River Of Blood (The Forest In The Sky (book 1))

Chapter 15

Tilleypaw's pov

"Wake up Tilleypaw." Tilleypaw woke up to the sound of a familiar yet unfamiliar voice. She felt a tail on her mouth. Tilleypaw opened her groggy eyes and looked up. A golden pelt was standing over her, their tail layed over Tilleypaw's mouth. As Tilleypaw's sight came into better view her brain clicked and she immediately knew who it was.

"Follow me." She asked and slid into the bushes. Tilleypaw followed angrily and curiously.

"Why are you here?" Tilleypaw asked her, her pelt growing hot with anger, but she stayed calm.

"I was always here." She simply replied, her tail sweeping the ground.

"What, since when i never saw you. You must've been too quiet." Tilleypaw was too shocked on how she was here, she hadn't seen her or heard her.

"Oh you remember when Almondpaw and Brackenpaw were talking very quietly and you looked around and saw me, that was me." She answered.

"Come on, but how did you know—" Tilleypaw got interrupted.

"That's where you don't know, i have my ways Tilleypaw, i do what i want." She answered. Just then, the trees rustled and Starlingpaw and Wolfpaw popped out. Ackleypaw came from behind, telling the others to get up and get over to them.

Cedarpaw came up front with Tilleypaw, looking at the new-comer and looking back at Tilleypaw confused. Cedarpaw's eyes lightened and she padded forward.

"D-Dawnpaw wh-what!" Cedarpaw muzzled Dawnpaws golden pelt.

"How did you get here?" Briarpaw stepped forward, her black and white pelt rippling in the morning cold.

Definitely rain coming. Tilleypaw thought to herself. She looked at the sky. AuroraClan why did you send her here? Tilleypaw thought in her own mind patting the floor with a sheathed paw.

"Duh. I followed your scent trail, what else?" Dawnpaw mewed sarcastically. "Anyways shall we keep going, you want to be there by full-moon right?" Dawnpaw sweeped her tail along the ground and started trotting off.

"Wow wow wow wow, we aren't letting het come on this journey right?" Briarpaw mewed, stepping forwards. Dawnpaw was pretending to fight Cedarpaw so she had no idea what was going on here.

"Wait—- what did Dolphinstar and Duskystar say?" Ackleypaw said, looking at Dawnpaw wide eyed like he'd just seen a fox.

"Dawnpaw!" Lunarpaw shouted her back to them.

"Yeah!" Dawnpaw padded up to Lunarpaw and stopped barely a mouse-length away, so they were muzzle to muzzle.

"Focus, what did you say to Dolphinstar and Duskystar?" Ackleypaw snapped at her. Dawnpaws head whipped around to face him.

"I simply told them what you said to tell them." Dawnpaw responded, a little to slow.

"And......" Ackleypaw pressed.

"They said it was fine, as long as i was here, but Lindsaystream, Acaciaseed, Valleycloud and Duskfeather were worried but i explained and they stopped fretting. Hamsterpaw, Tearpaw and Shadowpaw said good luck to you and Fleurface and Sunflowerstem said 'good job' oh and Orchidfang, Foxkit, Unitedpaw, Islandpaw and Grasspaw says hi to you all. And who are these new people, nice to meet you, im Dawnpaw, you must be Starlingpaw, Hazelpaw and i don't know the rest of you, sorry." Dawnpaw weaved around Hazelpaw, Starlingpaw and Almondpaw.

"Firstly, how do you know our names, secondly, that's Almondpaw, Cinderpaw and Sparrowpaw." Starlingpaw meowed, stepping forward to be close to Dawnpaw.

"I've heard stories about your kin from the elders, they said said our previous leader Freedomstar was mentored by one of your queens or leaders cousins or something im not sure." Dawnpaw explained, her gold pelt shaking the drops of rain falling off the trees and hitting their pelts.

"Wait, but how were you told about us? Who told you, Olivestar and Duskstar haven't communicated with your leaders." Sparrowpaw said his pelt disappearing from the sight of Tilleypaw.

"No, i spoke to you in my dreams. It was only Starlingpaw that i spoke to though." Dawnpaw explained with excitement hitting her eyes.

"Wait, i think i remember that....yes! And you were in the Oval Waters with me." Starlingpaw jumped up.

"Whatever those are." Ackleypaw muttered under his breath.

"Maybe we should keep going, otherwise we'll never make it." Cedarpaw meowed, staring into the distance.

"Yeah." Sparrowpaw agreed.

Tilleypaw walked into the middle of the group next to Brackenpaw and Wolfpaw. Ackleypaw was a tail-length ahead, Cedarpaw and the two Cinderpaws up with her.

Almondpaw was just behind Tilleypaw, getting slightly edgy of the group. Dawnpaw was no longer talking, thank AuroraClan and StarClan. They kept padding in silence, well, not complete silence, but it was quite silent. They silently padded across a fence, using her tail for balance Tilleypaw placed her tail just above the fence, ceasing to keep her balance. One by one they jumped off the twoleg fence. They made their way to a long steep slope going up and up, before they could no longer see it anymore as it curled around a mountain type thing.

"Just up there is the Aurora Pond." Ackleypaw jumped in excitement. Meows of happiness and joy cake from all the cats as they started to climb the steep slope. Ackleypaw and Cinderpaw our in front, Tilleypaw took her place at the back of the group with Brackenpaw who had also moved down to the bottom of the group.

"Isn't it so exciting." Brackenpaw mewed, pure excitement in her voice, it just wasn't showing on her face.

Tilleypaw felt excitement churn inside her, but no smile appeared on her face.

A little way from the top, the path started getting smaller, and smaller, until they had to walk one at a time. Tilleypaw didn't like the way the path randomly went different directions.

"We're here!" Ackleypaw's distant mew came from the top of the hill. Tilleypaw stuck all the way at the back, had to wait for the others to keep moving. After a while Tilleypaw finally reached the top and gazed around. A small pond next to a waterfall with fern bushes on either side and small trees towering over the pond, keeping it safe from much harm.

"Wow." Some of the cats mewed, looking around amazed by the beautiful view. Brackenpaw, Cedarpaw and Dawnpaw padded up to the pond and padded around it to the edge of the mountain.

"Guys don't come to close to the edge when you come over here." Brackenpaw looked back at them.

"Come on." Wolfpaws tail flicked Tilleypaw in the flank. Tilleypaw looked back at her, her blue eyes smiled.

They padded over to edge of the mountain where the ground just randomly disappeared off the earth. Hazelpaw looked down to the right.

"We live in that direction." Hazelpaw said, pointing her tail in the right direction.

"Lets go speak with AuroraClan or StarClan as you say." Ackleypaw padded to the Aurora Pond and lay down. All the other apprentices followed. Tilleypaw sat down next to Ackleypaw and Starlingpaw.

"How do we do this?" Dawnpaw asked confusedly.

"I think you're meant put the tip of your paws in the water and the trees to shake water on you and you should sleep." Cinderpaw instructed. Tilleypaw could tell Cinderpaw wasn't that sure what she was doing. Tilleypaw did it anyways, very soon falling asleep.

More than halfway!! Yeet!! Worse things to come, read on yeeee!!