Faith's Journey - Book One (Warriors Fanfiction)

Chapter 20

"What?" Ashpaw and Acornpaw meowed, their eyes wide.

"We have to get back to camp." Faithpaw stepped forward, glancing over at Thistlestar.

"Why?" Ashpaw asked.

"I-I don't know!" Thistlestar yelled, clawing up the grass beneath his paws. "FoxClan and Darkstar pose more of a threat to us than I originally thought." Thistlestar continued, quieter this time. His green gaze swept around his clanmates, resting on Faithpaw for a few moments.

Faithpaw gave him a tiny nod of her head. "Let's go." She meowed, flicking her tail back and forth. Hope glittered in Thistlestar's eyes and he led the way up the slope onto the Thunderpath.

The patrol padded briskly along the side of the Thunderpath, the short grass was coarse beneath their paws.

"What was SilverStar Falls like?" Ashpaw asked, coming up on Faithpaw's left.

"It was... beautiful... It shone with the warriors of StarClan themselves..." Faithpaw murmured, smiling as she recalled the scene.

"That sounds amazing!" Acornpaw squealed, coming up on Faithpaw's other side, not fazed by the reason they were rushing home. That, or she didn't show it.

Meanwhile, fear and confusion were curling inside of Faithpaw. Fear of FoxClan threatening her clan, and confusion from the words that the starry cat had told her. "You are a special cat, Faithpaw. You'll grow to do great things. You have a destiny greater than most cats. Your clan needs you, even if they don't see it yet. You will rise to save them."

The patrol came to the hard, black stone of the paved Thunderpath. Thistlestar padded forward and rested a paw on the smooth surface. He glanced up and down the path, then flicked his ears. 

As if that was a signal, Hollyhawk raced across the path, her paws flying over the stone. She stopped when she reached the other side.

"Now you Ashpaw." Thistlestar hissed, signalling with his tail.

Ashpaw cast a glance at Faithpaw and darted across the stone, coming to a stop next to Hollyhawk.

"Acornpaw, you next." The gray tom meowed. 

Acornpaw started to run, not seeing the monster speeding towards her. 

"Acornpaw, run!" Thistlestar yelled, but Acornpaw didn't seem to hear him. She was frozen as the monster drew closer, its paws rumbled along the Thunderpath. 

Without a second thought, Faithpaw ran toward her friend, ignoring Thistlestar's meows of shock. Acornpaw gasped as Faithpaw threw herself over the reddish-brown she-cat. Faithpaw pressed the smaller cat to the ground as the monster rumbled above them. Fear pulsed through Faithpaw and her heart pounded, she could feel Acornpaw shaking beneath her. Faithpaw pressed further into her friend's pelt as the monster passed over them. Hot air buffeted their fur. The acrid stench that the monster left in its wake stung her nostrils. 

Faithpaw nudged Acornpaw to her paws and they both hurried across the rest of the Thunderpath. Thistlestar raced after them and continued running even after he passed. 

"What are you doing?" Hollyhawk called after him.

"I can see the forest! Come on, follow me!" Thistlestar yelled back to them.

All the cats exchanged glances and bounded after their leader. Faithpaw felt Acornpaw's fur brush her's as they ran, and Ashpaw's whiskers were grazing Faithpaw's.

The cats raced across the border and the ferns and undergrowth slapped against them as they pushed through.

The bracken wall came into view and Thistlestar skidded to a halt. Faithpaw's fur fluffed up as she heard shrieks and yowls coming from inside the camp.