Warriors: A New Beginning #2: Midnight Rising

Chapter 20

The night after the Gathering Midnightpaw didn't sleep. She was sure to stay awake until the entire Clan was asleep. When she heard Mintleaf's snoring she got out of her nest and quietly padded out into the clearing.

It was eerily quiet. Midnightpaw slowly crept through the clearing into the dirtplace. She hated this part of her plan. But she had to do it.

Please, StarClan, let the tunnel still be there! She searched for the secret tunnel in the dirtplace and, sure enough, it was there. She squeezed through it and emerged into the forest with relief.

Now to find her trail. Even though the patrol hadn't found anything, Midnightpaw was sure she would.

But where to look first? She tasted the air and got an idea. The WindClan border.

Her pace quickened into a trot as she headed toward the border. She was at the Owl tree when she heard a rustle. Alarmed, Midnightpaw froze.

"What are you doing?"

Mintleaf! Midnightpaw whipped around. But her mentor wasn't the one standing there. It was Bushtail.

"Are you looking for Leafdawn?" the brown tom asked.

"Yes," Midnightpaw replied firmly. "Isn't she dead to you?"

"Actually, I came to help you," Bushtail meowed.

"You did?" Midnightpaw was stunned. "Why?"

"There's no real proof Leafdawn is actually dead," Bushtail explained. "You know, something like this happened a while ago with Wavepelt, actually. She had been hit by a monster on the Thunderpath and taken to Trinity's Twoleg nest. We saw her blood and found her scent on the Thunderpath. Everyone thought that she had been killed. But I believed that she was alive. I even saw her. But not even my mentor believed me. No one did. But it turned out that Wavepelt was actually alive."

Midnightpaw listened to this in awe. This was the exact situation she was experiencing!

"So you believe that Leafdawn's alive?" she asked.

"Sure I do." Bushtail nodded. "Where were you going to look first?"

"The WindClan border," Midnightpaw replied. "I believe that Bloodclaw's captured Leafdawn. The rogues' territory is on WindClan's side, so I thought that there might be a trace of her scent there."

"Good thinking," Bushtail approved. "Let's go."

Midnightpaw took the lead as they set off. It felt a little odd leading a warrior who was much older than her, but she soon got used to it.

Soon they reached the WindClan border.

"Any trace of Leafdawn?" Bushtail asked, looking worried. He had been one of the cats on the search party, Midnightpaw remembered.

He must really believe Leafdawn's alive, she thought.

She was glad at least one other cat had her opinion.

Midnightpaw tasted the air and looked around the border. There was a faint trace of something...could it be Leafdawn? She closed her eyes and concentrated on that scent...

"Bloodclaw!" she realized. "He was here."

"When?" Bushtail asked.

"It was..." Midnightpaw's heart pounded. "Around the time Leafdawn disappeared. But I don't scent Leafdawn herself." Her mind was whirling. Her theory could be correct. Bloodclaw could have indeed captured Leafdawn. But if Leafdawn's scent wasn't there...