Warriors: Into The Shadows

Chapter 16

  Nightpaw's toss and turn as his dreams turn dark, eyes watching him, fangs flashing as he ran. He see shadow cats, running from something. Hear his clan voices in panic as they ran away. You was supposed to save us. he heard as he start to run from cats made of blood. It didn't take a genius to know what was happening. Shadowclan is getting run out of their home just like Windclan. He felt claws squeezing from all sides. There is too many of them and they bury him. He couldn't breathe.

 "Nightpaw!" A paw shook him as he quickly jump up, tossing his nest around. 

 "Bad dream?" Badgerfang ask as he saw Nightpaw shake the pine needles off of his pelt. 

  "Yes." He begin to pull his nest back together before grooming himself. 

  "Come on, others are waiting." Badgerfang left as he finished. Others? Looking around, he noticed that he is alone. The dream is still on his mind as he walk out to grab something to eat. He shove the dream down the best he can as he finish getting ready. Badgerfang was waiting at the entrance. 

 "So what are we doing?" He lick the blood from his mouth as he walk towards him. 

 "We are going to learn about battle patrols. Much different at night than during the day." Badgerfang lead him towards a clearing with few bushes around. He saw Turtlepaw, Mousepaw, Gingerpaw and Gullpaw waiting with their mentors. He went to sit between Mousepaw and Gingerpaw as Badgerfang went towards the mentors. 

 "Now that we are all here, we are going to walk the forest with our eyes closed. Because the moon won't always be there to shine the light on us. You have to learn how to be without sight. We are Shadowclan, we travel the darkest paths without issue. This is a pure Shadowclan skill." Mossclaw mew as he pace back and forth. 

 "Due to circumstances, we have to speed up your training. You aren't suppose to learn this until the end of your apprenticeship. But you all are doing so well that Brokenstar ordered us to do this lesson." Hopeheart purr as she look at their excited expressions. 

 "We are going to do this, night battle and mimicry." Applefur added as she let out a loud hoot, sounding exactly like an owl. Nightpaw's eyes widen as he watch her.  He can't wait to learn these skills. He can see himself being a full warrior, teaching these to his own apprentice. Wait. Him having an apprentice? Way to get ahead of himself. 

 "Nightpaw will walk around the marsh. Turtlepaw will walk towards Windclan border." Mossclaw was mewing when Nightpaw focus his attention again. 

 "Remember keep your eyes closed. Your mentors will be besides you to make sure of it." Nightpaw watch as the others left, leaving him with Badgerfang. 

 He took a deep breath to calm himself before closing his eyes. He felt the wind blowing and smelt the marshes. His whiskers kept twitching as he let his senses go outward. Is this what it like to be blind? Of course he heard of blind cats in twolegplace. They are often white cats with blue eyes. He see them walking around with no issues, even fighting the bullies. He begin walking towards the marsh. Why did Mossclaw give him the marsh? Was it a way to face his fears? He can feel the ground getting soft and stop walking. Bending down, he sniff the ground until he found the edge. He dip a paw in the marsh before shaking it off. 

 "So I just have to walk around it?" He ask, knowing Badgerfang is on his right side. He can feel his presence. Maybe his abuse from the twolegs did teach him something. 

 "You are doing better than I expect. Your eyes didn't open once." Badgerfang said in a voice of awe. 

 " just instinct." He mutter before starting to walk. Sure he could tell Badgerfang on how he dodge rooms, feeling the twolegs before they see him. But he didn't want to bring the mood down. After all he is out and he don't have to think about it ever again. He listen to the reeds knocking into each other, the buzzing of insects and the smell of marsh flowers. His anxiety lessen as he continue walking, feeling a certain amount of calm settling in him. This is what it supposed to feel like. He kept his eyes closed while walking the entire length of the marsh. Other clans only saw a dirty muddy territory, thinking that Shadowclan embodies the darkness within. They don't see the flowers, the harmony between the bugs and frogs. Listening to the frogs singing, hearing the lizards scamper on the rocks. They don't see the beauty. Especially at night. He overheard other apprentices in other clans having to sneak out at night while Shadowclan is expected to go out at night. It why they wake at sunhigh and train late into the night.