Warriors: Sounds of the Forest

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Blackheart

My lifted my head as i looked at the leaffall sky, no other cat was here to disturb me so i was trying to enjoy the soft murmurs of the forest. Prey have begun to slowly dissapear as the weather had started to get colder so i had decided to go hunting. Riversong had still not returned and though I was full of worry it seamed that the rest of the clan was moving on with Darkflame as the new Thunderclan medicine-cat. Each time a cat asked for Darkflame to check on them I begged in my mind that one of them would possibly slip, to acidently say Riversong and show that i was not the only one in the clan remembering her.

 My wiskers twitched as the scent of a nearby water vole reached my sences. The river tricked by just across the border as I realized i had strain close to the Riverclan border. I soon saw the vole in reach as i staled through the quickly thining undergrowth, once the vole was close enough for me to easily catch i lept. Wishing i could purr at such a large catch I mouthed a sighlent thanks to Sarclan.

 "Nice catch!" a voice called from the other side of the river. Looking up i saw a silvery-grey tabby tom as he swam accross the river and sat on the border. "I was worried it would cross the scent line and i would have to take it from you." he continued friendily.

 I twiched my tail in responce and nodded my head as i prepared to return deeper into my terretory with my catch.

 "Oh!" he exclaimed "your that mute cat right? i thought you were in the new clan!"

 Looking black at him i shook my head saddly as i remembered how much I had once loved Tigerfang, enough to be willing to leave Tunderclan on no more then his dream.

 "what made you leave?" he asked as his blue eyes bore into mine.

 I witched my wiskers at him and tlted my head, trying to remind him that i couldnt speak.

 "Sorry!" he said as he caught my hint. "im not used to it is all." then standing he continued "id better return to my clan before they begin to worry for me!My names Thorntail by the way!"

 I watched as he bounded into the reeds of Riverclan territory. Picking up my vole i began to return to the Thunderclan camp as i thought of why the tom had been alone on the Thunderclan border in the first place.

 ----

 As the sun began to set i settled myself by the nettle patch to eat a mouse i had taken from the freshkill pile.

 While i ate i could feel Leafstorms eye burning into my pelt from where he sat across the clearing. He and I had never seen eye to eye, at least not since i had been forced to kill his brother, but now since Badgersoul had taken over Whitestars body it felt as though his trust in me had shrivled down to nothing. And if i had to guess, depending on his possible future actions, i would find myself begining to doubt his loyalty towards Thunderclan. Hopefuly if he didnt regain that faith soon he would at least not pass his anger and posible disloyalty to Midnightpaw, if that hppened i wouldnt know what to do...

 After eating m freshkill i noticed as he walked over to me. "blackheart." he grunted "Amberstar wants you to go on a potrol with Midnightpaw and I." he sounded as if he did not like the idea of me joining him on patrol and yet we both knew that Amberstars word was law. So I joined him in waiting near the camp entrence. As soon as midnightpaw padded out of the apprentices den she walked over to us; bouncing excitedly at being shown the borders for the first time.

 "Hey!" Flashpelts voice sounded across the clearing as she padded over to us with her apprentice Snowpaw. "Amberstar just told me you we going out to patroo the borders, so i asked if we could join and she agreed."

 I nodded and turned to follow Leafstorm as he led the patrol out of the camp.

 "So," Midnightpaw asked loudly as we began to walk through the forest. "which border will we be patroling? Windclan or Riverclan?"

 "Or Shadowclan!" Snowkit added, unwilling to let his sister get ahead of him.

"go question!" Flashpelt said to the two apprentices, "Leafstorm? which border should we see to?"

Leafstorm glared at the older warrior with impatience in his eye. "Didnt Amberstar tell you?" he hissed at the she cat then looking at Snowpaw and Midnightpaw he said with a slightly kinder tone "We will be patroling the Shadowclan border, can you guess why?"

"Because Shadowclan is always planning somthing!" Midnightpaw mewed "just like you said at the gathering right?"

"Good Midnightpaw," Flashpelt said as she nooded at the apprentice. "But also because just before you were kitted Shadowclan attack the us at a gathering so we dont know what to expect from them right now."

I as she said that i remembered that night as it had happend, it was the night that Splashstar had healed my hind legs so i could fight in the battle and meet Foxfur (Foxpaw then) face to face which led to her eventually becoming the medicine cat of Moonclan.

---

as soon as we reached the border Leafstorm glared at me again, his amber eye locking with mine. and though i was begining to loath the way he he had don this ever few moments i was almost thankful that the other three cats didnt notice it yet.

looking back at Midnightpaw he said "this is the border, make sure you remember that this scent is Shadowclans and that you do NOT cross the bordermarkers!"

Flashpelt glnced at her Snowkit and said once Leafstorm finished "listen to him Snowpaw, what he is saying apllies to all apprentices."

I closed my eyes and listened to Leafstorm go on about borders and how enportant they are. As i began to let myseld tone him out i listend to the rustle of the leaf-fall cracked leaves as the breeze shook them softly.

Sudenly my mind was snapped back to where i was standing and a Shadowclan voice reached my ears.

"what are you doing so close to the border!" the large black she-cat hissed as three other Shadowclan cats flanked him with their claws unsheathed.

i listened as Flashpelt replied calmly "We are only patroling the border," she said "as you can tell we havent crossed the markers."

"Markers mean nothing anymore!" one of the other shadowclan cats snarled

"Shut up!" the Black tom hissed at her clan-mate then again turning to us she replied to Flashpelt "how do we not know that you werent about to cross into our territory?"

"do we really look like a battle patrol?" Leafstorm snapped.

"there could be more of them in the undergrowth!" the other cat growled again.

"Bloodstripe! do you really want to loose your wiskers?!" the black she-cat threatoned the tan tabby tom with blood red stripes again. "sorry about him." she said with hint of anger in her voice and a hidden gleam in her yellow eyes "he was only recently made a warrior."

I nodded and stood as i flicked my tail, Flashpelt watched and told the Shadowclan she-cat what i said.

"she says 'we have just as much right to be this close to the border on our side as you do where you are standing.' which i have to agree with." Flashpelt said as she nodded, agreeing with what she had repeated.

"I agree as well." the Black shecat nodded with her blue-grey ears twitching with amusement, though she asked nothing. "Its best we both be moving along." she finished as she stood and led her patrol away, though the cat called Bloodstripe slowed and glared at us, his red-brown eyes locking with mine for a moment before moving his glare to Leafstorm, though when he met the Thunderclan tom's eyes it was not anger that passed between the two toms, it looked more like acnoledgement.

Was Leafstorm planning somthing with Shadowclan?