Warrior Cats: Darkness Rising. (2/3)

Chapter 14

Fernleaf fidgeted in her nest. She felt wide awake. "Can't you sleep?" Coalfrost mumbled, his eyes closed. Fernleaf shook her head. "No." She mewed. Finally, she admitted defeat. Rising to her paws, she padded out of the den. The sky were turning milky pale with dawn light, and the warriors of Starclan were disappearing. She settled down and began grooming herself. She looked up when Pigeonwing padded out of the den. She lifted her head. "Dawn patrol?" She asked and heaved herself to her paws. "Yep." Pigeonwing yawned as he stretched. "Can I come with you?" Fernleaf asked. Pigeonwing shrugged. "Sure." He mewed. "I'll take Silverpaw with us too." She murmured as she bounded towards the apprentices' den. "Oh, wake Foxpaw too, will you?" Pigeonwing called after her, and she flicked her tail before squeezing into the den. The floor was dotted with sleeping bundles of fur and she wove herself among them until she reached Silverpaw. She gently prodded her. "Dawn patrol." She mewed before padding to Foxpaw as her apprentice groggily woke up. She nudged the russet tom awake. "Come on, dawn patrol." She mewed. Foxpaw groaned before heaving himself to his paws. Fernleaf flicked her tail before trotting out of the den. Pigeonwing, Firetail, Mousewhisker and Fernsong were all waiting beside the tunnel entrance. She bounded towards them. Firetail looked down at his paws, avoiding Fernleaf's gaze, and her heart cracked. Then finally, Silverpaw and Foxpaw stumbled out of the den.

Fernleaf brought up the rear with Silverpaw as they padded along the Shadowclan border. She sniffed the air before turning her head to Silverpaw. "What can you smell?" She asked. Silverpaw took a deep breath and opened her mouth. "Stale fox, Shadowclan's scent markers, squirrel and... Timberheart." She mewed, tipping her head. Fernleaf pricked her ears and sniffed again. She was right! Timerheart had been this way, and many times before. What is he up to now? She wondered. Looking at the cats in front of her, she hoped they didn't smell Timberheart's scent. She bent her head and sniffed the ground. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized he'd been crossing the borders. Is he crazy? What is he doing? Her mind spun with thoughts. Her heart heavy with worry, she continued with the patrol.

Fernleaf trotted into camp, a mouse dangling by its tail from her mouth. She dropped it at the fresh-kill pile. "Silverpaw, Foxpaw, take some prey to the elders." She ordered. She pricked her ears when she saw Firetail facing Sootfall underneath the highledge. Unease pricked at her when she saw that they had both unsheathed their claws, and their pelts were bristling. Oh no. She bounded towards them. "So you are the father of her kits?" Firetail snarled. "Firetail, I don't want to fight you. You are my best friend." Sootfall was trying to reason. Firetail lashed his tail and arched his back and hissed. "You knew I loved her." Sootfall shook his head desperately. "Firetail, I didn't know!" He mewed. "Liar!" Firetail yowled before flinging himself at Sootfall. "No!" Fernleaf screeched, as her friends became a screeching knot of writhing fur and flailing paws. "Help!" She yowled. Cats came running out of their dens. "What's going on?" Hollytuft asked, but her mew was cut off as Coalfrost shot past her, and she almost lost her balance. "Sepperate them!" He yowled at Fernleaf. Fernleaf's paws trembled as she dug her claws into Sootfall's shoulders and dragged him backwards. "Control yourself!" Coalfrost spat at Firetail as he tried to claw at the black tom. Blood trickled out of a wound just above Firetail's eye as he lay, panting, underneath Coalfrost's massive paws. Bramblestar came shouldering his way through the throng. "What is this?" He asked, his booming voice echoing off the walls. Fernleaf looked at him, ashamed of her friends. Idiots! "I'm sorry, Bramblestar. This was just a misunderstanding." Sootfall mewed as Fernleaf stepped off him, and he heaved himself to his paws. Bramblestar's eyes were blazing with fury. "I thought the clan had taught you that we don't fight our clanmates." He snapped. "You broke the warrior code!" Frogleap yowled. "You killed a cat not so long ago!" Fernleaf snapped back before she could think, and regret nagged at her. Frogleap hissed at her. "It was necessary." Fernleaf felt the fur along her shoulders rise. "Calm down." Sootfall murmured, touching her shoulder with the tip of his tail. "The rogues within them will never leave them. They'll never be true warriors." Badgerblaze muttered. Fernleaf fought the urge to rake her claws over his face. Coalfrost turned his head to Bramblestar. "I promise that this won't happen again." He vowed. Bramblestar glared at him. "Make sure it doesn't." He mewed. "They did it once, they'll do it again!" Rainsong yowled. "Every cat deserves a second chance." Ivypool snapped at her. Fernleaf lifted her chin. "Rainsong, I've made my decision." Bramblestar mewed before flicking his tail and padding away. The cats glanced at them before turning and returning to whatever they were doing. Coalfrost stepped off Firetail and he scrambled to his paws and stomped away. Fernleaf, Sootfall and Coalfrost gazed sadly after him as he disappeared into the den. "He'll get over it." Fernleaf murmured, trying to convince herself as much as Sootfall and Coalfrost. "I hope so." Sootfall murmured before slowly turning and padding to the nursery. Junipercloud pushed herself out of the entrance and hurried towards her mate, rubbing her cheek along his. "Are you alright?" She asked. Sootfall nodded. "Just a few scratches." He mewed. "Better get seen to anyways." Coalfrost advised as he pressed himself up to Fernleaf. "Should we talk to him?" Fernleaf asked, and pointed at the warriors' den. Coalfrost shook his head. "This is something Firetail has to get over himself." He murmured.