Warriors: Quailsong's Path [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 2

⠀⠀⠀Quailkit couldn't stop fidgeting in her nest as she waited for every last warrior to go to sleep. Mistcloud always made her and Eaglekit go back to the nursery for the night a little before dusk. She could see a few cats gathered in the clearing, chattering happily as they shared prey.
⠀⠀⠀Eaglekit had already fallen asleep, his little gray paw tucked over his muzzle. Quailkit could feel the gentle breathing of Mistcloud beside her. She knew how much trouble she'd be in if her mother knew what she was about to do.
⠀⠀⠀But she'll thank me later, Quailkit thought with determination. They all will. I'll be the most respected warrior in RiverClan!
⠀⠀⠀The Siamese kit darted her eyes across the nursery to see Rubblekit also watching the entrance. He seemed just as excited for this as she did. She could see the dark brown pelt of Otterkit next to him but her head was hidden by Alliumspark's tail.
⠀⠀⠀Eventually, night rolled around. Quailkit slowly lifted herself to her paws, careful not to wake Eaglekit or Mistcloud. She crept over to Rubblekit and Otterkit who both perked up as soon as they saw her.
⠀⠀⠀"Let's go," Quailkit whispered.
⠀⠀⠀Otterkit and Rubblekit carefully snuck past their mother and all three kits headed towards the den entrance. They stepped out into the clearing. And Quailkit's heart immediately sank.
⠀⠀⠀Thick, dark clouds were swirling across the night sky, blocking out the moon and stars. She parted her maw and drew in the scents around her. To her disappointment, there was a strong tang of rain in the air.
⠀⠀⠀Otterkit and Rubblekit seemed to notice, too. Both of them were flexing their paws in frustration.
⠀⠀⠀Quailkit suddenly felt a spark of determination. "Rain has never stopped a real warrior," she murmured to them. "I've heard stories from Heronstep and Foxstripe that they fought in raging thunderstorms in their days! We can do this!"
⠀⠀⠀"Okay, but if I get a soaked pelt, it's your fault," Otterkit grumbled, but her eyes were shining with amusement.
⠀⠀⠀Quailkit snorted. "You're a RiverClan cat," she reminded her. "You're supposed to be okay with getting a wet pelt."
⠀⠀⠀Otterkit shook her head. "I'm half WindClan," she mewed. "I don't like water that much."
⠀⠀⠀"Whatever, we can discuss this later!" Rubblekit hissed. "Let's go before we're caught!"
⠀⠀⠀The black, gray, and white tom-kit trotted towards the camp entrance. Quailkit and Otterkit followed him quickly.
⠀⠀⠀Quailkit felt her heart beating faster as they approached the exit. She was really going to see the RiverClan territory, before she was even an apprentice!
⠀⠀⠀"Wait," Rubblekit hissed quietly. He flicked his tail for them to halt. "Oh frog-dung!" he cursed.
⠀⠀⠀"What is it?" Otterkit asked.
⠀⠀⠀"Creekfall is on guard outside," Rubblekit growled under his breath. "We'll have to go out through the dirtplace tunnel."
⠀⠀⠀Quailkit felt a spark of frustration. "Why?" she asked. "It smells horrible over there!"
⠀⠀⠀"It's either that or we get caught," Rubblekit told her.
⠀⠀⠀Quailkit wanted to keep arguing and convince him there might be a way they could sneak past Creekfall. But she knew there was probably no other way. Creekfall's senses were a lot better than theirs-she'd probably catch them easily.
⠀⠀⠀So the three kits turned around and headed towards the dirtplace tunnel, walking as quietly as possible when they passed the apprentices' den.
⠀⠀⠀"Who do you think killed Icepaw?" Otterkit asked.
⠀⠀⠀"I bet it was Thornstep!" Quailkit mewled. "He's so creepy!"
⠀⠀⠀"He is not!" Rubblekit hissed. "Thornstep is one of the best warriors in the Clan. At least that's what Wolfsong says. I don't think one of the best RiverClan warriors would kill a WindClan apprentice."
⠀⠀⠀Quailkit rolled her eyes. "I'll be an even better warrior than Thornstep one day," she murmured.
⠀⠀⠀"Maybe you will," Rubblekit replied. "But you'll never be as good as Wolfsong!"
⠀⠀⠀"Just because he's your father doesn't mean he's the best," Otterkit grumbled.
