The Fire Within

Chapter 9... Or is it?

The Stranger stared at the cat with hatred. She'll ruin our plans! i'm sure of it. She'll need to be dealt with at once! Not that old cat!  He staked the cat, keeping away so she didn't smell him. He waited till she stopped to stalk a squirrel, before he pounced. He pushed her against a tree, and bite down hard. Within seconds, she went limp.  Carefully, he hauled the body to the fox set. Then he left, leaving the trash for his orange friend.  MintLeaf, check. Scratch off MorningWing. Next up, DeadBark and Frozenkit. Then, Wolfpaw.

~~~

The fireclan cat watched as Wolfpaw and her siblings practiced. He was impatiently bored. Even more then usually, since the apprentice, Stormpaw, was having his assessment right now with Dovepaw. He know that in some time, the patrol will discover the "Fox attack." When the news traveled, everyone would be confined in the camp. Perfect. He watched Wolfpaw attack Windpaw. She was using her weight as an advantage. Smart. Maybe he could convince her to work for him. His other friend was useful, yes. But she had many doors she could open for him. She also had three very strong looking brothers. Each with it's own special gift to share. Just rope a bow around them and they would be perfect. He know that his 'friend' was supposed to kill her soon, but maybe they should hold on. Just for a moment.  Sure, she was a goody two paws that held justice's flag, but rearranging her goals could be arranged. He could make her hate the clans. He could make her a monster.

~~~

Wolfpaw jumped on Windpaw. But her jump was off and she landed on grass instead. Windpaw turned to face her and tried to pin her down. She easily pushed him off and pinned him instead. A cry from the camp distract her. Owlsong lifted her head as Dovepaw appeared. "I did it! I'm gonna be a warrior! As soon as the hunting patrol gets back, I'm getting my warrior name!"

"Congregations!" Wolfpaw jumped around Dovepaw, sharing her friend's happiness. She spotted Stormpaw hurry to them. She jumped at him. He laughed. "My sis will be so happy! I can't wait for her to come back from hunting!" He pushed her off him and tumbled to Dovepaw to pin her down. "Where's your mentor!" he demanded in an excited voice.

"She's not coming." A voice said behind them. Wolfpaw looked over Dovepaw's shoulder. MorningWing stood with his head lowered, staring gently at Stormpaw. "I'm sorry Stormpaw and Dovepaw but MintLeaf... go to camp." Stormpaw's face fell. He suddenly sped off towards the camp. OwlSong rounded the rest of the apprentices up and started towards camp.

What Wolfpaw saw would be in beaded into her memory forever. Stormpaw's only sister, Mintleaf, lay in the middle of the camp, morners around her. Wolfpaw didn't know the cat well, apart from Dovepaw being her apprentice. She walked quietly to Stormpaw's side. He spun his head to her and pressed it against her. Though she heard no sound from him, she know he was crying. She supported him and groomed his fur quietly.

"MINTLEAF!" a large cat pushed his way through the gathering cats. He stared at her body in disbelief, then swung his head to growl at Nightingale. "What. Happened." Wolfpaw noticed Nightingale take a deep breath. "She was found near a fox den. We were lucky we found her before the fox." Nightingale was having a hard time looking calm in front of this cat. Who was h-  

"I will kill every single fox in this territory. I will not rest till my mate is avenged!" He turned to race to do just that, but OwlSong stepped in his way. "AdderStep, please, calm. She would never want you to do that."

So this is the great AdderStep. No wonder Nightingale acted like that. AdderStep would tare his head off if he got to angry enough.

"I can't just sit around and wait for that fox! He killed MintL-"

"No. The fox isn't responsible." Nightingale interrupted, "The fox would have left bones, not a body." Ashstar appeared.

"What my deputy says is true, AdderStep. We can't jump to conclusions." She said. "WhiteRose, what do you think?"

WhiteRose stepped up to see Mintleaf, but, surprisingly, Rockpaw stepped to her first. "Mintleaf was bitten, right here." He pushed the fur on her neck away for all to see, "The scent is faint, but it's owned by a clan." WhiteRose sniffed and jerked her head back in surprise. "Mistclan!" The crowd hissed and murmured insults.

"Should have know-"

"Not a surprise-"

"Was near the border-"

Are they used to this or something?! She thought as she started to groom Stormpaw's fur again. She felt a surge of pride for Rockpaw's detective work. She hoped the clan would trust her brothers more now.

"What are we going to do about it AshStar?" Nighingale looked over to his leader. Several other cats looked over to her as well.

"Nothing is to be done. AdderStep, please under stand that we need more proof before accusing another clan." She glanced at MintLeaf sadly. "Just relax. We know how you feel." She sat beside her deputy in silence.

Wolfpaw stopped grooming Stormpaw. She looked at him and saw that he was asleep. With the help of nearby cats, she hauled him into the apprentice den. When he was settled onto his nest, she curled next to him.

"Wolfpaw..."he murmured, surprising her.

"Yea."

"Don't leave. Please." His sad, scared voice melted her heart. She pushed closer to him and went to sleep.

~~~

Two DEATHS! ALLISON STOP!

ok, ok, calm down

You are soo mean!

seriously!? Cats in Hunter's books died all the time!

Hump. Whatever.

~~~

Guys, thanks for all the support!

(And be prepared for more deaths)

Can't wait for next chapter/special!

What's going on with Stormpaw?

Will they become Warriors?

Find out next time!

and as always:

~Peace cat peps~