Warriors: Lost

Chapter 15

"Redpaw!"

Luckypaw froze. Hawkpaw took his place beside him, equally shocked. Just a moment ago, this was an intruder to their camp. What would they call themselves? They were still debating. In fact, they were debating about that before Cindertail smelt the intruder.

Apparently, it was a ThunderClan apprentice named Thrushpaw. Thrushpaw was clearly looking for Redpaw, and followed his scent here. Luckypaw felt his heart sink. What would happen if Thrushpaw told Snowstar everything? All their plans would foil.

Redpaw let the intruder up, and Thrushpaw ran to hug him. "Redpaw! Oh, thank StarClan you're safe!" He murmured. "I was so worried about you. Moonheart told everyone to look for you while on patrols. Runningpelt is paranoid."

As soon as Thrushpaw saw the others, he growled. "Who are you, and what were you doing with my brother?"

Brother?? Luckypaw was shocked as he took a step back. But they don't look anything alike!

"What? We've been doing nothing with your brother!" hissed Nightpaw. "You don't even look like one another!"

Thrushpaw pounced on Nightpaw, claws unsheathed, and started ripping fur off her pelt. Nightpaw let out a loud screech. Daypaw's fur bristled and Pinepaw's tail lashed side to side.

"THRUSHPAW!" yowled Redpaw, stopping his brother before he started, pinning Thrushpaw down. "They have done nothing to me. I'm fine! If they did do something, I'd be dead, remember!?" He hissed.

"That's what you say when you're hurt and don't want others to worry about you." meowed Thrushpaw. "You're going to tell me what in StarClan's name is going on here, or I'll tell Snowstar you've been hanging out with other clan apprentices!"

"Thrushpaw, I know what I'm doing, why don't you trust that!?" hissed Redpaw. Luckypaw took another step back. "Why won't you trust me!?"

"I do trust you, Redpaw," meowed Thrushpaw. "It's the other clans I don't trust!"

"HEY!" yowled Nightpaw.

"Oh, you've asked for it! Give him what he deserves, Redpaw!" spat Cindertail.

Thrushpaw was about to pounce, but Redpaw stepped on his tail. "Thrushpaw, just this once, PLEASE listen to me!"

"I HAVE been listening to you! But then you go off with other clan apprentices! We're not allowed to have friendships outside of ThunderClan!" hissed Thrushpaw.

"Oh, like you haven't broken that rule before!? Remember Stonepaw from RiverClan!?" hissed Redpaw.

"Stonemist, and what about him!?" asked Cindertail.

"Stay out of this, Cindertail!" yowled Redpaw.

"I just want to protect you!" hissed Thrushpaw. "You've been so distant ever since we first came out of the nursery! I was scared that you went so far, you were lost. I was scared I'd never see you again, Redpaw!"

Redpaw let him up and trotted towards the others. Luckypaw lashed his tail, challenging the ThunderClan apprentice to a fight. However, it seemed Redpaw already had that covered.

Redpaw sat down next to Luckypaw's paws. "I don't need you always trying to protect me. It seems ever since I told you I wanted to be a medicine cat that we've never talked."

"You caused that, y'know," hissed Thrushpaw. "You were the one always closing yourself off. You were the one who built a wall around yourself. You were the one who built a barrier around your heart."

Thrushpaw paused, staring around at the other clan cats, challenging them to take Redpaw's side or to argue, and then continued. "I was scared I did something wrong. I don't want that time to happen again." He meowed.

Redpaw pinned his head against his ears. Luckypaw caught Redpaw digging his unsheathed claws into the ground, and was afraid of the ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice attacking his brother.

"It's already happened," mewed Redpaw. "What's done is done, Thrushpaw. Please, trust that I know what I'm doing. I'm being sent on this journey by StarClan themselves, along with..." he paused, gazing at Hawkpaw, Pinepaw, Sunpaw, and Daypaw.

"...Some of us." Redpaw meowed.

"Only me, Nightpaw, Cindertail, Redpaw, and Luckypaw." meowed Shinepaw. "The others are just dead weight."

Sunpaw wrapped her tail around his leg, tripping him as punishment of what he said.

Luckypaw smirked, lashing his tail side to side. Shinepaw grasped his tail, holding it down with claws unsheathed.

Redpaw let out a purr of amusement, with Thrushpaw still skeptical. "Redpaw..."

Redpaw glared at him. "Don't you dare say anything to the rest of ThunderClan. Not to Runningpelt, not to your mentor, not to any of the apprentices, and CERTAINLY not to Snowstar." He hissed challengingly.

Thrushpaw stayed silent. Luckypaw crouched, ready to hold him down if he tried to run away and tell Snowstar. "Okay," Thrushpaw mewled. "I won't. I promise."

Redpaw sighed of relief. Luckypaw let his paws give way from underneath him, collapsing into Daypaw's pelt all while letting out a sigh of relief.

"I promise I won't tell anyone. Just... can I tell Moonheart? She was very paranoid about you. She won't tell anybody." promised Thrushpaw.

Redpaw glared at him. Is he really thinking about letting him tell Moonheart? Luckypaw was shocked. He guessed that Moonheart was their mother. What's next? Am I gonna be their cousin?

"Fine," meowed Redpaw. "Just make her promise she won't tell anyone. Not Runningpelt, not Snowstar. Please."

"I will," mewed Thrushpaw, bounding back into the open.

When he was gone, Redpaw rolled over, showing his belly. "He's gonna tell the whole of ThunderClan. They're gonna come after us and we'll be loners after this. What have I done."

Beside him, Hawkpaw fainted. Luckypaw rolled his eyes at Redpaw. Nightpaw's pelt bristled.

"The only thing we can do is run." meowed Daypaw calmly. "Just run. Out of the mountains, and out of clan territories."

"I wonder if we'll see the Tribe of Rushing Water." mewed Nightpaw. "Remember when Oakfur told us about the time when the ancient Tawnypelt, her brother Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, Crowfeather, Stormfur, and Feathertail went on the journey to the sun-drown-place?"

"I remember it like the back of my paw." mewed Pinepaw, his sightless eyes staring into Nightpaw's.

"If we do, don't mess with them, unless they mess with us," Cindertail told them sternly.

And WHO said that a RiverClan way-too-fast-to-be-named warrior could be the mentor of other clan apprentices? He wanted to hiss aloud.

"You're not our mentor," hissed Sunpaw.

"Who are the cats who are still apprentices?" Cindertail hissed back with a challenging look in her eyes.

I'll die before you're my mentor. Luckypaw bared his teeth in a snarl.

"Let's go," meowed Redpaw, already a tail-length out of the cave. They pursued him, when Luckypaw thought of something.

"How about we call ourselves FieldClan?"