Warrior Cats Fanfiction- Ripples of Fear

Chapter 20

Shadedpaw hauled herself to her paws, anxiously awaiting for the sun to disappear behind the blazing sunset sky. Froststar, under Goldenlight's worried influence, had ordered a patrol to wait there at night,  in order to see if the strange cat would come back again. And Shadedpaw knew, of course, that he would.

   She turned her gaze worriedly toward her medicine cats. Tornshadow was laying down in his moss-bed, snoring noisily. Shadedpaw gave a tiny huff, wondering if he had anything better to do in his free-time than just sleep like a lazy twoleg. Moonpaw was laying down as well, but she made no noises except for tiny, quiet breaths. Shadedpaw wavered for a moment, wondering if she was truly asleep, but then flicked her ears confidently. Moonpaw was a rather deep sleeper. She'd be fine.

  Then she peered outside of her den, to where the camp guards, Clearheart and Falconflight, were shuffling toward their posts for their vigil. Shadedpaw narrowed her eyes, rapidly thinking of an idea. She slipped out of the den, and tumbled along the side of the camp, behind all the dens to hide herself from the two tired ReedClan cats. Suddenly, she skidded to a clumsy halt as the river that surrounds the ReedClan camp appeared through the rapid darkness. Shadedpaw took a large breath, glancing nervously toward the camp guards, but they had their backs turned to her, muttering something, probably about the strange scent. Then the gray and black apprentice pushed up with all the might she could muster in her weak, flimsy hind legs, and leaped, praying silently that she would make it across the stream. However, as she landed on  the other side, one hind leg slipped and splashed noisily in the water, seeming louder than the Thunderpath in the twilight silence. She restrained a yelp and immediately yanked her hind leg out and darted noiselessly behind a bush. Clearheart and Falconflight whirled around, claws unsheathed, teeth bared, fur on end, but Clearheart paused and sighed.

  "It's okay, Falconflight." Shadedpaw could faintly hear her meowing. "It was just a fish."

  "Great StarClan, that almost scared me as much as Shimmermoon!" Falconflight muttered a reply, and the two cats turned back to their posts.

Heaving a small sigh of relief, Shadedpaw ambled along in the forest, praying to StarClan that Beetlepaw hadn't come yet. If he was taken away, Shadedpaw knew it would be the death of her.

As she reached the edge of the thickest trees, she gazed distressedly into the clearing where she usually met Beetlepaw. The young FireClan apprentice was nowhere to be seen, but Bonefoot, Followleg, and Timberblaze were sitting one the opposite side of the clearing in the trees, muscles bunched and ears pricked. Shadedpaw felt relief tingle through her from her tail-tip to her nose, and she slipped away, but before she began back toward the camp, she decided to see if Beetlepaw had come out at all, or if he was going to come, so she could warn him. She skirted the clearing at a distance, hoping that her Clanmates would assume she was some innocent piece of prey walking along at night, and then broke into a trot, struggling to keep her eyesight from blurring so that she could recognize him.

After she had gone a little ways towards the FireClan and CreviceClan border, she opened her mouth, as if to call for the medicine cat, but suddenly she felt a weight knock her off of her paws. Helplessly she turned her head to face her attacker, but found herself staring into the annoyed face of Beetlepaw.

"Hush, would you!" He whispered, lashing his gold-speckled tail in half-amused annoyance. "You're waking the whole forest with your clumsy walking!"

"Have you ever had Black Cough?" Shadedpaw shot back, but then shook her head. "I mean, sorry. I'll try to do better."

"Well, I don't have any herbs, so we can't stay here." Beeetlepaw said, flicking his ears dismissively and turning to look towards CreviceClan territory.