StarClan isn't real..

Chapter 8

Yellowpaw pounced, her paws meeting on soft fur. She lunged forward, biting down on the throat of the rabbit. Blood flowed into her mouth. She licked the red liquid from her muzzle and then picked up the rabbit. Sandwillow, Beetleshine, and Finchpaw were also on the patrol. Sandwillow carried two young rabbits and a vole, while Finchpaw had a plump white bunny. Beetleshine was carrying a large pigeon and a younger rabbit. Yellowpaw picked up her vole she had caught, proud that she had been able to catch as much as everyone else.

"Let's head back to camp," Beetleshine mewed. "This should be enough to feed the Clan, until the second hunting patrol comes out." The white tom headed across the moor, back towards the camp.

Holding her head high, Yellowpaw bounded back to camp. Finchpaw ran beside her, giving Yellowpaw a look that showed she wanted to talk to her, but couldn't with the fresh-kill. Yellowpaw just nodded at her, showing that they could talk back in camp. She wondered what the gray she-cat would want to talk about; hopefully it wouldn't be something rude about showing off or something.

When the patrol reached camp, they squeezed through the heather tunnel with the prey still clamped in their jaws. As Yellowpaw emerged into the clearing, she could immediatly tell something was wrong.

Cats were running around to and fro, sniffing around the clearing. The sandy floor was marked with claws, as if some cat had been scratching the ground in stress. Larkpaw huddled outside the apprentices' den, her eyes wide with worry and fear. Specklebird paced, his tail lashing from side to side. His mate, Oatflower, was picking at a mouse. Beetleshine dropped his fresh-kill on the pile, then turned towards Specklebird. "What's going on?" Yellowpaw deposited her own fresh-kill and pricked her ears, watching as Specklebird stopped and opened his mouth to reply.

Before he could, however, Larkpaw let out a wail. "Larchpaw's missing!"

"What?" Sandwillow gasped.

Specklebird spoke up. "Larkpaw woke up this morning, and Larchpaw wasn't there." He said. "Last night, she said she was feeling restless so I took her out of camp to hunt. She said she wanted to try near the barn, and to not wait for her, so I let her. I came back to camp and didn't think much of it, but I guess she didn't return." He dipped his head. "I was going to send out a search party, to look near the barn."

"Can I come?" Yellowpaw asked. She was desperate to know what had happened, and hated being left out.

Specklebird nodded. "I'll lead it, and I'll take Aspenwing and Logpaw, too."

The mentor and apprentice rose to their paws from where they were sniffing at a clump of ferns at the edge of the clearing. They padded over to Specklebird, and Yellowpaw joined them. "Come on, before night falls," The deputy hissed.

Specklebird led the way out of camp, his tail flicking as he did. Yellowpaw followed him out onto the moor, glad that Logpaw was too focused on sniffing the air that he didn't tease her. Yellowpaw was still confused as they approached the barn. Larchpaw stayed away from the barn; she was scared of the wolves, even though they didn't attack cats much, unless provoked. Was Specklebird telling the truth, about Larchpaw going there by herself? She shook away the thought. Specklebird was the deputy, completely trusted by the Clan, and he loved his daughters.

As Yellowpaw neared the barn, she was certain what had happened to Larchpaw.

"Oh no," Aspenwing whispered.

Blood stained the grass in front of the wolf den. Tortoiseshell fur was everywhere, sticking onto the grass. The ground was raked with claws, as if there had been a struggle. But the worst part was the mutilated body laying in front of the den. Yellowpaw took a step closer and saw Larchpaw. The apprentice was half-eaten, her bones showing through her devoured belly. Bitemarks were on her body. Yellowpaw was still confused, though. Why hadn't the wolves finished her?

"Should we take her back to camp?" Aspenwing asked. Yellowpaw thought she would fall apart if they even touched her, and she also doubted Larkpaw would want to see her sister in such a state.

Specklebird had the same thoughts. "No," He said, his mew more angry than sad. "Let's tell the Clan what happened."

Yellowpaw edged away from Larchpaw's body, and was about to follow, when she saw something in her fur. A speck of something red, that wasn't blood. She leaned down to sniff it; it smelled like a berry, but something about it was off. She ran her paw along it. It was definitely a berry. But why had this been in Larchpaw's fur?

As she kept looking, Yellowpaw noticed a slit along Larchpaw's back. More specks of the berries were in there, clearly devoured by the wolves.

Yellowpaw gulped. Larchpaw couldn't have gotten these berries themselves, and Yellowpaw swore she had heard of them.

Deathberries.

But who had put deathberries in Larchpaw's fur?