Foxgaze's Haunting

Chapter 10

(Cat above is Longfang)
"How could this be?" Dawnsky exclaimed. The elders had just finished burying Nightstar's mutilated body below an oak tree.

Longfang flicked his tail "We smelled rogue scent when we came across the body. There also was rabbit blood".

"Do you think Nightstar came across some rougues that night stealing prey and they killed him?" Dawnsky narrowed her eyes "I just wonder what he was doing so far from camp that late at night".

Foxgaze shifted uncomfortably. She knew why Nightstar had been killed but she didn't have the stomach to explain what happened. Images of Nightstar's glassy eyes and bones cracking made her stomach churn.

"Foxgaze, you had your vigil last night, did you see anything suspicious?" Dawnsky asked, her eyes were full of question.

Just tell them! Tell them what you saw. "I-I saw him leave. I didn't want to follow him because it looked like he was going to dirtplace...but then...he never came back" Foxgaze stammered. Coward! Her mind screamed.

Dawnsky meowed "Foxgaze, you seem a little jumpy, are you sure you saw nothing out of the ordinary?".

Foxgaze, Longfang, and Dawnsky were sitting underneath the HighRock, discussing how Nightstar had died two sunrises ago. Lakeheart and Dawnsky would journey tonight to the Moon Stone. Foxgaze assumed it would be either Firefur or Longfang who would be picked as deputy, both senior warriors who were Dawnsky's trusted friends.

"Positive" Foxgaze said in a false, firm tone. Dawnsky nodded and looked at Longfang who's amber eyes looked bored with this conversation "Longfang, when I leave for the Moon Stone, you'll be in charge of camp".

Longfang dipped his head. Dawnsky looked at the noonday sky. She looked at Foxgaze "Foxgaze, I'd also like you to come with me".

"Really, Why?" Foxgaze exclaimed. She didn't know why the future leader wanted to take her along.

"I just have a feeling you might need to speak with StarClan" Dawnsky said in an suspicious tone.

Foxgaze had a moments panic Does she think I murdered Nightstar? I have to tell her about the rogues but...I just can't.

"Yes Dawnsky" Foxgaze mewed. The black and white she-cat's blue eyes seemed to stare through Foxgaze as the leader dipped her head and padded over to the leader's den. Foxgaze yawned and looked around. The feirce noonday sun was glaring down on the camp like it had just stolen a good price of prey from it. She knew StarClan was watching over the clans, especially IceClan, for the moment a leaderless Clan. Foxgaze knew that the Gathering was only a few nights away, for when the moon was out it was beginning to gain its fullness, like a queen about to give birth. Speaking of queens, Willowfur was sitting in the nurserey entrance. The white she-cat's belly seemed to be getting bigger with each passing day. Lakeheart must be afraid that she'll give birth while she's gone tonight. She shouldnt though, Leafpaw seems pretty capable.

You know what, I'm pretty thirsty. I'm going to go down to the lake and get a drink. Foxgaze stretched and stepped out of the shade of the High Rock. She hissed as her paws burned from the heat of the ground. Foxgaze dashed into the shade of the apprentice den, the den closest to the entrance.

Rabbitpaw was sitting inside the den. The dappled tabby merrowed "Trying to move around camp eh?"

"Yeah. This sun is murder on the paws" Foxgaze purred. The word murder made images of Nightstar's corpse float across her vision. Foxgaze blinked them away quickly. Foxgaze licked her pads "I'm going down to the lake to get a drink, you want to-"

"Oh StarClan yes!" Rabbitpaw interuppted. She leaped to Foxgaze's side and looked at the hot ground "You just have to run for it, got it?".

Foxgaze was amused by her bounciness. The name Rabbitpaw suited the apprentice well. Foxgaze and the apprentice sprinted out of camp to avoid burning their paws. The she-cats both sighed when they reached the cover of the undergrowth. It was a beautiful day and the forest was cool, despite the slow hotness of the camp. Rabbitpaw, despite being skinny and scrawny, never had to stop the whole way down to the lake.

"I saw him" Rabbitpaw said suddenly.

"Who?" Foxgaze asked. Rabbitpaw seemed ditressed.

"Nightstar. I saw him take prey that night that he died and I saw him leave camp. You followed him".

Foxgaze felt dread spread through her bones "Did...did you follow me?".

Rabbitpaw looked ahead "No" she looked at Foxgaze "I know you didn't kill him because the wound on his neck couldn't have been you. The bite size didn't match".

Foxgaze was suprised by the apprentice's knowledge. She looked at the tiny apprentice "I never want to speak of what I saw on that night ever again. It was too awful".

"Okay then" Rabbitpaw meowed. By the time they had reached the lake, Foxgaze was panting from dehydration. She ran to the shoreline and lapped up as much water as she could drink. Rabbitpaw did the same. Foxgaze looked up at the sun, water dripping from her muzzle. It was still high in the sky but beginning to slip downward. The lake was flat and sunlight shimmered on the surface. Foxgaze looked off the shore and into the clear water. Algae covered rocks and pebbles stretched out for a long time before finally dipping out of view. Foxgaze shook her long fur. It was dreadfully hot enough that it pushed her to step in. Rabbitpaw squeaked playfully "Foxgaze, you're not a SeaClan cat!"

The water was pleasantly cool but Foxgaze didn't want to step in deeper than her shoulders. She flicked some droplets onto Rabbitpaw "Come on! It feels nice".

Rabbitpaw squealed playfully"Hey! Stop that!" the apprentice dipped one paw in the water. Her tail was kinked over her back in interest. She stuck both of her front paws in the water and purred "It does feel nice and cool...but I'm not going in any further!"

Foxgaze stepped out of the water and onto the shore. Her fur dripped onto the pebbbles and hung down like lichen from a tree. She shook out her fur and water flew everywhere. Rabbitpaw stepped out of the way of the flying droplets. Foxgaze snorted and heard laughing. Rabbitpaw was shaking with laughter and Foxgaze looked at her fur. It was sticking up all over the place like a thorn bush and made her look as big as a badger.

As Foxgaze began to pick her fur flat she noticed something odd on the hillside near the MountainClan border. She could hear faint yowling and screeching. Another sound made her freeze. Fox barking.

The cats in the hillside were running through the forest and what looked like it, chasing the fox or foxes toward the IceClan border. She could hear howls of triumph as the cats began to run back toward the MountainClan camp.

She narrowed her eyes Did they just chase foxes into our territory? Rabbitpaw was looking at the hillside, her tail was poofy. The scrawny apprentice looked at Foxgaze "Should we tell Dawnsky about that or do you think that it isn't a problem?".

Foxgaze sighed and kept staring at the hills "I don't know Rabbitpaw. The foxes could have gone out of territory" StarClan help us.

Hello my warriors! So just to give some visuals, the four Clans live around the lake as the original four Clans do (Thunder, River, Shadow, and Wind). MountainClan lives in ThunderClan territory

IceClan lives in ShadowClan territory

SeaClan lives in RiverClan territory

and MoorClan lives in WindClan territory

They gather every full moon on the island as well.

That's all!- EvilKittypet