Warriors: Quailsong's Path [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 4

⠀⠀⠀After what seemed like many moons of waiting, the camp entrance rustled and all the battling RiverClan cats entered, limping with many cuts and scratches all over their bodies.
⠀⠀⠀Quailpaw had been the most worried about her father. He already had a permanently injured paw which caused him to be somewhat terrible at fighting. Relief flickered through her, however, when she saw him walking as he normally did amongst the patrol.
⠀⠀⠀Sagestar was in the lead. He limped to the center of the clearing, his breathing coming in thick gasps.
⠀⠀⠀Cloverheart padded towards him. "Did WindClan leave?" the deputy asked.
⠀⠀⠀Thistleleaf exited her den and glanced over at the battle patrol. Worry clouded her one green eye. She turned and disappeared back into her den, getting more herbs, Quailpaw guessed.
⠀⠀⠀"WindClan retreated for now," Sagestar answered Cloverheart. "I saw Rabbitstar in the battle. She said this wasn't anywhere close to over."
⠀⠀⠀"All this over an apprentice!" Thornstep growled irritably as he lapped at a deep cut on his flank. "A rogue could've killed him near our territory and left him at the WindClan border. I don't understand why she's attacking us without any solid evidence."
⠀⠀⠀Sagestar shook his head. "I know this doesn't make sense, Thornstep," he meowed. "But I think we would've scented a rogue on our territory."
⠀⠀⠀Thornstep blinked in surprise. "So you think a RiverClan cat did kill Icepaw?" he asked, a snarl edging his voice.
⠀⠀⠀Creekfall came to stand at her Clanmate's side, her green gaze flashing angrily at the leader.
⠀⠀⠀Sagestar drew his lips back, baring his teeth. "I said no such thing," he meowed. "I don't know who killed Icepaw. I don't want to believe it was a RiverClan warrior."
⠀⠀⠀"We can discuss this later."
⠀⠀⠀Quailpaw's attention was taken away from the quarrel. Thistleleaf had left her den with herbs held tightly in her jaws. "Everyone needs to be treated." Her voice was muffled through the leaves and flowers.
⠀⠀⠀Sagestar dipped his head respectfully to the medicine cat.
⠀⠀⠀"Do you think Brokenwing's okay?" Eaglepaw murmured to his sister.
⠀⠀⠀Before Quailpaw could answer him, Mistcloud padded across the clearing in the direction of her mate, anxiety filling her blue gaze.
⠀⠀⠀Thistleleaf had just stopped at Brokenwing's side and was applying some yellow pulp to his wounds. He winced slightly.
⠀⠀⠀"Is he all right?" Mistcloud asked worriedly.
⠀⠀⠀Thistleleaf swished her tail. "He's fine," she murmured.
⠀⠀⠀Rubblepaw came over to Quailpaw's side. "Wolfsong doesn't look so good," he commented.
⠀⠀⠀Rubblepaw's father had a deep gash in his throat, and he looked a little weak on his paws. When Thistleleaf stopped in front of him, she set to work quickly. After she was done, she mewed, "Go to my den. That wound needs to be watched."
⠀⠀⠀Wolfsong looked as if he might protest but he seemed too weak to try. He limped towards the medicine cat den and disappeared inside.
⠀⠀⠀Quailpaw pressed against Rubblepaw. "He'll be fine," she reassured him.
⠀⠀⠀"They all will."

⠀⠀⠀A few days passed. The Gathering was tonight and Sagestar had decided that all the new apprentices would be attending. Wolfsong's neck injury had healed quite fast and he was now back on warrior duties, much to Rubblepaw's relief.
⠀⠀⠀The sun was setting over the RiverClan camp, casting a pretty red glow. Quailpaw paced around excitedly.
⠀⠀⠀"You're all lucky," Redpaw purred close by. All five of the new apprentices were anxious to get to the Gathering. "We don't get to go this time."
⠀⠀⠀"Well, I think Sagestar has invited plenty of apprentices to attend anyways," Pikepaw giggled.
⠀⠀⠀"I miss my first Gathering," Sleetpaw sighed.
⠀⠀⠀"Me too," Lakepaw agreed with his sister.
⠀⠀⠀Quailpaw halted in her tracks from pacing when Troutpelt approached her. Her mentor was looking kind.
⠀⠀⠀"Are you ready for tonight?" he asked.
⠀⠀⠀Quailpaw nodded. "Yes!" she replied enthusiastically. She noticed there was a large slice down his left ear that had not been there before the WindClan battle.
⠀⠀⠀"Who did that to you?" the Siamese she-cat asked, flicking her tail in the direction of his ear.
⠀⠀⠀Troutpelt blinked. "Darkwhisker," he meowed. "He's the WindClan deputy. Very harsh tom, if you ask me."
⠀⠀⠀Quailpaw stared at the ear scar a little longer. She could see dry blood crusted around it.
⠀⠀⠀After a while, the sun had fully set and the warriors of StarClan sparkled brightly overhead, along with a full moon, signaling it was the night of the Gathering.
