The Kill Of Dawn- Book 2

Chapter 19

Night swallowed the ShadowClan camp in it's suffocating black shadadows, clouds covering the only source of light that remained. A cold wind howled over the marsh, sending a chill down Dagger's spine. His deputy stood by his side, whiskers stiff and frozen.
"Does this have to happen tonight? I've never been so cold," Vine complained.
"Exactly, one of our cats could get sick!" Dagger insisted as he made his way, head down, across the frozen marshland.  He let out a small gasp as he felt his paws slip away from under him, chin smacking against the ground.
"I told you we should wait till morning.." Vine muttered. Dagger replied with a growl, marching on towards the ThunderPath. His fur bristled as a monster hurtled past only a tail-length away from his muzzle. The snow had piled around the ThunderPaths edges, making it almost impossible to detect until you were dangerously close.
"We'll have to cross the regular way. I'm not spending the whole night digging out that tunnel," Dagger decided, cautiously taking his first step onto the churned path of slushy snow. He could see the blinding glow of a monster in the not so far distance. Without much thought, he bounded over, heart racing. He started to feel the vibrations of the monsters paws. He was only half way across. The light shone on his fur now. He could hear it. It was screeching at him.
He leaped.
He felt something heavy smother him as he crashed into the snow pile on the other side. He was buried in the snow! He tried to call for help but the moment he parted his jaws snow filled his mouth.
Then he started to hear scraping and soon after the sky. He exploded out from the snow, showering his deputy in its remains.
"Why did you run over so early?" Vine scowled. Daggr felt anger rise inside him. Vine was really abusing the fact Dagger wasn't as cruel as Spirit. Was this how he was to be repaid for treating his clanmates like actual, valued warriors?  
"Can we just keep going?" Dagger snarled as he padded over ThunderClans border. He sniffed the air for traces of patrols but picked up nothing. The wind was still, making Dagger and Vine's pawsteps sound uncomfortably loud. The snow crunched and churned as they made their way around the ravine and towards camp. Dagger darted behind a bramble bush, fur forced flat. Vine followed quietly. "There's a guard," Dagger whispered. 
"Who?" Vine asked in a hushed tone.
"Ermm.." Dagger leaned slightly closer ,"Pikeclaw."
"Is he alert? Does he look like he heard us?" Vine questioned.
"Actually, he looks more like he's about to fall asleep," Dagger held back a snort of amusement.
"I can see a loose area in the camp wall," Vine murmured ,"We could try get in there." 
Dagger sneaked through the undergrowth, carefully brushing past a fern until he reached the part Vine had pointed out. It opened up near a tunnel of ferns.
"Where is the medicine den," Dagger leaned right into Vine's ear this time.
"I'm not sure, but I think I can smell herb at the other end of that tunnel," Vine whispered. That was why Dagger took him. He'd always been the best tracker in the clan. 
Dagger pressed against the bracken as he followed after Vine. He was relying purely on hope that no cat woke up. 
There he was. Littlecloud was curled up asleep in a moss nest next to a rock precipice. Dagger lifted a paw gingerly, nudging the tom gently in the side until he stirred awake. 
"Huh?" the medicine cat blinked, adjusting his eyes to the little light there was. "Dagger?" he exclaimed. 
"Shhh!" Dagger growled ,"Yes, we're here to ask you why you haven't arrived at camp yet?"
"What do you mean? You told Greystar I wasn't welcome!" Littlecloud hissed.
"What are you talking about? We were trying to convince Greystar to let you come when he said you were better off here and wouldn't want to come!" Dagger struggled to keep his voice low. 
"What do you mean, convinced Greystar to let me come? Is it suddenly up to him where I go?" Littlecloud's eyes shone with anger. 
"Exactly," a wry grin formed on Daggers face.
"I can't believe he lied to me!" Littlecloud growled furiously.
"So are you coming back with us?" Dagger asked.
"Well... What about Tulippaw, my apprentice?" Littlecloud muttered.
"She is also welcome," Dagger reassured.
"But her family really is here, as in, her siblings, her parents.. And she isn't ready to be a full medicine cat," Littlecloud sighed. 
"Are you saying you aren't returning?" the beginning of a growl rose in Daggers throat. 
"I.. I'll wake her," Littlecloud lowered his head, padding over to the sleeping tortoiseshell. She stirred awake as Littlecloud prodded her side. 
"What is it?" she groaned. 
"We're going to go to ShadowClan," Littlecloud told her. 
"What?" she exclaimed awfully loud. 
"Shhh!" her mentor hissed. 
"I can't go to ShadowClan!" Tulippaw had lowered her voice this time. 
"Why's that?" Dagger narrowed his eyes. 
"Well... My family's here," she explained. 
"I told you," Littlecloud shook his head. 
"Well I'll just go let all your clanmates know that you are leaving them behind. Congratulations on becoming a ThunderClan medicine cat," Dagger snarled. Littlecloud gasped. 
"Don't put it like that! I'm not leaving them behind, I have to be fair to Tulippaw!" Littlecloud snapped. Dagger unsheathed his claws threateningly. 
"It's your choice I guess," he shrugged after Littlecloud didn't speak, slowly making his way towards the centre of camp. He heard Tulippaw mutter something to his mentor but missed a reply. 
Dagger saw a twig laying on the ground, bent upwards in the middle. The ShadowClan leader grinned, slamming his paw down on it. A loud crack was sent echoing through the still night air. 
"Intruders!" a cat yowled. Dagger could just make out a pair of angry yellow eyes from inside a warrior den. 
Before long, Dagger and Vine were surrounded. Vine's fur stood on end but Dagger had planned this entire thing. 
"What are you doing here Dagger?" Greystar snarled as he pushed through the crowd of furious cats. 
"What? Did Littlecloud not tell you about my visit?" Dagger pretended to be surprised. 
"What are you talking about?" the grey tom asked, narrowing his eyes. 
"Littlecloud sneaked out to ShadowClan and told me all the best ways to get into camp unseen. He told me he was going to come with us to be our medicine cat but something must have changed," Dagger explained. 
"Littlecloud? Is this true?" the medicine cat stood before his leaders gaze. His eyes shined with fear and his legs quivered. 
"It's all a lie!"