A Warrior's Trust #1: Uncertainty

Chapter Nine

The rest of the day went as smooth as such a bad day could. The patrols returned reporting the borders were clear of any enemy scent and Heavyboom's patrol even brought back a couple of pieces of prey. Tigercall wished he could just sulk in his nest, but he knew that would bring questions.

Instead, he waited until night began to fall and the rain started to thin out before climbing up the Highledge and slipping into Snowstar's den.

"Snowstar, I need to talk to you about something." He called into the dark. He looked around and spotted the dark form of the she-cat sitting in her nest, as well as another cat. Scenting the air, he found that it was only Hornetheart, probably reporting on Haypaw's and Berrypaw's actions today.

"Tigercall? What's wrong? Hornetheart, we'll continue this conversation later." Snowstar meowed, sending the warrior off with a flick of her tail. Hornetheart gave Tigercall a worried look as he passed, but didn't say anything.

"Its about Eaglecry. We couldn't find him this morning so I went out to look for him. I found him on the Windclan border speaking to some Windclan, Petalpatch." He reported, tail twitching anxiously.

"Really? Was he telling her to stay off the border?" Snowstar asked, confused.

"No, they were shouting at each other about something that Petalpatch needed to do. Eaglecry told her he'd give her another day before going to the Windclan camp himself." he explained, frowning.

"What? Are you sure?" Snowstar asked, pushing herself up to stand, tail fluffed up. She looked very concerned, and Tigercall stepped back as she pushed pass him to step out of the den.

"Yes, Snowstar. I didn't ask him about it, though. Do you have any idea what it could be?" He asked softly, looking out over the camp. The rain had stopped now and the cats were happily enjoying being outside without being soaked for once.

"No, I don't. Keep an eye on him, Tigercall. It worries me but it might just be a misunderstanding so I don't want to scold him just yet." Snowstar replied, eyes focused on the edge of camp where Eaglecry and Silvermask were sharing tongues.

"I will. Thank you, Snowstar." Tigercall mewed softly before jumping back down the Highledge and walking over to join Heavyboom and Shufflestep as they ate with Plumnose and her two kits.

Hopefully it was all just a misunderstanding.

The next morning was bright, the sun beaming down on the clan. Though it was warm, the ground was still muddy and Tigercall could barely walk without his paws being covered in mud. He had already sent out most of the day's patrols, except for the one heading to the Shadowclan border which he was leading. Heavyboom, Shufflestep, Stumblepaw and Skunktail waited for him at the camp entrance.

He had specifically chosen these cats, knowing he could trust all of them. It made him feel at ease knowing that they wouldn't keep a secret from him.

"Took you long enough! Let's go, I'm ready to stretch my legs!" Skunktail teased, tail waving happily in the air. Tigercall laughed, rolling his eyes as he joined with his clanmates. They headed out into the forest, chattering happily to one another.

"That tree fell over!" Stumblepaw pointed out as they passed a dead tree leaning against another oak.

"Yes, good eye Stumblepaw. A warrior knows the territory like they know their paws." Heavyboom purred, eyes shining proudly. Tigercall nodded as well, happy that the apprentice's training was going so well.

As the patrol neared the Shadowclan border they quieted down a little, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Tigercall led the cats along the border, renewing scent markers and scenting that air for Shadowclan scent.

"Well if it isn't my favorite Thunderclan warrior." A voice called, startling Tigercall and the rest of the patrol. He whipped his head around, spotting the Shadowclan medicine cat, Fogpelt, approaching the border slowly. Moleshiver, her apprentice, stumbled on behind her, mouth full of herbs.

"Hello, Fogpelt. Do you need something?" Tigercall replied calmly, dipping his head. He wasn't worried about the medicine cat crossing the border. He expected they had just caught site of the Thunderclan patrol while out gathering herbs.

"No, everything is fine here. I just wanted to warn you about something." She replied, waving her tail back and forth. Tigercall tilted his head, confused.

"What is it?" He asked slowly, unsure. He flicked his tail to signal the patrol to go on renewing the scent markers so the two cats could talk in private.

"I've had a dream about something going wrong. It's about Thunderclan, though I don't know why Starclan sent it to me instead of Mossheart..." Fogpelt started, her eyes clouding with anxiety as she spoke. Tigercall perked his ears up, curious.

"Something is eating your clan from the inside. Be careful, Tigercall. I don't know what's going on, but Starclan is worried and if it's sending me omens for Thunderclan it is something that will effect Shadowclan as well, and maybe even Windclan and Riverclan." she said softly, shaking her head as she finished. She flicked her tail, drawing her apprentice closer to her.

"Be safe, Tigercall. Tell Mossheart that if he needs anything that he's welcome to come see me." She smiled before the two Shadowclan cats set off deeper into their own territory. Tigercall watched him go, frowning in confusion. He sighed and returned to the patrol, meeting up with the others as they spoke quietly about the intrusion.

"Nothings wrong. She was just...warning me about something." Tigercall offered when his clanmates sent looks at him. He didn't want to lie, but he didn't want to panic his friends. Heavyboom and Shufflestep shared a concerned look with each other before the patrol headed back towards camp.

"Tigercall, you know you can tell us anything." Shufflestep whispered as she walked beside the deputy, both lagging behind the other cats as Skunktail and Heavyboom rambled about the area of the territory they were in the Stumblepaw. Tigercall gave her a small smile, trying to calm her.

"I know. I'll tell you two later, but I don't want to involve younger cats unless its necessary." He explained.

Shufflestep looked as if she wanted to say more, but she was stopped when she ran into Skunktail from behind. The black she-cat had frozen in place, looking ahead at the camp entrance.

"What is it?" Tigercall asked, slipping in between Heavyboom and Skunktail. He looked ahead and spotted Sparrowsong limping towards the patrol, blood matting her fur from multiple scratches.

"Sparrowsong!" Skunktail wailed, rushing over to her mother and pressing her nose into the she-cat's brown fur. Tigercall watched the she-cat with wide eyes, surprised. He didn't know what could have happened to cause the she-cat to have such wounds since she hadn't gone on any patrols yet today.

"Sparrowsong, what happened?" He asked slowly, feeling numb with fear. Heavyboom pushed Stumblepaw behind him, giving the apprentice a worried glance. Sparrowsong looked up at the deputy, panting softly.

"Eaglecry's gone." She whimpered.