⠀⠀⠀"It's time to leave!" Sagestar yowled across camp. He flicked his long black tail and leapt down from the rock, heading towards the camp entrance with Cloverheart and Thistleleaf at his heels.
⠀⠀⠀Quailpaw raced after the three cats with Eaglepaw at her side. Otterpaw, Rubblepaw, and Pikepaw followed behind. Blueheart, Mistcloud, Alliumspark, Thornstep, Troutpelt, and Mallowfang joined the patrol as well.
⠀⠀⠀"I wonder what WindClan will do when they see us?" Otterpaw meowed.
⠀⠀⠀"Probably hiss at us and call us names," Rubblepaw told his foster sister.
⠀⠀⠀Quailpaw took this time to take in the RiverClan territory. She hadn't been given a proper tour yet because of the sudden attack. They were nearing the river. This would be the first time she saw it.
⠀⠀⠀And there it was. The moon was reflected into the dark surface and the trickling filled Quailpaw's ears. She could see Sunningrocks across from it, a place she was told RiverClan and ThunderClan often fought over. The rocks currently belonged to RiverClan, but according to Heronstep, ThunderClan would want them back by the time leafbare arrived. It was currently greenleaf, so they had a while.
⠀⠀⠀They crossed out of their territory and Quailpaw wrinkled her nose as the smell of ThunderClan entered her nose. They smelled completely of forest prey and leaves.
⠀⠀⠀"I hope Sagestar lets us fight in future Sunningrocks battles," Otterpaw meowed excitedly.
⠀⠀⠀Quailpaw glanced over at her friend as she leaped over a large stick in her path. "I don't think we should be excited for battles," she commented in response.
⠀⠀⠀Otterpaw flashed her yellow-green eyes at Quailpaw. Before she could answer, Troutpelt stepped back to walk at Quailpaw's side.
⠀⠀⠀"Quailpaw is right," Troutpelt told Otterpaw. "When you fight, do it to protect your Clan. A real warrior does not go looking for trouble."
⠀⠀⠀Otterpaw frowned a little but didn't answer the gray tabby.
⠀⠀⠀After a while of walking, the RiverClan cats entered a large clearing with four trees in the center. In front of those trees was a large stone where a creamy-brown tabby tom and a white she-cat were already sitting.
⠀⠀⠀Troutpelt looked at the white she-cat bitterly. "And there's Rabbitstar," he growled.
⠀⠀⠀Quailpaw looked at the WindClan leader. She was very small, with big amber eyes and a bobbed tail. She really did look like a rabbit.
⠀⠀⠀The WindClan cats shot RiverClan dirty looks as they entered the clearing. But RiverClan did the same thing back.
⠀⠀⠀They've no reason to be mad at us, Quailpaw thought. They started this.
⠀⠀⠀"Let's go talk to the other apprentices!" Eaglepaw chirped.
⠀⠀⠀Among the WindClan cats, Quailpaw spotted a few younger ones that looked around their age. She watched them curiously.
⠀⠀⠀"Don't get too close to WindClan," Otterpaw warned Eaglepaw.
⠀⠀⠀But Eaglepaw didn't appear to be listening. The younger WindClan cats stepped away from their Clanmates and sat in a circle, talking excitedly to each other.
⠀⠀⠀Quailpaw sighed and padded after her littermate. Perhaps the apprentices would be nice. Besides, the Gathering was a time for truce.
⠀⠀⠀There were four WindClan apprentices: a black she-cat, a black and white she-cat, a silver tom, and a small brown she-cat. Eaglepaw was the first to approach.
⠀⠀⠀"Hello," he greeted. A smirk appeared on his face as if he were silently daring one of these WindClan cats to attack him.
⠀⠀⠀The brown she-cat looked over at the five RiverClan apprentices and blinked. "Um...hi?" she meowed.
⠀⠀⠀"Oh, so you're not going to attack us?" Otterpaw asked.
⠀⠀⠀"Not unless you want me to," the brown she-cat purred with amusement. "My name is Mousepaw. What's yours?"
⠀⠀⠀"Otterpaw," she replied.
⠀⠀⠀Suddenly, another apprentice padded over from the WindClan cats. She had light brown fur and bright yellow eyes. She halted suddenly when she spotted Otterpaw and Pikepaw.
⠀⠀⠀Mousepaw seemed to suspect something as well. She glanced over at the light brown cat. "Briarpaw, aren't these your siblings?" she asked.
⠀⠀⠀Briarpaw narrowed her gaze. "Yeah..." she growled. She whirled around and stalked off.
⠀⠀⠀Hurt flickered in Otterpaw and Pikepaw's gazes.
⠀⠀⠀"Anyways, I'm Pikepaw," Pikepaw continued, ignoring Briarpaw. "And this is Quailpaw and Eaglepaw."
⠀⠀⠀"Cool," the black she-cat meowed. "I'm Turtlepaw." She flicked her tail to the black and white she-cat next to her and meowed, "This is Sweetpaw. And this is Rockpaw. They're my siblings." Rockpaw was the silver tom.
⠀⠀⠀"Icepaw was our brother," Sweetpaw mewed sadly.
