Warriors: Empire's End ~Book 5 Series 3~

Chapter 19

Shadeheart's POV:

Shadeheart sighed.

The forest was quiet, only a few birds sang in the tangling branches of the tall oak trees that surrounded the dark furred tom. There were no signs of any prey on the ground. No rustling in the undergrowth, no squeaks, no scuttling pawsteps. Even the faintest smells he could pick up from the area were stale. He feared he'd have to go tree-climbing in search of a more feathered meal, or try his luck fishing in the river.

Sunhigh had come and gone, and still Shadeheart's lone adventure to hunt for some food had been uneventful. Boredom tugged at his paws, urging him to go back to camp where he could find something worthwhile to do, but he wanted to stay outside in the fresh air, just for a bit longer. It had been a while since he had gone hunting anyway, and it was obvious his skills in the sport were lacking. NoName put little importance on the ability to catch food. She was only interested in creating as many killing machines as possible.

That reminded him, he wanted to go out with the apprentices again, perhaps with their mentors around this time to avoid conflict. He wanted to see their training progress and whether could be swayed to fight for the Clans. Flamepaw seemed willing, and her sister would follow suit. Shadeheart could tell that the fiery orange she cat simply wanted to do what was right, and she recognised that NoName was in the wrong. Spiderpaw would need some more persuading. It would be hard, as NoName was her mother, but Shadeheart hoped the winged apprentice cared more for him- her own brother- than their mother.

"Boo!"

Shadeheart was suddenly pounced on by a midnight black feline. He let out a yowl of surprise as he fell flat on his face, readying himself for a fight against his attacker, but as he swung his head around to stare at her, he was met with the pale green eyes of Spectrum. "Oh, it's you."

"Scared you, didn't I?" The black she cat grinned as she let Shadeheart back to his paws. "You were in such a day-dream, I couldn't resist it."

"Yeah, whatever." Shadeheart hissed, giving his chest fur a couple of flustered licks. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd help you out a bit." She flashed him a wicked smile. "I could see that you were.. struggling."

"You were watching me?" Shadeheart asked, lashing his tail a single time to show his annoyance. "I could report you to NoName for suspicious behaviour, you know."

Spectrum's whiskers twitched, as if she were accepting his threat as a challenge. "We're on equal ground, Shadeheart. Just because the cat in charge happens to be your mother doesn't mean she'll give you special treatment."

Shadeheart felt stung by the Promethean's words, but he knew they were true. "Look, are you going to help me or not?" He muttered angrily, turning around and striding away from her.

"Sure."

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Spectrum's POV:

After helping Shadeheart with his useless hunting trip, Spectrum decided to head back to camp before him. She had caught a couple of birds for him, and chased a rabbit out of hiding for him to catch so that he felt special. Overall, it was a success for Shadeheart and it didn't take much time at all.

As she trotted through the forest, Spectrum took the time to look back at Shadeheart. He seemed to have a problem with her. Maybe it was simply because she was new, and he didn't trust her. She found his threats amusing, but surprising at the same time. She hadn't expected NoName's son to be so cautious and hostile. Perhaps he really did have some brain cells.

She strode down the slope that led to the camp entrance, sighing to herself as the usual hum of life inside the main clearing reached her ears. She padded through the arching entrance and looked around. Where was NoName? Spectrum wanted to see if she could do anything for the red she cat, to show her that she was worthy of keeping around. It was always good to have a paw in every side and to be trusted by everyone. That way Spectrum had many options to go for if something were to happen.

Now that she had gotten to know Shadeheart a little bit, and had already agreed to help Zephyr, all she needed to do was befriend NoName. It wouldn't be too hard.

However, as the lithe black she cat made her way across the clearing, she thought about Silvershy. How was she doing? Were her kits okay? Spectrum knew that the silver furred warrior had no chance at getting back to her Clan without the help of a Promethean, so Silvershy was practically stuck there until Spectrum finally decided to get over herself and pay her a visit.

I'll visit her after this. There's plenty of time left in the day. Spectrum promised as she glanced up at the sky. The flaming orange sun was still visible above the trees. There were still plenty of hours before sunset.

The blacl furred she cat entered NoName's den without a word, sensing the red she cat was already awake and alert to her arrival.

NoName jumped out of her nest and glared at Spectrum as she stalked into the dark, shadowy den. "Spectrum, what brings you here?" The red she cat demanded, her piercing white eyes narrowed at her.

"I have nothing to do here." Spectrum murmured. "Nothing worthwhile at least. I want to help you with something, anything that will prove to you my loylaty."

NoName seemed guarded, and her ears tilted slightly backwards. "What makes you so eager to prove yourself? No Promethean is this willing to surrender their power to me."

Spectrum kept her cool, and hid her surprise at NoName's attention to detail. How had she so quickly picked up on that? She only had Zephyr as experience, and he had been as excited as ever to give up his freedom to serve under her. "There's a first for everything."

The red furred she cat shifted her stance, leaning her weight to the left, then the right as she pondered. "I suppose there's no harm in giving you some jobs to do. You're an Enforcer after all, you should be given important assignments to help me run this place." She sighed. "Alright, Spectrum, I'll have you do one thing for me."

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