Warrior Cats: Back to the Wild Book#2

Chapter 18

Spotkit complained about not being able to go to the Gathering as the chosen cats gathered near Jumbledstar. Viperfang continued ignoring him and shoved him in to the nursery. Docilekit dragged her tail after her brother from the medicine den as Coldeyes came out. Sirenkit jumped around Crazyfeather's paws as he jumped down to a crouch, playing with the little she-kit.

"Sirenkit!" Viperfang yowled. "Get in the nursery, this instant!"

Sirenkit lowered her body until her belly touched the pine. She slowly went to her mother and disappeared in to the nest. Crazyfeather lowered his ears as he went to go stand beside Mousepelt and Frightwing. The black scarred warrior purred as he followed the rest of the cats in to the forest. Mousepelt waved her tail at Ravenclaw before going after her Clan.

Vinepaw and Midnightpaw stayed close to Jumbledstar and Yellowstone as if going to the Gathering frightened them. Mousepelt got a feeling it had something to do with Flightpaw. The brown she-cat would have to ask Amberheart if she had noticed anything about the SkyClan apprentice. She shared the border, Mousepelt had to assume that the golden warrior was watching that Clan as well as WindClan.

When ShadowClan arrived, only RiverClan and ThunderClan had come. Mousepelt quickly made her way to Amberheart, who was lying alone. Cherrypaw was speaking to Bluepaw and Mossypaw as Vinepaw and Midnightpaw pelted over.

"Any news?" Amberheart asked.

"Silversol tried getting Mudpelt to kill Ripplestar." Mousepelt announced quietly.

"What?" Amberheart's fur bristled.

"I was able to stop him, but we're not done yet," Mousepelt laid down next to her friend, "how are SkyClan and WindClan?"

"All I know so far is that not most cats like Larkfeather as deputy..." Amberheart reported. Mousepelt waited a few moments before getting annoyed.

"Have you done anything about it?" Mousepelt pressed.

"No, you said we had enough time for that." Amberheart looked at her friend.

"Well, have you checked SkyClan?" Mousepelt growled. "You know Silversol is interested in Flightpaw!"

"She's just an apprentice!" Amberheart retorted.

"That shouldn't change anything!" Mousepelt shot back. "Apprentices can be lead the wrong way!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm more concerned about my own Clan! Cherrypaw needs my guidance and there's the heart broken warrior I'm trying to find!" Amberheart hissed.

"Silversol hasn't gone to ThunderClan in a while, she could have been causing trouble in WindClan and SkyClan! I can't go because I'm all the way in ShadowClan, if I go to those Clans either ThunderClan, WindClan, or SkyClan will get suspicious and hold me captive, or worse!"

"Then let them handle their problems!" Amberheart growled. "We should think about our Clans! Silversol is too powerful to be killed by simple WindClan and SkyClan warriors!"

"Silversol is an enemy to all Clans, not just ours!" Mousepelt got to her paws. "She doesn't just want to kill us, she wants to kill all the queens and kits!"

SkyClan and WindClan had finally arrived. Mousepelt shook as she saw Larkfeather had a huge gash on her cheek and Flightpaw trotted over to the apprentices. The leaders climbed up on to the Great Oak and addressed the gathered cats in the clearing.

"Lionstar," Whisperstar looked to the SkyClan leader, "you said you had some news?"

"Yes, Whisperstar, and is grave and disturbing news," Lionstar explained standing up and baring his yellow teeth, "Lizardrun was found dead on ThunderClan's border just as we made our way here!"

Angry yowls broke out among the clearing. Mousepelt spun to glare at Amberheart, who looked shocked. Mousepelt then looked to see Flightpaw wailing for her care taker in the nursery.

"Flightpaw says she smelled ThunderClan on the she-cat!" Lionstar went on.

"But it wasn't ThunderClan!" Cherrypaw called out.

"Cherrypaw, you are to stay silent during a Gathering!" Whisperstar yowled.

"Let her speak!" Lionstar shot.

"It wasn't ThunderClan, Flightpaw killed Lizardrun!" Cherrypaw went on.

SkyClan apprentices let out disagreeing yowls, along with the many SkyClan warriors. The other apprentices stepped worryingly back except Cherrypaw, Flightpaw, and Vinepaw.

"Why would you say that?" Flightpaw wailed. "She cared for me like a real mother, I would never hurt her!"

"Cherrypaw, you shouldn't blame her..." Vinepaw put in.

"You and I both know she did it!" Cherrypaw spat at the ShadowClan apprentice. "Remember your first Gathering, she told us she was interested in Silversol!"

"I may have said that, but I would never done what she does!" Flightpaw cried, bolting to Gingerlily and buried her face in the deputy's chest. "Make her stop! I'm frightened!"

"Enough of your accusations!" Gingerlily spat at Cherrypaw. "How dare you blame one of our own! Especially the one Lizardrun raised alone! Maybe you're the one who killed her!"

"Cherrypaw would never do that!" Amberheart jumped in to her apprentice's defense. "I don't believe it was Flightpaw's fault either!"

"What I want to know is what happened to Larkfeather's face!" Ashface interrupted the fight.

The clearing let out murmurs of agreement as their attention turned to the WindClan deputy.

"She was punished for letting a kittypet take a rabbit from her without a fight." Tallstar explained. "This was just a warning, but if she allows something like this to happen again, I'm afraid I'll have to find a new deputy."

Mousepelt glared toward Amberheart angrily. If the golden she-cat wouldn't do anything soon, it would be too late to save Tallstar and Flightpaw. After this, if Amberheart still wasn't going to act, then Mousepelt most definitely would.