The Prophecy Foretold: Testing Alliances

Chapter Two

A stick whacked Puddlepaw from her sleep, the small apprentice yelping and shooting up in her nest. Blazingpaw snorted, holding a stick in his mouth. "Heavytail's been waiting for you! You better hurry up before he takes on a new apprentice." He warned, before turning and trotting out of the den. Puddlepaw sighed, stretching her legs before she climbed out from the bracken den.

It had been a few days since the Gathering, and the clan had taken Whitestar's warning to heart. Patrols had been doubled along the border by Four Trees, just in case. It had left Puddlepaw exhausted, and her paws dragged in the dirt as she went over to the small group of cats milling about.

"You look well rested." Heavytail purred, nodding to Owlwing and Berryleap. "We're about to head out on patrol. We're taking the Shadowclan border." Puddlepaw perked at that, eyes glittering. She'd only been by the Shadowclan border once, and the Thunderpath that kept the clans distanced.

"Heavytail will be teaching you and Stonepaw about the Thunderpath. In the early morning it's not so busy." Owlwing nodded, and Puddlepaw turned to see Stonepaw joining them, licking mouse guts from his muzzle.

"Sorry, Puddlepaw." He said as she felt her stomach rumble. "You were dead to the world, I couldn't wake you."

A stick sure did, though. Puddlepaw thought sullenly, staring at a fat thrush that lay on the fresh kill pile. It made her stomach hurt even more. The promise of the Thunderpath however took the forefront of her thoughts, and she turned back to Heavytail.

"It's alright. Let's go! I'd rather see the Thunderpath than any old mouse." Heavytail purred, and the patrol headed out into the dew frosted forest.

They stopped a few times to mark their scent, but as they grew closer to the Thunderpath Heavytail broke off, letting Owlwing and Berryleap finish the patrol. Down a small hill the warrior and apprentices went, and out on the other side Heavyleap stopped.

Before them stretched the Thunderpath, thick and black against the ground, and it's acidic scent burned at Puddlepaws nose. She scrunched her face, snorting.

"It smells weird." Heavytail nodded, looking back at the two.

"It does. Twolegs ride in huge monsters across them."

"Do they ever drive into the forest?" Stonepaw asked, anxiety in his mew. Heavytail paused for a moment, thinking.

"No, not usually. On very rare occasions they've been seen to drive into a tree, but they don't go farther than that." Heavytail answered. "You're never supposed to go out onto the Thunderpath, without a reason at the very least."

"What reason would we have to head out there?" Puddlepaw asked, sniffing the air. Heavytail simply shrugged.

"There is no good reason, and that's why you should never head out there." Puddlepaw nodded, leaning closer to the outer embankment of the Thunderpath, sniffing at it's weird scent. The wind changed direction, and a different scent hit her nose, and she perked up, eyes narrowed.

"Is that Shadowclan?" She asked, looking to Heavytail. You could see Shadowclan territory, with their towering pines, just across the Thunderpath, but the scent tasted weird. Heavytail was silent for a moment, opening his mouth to scent the air better. The fur on his back spiked then, eyes widening.

"Windclan." Puddlepaw and Stonepaw glanced at each other, then to Heavytail.

"Windclan doesn't share a border with us. How can we smell them from here?" Stonepaw asked, and Heavytail shook his head.

"I don't know. Windclan can never be scented this far out." Heavytail looked across the Thunderpath then, as some bushes shook, and out popped a sleek she cat.