StarClan isn't real..

Chapter 12

Fallowpaw paced restlessly outside the heather tunnel. It was sunhigh now, and Yellowpaw hadn't returned. His paws twitched with impatience. Finchpaw had gone out with Vixentalon, and Logpaw with Aspenwing. Grassleg, Fallowpaw's mentor, had refused to take him training, after a slight disagreement the mentor and apprentice had had the day before.

The memory played in Fallowpaw's mind.

A stiff breeze ruffled Fallowpaw's fur, sending his ears flying backward. He trudged on after Grassleg, wishing the wind wasn't so strong today. They were heading towards the Outlook Rock, were they would battle train.

Fallowpaw tried to hide his limp, but he couldn't. His leg ached, and his entire pelt was matted and bruised. He licked a clump of tangled black fur, annoyed.

When he and Grassleg reached the outlook rock, the battle-scarred gray tom stopped and sat down. "Okay, I'm going to give you a situation that would happen in a battle, and you're going to tell me what you will do." His eyes narrowed. "I know you dislike battle training, but fighting is part of being a warrior, okay?"

Fallowpaw nodded, uncomfortable.

"Alright." Grassleg's expression suddenly changed to a snarl, and he stepped forward. "I caught the rabbit! It was on RiverClan territory, on the bridge." He snapped. "Therefore, it is RiverClan's rabbit." He lifted his chin.

Oh, Fallowpaw realized, He's a RiverClan warrior, and I'm meant to fight him off. He took a deep breath, and exhaled.

"Prey-theif!" The black and gray apprentice snarled, readying himself into a battle stance. "Just because the rabbit was on your territory doesn't make it RiverClan prey." He started to feel a little moved, as if he was playing a game of Clan vs Clan with his littermates. "I'll show you just what happens when-"

"No, no." Grassleg growled. "How do you know I'm not lying?"

Feeling stupid, Fallowpaw shook his head. "I can smell your scent on WindClan's side of the territory," He snapped, his voice shaking a bit. "Clearly, you're lying, so you can play innocent and make WindClan look bad."

"For lies!" Grassleg snarled, back into his RiverClan tone. "It was on RiverClan territory to began with, so it is mine!"

Fallowpaw unsheathed his claws and sank them into the ground, faking irritation. "But beyond the bridge is our territory, and you caught the rabbit there." Fallowpaw snapped. "You clearly dragged it back here, to the bridge."

"What?" Grassleg growled, breaking character. "How do you know that?"

Annoyed by his mentor's open-ended question, Fallowpaw flattened his ears. "I- I thought that was the whole point of the lesson," He mewed, his voice trembling slightly. "I figured I was supposed to uncover the lie that you told me, so I could explain what had happened to older warriors."

"No, no," Grassleg hissed. "You need to handle it like a warrior! Use your claws! Be clever! Don't act smart."

Fallowpaw groaned. "Be clever but don't act smart?"

Grassleg's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?" He snapped. "Why are you talking to me like a kit?" When Fallowpaw opened his mouth to protest, the gray tom simply waved his tail dismissively. "Back to camp. No training for the rest of the day."

Fallowpaw shuddered as the memory vanished. He wondered what he had done to disappoint his mentor. He had kept up with his duties, gave prey to the elders, and even cleaned out Applestar's bedding every once in a while. He wondered what Grassleg wanted from him. Can I ever be perfect?

He was distracted when the heather tunnel rustled, and Finchpaw stepped in, with her mentor, Vixentalon, at her side. "Fallowpaw?"

"Hi, Finchpaw." Fallowpaw mewed, uncomfortable.

Finchpaw stayed behind as Vixentalon padded off to Specklebird, who was sharing tongues with his mate, Oatflower, under the Tallrock. "We think we know what happened to Yellowpaw," Finchpaw mewed. "We found dried blood near the ShadowClan border-"

Fallowpaw's eyes widened with horror. Is she dead? "Where's the body?" He cried, then realized he had interrupted his sister.

"Anyway," The gray she-cat growled, "We didn't find a body, but we did find drag marks leading to a gorse bush. We think Yellowpaw might've been under there, but the bush was too thick for us to break through." She glanced at her mentor, who was speaking to Specklebird. "Were gathering a patrol to help dig through the bush."

As she spoke, Logpaw and Aspenwing entered camp. Logpaw immediately felt a flash of confusion. Why was Vixentalon talking to Specklebird? If he recalled, the brown tabby had been out training Finchpaw.

Then Specklebird let out a yowl. "I need a patrol!"

Immediately, Logpaw bounded forward. He noticed Fallowpaw, his brother, ran forward too, but his mentor, Grassleg, pulled him back. Wondering why he couldn't go, Logpaw looked towards Specklebird. Blacktooth and Beetleshine came as well, and Fawnleap. Specklebird counted the cats then nodded. "Come."

As the deputy headed towards the gorse tunnel, he explained to the patrol what Finchpaw and Vixentalon had found. Logpaw listened, his eyes round with horror and unease.

He was still uneasy as he exited the heather tunnel. Would Yellowpaw be in the gorse bush, wounded or badly injured... even worse, dead? If there was dried blood and fur remains, surely she had been eaten by wolves?

His thoughts silenced as the patrol reached the ShadowClan border. Specklebird was right; dried blood was scattered everywhere, and the ginger fur of Yellowpaw.

"Is that an ear tip?" Blacktooth gasped. Following his mother's gaze, Logpaw saw the unmistakable ear tip of Yellowpaw, lying on the grass. He felt sick, and wanted to throw up. What had happened?

"The drag marks lead to the bush," Specklebird observed.

Following the deputy's gaze, Logpaw saw drag marks imprinted on the earth. They led to a thick gorse bush, that Logpaw couldn't see through. "Let's dig," Specklebird mewed, and slowly padded towards the gorse. Logpaw rushed ahead, wondering why Specklebird was acting hesitant, but ignored it and started to paw at the leaves.

The rest of the patrol did as well, slicing off stems with their claws or biting at the roots to clear them.

"Can you climb through, Logpaw?" Blacktooth grunted.

Nodding, Logpaw slipped through the gap in the roots, surprised when the ground tumbled away beneath his paws. He was engulfed in darkness, and for a moment, her thought he was dead. But then he felt something soft brush his side, and he turned around.

At first, he couldn't see what had touched him, then his vision cleared and he saw a dark shape laying on the ground. Ginger fur glistened with blood, and one green eye shined dimly in the light. He could hear the weak, raspy breathing of a cat, and as his vision cleared, he let out a shriek of horror.

It was Yellowpaw.