~Chapter two~

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     Cherrypaw carried the shrew into her favorite spot; a small tree stump next to the nursery with tiny pebbles and other rocks around the base. In Greenleaf, the stump would get warmed by the sun and would be a lovely place to relax. Some cats even called it Sunstump because of this. Plopping her shrew on one of the rocks, she leaped up on to the Sunstump and leaned down to pick up her meal. The shrew made a satisfying plump on the stump as it fell from her jaws. Bending down, Cherrypaw took a few bites of the prey. Of course, it was cold and wet after being in this weather, but it seemed like the best peice of prey off the pile to the hungry apprentice. She devoured it in a few hearbeats before she remembered she still had to groom her fur! Roselight really wants me out of there she realized as she licked her chest. Why? Had she done something wrong? Then she remembered how low their herb supply was. If she had done something wrong, Roselight would surely forgive her if she brought back lavender, or better yet, catmint! That was it! She'd get so many leafs of catmint, Roselight would surely start acting normal again! Cherrypaw quickly gulped down the last few peices of the soggy shrew and got to her paws. She made a quick jump off the Sunstump and rushed to the exit. In her haste, she completely forgot to finish grooming her fur so it was left in a complete mess, with tufts sprawling out, and dead, crumpled leafs all over her pelt. Not to mention the amount if dirt that had gotten stuck. She reached the entrance in seconds.

     "Yikes! What happened to you?" Icefoot, the guard at the time remarked.

     "Nothing. Leak in the ceiling." Cherrypaw answered quickly. Icefoot, noticing her urgency nodded her icy white head to show Cherrypaw she could leave. Cherrypaw nodded back quickly and slipped out. The wind was even stronger outside without the protection of the rock wall. It blew from behind her, ruffling her fur even more. Cherrypaw gave a little shiver, but told herself it would all be forgiven once she gave Roselight the catmint.

     Huge bare trees stretched on along the vast landscape. Grass, that would usually be green and beautiful, sat limp, and brown. It made an annoyingly loud crunching sound when Cherrypaw stepped on it. She hurried along the forest floor, trying to use her nose to smell the precious herb. Then she quickly remembered Roselight talking about an abandoned Twoleg Nest where the herb grew. Maybe if she could find that clump, she could get enough for Roselight? The problem was, Cherrypaw had no idea where the Abandoned Twoleg Nest even was, let alone how to get there. Maybe if she found a patrol they would lead her there. She hurried onwards along the grassy forest floor. Slowly, the great oaks began to shift into tall pines. Darkness was all about her now.

     "Hello?" She called. No replies came to her yowl. She called again. "Anyone there?" The darkness seemed to close in a her whole body. Cold, empty. Everything was just tall pines jutting out from every corner. Cherrypaw slowly backed away twords the light oak area before she heard a sound. It was unmistakabley a cat.

     "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The darkness seemed to sneer at her. "A rouge who crossed the border? But wait? You smell of ThunderClan. Did the little rougey rouge have a fun trip?" 

     "It's not nice to call me a rouge!" Cherrypaw retored. "You're more of a rouge yourself to live in this place!"

     "Not nice eh? Think we'll be fooled so easily huh? Everyone knows Clan cats keep their fur in better shape than that." This time it was a different voice. A she-cat by the sound of it. Cherrypaw looked down at her untidy fur. Yikes! She thought. She knew it was bad, but not this bad! She could barley tell what color it  was anymore!

     "All cats have bad days!" She yelled. It was a terrible response, but she had say something. This time one of the cats, the she-cat, came out of one on the many dark and shaded bushes. Her tortiseshell pelt was laying flat, showing she was neither mad, nor frightened.

     "Maybe in your rouge life. In the world of Clan cats, we keep our pelt clean. Besides," she added "if you were in a Clan, ThunderClan, by the scent you have on your pelt, that would just mean ThunderClan is just as untidy and mixed up as we thought."

     Cherrypaw just stood there. Thinking of a response.

     "You're just a foxheart!" She exclaimed before leaping away from the tortiseshell. Unfortunately, a larger, black and white tom thrust himself out of his bush to block her. The escape would be more difficult then she imagined. Just then, a third cat, a tabby she-cat, leaped down from a low branch on one of the pine trees. Her pelt was pointing twords the sky and her green eyes were fire.

     "Calm down Quickblaze!" The tom hissed at his companion. "This rouge is too young to have done anything!" Cherrypaw's pelt bristled I'll show him! She thought angrily to herself. 

     "She, or her kin, could have killed Stonewhisker!" The she-cat's voice was tinted with sadness. Although her jaws were set in an angry snarl.

     "Quite unlikely. I doubt this little scrap even has kin." The tortiseshell mewed sarcastically. Cherrypaw edged closer and closer to the border. As she moved however, the tabby called Quickblaze spotted her with her hawk-sharp eyes.

     "Not so fast little mole-rat. You've got bees for brains to think we'll be that stupid." Her eyes quickly turned from sarcasm to anger. "Murderer!" 

     "Now now now, let's figure out if she even knows who Stonewhisker is first." The tortiseshell turned her sharp amber gaze to look at Cherrypaw. "Do you recall seeing a grey tom, about as big as Whitefoot, wandering through the forest at night?"

     "Or killing him." Quickblaze added.

     "N-No. I don't kill cats. I don't even know who you're talking about!" Cherrypaw said hurriedly. Fear was starting to ebb up her back like ice.

     "See Quickblaze!" The one called Whitefoot exclaimed. "Just let her go Sorrelfur." He added to the tortiseshell.

     "Fool!" Quickblaze screeched as Sorrelfur moved to form an exit. "She's a liar! Nothing but a dirty liar!" Nothing the she-cat said made any difference however, because Cherrypaw was already hurrying twords the opening. As she approached the she-cat called Sorrelfur, she muttered something in her ear.

     "If I ever find you across the border again. Whitefoot won't be there to stop my claws from tearing every last peice of fur off your body." Her words peirced Cherrypaw's fur like fangs. Somehow, she knew Sorrelfur would rather not be letting her out now.

     "And I'll claw you right back." Cherrypaw whispered back before running to the saftey of the oaks as fast as her legs would carry her. She didn't stop until the annoyed hisses of Quickblaze died down to just a low, soft, wail. Cherrypaw stopped in her tracks to contemplate what just happened. Whoever Stonewhisker was, he was clearly important to Quickblaze. Cherrypaw didn't know Stonewhisker age, but she was pretty sure he was probably not older than Quickblaze. She also knew that Stonewhisker seemed to mean everything to the fiery tabby she-cat. 

     And he was dead

     Of course there was that to think about. Suddenly the whole world seemed to stop. 

     The muderer might still be out there

     Cold water seemed to engulf her body, seeping under her fur and into her skin. She couldn't breathe. The world was darkness. Then, she realized;

     She could die any minute...




Word Count: 1303

Hi everyone! Bit of a shorter chapter but I hope you still liked it! I'm planning on introducing some new characters in the next chapter, such as Cherrypaw's siblings and her friends.

____

I'm also going to release Chapter 3 separately because I feel like it's been a while since I released a chapter.

As always, have a great day!

-Cherry

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