**OLD** Valley Cats: Of Sky and Stone 1- Daughters and Darkness

Chapter Twenty-Seven

 "I can't believe this! You're just going to let him walk away to another Clan?" Twisterpaw protested.

 Shadowsweep shrugged again. "As his mentor, I'm fine with it." she said simply. "Now, scram. You're blocking my view." Twisterpaw turned away from the ForestClan warriors. Everyone she asked had told her it was his decision, after all. She hung her head defeatedly as she approached the other apprentices.

 "Hey, have you seen Possumpaw and Galepaw?" Lemmingpaw asked.

 "They left with CliffClan. And... I think Possumpaw is my sister. I don't know. It's all very confusing." Twisterpaw blurted.

 "It must be something to do with the healers. Possumpaw wanted to be a healers' apprentice, and Galepaw is one. Maybe-" Adderpaw was cut off by Pumpkinpaw's excited twittering.

 "Wow! Who were those cats, Twisterpaw? And why did your brother leave with them?" she demanded.

 Twisterpaw put a paw to her head, not wanting to deal with the enthusiastic she-cat. "Sorry, Pumpkinpaw. I'll tell you later. It's a lot to process right now." she shuffled a few steps before spotting Gillpaw and Cariboupaw, the newest apprentice of GroveClan. The two were talking quietly with each other, sitting on a tall boulder on the edge of the cluster of dark green bushes that the apprentices usually claimed during the gatherings.

 "Hey, you two. How's it going over here?" Twisterpaw smiled at the two quiet, pale gray cats. She needed to get away from her regular friends, who were bound to ask questions. But Oriolepaw and her rambunctious peers were way too loud. The two apprentices nodded at her politely. "We were just talking about the WoodClan apprentice Plumpaw. They haven't showed up for a few gatherings in a row, and Lemonspice said they were being punished. But you've meet Cariboupaw, haven't you? They were at the last gathering." Gillpaw tilted his head at the cat beside him.

"Hello, Twisterpaw... How is Brightpaw? You mentioned something about him the last time I saw you." Cariboupaw asked softly.

 "He's great." Twisterpaw said, settling onto a smaller rock below the two toms. "He got in a fight with his mentor a while ago, and he's stuck in the camp tonight. But I'm sure you'll be able to meet him at the next gathering." she detailed.

 "Ah, yes. He sounds... loud." Cariboupaw tilted their head oddly. 

 "You don't like loud cats?"

 "I don't know. My two siblings, Deerpaw and Fawnpaw... are quite... energetic." Cariboupaw paused periodically, as if he was searching his brain for the right words to say. "I was told I'm more like Wolfstride... Doespeckle's mate."

 Twisterpaw sat up suddenly. Cariboupaw was referring to his parents as if they weren't his own, wasn't he? And his pale gray pelt contrasted with his siblings' dusky brown colors. But at the same time, he looked exactly like his supposed father, Wolfstride. She briefly wondered if Cariboupaw was training in the Frozen Forest, but quickly dismissed the thought. The young apprentice looked soft and cuddly, much unlike the ferocious and muscular cats that trained in the shadows. But could he be the lost sibling?

 For a moment, Twisterpaw glanced down at her front legs. She wasn't as muscular as the other apprentices she knew trained in the Frozen Forest, but still...

 "Who is your mentor?" Cariboupaw pricked his ears towards her.

 "Crowpelt. But he hasn't been to a gathering with me... ever, actually. He didn't teach me the basics, but he's really good at battle training. Has your mentor taught you battle training?" Twisterpaw poked around for any information signaling that they were training in the Frozen Forest.

 "Well... Wolfstride is my mentor... but... all he's taught me is hunting. And how to walk through dreams, for some reason..."

 "You mean, walking in your dreams?"

 "Uh... I don't know. It's weird."

 "You mean you dream, and then you walk through it and visualize a place you want to go, and then you end up there?"

 "Yeah. That."

 Twisterpaw sat back, surprised. In the Frozen Forest, she had learned how to walk into the mist and visualize where she wanted to travel to. When she stepped out of it, she would be there. It was now undeniable that Cariboupaw had been training in the Frozen Forest.

 "So, Twisterpaw..."

 Gillpaw's voice startled the black-and-white apprentice. The pale gray tom was so quiet, she had forgotten he was perched a tail-length from Cariboupaw. "Have you ever been outside ForestClan borders, aside from gatherings?" the tom asked, striking up a conversation.

 "Well... no, not really."

 "Can you swim."

 "Oh, yes! I have to be dragged out of the water, it's so fun!"

 "How far can you swim?"

 "I've been practicing, and I can swim the entire lake border of ForestClan.Pretty impressive, right."

 Gillpaw sat back for a moment. "I suppose so. DeltaClan and MeadowClan cats swim to get to the island. Can you fish?" he narrowed his eyes considerably.

 "Um... I guess not. We have fish in the shallows, but I haven't caught any." Twisterpaw recalled.

 "No, I mean real fishing. Like, diving for fish in the middle of the lake."

 Twisterpaw blinked rapidly. "DeltaClan cats swim out to the middle of the lake and catch fish?" she was surprised. "Can you do that?"

 "I'm currently learning how, but it's lonely with only Finpaw to keep me entertained. He won't learn how to fish until a few more moons. I was wondering if you'd like to meet on the smaller island and fish with me tomorrow night. Not in a romantic way. I'm just bored." Gillpaw offered.

 "Sure!" Twisterpaw leaped to her feet enthusiastically, nearly tumbling off of her rock.She suddenly drew her head back, remembering Cariboupaw's presence. "I'm sure you can come too, Cariboupaw." she ducked her head, mildly embarrassed.

 The pale gray cat shook their head. "No thanks. But why don't you go ask an apprentice from MeadowClan? Sometimes they fish, too." they suggested.

 Twisterpaw nodded, jumping off of the rock and slowly padding towards the other apprentices. Shrewpaw and Volepaw were from MeadowClan. Maybe they knew how to swim. But secretly, she hoped they didn't. An outing alone with Gillpaw could teach her valuable skills, but she could also learn valuable information.

 Gillpaw could be her lost brother, couldn't he?