⠀⠀⠀"He's your father, too!" Rubblekit pointed out.
⠀⠀⠀"No, he's not!" Otterkit hissed back. "Eeltail is my father. Great StarClan, Rubblekit, you always forget we're not real siblings."
⠀⠀⠀"Whatever," Rubblekit dismissed. "Let's just go."
⠀⠀⠀They had reached the dirtplace tunnel. Quailkit wrinkled her nose in distaste as the foul stench reached her. The three kits exited the RiverClan camp, trying to hold their breath until finally, they made it into the trees. RiverClan didn't have much forest, but they had enough for catching land prey like voles and birds that usually found their way over here.
⠀⠀⠀The river sounded so much louder and clearer outside camp. Quailkit pricked her ears to listen to it for a few heartbeats before catching up with her friends.
⠀⠀⠀"How do we even get to WindClan?" Otterkit asked.
⠀⠀⠀That thought had not crossed Quailkit's mind at all today. She felt her heart sink just like it had when she discovered the oncoming rain. Speaking of that, she could feel sprinkles of water falling now and gently dotting her soft pelt. She glanced up at the sky, seeing the clouds had grown thicker and darker.
⠀⠀⠀"Well, Brokenwing said WindClan cats smell like rabbits," Quailkit replied, remembering what her father had told her.
⠀⠀⠀"But we don't know what rabbits smell like!" Rubblekit hissed. "Rabbits don't come to RiverClan." Worry was shining in his yellow gaze.
⠀⠀⠀Quailkit flexed her paws in frustration. "It can't be that hard," she told him. "They probably just smell like voles. They both have fur and they both live in the same area."
⠀⠀⠀"We have fur and we don't smell like rabbits or voles," Otterkit pointed out. "We smell like fish, and fish don't even have fur!"
⠀⠀⠀"Okay, um..." Panic was rising in Quailkit's chest now. How was she going to save RiverClan? She couldn't if she had no way of getting to WindClan. She began pacing back and forth.
⠀⠀⠀"What are you doing out here?" a hiss sounded close by.
⠀⠀⠀Quailkit, Otterkit, and Rubblekit whirled around to see who had spoken.
⠀⠀⠀To Quailkit's utter shock, it was Redpaw. The ginger apprentice padded towards them, his brilliant green eyes narrowed.
⠀⠀⠀"Redpaw!" Otterkit squeaked in surprise. "How did you find us?"
⠀⠀⠀"I heard you talking outside the apprentices' den," Redpaw replied. "You should really keep your voices down if you're trying not to be caught." His whiskers twitched with amusement.
⠀⠀⠀"We only got caught by you," Quailkit mewed.
⠀⠀⠀"And you better be happy it was just me," Redpaw said. "What if a senior warrior or even Sagestar had caught you? You'd be in so much trouble!"
⠀⠀⠀Quailkit shuffled her paws.
⠀⠀⠀"What are you doing out here anyways?" Redpaw asked curiously.
⠀⠀⠀"We wanted to save RiverClan," Quailkit told him. "We were going to go to WindClan and spy on their camp."
⠀⠀⠀Redpaw blinked in surprise. "Why?"
⠀⠀⠀"So we could find out what their plans are and warn Sagestar!" Rubblekit squeaked.
⠀⠀⠀Quailkit looked into Redpaw's face. "Do you really think a RiverClan cat killed Icepaw?" she asked him.
⠀⠀⠀Fear suddenly crept into the ginger tom's green gaze. He lowered his face and slowly traced a single white forepaw against the grass. "Um...i-it's hard t-to s-say," he mewed. "I-I'm s-sure we'll f-find out eventually."
⠀⠀⠀Quailkit could tell he was trembling and the smell of anxiety was rolling off him strongly. She frowned. "Are you okay, Redpaw?"
⠀⠀⠀Redpaw didn't answer. He seemed to be zoned out, his eyes fixed on the ground and his expression held into a thoughtful frown. He suddenly shook himself and turned to the dirtplace tunnel. "You should...go back," he mumbled. He then trotted off, his tail dragging behind him and his head lowered.
⠀⠀⠀All three kits exchanged confused glances. Quailkit could see her own shock reflected in both of her friends' eyes.
⠀⠀⠀She stared after Redpaw. Does he know who killed Icepaw? she wondered.