Warriors: The Chosen Warrior: Final Darkness (Book 6)

Chapter 13

As Leafsong deposited her squirrel next to Darkflight's blackbird on the fresh-kill pile, she scanned the hollow, searching for the dark gray pelt.

"Are you sure about this, Leafsong?" Darkflight whispered in her ear, his voice filled with concern. "Maybe I should go with you, to help if there's trouble."

The she-cat glanced at him. "I'll be fine, Darkflight," she promised. "Stone's changed since he left the Clans." At least, I think. "Besides, if he's hesitant to talk to me, he won't utter a word if you were there too."

The black-furred warrior gave a sigh in defeat. "All right. Just be alert, okay?"

She brushed her cheek along his jaw. "Whatever makes you stop worrying like an overprotective queen."

He snorted in laughter and nudged her with his head. With a flick of her tail, Leafsong crossed the camp to where Stone was lying with Swiftclaw, listening to Whitesnake and Shiningice talk. The warriors were rarely seen apart from their parents now, always trying to make up for all the lost time in their lives spent separated. However, Leafsong had barely seen Frostdrop include herself in her reformed family. She wondered how she truly felt with this drastic change in her life.

The group looked up as the she-cat approached.

"Hey, Leafsong!" Whitesnake greeted eagerly. "Have you come to join us? Shiningice and I are telling Swiftclaw and Stone about the time when we tag teamed that badger."

"Though he stupidly said that it was sick, so now it's not as impressive as it would have been had he kept his mouth shut." Shiningice twitched her whiskers in mischievous humor and cuffed her brother on the ear.

"I actually came to talk to Stone." Leafsong met the gray tom's unreadable gaze as he looked up at her. "We need to talk," she repeated to him. "Alone."

Tension rose up among the gathered cats as they waited for Stone to do something. Instead, he looked back at Leafsong for a long moment as he debated whether to concede or not. Finally, after many breaths, he stood up.

"I'll be back in a bit," he meowed to his kits. "You can finish telling your story to Swiftclaw. She can tell me the rest later."

"Or we could tell it to you again!" Shiningice meowed happily.

Stone smiled - he pure, genuine smile. "If you really want to, sure," he purred.

Leafsong blinked at the interaction. She had never thought her brother would be capable of such mannerism. Jerking herself out of her shocked state, she led Stone across the hollow to the thorn wall, glancing back a couple times to make sure he was following.

"Leafsong, where are you taking him?"

The pale-ginger warrior stopped as Brambleclaw walked in front of her path. His hostility toward Stone was clear with his already-bristling fur and the continual glares he sent behind her. Leafsong forced herself to remain calm.

"Out into the forest for privacy," she replied evenly. "I want to talk to him without everyone angling their ears our way."

The deputy's ears flicked backwards aggressively. "How do I know that you're not planning something against ThunderClan?"

"Because she's the Chosen Warrior," Stone answered for her. "Did you forget?" He added under his breath in a growl, "Mouse-brain."

Brambleclaw's narrowed eyes flicked to Stone. "Then are you planning to try to kill her? Taking her to a place with no witnesses?"

The tom snorted loudly. "I already tried that. But trust me, I'm not going to try again." Stone stalked around Leafsong then and past a shocked Brambleclaw to the thorn tunnel. He slowed to glance back at the she-cat and gesture with his tail for her to follow.