Second Chance

7- Secret Night

~~~~~~~~~~~Ivypool's POV~~~

"Harder Ivypaw, HARDER!!!!!!"

I stared down my new mortal enemy, Mr. Stick, courtesy of Hawkfrost. He was ridden with battle scars and bark was shredding off him, but he still stood tall and strong.

You suck Mr. Stick.

I gave him a few more nicks to remember me by before chunking him into the marsh, where he slowly sunk into the murky water. I grinned, imagining it was Brokenstar or some other cat here.

Brokenstar, Tigerstar, Mapleshade, Breezepelt... But not Hawkfrost.
All I could imagine with the dark tabby in front of me was him dying, and the blood on my paws. I shook the thought away.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Hawkfrost shouted from behind me, "You were supposed to shred him not drown him!"

"Well, at least he died!" I grinned back, and forced a laugh out of my jaws. This was wrong, so wrong...

He waltzed over to me and slid his tail along my back. I had to bite my tongue to hold back a few colorful words. "I guess it does count," he laughed, "Lessons over, but come with me,"

I froze. Frantic thoughts ran through my head, 'Great StarClan I'm dead, someone please help me, I've been figured out!'

But his posture, the way he was laughing... He was (hopefully) showing me something that wouldn't kill me. So as he began to walk away, I ran after him and got swallowed up in the woods.

~~~~~~~~~~~Briarlight's POV~~~

  The Stars were still twinkling, apparently Blossomfa- paw had woken me up for night patrol, all the light had been the last afternoon rays shining through the clouds, and I had mistaken it for dawn.

So now here I was, sitting in the rain, on guard duty.

Yay!

I sat there in silence, all that greeted me was the quiet pitter-patter of cold rain, but it gave me time to think. I really should be thinking about something logical, like what I was going to do with my second chance. But no, my mind was on a certain medicine cat. His careful foggy blue eyes, like the mist over the lake at sunrise.

"Briarlight!" A voice suddenly called out of the camp, "I'm taking over for you!" I whipped my head around to see Ivypool's mother, Whitewing, trotting out of the warrior's den, grinning, "You look like you need some sleep anyways!"

I nodded, trying to look as tired as possible to get out of this mouse-dung job. As soon as the white she-cat plopped down I meowed, "I'm going for a walk."

She looked at me quizzically, before asking, "I thought you were tired?"

I shook my head and realized that I slipped up. Mouse-dung. "Um, I just, you know, need to think..?" I stuttered, the right words not coming.

She nodded, though her eyes were worried. "Then go, but be careful..." She trailed off, then whispered in a way that sent chills down my back. "Something's not right."

I rushed out of the camp, mud slick under my paws, threatening to slide out from under me. But I shook my head and continued on, fear making my feet fly faster. It wasn't just Whitewing's tone of voice that scared me.

It was the fact that I felt something was wrong, too.

But what?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ivypool's POV~~~

I woke up with a start, my heart leaping out of my chest. My mind was racing with battle moves, and it felt invisible claws were at my throat.

As my eyes adjusted, a ray of morning sunlight hit me, causing my pelt to turn blood red. Blood. I shook off the thought, along with the fear that came with the word.

It took me a second to realize that blood wasn't what had my heart racing. Something else was wrong. The sleeping bodies around me were warm and comforting, but the feeling didn't leave. It wasn't until an audible crack! came from outside I knew what the danger was.

Last time this happened, two cats went in, one went out.

But I had a feeling this time it would be more than one that would never be seen again.

For those of you who commented in the last chapter, your characters should appear in the next chapter. Also, first person who guesses the 'problem' in this chapter will have an OC become almost a main character!

Happy guessing ~LBB