Omen of the Sun Book One: Secrets in Shadows ✅

Chapter Fourteen

Sunpaw's eyes widened. Goldleaf loved Applefoot? She sighed, then remembered that they were below her. Wait till you get back to camp.

Twisting on the branch, she leaped and hit the tallest branch of the next tree over. She continued jumping from branch to branch until she reached the maples that marked camp. She leaped down gracefully and strolled into camp, trying to act like nothing had happened.

Cinderpaw bounced up to her. "Where were you?"

"I just went outside for a minute," Sunpaw told her quickly. She cast an anxious glance around the camp. Thankfully, nobody seemed to be watching her. "I thought I... I thought I saw something."

"Did you?"

"No," Sunpaw told her voice quivering. She hadn't intended to tell Cinderpaw about what she had just seen, but suddenly she couldn't keep it to herself any longer. "Actually, yes, I did see something. Come over here."

She ran over to the flowering bush and scooted under. Cinderpaw followed. Her blue eyes locked onto Sunpaw's green ones. "What happened?" She asked.

"Goldleaf and Applefoot were out in the forest and I followed them. And, well, Goldleaf told Applefoot he loved her!" Sunpaw said in a rush. Cinderpaw's eyes widened. "He loved her? Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Sunpaw said, nodding vigorously. "I heard him say it. She told him she loved him but that she thought he loved me, and he said straight out that he loved her."

Cinderpaw sat back on her haunches, sucking in a deep breath. "This is bad," she announced. "If Goldleaf is Applefoot's mate, anything can happen. He's an awesome fighter. If Applefoot turns him nasty..."

She didn't need to complete the thought. Sunpaw knew what she was thinking. "Yeah. Well..."

She blinked, trying to think. "I can't say anything without getting to know him better. What do you suggest?"

"Talk to him," Cinderpaw suggested immediately. "Ask him about himself. His family. His friends. What he likes. But not who he likes," she added quickly. "That'll put him in an awkward spot."

Sunpaw nodded, barely hearing Cinderpaw. A thousand thoughts were going through her mind. Why would he say he loved her? What has she done to suddenly interest him? Does he not see the way things seem to slide right by her?

Does he not understand that this is the cat who killed Moonpaw?

8*8*8*8*8*

Sunpaw woke the next morning, stretched, and saw to her happiness and shock that she wasn't the last to wake. Finally! Stonepaw and Cinderpaw were still fast asleep in their nests. She nudged Cinderpaw with her paw then hurried down the tunnel, emerging into the camp, and looking around. Brightsky was standing on the same flat stone as yesterday. "Hailheart, take Whiteswirl, Stonepaw, Greenflower, and Cinderpaw go to the BreezeClan border, hunt, then come back."

Hailheart, a dark gray tom with silver patches, nodded and hurried off to get his patrol. "Tansypool, take Shadowpelt, Skypelt, Sunpaw, and Goldleaf along the FlowerClan border and the hunt. And Amberclaw, take Willowfur, Peonystorm, Frostpaw, and Applefoot along HollyClan then come back. If you see any forest prey then hunt, but no fishing in the river-border."

Now's my chance! Sunpaw realized. She could talk to Goldleaf and try to get to know him better.

Tansypool, a white-gray she cat with blue eyes, flicked her tail, indicating that the patrol should join her. Shadowpelt, a she cat with fur that matched her name, Skypelt, and Goldleaf hurried up to them. Sunpaw padded forward. The patrol was complete so they set out.

Shadowpelt, Tansypool, and Skypelt quickly took the lead, chatting quietly as they led the patrol through the leafless trees. Goldleaf and Sunpaw stayed behind a few paces. Sunpaw was slightly annoyed at him, but knew she had to hide it. How to do this tactically?

"So, how old are you?" Sunpaw asked, then winced. Why was she asking him how old he was?! But Goldleaf smiled. "I'm twelve moons."

They walked in silence for a few moments. Sunpaw dug through her brain for another question, and a silver she cat swam to the front of her mind. "How old are Applefoot and Lightningfeather?"

Sunpaw watched his face closely for anything that might suggest that Goldleaf really didn't love Applefoot. But there was nothing, not even a single twitch. "They're fourteen moons. But they had a sister, you know. From an older litter."

"Really?" Sunpaw asked. "Yeah," Goldleaf said. "Her name was Frostkit. But her littermates, Nightkit and Leopardkit, they didn't survive through the night. And Frostkit ran away."

Sunpaw's heartbeat quickened. "R-really?"

Goldleaf nodded. "Yeah. She was silver. She looked a bit like you, actually."

Sunpaw's blood ran cold. They passed Sky Tree. Was this Frostkit, the lost kit, Sunpaw's mother?

Guess what????

This book is almost over!

That's right, this will actually only be about as long as a normal Warriors book, about 20-25 chapters. Yay! It'll be a series of six books. I already have the titles and covers for books two and three ready! 8D

Well. Is this Frostkit really Frost? I think you all know the answer XD

Also, check out my friend's books: Storm Awakening. By Swift_Jay, and Fernwhisker's Destiny. By WarriorCatLover03.

Thanks everyone!

~Rainfeather ✨🐱✨