⠀⠀⠀Eaglepaw narrowed his amber-green eyes. "Well, we didn't kill him," he growled a little defensively.
⠀⠀⠀"I'm not saying you did," Sweetpaw told him quickly. "Rabbitstar is just confused a lot these days. I think a rogue killed him."
⠀⠀⠀"That's what Thornstep said," Quailpaw mewed.
⠀⠀⠀"Are we going to get in trouble for talking to you?" Otterpaw asked.
⠀⠀⠀Turtlepaw shook her head. "I don't see why anyone would get in trouble. The Gathering is for a truce. We have to put the battle behind us for now."
⠀⠀⠀"Let the Gathering begin!"
⠀⠀⠀Quailpaw turned her head towards the leaders that were settled on the large rock. She padded back over to RiverClan and seated herself behind Troutpelt.
⠀⠀⠀While she had been distracted by the WindClan apprentices, she hadn't noticed that ShadowClan had arrived and a silver tabby she-cat had joined the other leaders. The creamy-brown tabby tom was the leader of ThunderClan. She could tell from his scent.
⠀⠀⠀The ThunderClan leader stepped forward, giving his report first. Quailpaw remembered his name was Beechstar now.
⠀⠀⠀"ThunderClan is doing well," he meowed. "One of our queens recently gave birth to a litter of three kits."
⠀⠀⠀Sagestar stepped forward after Beechstar. His yellow gaze was lit with fury. "RiverClan has five new apprentices, Quailpaw, Eaglepaw, Pikepaw, Otterpaw, and Rubblepaw," he began. His shoulders were tense as he spoke. Quailpaw guessed he was about to tell the other Clans what WindClan had done. "Aside from that, WindClan recently launched an unnecessary attack on a RiverClan patrol a few days ago."
⠀⠀⠀Yowls of outrage and shock rippled throughout the gathered cats. Beechstar and Ashstar, the ShadowClan leader, both flicked their gazes towards Rabbitstar.
⠀⠀⠀Rabbitstar rose to her paws, her hackles raised as she angrily faced Sagestar. "Unnecessary?" she spat. "Your cats killed Icepaw!"
⠀⠀⠀Many warriors gasped. The WindClan and RiverClan cats all had bushed up fur and slitted eyes.
⠀⠀⠀Beechstar flicked his tail. "Icepaw?" he meowed. "Didn't he just become an apprentice three moons ago?"
⠀⠀⠀Rabbitstar nodded to the ThunderClan leader. "And Sagestar's cats decided it would be funny to kill him on his first hunting assessment."
⠀⠀⠀Sagestar yowled outrage. "We did not kill him!" he hissed. "I don't know how Icepaw died or who is responsible, but I can assure you, Rabbitstar, none of my warriors would do that!"
⠀⠀⠀Rabbitstar unsheathed her claws. She lashed out at Sagestar, raking him across the muzzle. Scarlet droplets sprinkled onto the stone and Sagestar gritted his teeth in pain as blood oozed from the fresh wound.
⠀⠀⠀A shadow fell over the clearing and every cat lifted their gazes to the sky. Quailpaw saw thick clouds skidding across the moon, blocking out the little light they had.
⠀⠀⠀"StarClan is angry," Ashstar meowed. "I suggest you stop fighting. Rabbitstar, have you any evidence RiverClan is responsible for Icepaw's death?"
⠀⠀⠀"There was RiverClan scent all over his fur when we found him!" Rabbitstar snarled at the ShadowClan leader. "If that isn't evidence, then I don't know what is."
⠀⠀⠀Ashstar flicked her ears. "You spoke of Icepaw's death in the Gathering two moons ago," she meowed. "I recall you said he was found at the border, yes?"
⠀⠀⠀"I know what you're going to say," the small white leader growled. "That since he was at the RiverClan border, he got RiverClan scent on him. But that's not true!"
⠀⠀⠀Ashstar narrowed her gaze. "That's the only logical explanation. Did you not look for badger or fox scent in the area, too? Or even rogue scent?"
⠀⠀⠀"There are no foxes or badgers or rogues in WindClan!" Rabbitstar retaliated. "RiverClan killed Icepaw and that's the truth." She swished her bobbed tail. "Come, WindClan. We're going home. I've have enough of these rabbit-brains."
⠀⠀⠀She leapt down from the Great Rock and began exiting the clearing, a black tabby tom following close behind her. Quailpaw guessed that was the deputy Darkwhisker, the cat who had injured Troutpelt's ear.
⠀⠀⠀The rest of WindClan filed out of the clearing until it was just RiverClan, ThunderClan, and ShadowClan.
⠀⠀⠀"I know I didn't get to make my report, but we should end this Gathering here," Ashstar said darkly. She beckoned her Clan with a sweep of her long tabby tail and they left just after WindClan.
⠀⠀⠀Sagestar nodded and leapt down from the large stone. RiverClan followed him. As Quailpaw padded away from the clearing with her Clanmates, she couldn't help but feel afraid. Rabbitstar was really going to hurt them now.