Warriors || Tainted Blood: Book 1

Chapter 17

Night fell upon the forest and Rowanpaw waited restlessly in his nest for the clan to fall asleep. All he could think about was Eclipsepool and their meeting tonight. It couldn't exactly be treason if he didn't cross the border, right? Besides, he wouldn't tell her anything that could harm HiddenClan.

Just outside the walls of the camp, Rowanpaw could hear crickets and in the distance there was a hoot of an owl. A gentle breeze twisted through the trees, stirring the warm air with smells of the forest. Rowanpaw itched to run, to feel the soil beneath his paws. Time seemed to pass slowly...so slowly.

Snores from his denmates told Rowanpaw that they were all sound asleep. None of them stirred when he quietly rose to his paws. Well, almost none of them.

"Rowanpaw?" Hazelpaw whispered. The moonlight that streamed into the den reflected in her hazel eyes. "Where are you going?"

"To use the dirtplace," Rowanpaw lied effortlessly. "Go back to sleep."

The tortoiseshell she-cat laid her head back down, allowing Rowanpaw to slip out of the den. HiddenClan's camp was silent, but Rowanpaw knew that one lone warrior would be guarding the entrance. He stalked through the shadows at the edge of the camp with his eyes trained on the exit.

Sitting in the shadows was Briarfrost. Rowanpaw never did like her. She reminded him of Wolfpaw in the way that she placed herself above everyone. Briarfrost waltzed around camp all entitled. Rowanpaw wrinkled his nose. How was he supposed to get past her?

Suddenly, motion at the edge of his vision caught his eye. Emerging from the warriors den was a black tom. Ravenwing? No, Rowanpaw realized that it was Nightfang. Wolfpaw's mentor strode over to Briarfrost and they greeted each other warmly.

Then, to Rowanpaw's surprise, they left the camp together. Briarfrost was just going to leave the camp entrance unattended?! What would happen if RainClan or SwiftClan decided to attack?!

Rowanpaw took his chance and exited the camp. With the moon as his only guide, he weaved through the trees and undergrowth. He headed in the general direction of SwiftClan, making sure that no late night wanderers spotted him. It was easy for Rowanpaw to regress into his old habits of blending in with the shadows.

A breeze carried SwiftClan's scent to Rowanpaw and he knew that he was nearing the border. Just being out of camp excited him, but now he was also having a secret meeting with a SwiftClan warrior? What would the clan say if they found out? Rowanpaw remembered Poisonblood's eerie warning but then shook it from his mind.
No one would know.

Through the trees, Rowanpaw could glimpse SwiftClan's moors. He slowed down and neared the border very cautiously. Eclipsepool wasn't anywhere in sight, so he decided to stay hidden until she showed up. Rowanpaw made himself comfortable in the shadows, tucking his front paws underneath his chest.

Over the rise there was movement. A small shape raced across the moors in his direction. As the shape neared, Rowanpaw could make out Eclipsepool's black and white pelt. He rose to his paws and stepped from the undergrowth to greet her. Eclipsepool stopped in front of him, the only thing separating them was the scent-line.

"You came," Eclipsepool seemed surprised.

As much as Rowanpaw wanted to talk, he also knew that he couldn't be gone too long. "Tell me why you think Gorsetail was murdered."

Eclipsepool seemed taken back at his directness. "Hawkstar said that Gorsetail died in his sleep from heart failure, but the night he died...I saw them carrying his body back. He'd died outside the camp."

"That doesn't have to mean he was murdered," Rowanpaw pointed out.

"But why would Hawkstar lie about how he died?" Eclipsepool wondered, lashing her tail angrily. "Why not say the truth?"

Rowanpaw had to admit that it was awfully peculiar, but why should it matter to him? He wasn't a part of SwiftClan! "I don't know, Eclipsepool. What does this have to do with me?"

"Well, when they brought him back, I found some pine needles clinging to his pelt." Eclipsepool announced, and then her blue eyes locked with his. "Pine trees only grow in HiddenClan's territory. I was wondering if maybe you'd seen him? Or someone else saw him?"

"I never saw him," Rowanpaw replied cooly. "Besides, if someone had seen him, they wouldn't tell me about it. I'm practically an outcast in HiddenClan."

Eclipsepool frowned in confusion, her blue eyes pensive. "Why would your clan treat you like an outcast?"

Rowanpaw opened his mouth and closed it. He wasn't sure if he should say. But who was she going to tell? She couldn't tell SwiftClan without admitting that she'd met him here tonight.

"They blame me for my mother's death. She died...in kit-birth." Rowanpaw looked away from her, unable to meet her gaze.

"Well, that's rabbit-brained," Eclipsepool mewed. "You were only a kit."

Rowanpaw sighed, looking back at her. "Apparently it doesn't matter. Cats will believe whatever they want."

For the longest moment, they were both silent. The only sounds around them were crickets and wind. Rowanpaw wished that it could be like this all the time.

"Don't let them keep you down, Rowanpaw. You've got to stand up for yourself." Eclipsepool turned to leave but paused. She glanced over her shoulder at him. "If you find out anything, you'll tell me, won't you?"

Rowanpaw didn't say a word, merely nodded. He watched Eclipsepool run off until she disappeared over the rise. It was his turn to return to camp.