(Book 1) Warriors: Separations - Six Stars

Chapter 21

Skystar looked around the camp. Everything was peaceful. Sunkit and Badgerkit were play-fighting. Skystar remembered that they were going to be apprentices in just a moon. How fast time flies... He thought, reminiscing about everything that had happened before then.

After Speckledstones was exiled, Skystar decided to make Hawkfire the new deputy. Hawkfire was the oldest and most experienced warrior, as well as being trustworthy and super rigid about sticking to the warrior code. Sorrow washed over Skystar as he remembered how great of a deputy Speckledstones was. And then he just had to ruin the peace and harmony of our clan by becoming mates with our medicine cat... he thought angrily.

"Deadfang, Oakpaw, Tigerjump, Honeypaw and Leaffire!"

Skystar looked down at Hawkfire sitting at the base of the Tall Rock. The deputy was calling out names for the dawn patrol. The three warriors and two apprentices that were called began drowsily emerging from their dens, blinking away sleep, Skystar observed.

Skystar yawned. Ever since the whole Whiteclaw debacle, there hasn't been much to do around here... Skystar remarked. Bored, he hopped down from the Tall Rock and headed for the camp entrance, giving a slight dip of his head in acknowledgement to Hawkfire. He trotted up the tunnel leading in and out of Windclan, waving his tail in greeting to the guards.

Skystar relaxed as the wind flew gently over the moors, ruffling his fur and the bushes, and sending tumbleweeds bouncing across the earth. Skystar let out a long, relaxed sigh. At least here I don't have to remember everything that happened... he thought sadly. He missed Speckledstones. The former deputy could be annoying at times, but Skystar grew to really lean on him. Hawkfire was a good deputy as well, and he handled the job like he'd been a deputy since the moment he was made a warrior.

Skystar padded farther from camp, heading toward the barn at the edge of Windclan territory. Part of him hoped he might find Speckledstones and Emberheart there. Maybe they'd been able to make a home there. The farm was big and full of mice, Skystar was sure that any cat could survive there.

But however much he hoped, he knew it wouldn't make a difference either way. Speckledstones and Emberheart were exiled from Windclan, and Skystar himself did it. There was no way he'd be able to face them now after betraying their trust like he did.

As the blurry shape of the barn became larger and more detailed, Skystar thought he could make out the small shapes of cats lingering around and inside the barn, however he couldn't be sure.

Getting closer, he finally realized that he really was seeing cats there. He quickly darted toward a small bush near the fence of the barn, making sure that know one from the barn saw him. What if Speckledstones and Emberheart are there... he thought dreadfully.

Peeking through the wooden fence, Skystar could make out a cat with tabby fur and some lighter stripes, as well as a burn on their face. He continued watching as another cat appeared, their fur dark brown, and their belly and paws looked a little brighter. The cat was very robust, Skystar shuddered at thinking what would happen should he happen to get in a fight with the cat. A gray-ish blue cat padded out of the barn carrying a half-eaten mouse, and a hairless cat following them. What a strange group... Skystar thought, intrigued.

Skystar was about to get up and leave when he heard some voices behind him.

"What if they caught you? There's no way it would've ended well!" An angry she-cat seemed to speak.

"Relax! I was extra careful. If anything, me and my brother look similar enough for people to think it's just Skystar." Another voice responded.

Skystar's blood ran cold as he realized who the speaking cats were.