Patchwing's Danger

Chapter 3

(Wolfshade above!)

Patchpaw sat up so fast that she hit her sister's nose. "What! Really?"

Nightpaw fell back, collapsed in a heap of laughter. Patchpaw nudged her. "I'm serious, Nightpaw. Are we under attack?"

Her sister shook her head, still giggling hysterically. "I got you so good Patchpaw!"

Patchpaw shook her head and grumbled that Nightpaw was no better than a kit and sulking, padded out of the den to greet Redpetal as her mentor came to find her. The two exchanged a silent nod, then continued towards the fresh-kill pile. "Patchpaw, I've got to talk to you,"

"About what?"

Redpetal hesitated before speaking, "I think its time you became a warrior,"

The tortoiseshell-and-white apprentice squealed and jumped. "Really?"

Her mentor nodded. "Thank you so so much, Redpetal. You're the best mentor any apprentice could hope for!" 

Patchpaw then quickly touched noses with the dark red she-cat and scampered over to tell Nightpaw and Darkpaw, her anger for her sister forgotten, who were sharing a mouse near the warrior's den. They stood up immediately when Patchpaw came over, two pairs of green and yellow eyes open wide with excitement and trained on Patchpaw. "So do you guys know yet?"

Darkpaw and Nightpaw nodded, both of them purring to viciously too speak. The trio padded over to where their parents were waiting. Well technically, Nightpaw and Darkpaw's parents thought  Patchpaw resentfully. Tallwillow dipped his white and brown head at them, and Wolfshade was purring. "I heard that you three will be made warriors soon! Tallwillow and I are so proud of you,"

Patchpaw dipped her head to the gray she-cat. How can you even act like your my mother, Wolfshade? And you too, Tallwillow?  But the tortoiseshell-and-white soon-to-be-warrior tried to mask her fury at the two older cats by thinking of how awesome of parents they had been before Darkpaw had caught wind of their secret. She purred loudly,  Wolfshade and Tallwillow wouldn't smell her anger at them. "Thanks! I'm going to go find Redpetal to see when our assessment will be," mewed Patchpaw, desperate to escape the conversation. Would my real parents even be proud of me? she wondered.

Redpetal turned out to also be looking for her, so things worked out perfectly. The red she-cat told Patchpaw that her, along with Nightpaw and Darkpaw's assessment would be at sunhigh. Patchpaw scurried back over to tell her litter-mates. "Our assessments will be at sunhigh,"

"Why don't you sound exited?" asked Nightpaw.

Patchpaw didn't know. Maybe it was because of how confusing her life had been. First she had learned that her parents were not really her parents, and then met a cat who could only speak through and read her mind. No wonder she was unexcited. Any cat would be.

"Didn't Darkpaw tell you?" Darkpaw suddenly found something else to do in order to avoid his sister inquiry.

"Nope," said the black she-cat. "He did not,"

At that the white-flecked apprentice turned to glare at Darkpaw, who was talking at a very fast pace to Cloudwhisker, his mentor, about what he thought would happen that night at the Gathering. The Gathering... 

Patchpaw had never been to a Gathering, but had heard about what happened there. She didn't know why Dustystar hadn't let her go before, but she knew now. Dustystar probably knew about how Wolfshade and Tallwillow  were not her parents, since Wolfshade was her littermate, and the two she-cats had always been close. Did Dustystar not trust her? The tortoiseshell-and-white apprentice shook off her feelings of doubt and tried to feel exited. She would be made a warrior and go to her first Gathering today! "Patchpaw! it's sunhigh! Time for our warrior assessment!"