CinderStar's Broken Family

Chapter 8 ~ Border Trouble

~CinderPaw's POV~

I woke up to see MistyPaw prodding my shoulder with a paw. "Wake up! We're gonna be late for a patrol!" she mewed. 'Patrol!' I thought, leaping from my nest and charging out of the apprentices den.

AshPelt looked over at MistyPaw and I as we raced towards him and our clanmates, skidding to a halt by him. "Sorry! We're so sorry!" MistyPaw and I called at the same time, feeling ashamed for waking late. "It's alright you two," AshPelt spoke warmly, "but try not to let it happen again." he finished. We nodded, and joined our assigned patrols.

Leaving camp, I waved my tail at MistyPaw and she did to me as we went our separate ways. Me, SkyStar, CedarLeaf, BlazeClaw and his apprentice WhitePaw we're heading towards the WindClan border.

After a while of walking, I noticed WhitePaw had slowed and was padding slowly and silently behind the patrol. 'I wonder if he's okay?' I thought, slowing my own pace and letting him catch up to me, as I began to walk beside the white apprentice.

"Hey WhitePaw!" I said cheerfully, smiling when he looked up at me and nodded in greeting. We walked in silence until we reached the WindClan border, when SkyStar stepped back and let BlazeClaw lead the patrol.

"Do you think WindClan will stir up trouble if we encounter a patrol?" WhitePaw mewed suddenly. I lowered my head, thinking back to my first gathering when I had attacked that apprentice, RootPaw, after he had spoken horribly about ThunderClan. WhitePaw seemed to read my mind, and said "if you're worried about the apprentice you attacked, I'd stop worrying all together. He deserved that scratch you gave him after what he said!" he spoke clearly.

CedarLeaf heard that, turning his head back and glaring at WhitePaw, as if telling him to shut up. I moved my head close to his when CedarLeaf turned away and whispered "little WindClan maggots... when will they ever learn respect?" WhitePaw laughed at that.

And as if he had seen into the future, our patrol stopped when we heard some cat yowl "Stop there!" We all turned our heads to see a WindClan patrol racing towards us. SkyStar stepped in front of me and WhitePaw, nudging us back to stand behind the warriors. We waited for the WindClan patrol to catch us, as they halted at their side of the border.

"SkyStar." The cat that was leading the WindClan cats spoke clam, but anger burned in her eyes. "GrassLeap," SkyStar replied, dipping her head in greeting to the WindClan cat. "how is your new role of deputy coming along?" she kept going. 'So that's WindClan's deputy...' I thought.

The light brown she-cat growled, clearly in distress about something. "Let's skip the pleasantries," she muttered warily, "three of our kits have disappeared. We stopped you because we are asking for them back." BlazeClaw growled, stepping forward and stopping SkyStar from replying. "We didn't steal any kits. That's something you WindClan cats would do, and ThunderClan isn't like you" he hissed.

GrassLeap tore her gaze away from BlazeClaw, and stared at SkyStar. "Your warriors have no respect, do they?" she snapped. Once again, SlyStar couldn't respond as CinderPaw stepped forward. "Ah, respect. Something you need to teach your apprentices!" she growled, referring to RootPaw, the scrawny apprentice that seemed to lack any form of respect.

CinderPaw didn't realize that RootPaw was with the WindClan patrol, as he stepped out from behind a brown and white tabby, and leaped at her.

Before CinderPaw could move, WhitePaw jumped forwards as well, knocking RootPaw away from CinderPaw with a growl. BlazeClaw stepped in front of WhitePaw as the brown and white WindClan tabby did with RootPaw before they could start an actual fight. "Enough!" SkyStar shouted, before turning to face GrassLeap. "We didn't take the kits, and I am sorry that they have disappeared, but maybe you should try checking around your own territory before going to accuse other clans of taking them." And with that, she turned, and waved her tail signalling the ThunderClan patrol to follow her, as they disappeared into the forest.

CinderPaw looked to WhitePaw, and nudged him with her paw. "Thanks for that" she smiled. He purred, waving his tail in response, as the patrol padded home in silence.

'Thanks WhitePaw. For stopping RootPaw. It means a lot, seriously.'