Warriors: Hidden Sights - Fallen Dawn

Chapter 8 - Dampened

From the quieting chirps and the dimming warm glow of the sun, Clawpaw realised that night was approaching as he wobbled back to camp. His paws throbbed in complaint with every step, reminding him that it was his own fault for insisting to carry on the tour despite his growing tiredness.

Beside him, Frostblaze seemed unaffected, obviously used to walking through the territory. Her gaze landed on him, glimmering with uncertainty. "You should go see Sunstream if it hurts."

"No, it doesn't," Clawpaw mewed quickly, licking his chest fur in embarrassment.

The doubt in the light tabby she-cat's eyes still remained, but like before, she did not probe him.

When they returned to camp, their Clanmates were sharing tongues around the diminishing fresh-kill pile. At his mentor's nod, Clawpaw went over and picked a small shrew for himself.

"I'll be over there if you need me," Frostblaze meowed, gesturing to the part of the camp where most warriors were gathered.

I guess I'm not welcomed there.

He nodded, keeping his mouth clamped shut. Preparing to eat alone, he was heading to a more secluded spot when Specklebreeze's voice called him over.

"Clawpaw, come over!" she invited.

His heart danced in relief. At least Clawpaw knew another who was unchanged by Hailstar's announcement in the morning.

The oldest cat in ThunderClan sat near the elder's den without the companionship of Fireclaw, the other elder. Her ageing light grey fur looked almost glossy under the moonlight as he approached, dipping his head in thanks as he sat beside her.

"Hard day?" Specklebreeze meowed sympathetically.

"Fine, I guess."

If the whole Hailstar incident didn't happen, he added to himself.

As he took a bite of the shrew, he noticed that there was nothing in front of her. Confused, he raised it up.

The elder chuckled. "I've gotten my fill. My appetite isn't as big as before, when I was still a warrior, catching prey for the Clan."

The wistfulness in her tone did not went unnoticed by Clawpaw, who gave her a curious stare.

"Well, don't just stare at me all day!" Specklebreeze spoke up abruptly, her whiskers twitching in amusement as the young apprentice snapped to attention. "If you are going to leave your prey there, it's going to freeze."

Quickly, Clawpaw bent down and took a few more bites of the shrew, feeling hot behind his ears.

"So many things changed throughout my time in ThunderClan," she meowed, with a faraway gaze in her green eyes. "Sometimes, I would dream that I was still a warrior, running with the taste of prey in my jaws, and with my closest by my side. But those days are gone now. Such is the way of life; ridden with suffering... yet, I could still find joy."

He listened to all of it. While he did not understand why the elder started to talk to about the past, he did not interupt her.

"Excuse my rambling," Specklebreeze apologised. "I realise I tend to do that more often these days."

"It's fine. I rather listen than talk anyway," he mumbled, looking at the remains of his half eaten shrew.

"With that said..." She shifted into a more relaxed position. "Clawpaw, could you tell me what is the matter? Something tells me that it's not just the prophecy and Hailstar that has gotten you in a gloomy mood."

He did not respond immediately as he became overcome by the memories of the morning - of how Sandkit's actions seemed to imply that he was avoiding him, and how it hurt more than he ever expected.

Clawpaw rose to his paws, suddenly not feeling hungry any longer. Muttering a "sorry" to the light grey she-cat, he whipped around and headed for the gorse tunnel.

It was only when he was a few fox lengths from the camp that he felt slightly lighter. Everything felt so suffocating in the place that supposedly home that the apprentice wanted to be anywhere but there at that moment.

Clawpaw took a few deep breaths, feeling the uncomfortable buzzing in his head quieting down. There was no cat around him, and it brought him some form of solace from the mess of emotions and questions.

He sighed. I'll have to apologise to her properly later.

A quick glance around the area told him that he was near the Great Sycamore. It was far enough from camp, he decided. Getting lost like a kit was the last thing he wanted tonight.

He closed his eyes, revelling in the peacefulness of the forest that came with the night. It was a great reprieve from the constant murmurs throughout the camp - it made his skin crawl every time as he believed that he was the subject of their conversations.

In the forest, there was no cat but himself to handle.

Clawpaw almost fell asleep if it was not for a sudden gust of wind carring a rank scent that reminded him that he was not in camp.

He screwed up his face in disgust, turning around to find its source. Contrary to his initial belief, there was, in fact, a cat nearby, appearing to be basking in the pale moonlight.

The ThunderClan apprentice gaped. He could never forget those amber eyes, glittering with melancholy, the same from some two moons ago.

"Thornshadow," Clawpaw whispered the name the StarClan cat had left him with.

The dark grey tabby dipped his head. "It's nice to see you again, Clawpaw." He hesitated before adding, "Congrats on your apprenticeship."

The younger cat blinked. "You knew," he realised out loud, remembering the StarClan warrior's warning.

"Of course I did," Thornshadow meowed mournfully. "Clinging on hatred has become his reason to live and you ended up in the core of it."

"Why does Hailstar hate me so much?" Clawpaw's voice was barely a whisper.

"Grief," something peculiar flashed in his amber eyes. "It changes cats more than we can ever expect."

Frostblaze mentioned something about that, he thought, frowning. That answer only left him unsatisfied, unwilling to accept it.

Instead of responding to Thornshadow's statement, the dark brown tabby plopped down onto his belly. He was tired.

"So... why are you here?" he asked warily. "And what was that scent?"

The StarClan cat hesitated. "To tell you the truth, I've looked over you since you were a kit. I was hoping to be able to lend you my support, even though the others don't agree with it."

"I see... thanks," Clawpaw mewed flatly. He was in too much of a sombre mood to sound genuine.

"You are not alone in this, Clawpaw. I promise, I will do what I can," Thornshadow spoke with slightly more vigour than before. The apprentice blinked, not quite understanding why the StarClan warrior wanted to help him.

He continued, his voice becoming grave. "A dark path lies ahead. The scent you caught... I believe that it's just the beginning of something bigger. We are not sure what it is either. For now, be careful and keep your eyes and ears sharp and alert. I'll come visit again someday."

As he prepared to leave and fade, Clawpaw spoke up. "Thornshadow, wait. Who are you to me? Why are you helping me?"

Thornshadow turned, and for a moment, the ThunderClan apprentice thought that he was going to answer his questions. However, he was only met with a saddened smile lined with guilt.

"It's not important. See you again, Clawpaw."

With that, he was gone.