The Flood Of Power Book 1: New Moon

Chapter 13

Once the new apprentices had left, Codheart called Skypaw over. "We have an important job to do, so go eat and then we're going to set off." He meowed in a low voice.

She flattened her ears. "What kind of important job?" She asked nervously.

"We'll discuss it later, just go eat." He snapped, and stalked away to join Mossfuzz and Pearpelt as they shared a carp.

Finding it suspicious, she grabbed a small fish, unbothered to check what kind it was, and padded to the hidden cave behind Tigerstar's den.

"You knew I would be here." Tigerstar purred quietly. She was sitting on a dry stone in the center of the pool of water.

Skypaw dropped her fish, and meowed, "Codheart is being weird."

The leader nodded. "Leopardleaf wanted to send a few cats out to spy on ThunderClan back when he was still alive. I'm sure he told Codheart at some point and he's now carrying out his duty." She sighed. "You should still go, but don't get hurt. We can't loose anyone."

Skypaw nodded. She quickly ate her fish and left the cave. Codheart, Mossfuzz, Salmonwing, and Pearpelt all were waiting for her by the camp entrance. She trotted over to them and they set off.

Codheart led the patrol straight to Four Rocks. They reached the edge of the hollow and bounded down the side, reaching the neutral territory used during the full moon. They crept up the slope on the other side and entered ThunderClan's territory.

We're trespassing. If ThunderClan catches us, they won't show a shred of mercy for us. Tigerstar might even get in trouble for allowing us to leave the territory. Skypaw stalked through the grass behind her mentor, keeping all of her senses alert for danger.

Codheart flicked his tail to the left and right, and the others in the patrol spread out. Skypaw slid to the front and peered out from between bracken fronds. A spotted black and brown she-cat was picking leaves and flowers from a small plant. A medicine cat apprentice. Skypaw thought. We can't attack her.

"Go get her. Pin her down, she'll be our first prisoner." Codheart hissed in her ear.

Skypaw gave him a horrified look, but bunched her muscles and pounced anyway. She landed squarely on the other apprentice's back, shoving her to the ground.

"Who are you? Let me go!" The apprentice squealed.

"Be quiet or I'll shred your ears." Codheart snarled in her ear, placing his unsheathed claws dangerously close to her throat.

Skypaw kept the ThunderClan cat pinned to the ground, but Codheart started to walk away. "Wait-where are you going?" She called to him.

"Don't let that cat escape, or I'll skin you. We'll be back in a bit." He hissed before disappearing down a small slope and into a swathe of ferns.

Skypaw jumped gracefully off of the apprentice, feeling bad for her. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" She asked, not noticing any wounds.

"Yeah, I'm okay." The she-cat stood up and shook out her pelt. "Why'd you let me up?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't be able to escape again. I'm a warrior apprentice after all, and you're just a medicine cat." Skypaw puffed out her chest pridefully.

"What's your name? I'm Spottedpaw, the medicine cat apprentice of ThunderClan."

Skypaw wrinkled her nose. "I'm Skypaw. Of RiverClan. And I'm training to be a warrior, which is better than becoming a medicine cat."

"I think it depends on what you see in each position. I think that you believe that warriors are better because they get to fight and use their claws to injure others. I see that medicine cats don't fight others, but we instead make sure that you warriors can fight another battle." Spottedpaw mewed mildly.