Rise

Chapter 9

When they got back to camp Novapaw noticed some tension in the air. She walked up to the closest car near her. "What happened?" She asked fearfully.
It was a white she-cat named Stream. "Limestar has named the new deputy."
Novapaw gasped. "Who?"
"Grayflight. Great choice. He'll be fair." She purred.
The apprentice couldn't hide her shock. Grayflight! She was over the moon. Grayflight was a silence, he could make anyone's powers go away so long as he had a ahold of them. He was a powerful and kind warrior.
She saw her father, his eyes burning with rage. He slipped into the Healer's den as Novapaw had seen him do a couple days ago. 'Why?' She wondered.
Crowfur was out in the clearing talking to Limestar. What could he be looking for?
She looked around for Frost, and with a pang remembered what Stormstripe had said.
"Looking for Wolfpaw?" Novapaw didn't realize Ryestrike had walked up to her.
"No!" Novapaw retorted.
The she-cat lifted her eyebrows. "Are you sure? You two looked pretty friendly today."
"If you must know I'm looking for Frost." She snarked back with a smirk.
Ryestrike scoffed. "He's not my problem." And she walked away.
'Wow. I thought Ryestrike was better than that.'
She saw Frost in the apprentices den with Thunderpaw. They were talking about how prey had been.
"Frost!" She hissed quietly.
The tom whipped his head around and looked at her. "I'll see you later." He said to Thunderpaw.
Her brother spotted her and narrowed his eyes in confusion but blew it off.
"Come on, follow me. Quick!" She meowed to her friend.
Frost galloped after her past the tribe entrance and into the forest.
"I'm sorry about Stormstripe." She murmured with her head low and they walked side by side at a steady pace.
Frost was nearly double her size now, and his muscles showed beneath his sleek white pelt. "Don't worry about it." He growled under his breath.
"Well I took you out here so we could talk without him biting my tail off!" She laughed playfully, hoping to get a similar reaction.
He didn't make a peep.
They kept walking in silence and Novapaw was wondering if she shouldn't come out here anyways. The landforms around her started to seem less familiar as they kept going, but she hadn't been around this way in a few moons.
"You know that I support you and all the reds right?" She meowed abruptly. Her whiskers twitching with anticipation for his response.
"Of course I know that, Nove." He let out a long sigh, his eyes looking glazed over as if he were just walking  with no idea where he was or what he was doing.
"Well it doesn't seem like it!" She snarled at her friend and had to stop herself from swiping. 'What did I just do?'
Frost had a look of horror in his eyes. "Calm down Nove."
Novapaw sat down on her haunches. "I'm sorry. It just seems like you're ignoring me."
"Well I was told to."
"I don't care what Stormstripe will do to me! You're more important!" She cried out as he sat beside her.
"I don't want-"
Frost was cut off by a rustle of leaves in the distance. Novapaw pricked her ears in alarm. She sniffed the air and realized with a jolt that they were no longer in their territory. They were in the Tribe of Deadly Claws.