Dirtpaw perked his head, staring at Inkpaw. "What are you doing here?" His voice was barely a whisper. "I ran out of camp. Why are you out so late?" Inkpaw meowed. "I needed a drink." The apprentice was clearly lying, Inkpaw knew something was wrong. "Don't you have a lake right next to your camp? And not at your border? Dirtpaw's eyes stretched. "Fine." His mew cracked. "It's about Gullpaw. He's just so... so..." He paused as his eyes welled up with tears. "Ugh!" He snarled, clawing at the soft ground. Inkpaw didn't hesitate to cross the border to help her friend. "Hey, hey. It's okay. You'll be okay." Dirtpaw stopped and sat down with defeat, his claws disappearing back into his fur. "We used to be best friends." His mew was hoarse with pain. "But one day, he just... wasn't. He became so rude and violent." Inkpaw's heart hurt for the tom. He just wanted a friend to love and care for.
"This upsets you, yes?" Inkpaw tilted her head. Dirtpaw sniffed and nodded. "I miss my friend." He murmured with sorrow. Inkpaw intertwined her tail with his and rested her head on top of the tom's. "You'll be okay." She soothed as she licked the brown apprentice's ear for comfort. Dirtpaw stiffened for a moment, silencing his weeping. Then he relaxed, and continued sobbing. "I miss the Gullkit I met in the nursery." He mumbled, then after a moment, he raised his head and looked straight into Inkpaw's soul. "Are we friends?" He looked at the black and white she-cat sadly. "Well, of course, Dirtpaw. You'll always be my friend." Inkpaw touched her forehead to his and purred softly.
His warmth and her warmth matched perfectly, like stars aligning, or a rock fitting in the perfect crevice. Inkpaw like how this felt. It felt right, perfect. Inkpaw raised her head and looked to the moon in the sky, it was retreating over the horizon. Both Dirtpaw and Inkpaw shot up. "I...I'm sorry. I should go." Inkpaw wanted to stay with Dirtpaw but she had to go. Dirtpaw just nodded and disappeared into the darkness.
As Inkpaw was padding back down the ramp into her camp, she remembered the guards and dawn patrols, dawn wouldn't be far from now. She had to hurry. As she made it down at the mouth of the entrance, she saw that Hailbird and Perkyleaf were retreating to their dens. Inkpaw sighed with relief and dashed for her nest in the apprentices' den.
Inkpaw felt her heart sink in her chest as she saw Hauntingripple, Rueheart, and Olivepaw next to her nest. "Where were you?" Hauntingripple raised a brow. "Oh, my kit! I was so worried!" Rueheart ran over to Inkpaw and began grooming her kit. "I saw you run out of the den." Olivepaw turned his head in an unsettling manner. "Why did you see Dirtpaw?" His face was emotionless, yet unsettling. "Am I not enough for you?" Olivepaw rose to his paws. "Am I not enough for you?" He repeated, but this time screeching and lunging at Inkpaw, claws unsheathed. Inkpaw closed her eyes and hoped she'd be okay.
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A Warrior's Home || Book One of A Path Shifted ||
Adventure« Inkpaw never felt comfortable in her clan, the only thing that held her down was her best friends, Olivepaw and Spottedpaw as well as her big sister, Hauntingripple. Over the moons, GorgeClan has been dying and Inkpaw knows she needs to help her c...
