Book 1: Echoing Voices - Warriors

Chapter 24

Drizzlepaw's POV

There had been nothing. No traces or anything, but now Spottedpaw had gotten interested. Drizzlepaw had expected the tom to just walk away if they didn't find anything, but he actually seemed interested, in his own Spottedpaw-kinda-way.
Now Drizzlepaw was resting in the apprentices' den. He wasn't considered a medicine cat apprentice anymore according to Flutterstar. At least not to this Clan. Meadowfern was continuing to try and force the dream out of him.
It was nothing more than a dream. Drizzlepaw felt like he was just trying to convince himself now. There was no real point and if it was just a dream, why not just say something.
Flutterstar had gotten an idea to have him try communicating with StarClan again tomorrow. She had a pool of some sort where SkyClan spoke with StarClan, but just like all the other medicine cats, Dawnbreeze hadn't gotten anything either. Runningwillow informed Drizzlepaw that her brother had been daydreaming and leaving camp a lot since the past two moons due to the lack of dependence on StarClan.
"Drizzlepaw. Get up, you lazy hunk of fur!"
"Go away." he grumbled to Leopardpaw.
"It's almost sunhigh, you've been in here all day. Do something useful with yourself." she hissed.
Drizzlepaw opened one eye, "That's not very nice."
Leopardpaw rolled her eyes, "Flutterstar want to see you and Applepaw." she meowed.
Drizzlepaw closed his eye again before letting out a long groan, "Fiiiiiiine."
He pushed himself to his paws and dropped his chest down to the ground in a stretch before extending his jaw into a yawn.
"Hurry up, I wouldn't keep Flutterstar waiting." Leopardpaw warned.
"I can handle her." Drizzlepaw answered.
He shook out his fur before heading out of he den, brushing past Leopardpaw effortlessly. Flutterstar was nothing compared to Lakestar, she was much kinder and thoughtful. She didn't let her emotions control what she said, unlike Lakestar, but it wasn't like Drizzlepaw wanted to take advantage of that.

Drizzlepaw paused at the entrance of Flutterstar's den.
"Hello?" he called, half wishing it echoed, but it didn't.
"Come in Drizzlepaw, it's only me." Flutterstar's voice replied.
Drizzlepaw perked his ears, relieved that neither Swiftstar or Meadowfern were in the den too. Meadowfern would probably ask more about the dream and Swiftstar would just glare him down for not directly answering her medicine cat.
He entered the den and Flutterstar's off-colored blue eyes fixated onto him.
"I know what you've been doing these past two days. Leaving camp with Spottedpaw and looking around for the rogue group." she meowed, absentmindedly playing at the dirt under her paws.
She was sitting in her nest, and she looked more unfocused than usual.
"Oh." was the only reply Drizzlepaw could think of.
"You can do whatever you want, I'm not really your leader, but don't get my cats into it. Spottedpaw is a fine apprentice and I'd rather not discipline him for his actions." Flutterstar added, her paw stopped moving, "If you're going to keep looking, just be sure it doesn't bring danger to my Clan and leave Spottedpaw out of it."
Drizzlepaw was quiet for a bit. He thought about asking how she knew all this or telling her that Spottedpaw was just following him on his own will. None of that would help his situation.
"There are two other Clan cats at the rogue camp. They are currently hiding them in the tunnels or have already killed them. One of them is an apprentice a few moons older than me, the other is a expecting mother." Drizzlepaw blurted, if he wanted Flutterstar on his side, she needed to know everything.
"I need your help. Please, you have to help them." he meowed, hoping his pleading wasn't as desperate as he really was.
Flutterstar seemed thoughtful, her gaze shifted to the wall of the den and the long moment of silence made Drizzlepaw uncomfortable.
"You said they could possibly be dead." she meowed at last.
"But-"
Flutterstar silenced him with a wave of her tail, "Even so, do you really believe there is a chance they are alive?" she asked.
It was Drizzlepaw's turn to be silent. Even if he really didn't believe it, he had to be sure. There might be any possibility that Auburnpaw and Lavenderseed are alive.
"Yes." he answered.
Flutterstar continued to stare at the wall. She looked like she had been frozen in time or something, but her jaw moved. The sound that had come out of it made Drizzlepaw's shoulders drop.
"Then tell me what happened in that she dream."

Drizzlepaw let his head hang more ban usual, "Fine." he gave in.
Flutterstar made no reaction, he appreciated that she didn't push after he agreed.
He took a deep breath and sat down, "I actually thought it was just a dream. Or at least I tried to convince myself that." he muttered, "But I knew truthfully I was just playing with my brain."
Drizzlepaw was hesitant, there was still an inward feeling that he should share the dream even if it was one cat.
"I was standing in the middle of a field, I couldn't move. It looked peaceful. I don't remember much, but I was yanked away by an invisible force to a clearing. There were four oaks and a single large boulder that was cracked in half. I could hear yowling and it was goals of agony, I didn't see or smell any cats though. When the yowling stopped all of the sudden. Someone whispered into my ear..."
Drizzlepaw swallowed and glanced down at his paws. Something in his stomach churned and he hadn't realized his claws had unsheathed into the ground and he was trembling slightly. He felt more exposed and helpless than he had in the dream. Like he was powerless against everything. Flutterstar suddenly collapsed and a small trail of blood came from her mouth.
"You should have kept it to yourself..."