Dark Night (Book 3)

Chapter 6

Nightpaw shook the moss from her pelt, yawned, and stretched her forepaws. She looked over the edge of the den, but when she didn't see Blazepaw, Nightpaw felt a wave of panic.

"Has any cat seen Blazepaw?" I meow worriedly.

"Not since last night." Goldheart says as he arched his golden brown pelt.

"Oh no! That means he's disappeared! No no no no! I can't lose him too! We have to go back." I wail.

"Go back to what? Watching sick cats die? Disappear? We've came so far Nightpaw. Let us finish our journey." meows Stormclaw sympathetically, resting his tail tip on my shoulder.

I shake his tail off. "I don't need your sympathy! Since when have you became so nice? I've lost everything! Don't you see? He's gone." I say softly.

"Nightpaw go easy on him. He's just trying to help." Meows Goldheart as he pads next to me.

"Well it's not working! And you Goldheart. Silverstone is your mate. Why can't you go find her yourself? Oh wait, you can't. Because you know why? She's dead." I growl.

"Nightpaw, calm down." Whispers a soft meow.

I whip my head around to a black she cat with dark green eyes.

Darkflower. She hasn't really spoken much since this journey begin.

"Why should I calm down? And what about you? You little miss quiet. Maybe it's you who planned on killing us all!" I growl at her.

Shimmerpelt steps up and flicks her tail angrily. "You leave her alone!" she growls.

"Why don't all of you leave me alone!" I hiss and I run off.

Stormclaw hurries after me. "Where are you going?" He asks.

"Somewhere away from you!" I hiss and I lift my paw and claw his muzzle.

"Let her go. She's just upset about her brother." Meows Goldheart.

I run feeling the cold leaf-bare wind chilling my pelt.

I can't believe that Blazepaw is gone! He was all I had left.

I run into the forest feeling hunger stabbing my belly.

Nightpaw dropped into a hunting crouch. Above her, faint sunlight gleamed through the forest floor. Her tail tip twitched with excitement as she saw a squirrel nibbling on some nuts left on the ground. She shifted her weight. Frost covered leaves crackled beneath her paws. She slowly approached the squirrel.

Now!

Nightpaw leaped. She landed perfectly on the squirrel, pinned it down, and bent down to give it a killing bite. It lay dead at her paws. Just as she bent down to get a bite, she heard a low growl.

"Hey that was my squirrel!" A tom's voice meows through the cold wind.

I turn to see a sleek flame-colored tom with black paws and blazing green eyes. He was skinny, despite his thick fur.

"Well I caught it. And it's mine." I say flicking my tail.

"Wait! Please. I need that squirrel. It isn't for me, it's for a friend. She hasn't eaten in days... She needs food." He meows.

"Well that's too bad." I meow, picking up my squirrel and padding away.

The Tom mutters something under his breath and stalked away.

Maybe I should have let him have it. After all, I'm not that hungry.

"Wait! Erm.."

"I'm Flare." He meows .

"Well, Flare, I'm Nightpaw. You can have the squirrel. I'm not that hungry anyway." I say, nudging the squirrel over to him.

"Thank you. Maybe you could come stay with us? I smell a storm coming." He says.

I should be getting back to the others. But they need sometime away from me. My temper got the best of me.

"Lead the way, Flare!" I meow, following him into a tunnel.

"You live here? Are there any foxes or badgers?" I say, panic in my voice.

"No, don't worry. And if there are, I won't let them get you." He says, giving a soft purr.

Nightpaw felt her pelt grow hot with embarrassment.

I don't even know this cat.

He leads me inside the tunnel.

"So who is your friend?" I ask.
It was too dark inside to see anyone else.

"This is Flower." He says.

Anxiety washes over me.

Did he just say Flower?

"Nightpaw, what's wrong?" Flare asks.

"That.. That's my mother!"