Jaywatcher's Love [Old, DISCONTINUED]

∆ chapter 11 ∆

"Uh...What?" Jaypaw decided to play dumb, but knew what Cedarfall was hinting at. Her and Leafpaw.

"You know what I mean." Cedarfall hissed. His expressionless face morphed into anger. "You meet with a ThunderClan cat!"

"Shut it!" Jaypaw hissed back, eyes wide. The apprentice glared around the area, relieved to hear and scent no cats around.

"How could you?!" Cedarfall meowed, glaring at Jaypaw. "Are you not loyal to ShadowClan? Are you not loyal to me? Blackpaw? Smokeflame? No one?"

Jaypaw's ears flattened. He knew. He knew everything. "Fine." She admitted. "What do you know? How did you find out?"

"That doesn't matter!" Cedarfall yowled. "You shouldn't have gone there anyway!"

Jaypaw's eyes blazed. "It's not my fault I'm in love!" She yowled without thinking.

Cedarfall paused. "You love her?!" He snarled. "You can't! You're a she-cat, and she's a she-cat!"

"It's possible!" Jaypaw hissed back. "You don't know!"

"But..." Cedarfall's voice faded into barely a whisper. "You can't. I  love you."

Jaypaw stiffened. "No." She decided, shaking her head and backing away. "No! You can't!"

Cedarfall's eyes widened, tears welling into the tom's eyes. "I can't help it! I love you!" He yowled before turning around and bounding into some bushes.

The tom turned around before leaving. "The Clan will know...one day." Cedarfall rustled the bushes as he left Jaypaw, alone and shaken.

How can Cedarfall love me!? Jaypaw hissed in her mind, shaking her head. He's a whiny tom that doesn't know what he's doing!

Realization hit Jaypaw like thunder. Cedarfall would tell everyone. Everyone would know, and she would be in trouble. Lots of trouble.

She pelted through the forest, eyes stinging from the wind. Jaypaw ran, back into the ShadowClan camp, just to see Cedarfall whispering warily to Dawnberry and Tawnyeyes.

She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she knew that it wasn't good. Cedarfall suddenly jerked around and caught sight of the apprentice, narrowing his eyes before stalking to the entrance of camp.

It's time for him and Ivyberry's vigil. Jaypaw remembered. She saw Ivyberry prance out of the warriors den and to Cedarfall, who snarled at her before looking at his paws.

Jaypaw shook her head, padding to the apprentice's den. As she was about to settle into her nest, Rowantail's mew sounded.

"Jaypaw? You're on an evening patrol! Why are you here?" He asked, stifling a mew of laughter.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot." Jaypaw apologized, standing up and walking to her mentor.

"Come on." Rowantail flicked his tail for Jaypaw to follow as he left. "We're taking Dawnberry, Sageleaf and Nightpaw."

Jaypaw nodded meekly, earning a glare from Cedarfall as the apprentice and mentor walked out of camp.

Dawnberry, Sageleaf and Nightpaw were all waiting. Nightpaw's stumpy tail waved in the air and she looked tired.

Jaypaw knew the older apprentice would become a warrior soon, but her warrior ceremony was delayed because of her tail accident.

I wonder what it would feel like if Blackpaw and Wolfpaw became warriors without me...Jaypaw shuddered at the thought, padding forwards into the dense forest with the patrol.

Nightpaw and Sageleaf trudged behind everyone else, with Jaypaw at Rowantail's side.

Her mentor was sniffing the air with a concentrated expression. "Do you smell ThunderClan?" He asked.

Nightpaw scampered forwards, sniffing the air around her. "Yeah...should we go to the border?"

Sageleaf took the lead and nodded. Jaypaw stiffened. Leafpaw?

Rowantail nudged Jaypaw forward. "You go check it out. It'll be part of your warrior assessment."

Paws shaking, Jaypaw padded forwards into the bushes. The scent of ThunderClan was stronger now.

She poked her head into the bushes and wasn't surprised to see Leafpaw. The apprentice was there, with two other warriors.

Her green gaze landed on Jaypaw's head poking out from the bushes and Leafpaw's eyes widened as she tried to lead the patrol away from the bush.

Jaypaw guessed that Rowantail has seen the ThunderClan patrol on their territory and leapt out.

A lanky light brown tom's fur bristled as the ShadowClan patrol cornered the ThunderClan cats.

Jaypaw recognized them from the Gathering. The light brown tom was Bearpaw, but he looked old enough to be a warrior by now.

The second was a light gray she-cat, Dovecall, and the third was a tom with ginger fur. Amberstorm, the ThunderClan deputy.

"Bearpaw!" Nightpaw hissed. "I thought I knew you!"

"It's Bearclaw now." Bearclaw hissed under his breath.

"And what are you doing here, Bearclaw? And the rest of your patrol?" Rowantail prompted, fur bristling.

"We come with a message for...Redstar." Amberstorm nodded his head and his claws were sheathed, showing he didn't want to fight.

Dovecall and Bearclaw both nodded as Jaypaw locked eyes with Leafpaw.

"Should we take them back to camp?" Nightpaw asked Sageleaf.

Sageleaf shook her head as if she wanted to clear it. "Maybe...Rowantail?" She prompted.

The tortoiseshell warrior looked warily at the ThunderClan patrol, then nodded. "Yes. You can come, but if this is an ambush, ShadowClan will not hold back to kill."

Leafpaw shuddered with another glance at Jaypaw, which made the ShadowClan apprentices' belly churn.

"Come on." Jaypaw took the lead back to camp. "Let's bring them back to camp."

Rowantail nodded with a proud gaze and flicked his tail at the ThunderClan patrol. "Follow us." He ordered, stalking into the bushes.

Jaypaw slowed down to meet Leafpaw's pace, and the two apprentices glanced at eachother.

"Why are you here?" Jaypaw hissed at the ThunderClan she-cat, her eyes curious.

Leafpaw only shook her head lightly. "I Don't know. Bearclaw and Dovecall, my mentor, needed ShadowClan for something, and so Dovecall took me too."

Jaypaw's tail drooped. So Leafpaw didn't know why the ThunderClan cats were there.

"Shush," Jaypaw shushed Leafpaw as she opened her jaws to speak. "Stay quiet. We'll see eachother at the next Gathering."

Leafpaw shut her mouth and nodded, looking ahead. The patrol had reached the ShadowClan camp.