WARRIORS: THE STORM AHEAD

Chapter 20

"Leafwhisker, Mousepaw, come here."
Bloodsight's call attracted Mousepaw to her mentor. She felt proud. This was her and Featherpaw's assessment. Cloudpaw had to wait another moon.

When Mousepaw and Leafwhisker joined Mothheart and Ravennight, Featherpaw wasn't there. Mousepaw had assumed she had gone for a walk in the morning.

Bloodsight came to the patrol, and when he realized that Featherpaw wasn't there, his face twisted into a look of concern. "Mothheart, where is your apprentice?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen her since this morning." Mothheart meowed worriedly.

"We need to find her. Mousepaw, this can be part of your assessment. Look all over the territory and see if you find her:" Bloodsight decided. Mousepaw nodded.
"I'll do anything." the light brown tabby meowed.

Mousepaw walked into the pine forest, aware that Leafwhisker was watching her. She immediately ran to the fallen tree that killed Branchstar.
"Featherpaw? Featherpaw!" the apprentice yowled. No answer. Mousepaw searched along all the trees, but there was still no sight of Featherpaw.
Well, I still have a whole territory to go through. Mousepaw held in a sigh. Don't get lazy. This is your assessment.

The ShadowClan cat walked until she found a clearing. She recognized it as the clearing that Mothheart, Featherpaw, Sorrelpool, and Cinderlight had been training in after Mousepaw and Cloudpaw had met the rogues.

However, there was still no sight of Featherpaw.

Mousepaw took a right, and saw ferns that looked familiar. Suddenly, it hit her. The she-cat shivered. Behind these ferns was a huge, plentiful yew bush. All apprentices had been warned of it on their first training session.
She remembered the story the old ShadowClan elder, Ashspot, had told her about Cinderlight getting poisoned by the bush as an apprentice, but Vinecurl had saved her with yarrow.

The old elders had also told plenty of other stories about the bush, it was cursed, it would punish you, it will take over the territory.
Those are just stories to scare kits. I'll go in! I have to find Featherpaw!

As Mousepaw crept into the bush, she recognized some of the berries weren't on stems, as if they had gotten plucked of. Some of the leaves and branches were clawed and torn. However, she only smelled ShadowClan, not badger or fox.

But in the scent of pine, the scent of death berries lingered.
And the scent of blood.

Mousepaw's heart quickened. "Featherpaw!" she screeched. Still no answer.
It doesn't mean she's dead, Mousepaw thought to calm herself down as she crept toward the clearing.

As the clearing came into view, Mousepaw saw the one thing she didn't want to see.
Featherpaw's dead body.

"Oh StarClan no..."
Leafwhisker, Mothheart, and Bloodsight were investigating the scene, along with Flightstar, who Bloodsight had called.
The space around Featherpaw's body was covered in deathberry juice. It was also pooling out of her mouth, along with chewed up deathberries and blood.

"Not my kit," Leafwhisker mewed sorrowfully, touching his nose to Featherpaw's stained flank. Mousepaw knew that he was mates with Sagesky, Featherpaw's mother.
"We need to find out who did this." Flightstar growled. "I already have some suspects."

"Like the rogues?" Bloodsight answered. Mousepaw saw a flicker of surprise on Flightstar's face before he meowed back. "Yes. There's deathberry juice everywhere, they could've disguised their scent. They've shown to be brutal by attacking Tanpaw- their targets could be young cats. Also, I know a certain rogue that would go out of his way to kill innocent cats." Flightstar growled.

"Let's take Featherpaw's body back to camp for burial." Leafwhisker softly meowed. Mothheart nodded.
Everyone gathered. Bloodsight and Leafwhisker carried the apprentice's body, Flightstar took the lead, and Mousepaw and Mothheart were at the end. Together, they went back to camp.