Warriors: Feather's Path

Chapter 14

Feathercloud padded along the moor, back to WindClan camp. She had come back from a hunting patrol with Nightpatch, Volefoot, his apprentice, Ravenpaw, Hawkclaw, Fernstep, and his apprentice Dustpaw. A scrawny hare was clamped in the gray and brown she-cat's jaws, while the rest carried a mix three mice and two birds.

Before the small she-cat padded through the tunnel, Dustpaw had called her back.

Turning to the apprentice, Feathercloud gave the hare to Hawkclaw, and watched as the rest of the patrol padded into the camp. "What is it?" Feathercloud mewed, padding over to the young she-cat.

"I don't want us to be heard." The speckled brown she-cat mewed before bounding over to a shrubby tree near by.

Tilting her head in confusion, Feathercloud slowly followed. Meeting up with the she-cat, they both sat down.

Dustpaw looked up at Feathercloud.

"What's wrong?"

The brown she-cat extended her hind leg, and showed a deep gash.

"Oh Tribe..." Feathercloud breathed.

"There's more." Dustpaw mewed, sitting back up. "My brother and the other apprentices use their claws with me when battle training."

Feathercloud's ear flicked. "They're not supposed to do that, are they."

Dustpaw nodded. "They do it on purpose to. Then they tell me to hide it."

Feathercloud got up, growling. She had enough. "And they think they can get away with that?" She she-cat hissed, fury surging through her.

"F-Feathercloud." Dustpaw mewed. "Please don't tell anyone!" Her gaze flicked to the grassy ground. "They'll try to hurt me even more."

The small she-cat sat down, forcing herself to calm down. "I'm sorry." She murmured. "But they can't do that to you." Feathercloud lifted her head in thought. "We could tell Fawnstar, and you can sleep with us in the warriors den." She looked into the young she-cat's amber eyes. "You'll be okay, away from the other apprentices. We'll help you."

Dustpaw slowly nodded, her gaze still glued to the ground.

Feathercloud stood up. "Come on." She mewed, nudging the she-cat up, and leading her back to WindClan camp.

When she padded through the heather tunnel, Feathercloud noticed how much more activity the clan was bustling with, than in the morning. Cats were eating, talking, the one kit -Pepplekit- and his father -Hailwhisker- were practicing battle moves, and all the elders seemed to be laying outside their den, chatting or napping.

Pushing past a large warrior Feathercloud knew as Brambletooth, the small she-cat found Hawkclaw, Volefoot, Ravenpaw, and Nightpatch all still together, except Fernstep, who seemed to go back to the warriors den, or to the other side of camp.

"Whats up?" Nightpatch mewed, looking up from grooming down her thick white chest fur.

Feathercloud shrugged, glanced at Dustpaw, and sat down. "Nothing." She mewed. "Dustpaw just wanted to tell me a little more about her, like her- parents." The gray and brown tabby she-cat turned to the brown apprentice.

She shrugged. "Yea. Nothing important." She mewed. "My mother, Bumblespeck, stays in the nursery. She helps the other nursing, or expecting queens, kind of like what her sister Seedstripe -our medicine cat- does."

Ravenpaw pricked his ears. "What about your dad?"

"Yes," Dustpaw mewed. "Duskfang. He's one of our strong warriors, along with his brother Brambletooth. His other brother... Thrushstrike... he died two moons after I was born." Her amber eyes clouded.