Warriors: The Darkest Shadow [Book 1]

Chapter 3

     Shadepaw padded quietly behind her mentor, the she-cat's tail dragged on the ground, leaving a small trail behind her. As they neared the camp a familiar scent drifted into her nose, she turned towards a patch of undergrowth, Sparrowsong stopped and turned around towards Shadepaw, "What is it now?" She snapped with irritation. It surprised Shadepaw how angry her mentor was right now, suddenly a white pelt burst out of the bramble bushes, "Cloudpaw!" She meowed with excitement as her brother padded up to her, "Did you catch that?" He asked, pointing his tail towards the squirrel hanging in Sparrowsong's jaws, "Yeah! What did you catch?" She replied as Iceheart slid out from behind the brambles, "Well, if you must know, this mouse-brain scared off all the prey near the SkyClan border!" His mentor said in a joking tone as she gently cuffed him over the ear, it warmed her heart to see her brother had already gotten used to life as an apprentice.

     "Hey Iceheart? Before we go back to camp can me and Shadepaw play?" Cloudpaw asked his mentor, "Yes alright, I need to talk to Sparrowsong anyway." She replied as Cloudpaw's eyes lit up with excitement. "Come on race you!" He said as he leaped up a tree a bit away from the talking she-cats, clearing about two tail lengths. Shadepaw sped off after him.
Cloudpaw was climbing quickly, but Shadepaw was gaining quicker, soon her brother took a sharp turn left onto a long branch, "Come on Shadepaw! Snails are faster than you! He joked, suddenly a white pelt caught her eye, Cloudpaw must have seen it as well for he came to a complete stop. They were standing over a fast flowing stream, and by the bank Shadepaw saw Bluesky and Ashpaw drinking water, " Hey Bluesky! Hey Ashpaw!" Cloudpaw said, Ashpaw looked up at the tree they were standing in and meowed something to their mother, she suddenly lifted her head up and waved with her tail, Shadepaw was interested in what Ashpaw was doing without his mentor, she cautiously climbed back down the tree and trudged towards her brother and Bluesky, "Oh hey Shadepaw! Cloudpaw!" Her mother greeted them happily, "Where is Dustwing?" Shadepaw blurted out, "Oh she had to go on a patrol, so Bluesky offered to take me out and show me stuff." Ashpaw replied.

     Even though they had only been training for a few days, Shadepaw could already see Ashpaw's muscles under his broad shoulders, "Hey wanna go climb a tree with us?" Cloudpaw asked, "Sure! Just let me check with Bluesky." The smokey tom replied as he padded towards the white she-cat, Cloudpaw padded after his brother but Shadepaw hung back, she felt she was being watched.

     Shadepaw parted her jaws to soak in the scents, ShadowClan was overwhelming her, We must be right at the ShadowClan border. She thought, but she saw no eyes in the undergrowth to give away the position of the creature she felt watching her. Her skin crawled as she stared across the border, where the oak trees faded into pine trees, Shadepaw realized why they were called ShadowClan, for shadows crowded the forest floor, How do they even see anything? She thought with curiosity.

     Yet, something about how the shadows moved made Shadepaw feel as if she would be able to see and hunt under the pine tree's cool shadows.

     "Shadepaw! Lets go!" Cloudpaw meowed, snapping her out of her thoughts, Ashpaw was trailing behind the white pelt of her brother, she suddenly realized how different her brothers really were, Bluesky had told them that Ashpaw looked mostly like their father, whom she never told them his name, she had told them when they were only three moons old about how their father, a noble ThunderClan cat, had died in a battle with foxes, heroically saving the young warrior Silversong while she was still Silverpaw, "You coming?" Ashpaw's voice made her lose her thoughts again, "Coming!" She said as she leaped onto the tall oak tree.

     This time a grey tail bobbed in her face as they climbed the tree, Shadepaw prepared herself for the big turn, but Ashpaw kept going, "Where are y'all going!" Shadepaw yelled as they went higher up the thick oak tree, finally Ashpaw turned after what seemed like moons of climbing "Look guys! Bluesky is just a speck!" Cloudpaw meowed with amusement, but while her brothers were admiring how small their mother was, Shadepaw stared out past the ThunderClan territory, she saw a glittering lake, The border lake! Shadepaw thought with awe "Guys! Look! You can see the lake from here!" Shadepaw exclaimed with excitement, both her brothers snapped their heads towards her.

     "Whoa! You really can!" Ashpaw exclaimed towards Cloudpaw, Shadepaw felt them both taking steps forward, trying to get a better look she presumed. She suddenly felt one of her paws lose grip of the branch, but they both kept stepping forward, suddenly Shadepaw felt herself fall completely from the oak branch.

      "Shadepaw!" Ashpaw and Cloudpaw both yowled in unison as she began plummeting towards the fast-flowing stream below, Shadepaw braced herself to land in the cool water, "Help!" She screamed to the top of her lungs, but the water got nearer with each passing second, Shadepaw closed her eyes and held her breath, ready to fall into the water, Is this it, is it my time to join my father in StarClan? She thought frantically, suddenly she felt teeth sink into her scruff as she was pulled out of the way of the stream.


      Shadepaw expected to see Bluesky's white pelt beside her, but instead fur identical to Ashpaw's was what she saw. She saw her rescuers amber eyes staring at her, something about them felt familiar. He seemed of ShadowClan, the stench made her eyes water, "Who are you?" She squeaked, I sound pathetic. Shadepaw scolded herself as she stood up to properly thank her saviour, "Are you telling me you don't recognize your own father?" The strange tom said.

(Sorry for all the cliffhangers, real quick. I know not many people have read yet, but the first ten people to comment on this will get a shoutout! Pls comment and tell your friends, P.S Pls vote for this story if you like it. :) xX Otterstep Xx)