Warriors: A Dangerous Path - Book Five (Completed)

Chapter Five

Shadowpaw walked out of the den, eager to start his evening patrol. He saw Sandstorm waiting for him at the entrance, along with Whitestorm, Darkstripe, and Dustpelt. Fernpaw and Ashpaw sat behind them.

"Are you ready for patrol, Shadowpaw?" Sandstorm asked, flicking her tail.

"Yes!" Shadowpaw mewed eagerly, bounding up to join them.

As they headed out of camp, he followed them down into Sunningrocks. All was quiet, then Shadowpaw saw a flash of gray fur in the distance. It was Shadepaw. He recognized her from the Gathering. He pricked his ears and saw that she was alone. He tilted his head to the side and wondered why she was just sitting near the river. She didn't appear to be hunting for fish. She just sat there staring out into space as if she was planning something. Her green eyes were narrowed and focused on something in the distance.

"Stay focused, Shadowpaw," Sandstorm reminded him firmly. "We are on patrol, and we need to keep our eyes and ears open."

Shadowpaw shook his head to clear it and continued on patrol, Shadowpaw couldn't help but feel frustrated. He wanted to know what was going on with Shadepaw and why she was alone. He turned to Sandstorm."Do you think RiverClan is up to something?"

"It's hard to say," Sandstorm replied. "But it's always important to stay alert and be prepared for anything."

 "RiverClan has been known to be sneaky in the past. We should keep a close eye on them." Added Whitestorm.

Shadowpaw narrowed his eyes and couldn't focus on anything other than the tension between the clans as they neared the border of ShadowClan.

As they padded back to the ThunderClan camp, Sandstorm turned to him and said, "Good job today, Shadowpaw. You stayed alert and kept your senses sharp."

Shadowpaw felt a sense of pride wash over him. As they entered the clearing, they were greeted by a flurry of activity. Warriors were coming and going, and there seemed to be a sense of urgency in the air.

"What's going on?" Shadowpaw asked as he looked around.

"I'm not sure," Sandstorm replied, her gaze scanning the camp. "But I have a feeling that something important is happening."

Fireheart called out to Sandstorm, his tail twitching urgently. "Sandstorm, I need to speak with you."

Sandstorm nodded and turned to Shadowpaw. "Wait here. I'll be back soon."

Shadowpaw watched as Sandstorm disappeared with Fireheart. He wondered what they were talking about, but he knew better than to eavesdrop.

As he waited, his mind began to think of Shadepaw again. He shook his head to clear it as Sandstorm reappeared and called out to him. "Shadowpaw, come with me. We have a new mission."

Sandstorm led Shadowpaw towards the edge of the ThunderClan territory, where they met with Fireheart. "There have been rumors of Tigerstar and his warriors stirring up trouble, and we need to make sure our Clan is safe, so we're going back out to see. Would you like to come with us?"

Shadowpaw's ears pricked up at the mention of Tigerstar. He had heard about the former ThunderClan deputy's treachery, and he knew that he was not to be trusted. "Sure." He replied after a little hesitation.

As they made their way towards the ShadowClan border, Shadowpaw tried to keep his senses sharp. He felt distracted, and felt a pang of guilt as he turned his attention back to Sandstorm and Fireheart.

They came across a group of ShadowClan warriors. Shadowpaw recognized one of them as Blackfoot, the deputy.

"Greetings, ThunderClan," Blackfoot meowed, his tone icy. "What brings you to our territory?"

"We're just patrolling our borders." Sandstorm replied calmly. 

Blackfoot snorted, knowing already what they were up to. "Tigerstar is no longer your concern. He has taken his rightful place as leader of ShadowClan, and we will not be intimidated by your petty accusations."

Shadowpaw felt a sense of unease. He bristled his neck fur and narrowed his eyes, ready for a fight, but Sandstorm stayed calm.

"We mean no harm, Blackfoot," Sandstorm said, trying to diffuse the situation. "Like I said, we're just patrolling the borders."

Blackfoot narrowed his eyes. "We will see about that."

Fireheart's gaze narrowed and he flattened his ears, but stayed silent.

"As the deputy, you should know better than to scope around our business." Blackfoot retorted quickly. His icy gaze made way into Shadowpaw's fur and he could feel himself bristling his neck fur.  

As the ShadowClan deputy disappeared into the shadows, Shadowpaw relaxed. They continued to make their way along the ShadowClan border, but Shadowpaw couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had settled in his chest. He knew that something had to be done to prevent a war between the Clans.

"Sandstorm, do you think there's any way we can prevent a conflict with ShadowClan?" Shadowpaw asked tentatively.

Sandstorm turned to look at him, her expression softening slightly. "I don't know, Shadowpaw. We'll have to wait and see what Bluestar decides. For now, all we can do is keep our Clan safe."

Shadowpaw nodded, but he couldn't help but feel frustrated. He wanted to do something... anything, to prevent a conflict.

They reached the ThunderClan camp and Shadowpaw saw that Bluestar was waiting for them.

"What happened?" She meowed curtly.

"We patrolled the ShadowClan border, but we encountered Blackfoot and some of his warriors," Sandstorm reported. "They seemed to be dismissive of us and told us that Tigerstar is no longer our concern."

Bluestar's expression hardened. "I had a feeling this would happen. We cannot let ShadowClan threaten our safety. We must prepare for an attack."

Shadowpaw tensed. He didn't want to fight, but he knew that he had to do what was necessary to protect his Clan. If they were to fight, he would have no choice but to fight ShadowClan.

As he made his way back to the apprentices' den, he began thinking of Shadepaw again. He circled around his messy nest and nestled inside, tucking his paws under his chest. Why was Shadepaw alone sitting by the river? Was she planning to attack ThunderClan while they were sleeping?