Warriors AU: Rising Storm

Chapter 21

"Quick! This way!"

Brightpaw's urgent mew made Sandstorm jump. He saw a white and ginger shape tear out of the doorway and flee across the lawn, yowling loudly. The Twoleg turned, distracted, and in that moment Sandstorm felt Fireheart and Patchpaw shoot away from his side. He chased after them, following Brightpaw across the grass. Behind them the Twoleg called into the night, the dog yapping at its side, but Sandstorm kept running, through the hedge and out into the field beyond, tracking the scents that Brightpaw, Fireheart and Patchpaw had left until he caught up with them, huddled in a clump of nettles.

Fireheart pressed herself against him, her whole body trembling. Sandstorm looked over her head and saw Brightpaw staring at him, his blue eyes wide. Sandstorm's relief at finding his apprentice was suddenly tempered by all his old doubts about Brightpaw's palace in Thunderclan, and he didn't know what to say.

Brightpaw looked down at his paws. "Thanks for coming."

"Well? Do you want to come back to the Clan?" Confusion made Sandstorm blunt. He had assured himself that Brightpaw was safe; now the interests of the Clan began to crowd into his mind.

The young cat lifted his chin, his eyes clouded. "Of course! I know I should never have gone near Twolegs," he admitted. "I've learned my lesson. I promise I'll never do it again."

"Why should we believe you?" asked Fireheart. Sandstorm glanced at her, but her tone was mild, not challenging. Patchpaw stayed silent, sitting with her tail curled neatly over her front paws, her blue eyes missing nothing.

"You came to find me," Brightpaw mewed uncertainly. "You must want me back."

"I need to be able to trust you." Sandstorm wanted Brightpaw to understand that there were more cats to consider than just him. "I need you know you understand the warrior code, and that you can learn to follow it."

"You can trust me!" Brightpaw insisted.

"Even if you can convince me, do you think the rest of the Clan will believe you?" meowed Sandstorm gravely. "All they will see if that you left with Twolegs. What makes you think they'll trust a cat who chose kittypet life over the Clan?"

"But I didn't choose it!" objected Brightpaw. "I belong with the Clan. I didn't want to go with the Twolegs!"

"Don't be too tough on him," murmured Fireheart.

Sandstorm was taken aback by her unexpected sympathy for the young apprentice. Perhaps she had been convinced by the seriousness that darkened Brightpaw's eyes. He hoped the rest of the Clan would be, too. Sandstorm couldn't keep his anger burning any longer. He leaned forward and gave Brightpaw a rough lick on the head. "Just make sure you listen to me in the future!" he warned, speaking close to the apprentice's ear so that he could be heard over the rumbling purr that rose from the young cat's chest.

"The moon is rising," Patchpaw meowed quietly from the shadows. "If you want to be back by sunhigh, we don't have much time."

Sandstorm nodded and turned to Fireheart. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Fireheart answered, stretching her forelegs in front of her.

"Good," meowed Sandstorm. "Then we'd better get going."

Patchpaw led the Clan cats as far as the uplands and left them at the bottom of the dew-covered slope that led to Windclan's territory. Dawn was not far off, but it was the height of greenleaf and the sun rose early. They had made good progress.

"Thanks, Patchpaw," Sandstorm meowed, touching the black and white cat's nose with his own. "You did the right thing, coming to get me. I know it must have been hard, coming back to the forest."