Warriors: A New Beginning #1: The Beginning

Chapter 16

"Gone?" Wavepelt was confused. "What do you mean?"

"He's disappeared!" Dapplecloud cried. "We can't find him!"

"Dapplecloud, Waterfall's not a kit. He's a warrior!" Wavepelt meowed. "He could have just gone hunting on his own, or he's with a patrol."

"Cloverwing says that he hasn't told her that he was going hunting, and she didn't send him on a patrol! And Reedstar hasn't seen him either."

"I don't understand." Wavepelt shook her head. "Why so much fuss?"

"Because he's been gone since I went to sleep!" Dapplecloud mewed. "When I went to my nest last night, his nest was empty. I thought that he was at the dirtplace. But then I woke up and his nest was cold!"

"So he wasn't in his nest last night," Wavepelt murmured. Then she added more loudly, "There have been things troubling him lately. Mayybe he went for a walk last night."

"That still doesn't explain why he wasn't there this morning!" Dapplecloud fretted. Wavepelt, you need to find him—like you did with the kits."

Dawnpool's kits. Bushpaw and Greenpaw were apprentices. Squeakkit was dead. Wavepelt remembered finding the three of them. It feels so long ago...although it was quite a few moons.

"Fine." She sighed. "I'll go find him—but only because you want me too. Dapplecloud...why do you care so much about Waterfall?"

"I love him." Dapplecloud closed her eyes. "And I want him to love me. But the only cat he loves is Wheatpaw."

Wavepelt felt a glimmer of hope for that dream she had had. If Dapplecloud already loved Waterfall...then he might love her!

"Go," Dapplecloud pressed. "Find Waterfall."

Wavepelt dashed out of the warriors den, whooshing past Speckledfur.

"Wavepelt!" the she-cat called. "Where are you going?"

Wavepelt skidded to a halt. "Dapplecloud asked me to go find Waterfall."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Speckledfur asked.

Wavepelt shook her head. "I'm fine."

She continued, racing through the gorse tunnel and entering the forest. She could already scent Waterfall.

She followed the scent line, dodging trees and pushing through bushes. StarClan pray that he's not in trouble!

As she sprinted past the sandy hollow, she saw Greenpaw facing off against Silverpaw, claws sheathed. Silverpaw was getting better, she noticed.

Suddenly, she felt her paws fly out from under her. She landed on her belly, grunting.

What did I trip on? Wavepelt looked around and saw a big rabbit hole not too far away. I was so concentrated on finding Waterfall that I tripped on that. I'm such a mouse-brain!

She slowly stood up and shook the dust off her pelt. Then she started running again, but a sharp pain in her right paw made her stumble. I must have twisted it when I tripped. Now finding Waterfall would be harder.

She tried to run again, ignoring the continuous pain piercing through her paw. No time to get Mintleaf. I have to find Waterfall!

She felt a glimmer of hope when Waterfall's scent grew stronger. Pine scent was all around her, and Wavepelt realized that she was in Tallpines. What was Waterfall doing here?

His scent continued all the way to Twolegplace. Did he want to see Trinity? He didn't know that she even existed! Wavepelt was confused.

She followed the scent anyway and stopped at the fence where she had seen Trinity and Silverpaw, which felt so long ago.

The tortoiseshell was sitting on the fence. When her gaze turned to Wavepelt her face brightened.

"Wavepaw!" she exclaimed. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"I'm not Wavepaw anymore," Wavepelt said proudly. "I'm a warrior: I'm Wavepelt now."

"Great!" Trinity leapt down from the fence. "By the way, have you seen Silver? Is he okay? I thought that he was such a mouse-brain when he decided to become a Clan cat. He's at least in ThunderClan now, isn't he?"

Wavepelt nodded. "A patrol found him. Reedstar waited for a few days, but after that he made Silver an apprentice—so you'll have to call him Silverpaw now."

"I knew that he could do it." Trinity grinned. Then her face became more serious. "Knowing you, Wavepelt, you haven't just come to tell me the latest news. Why are you here?"

"One of our warriors, Waterfall, has disappeared," Wavepelt meowed. "He's a gray and black tom...have you seen him?"

To her surprise Trinity nodded, "I think I did. I was sitting on the fence when I saw a grey and black tom. He was with two other cats. He smelled of ThunderClan, like you. But the others didn't."

"Weird," Wavepelt murmured. "Could you show me which direction they were heading?"

"That way." Trinity angled her ears to the left.

"Thanks!" Wavepelt mewed.

"No problem." Trinity leapt back onto the fence. "I should probably get inside. It's freezing out here!"

"Bye!" Wavepelt called, and continued along the left. Trinity was right. Waterfall's scent was with two other scents now as well. But the two other scents weren't of Clan scent. Probably rogues or loners...but why?

She slowed down, padding along the scent line.

"Waterfall?" she called softly. "Where are you?"

Silence met her words.

Then she thought she saw a flash of black and grey.

"Waterfall?" she wondered. She bounded toward where she had seen the flash.

Waterfall dashed out from behind a bush, his eyes wide. He kept dashing away from Wavepelt.

"Waterfall! Wait!" Wavepelt ran after him. "What are you doing?"

Waterfall kept running, not even looking back.

Wavepelt kept following him.

"What are you doing?" she repeated herself. "ThunderClan has been looking for you!"

"ThunderClan is not my home anymore!" Waterfall's voice was determined. "None of the Clans are!"

"Waterfall, why?" Wavepelt was astonished, "Why are you leaving?"

Waterfall opened his mouth to reply, but then, suddenly, Wavepelt felt two cats leap on her. She gave a cry of alarm as she landed on the ground.

The two cats unsheathed their claws, one on each side of Wavepelt. One was cream, the other was a black tabby. The cream one swiped at Wavepelt, who unsheathed her claws as well. She dodged the attack, but then the tabby scored a hit on her hind leg.

I can't battle two cats at once! Wavepelt felt a surge of panic.

She clawed at the cream cat, hitting his nose. Then she used her hind legs to kick the tabby, who caterwauled in surprise.

But both cats quickly recovered and jumped onto Wavepelt, whose paws flew out from under her.

She couldn't help but flail her paws helplessly as the two cats attacked her viciously. She spotted Waterfall, watching from a distance.

"Waterfall!" she pleaded. "Help me!"

But Waterfall's eyes were expressionless as he watched Wavepelt growing weaker.

"Waterfall..." Wavepelt begged. She sensed herself falling into unconsciousness. She fought herself to stay awake, wincing with every blow the cats made. Waterfall...what happened to the cheery apprentice when I was a kit? Or the happy warrior when I was an apprentice? Or the great friend I had as a warrior? Why do you want to leave ThunderClan? So many questions buzzed in her mind, as well as Am I going to die?

Slowly, she felt herself drift away. The background faded away around her, then everything was black.