightning struck, and I bolted. I didn't know where I was, the forest was so unfamiliar... I ran straight into a rose bush, and thats when I heard the prophecy." Scarpaw shifted her paws, feeling uncomfortable hearing the words come from her own mouth. Why had she received the strange prophecy? How could she possibly be involved, and could this have anything to do with Venomsight's malicious plans?
"Scarpaw, listen... I really think we should tell Snowstar about this."
"Tell Snowstar about what?"
The two she-cats jumped at the sound of the new voice, turning to see Sparkpaw's face poking through the thick bramble to blink at the other two apprentices. "Uh... Have I caught you two at a bad time?"
"Yes, a very bad time," Leopardpaw grumbled, but Scarpaw sighed, locking eyes with the tom.
"What do you want, Sparkpaw?"
"Stormspirit and Owltail are looking for both of you; you're training together today," he mewed with a questioning look, "they asked me to fetch you."
"Thanks, Sparkpaw, tell them we'll be there in a rabbit's leap." Scarpaw smiled at him, and he twitched his whiskers, gazing at her for a moment before turning tail and leaving the two she-cats alone. Scarpaw turned back towards her friend, looking at her with a more serious expression.
"We need to talk about this more, but we can't do it here. What do we do?"
"We're training together today, I'm sure we can get away from Owltail and Stormspirit somehow. Just follow my lead." Leopardpaw padded out of the small bush, leaving Scarpaw alone with her worry; something told her that this would not be as easy as Leopardpaw had made it seem.