Warriors but Wolves: Into the Wild

Chapter 20

     By the time Firepaw returned, the camp was starting to look a little better. Parties of wolves had clearly been patching and repairing continuously throughout the day. Frostfur and Goldenflower were still busy fortifying the nursery walls, but the outer wall looked solid and secure once more.

Firepaw trotted across the clearing to see if there was any fresh-kill around. He passed Sandpaw and Dustpaw, who were preparing to leave in the next patrol.

"Sorry," yipped Sandpaw, as Firepaw sniffed hopefully around the eating area. "We ate the last two hares." Firepaw shrugged. He would catch something for himself later. He headed back to the apprentices' den, where Ravenpaw was sitting with his back resting against the tree stump, licking a forepaw.

"Where's Graypaw?" Firepaw asked as he sat down.

"Not back from his task yet," replied Ravenpaw. "Look at that!" He held out his paw for Firepaw to inspect. The pad was torn and bleeding. "Bearclaw sent me fishing and I stepped on a sharp stone in the stream."

"That looks pretty deep. You should get Bluefur to take a look at it," Firepaw advised. "Where did

Bearclaw send Graypaw, by the way?"

"Dunno, I was up to my belly in cold water," muttered Ravenpaw. He stood up and limped away toward Bluefur's den. Firepaw settled down, his eyes fixed on the entrance to the camp, and waited for Graypaw. After overhearing the warriors' conversation last night, he couldn't shake the feeling that something dreadful was going to happen to his friend. His heart lurched as he saw Bearclaw enter the camp alone. He waited longer.

The moon was high in the sky. Surely Ravenpaw should be back by now? Firepaw found himself wishing he'd spoken to Spottedstar when he'd had the chance. He could see Darkstripe and Redtail guarding her den now, and he certainly didn't want them to overhear his concerns.

Bearclaw had brought back fresh-kill, which he was sharing with Whitestorm outside the warriors' den. Firepaw realized he was very hungry. Perhaps he should go and hunt—he might come across Graypaw outside the camp. As he wondered what to do, Firepaw saw Graypaw trotting through the entrance of the camp, holding fresh-kill between his teeth. A thrill of relief raced through him.

The apprentice came straight over to Firepaw and dropped the mouthful of food on the ground.

"Enough for all three of us!" he yipped proudly. "And it should taste extra good—it's from ShadowPack territory."

Firepaw gasped. "You hunted in ShadowPack territory?"

"That was my task," Graypaw explained.

"Bearclaw sent you into enemy territory to hunt!" Firepaw could hardly believe it. "We must tell

Spottedstar. That was too dangerous!"

At the mention of Spottedstar's name, Graypaw shook his head. His eyes looked haunted and shadowed with fear. "Look, just keep quiet, okay?" he whispered. "I survived. I even caught some prey. That's all there is to it."

"You survived this time!" Firepaw spat.

"Shhh! Bearclaw's looking. Just eat your share and keep quiet!" snapped Graypaw. Firepaw shrugged and took a piece of the fresh-kill. Graypaw ate quickly, avoiding Firepaw's eye. "Shall we save some for Ravenpaw?" he asked after a while.

"He went to see Bluefur," Firepaw mumbled through a mouthful. "He cut his paw. I don't know

when he'll be back."

"Well, save him whatever you don't eat," replied Graypaw, suddenly sounding worn out. "I'm tired; I need to sleep." He stood up and pushed his way into the den. Firepaw stayed outside, watching the rest of the camp prepare for the night. He was going to have to tell Graypaw what he'd overheard in the forest last night. He needed to know just how much danger he was in. Bearclaw was lying beside Whitestorm, sharing tongues, but with one eye fixed on the apprentices' den. Firepaw yawned to show Bearclaw how exhausted he was. Then he got to his paws and followed Graypaw inside.