Blazing Darkness

Chapter 22

Weak dawn light filtered into the warriors den. Squirrelleap opened her eyes sleepily. She quickly got to her paws as Dustfur padded into the den.

"Every cat needs to wake up. Whitestar is calling for a clan meeting," the deputy meowed before exiting the den.

Squirrelleap looked around the den. Cats were stirring slightly as she stretched out her stiff muscles. She padded out if the den to see Whitestar, Dustfur, and Blazeclaw sitting on the Highrock.

Blazeclaw and Whitestar gaze her an icy glare while Dustfur dipped his head in a greeting. Squirrelleap ignored the others toms glares and returned Dustfur's greeting.

She sat down beside a low hanging fern to groom her messy pelt as cats came out if their dens. When every cat was settled and listening Whitestar began. "I have asked you all here today because the dawn patrol scented a rogue on our territory," Whitestar meowed. A few gasps and murmurs followed the leaders announcement. But he quickly continued, "So if any cat finds a non-clan cat on Cloudclan territory I give full permission to attack them."

The Cloudclan cats cheered loudly at the announcement but Squirrelleap hung back doubtfully. Why couldn't they just drive them off peacefully? Why was everything about fighting? Then she growled as she answered her own question. Whitestar and Blazeclaw were cats who looked for fights. They caused trouble every moment if every day.

Squirrelleap was about to go join a hunting patrol when Nightpelt padded over to her. "Hey Squirrelleap," the black tom meowed cheerfully.

Why is he so happy? And why is he even talking to me? "Hi," she meowed. She had never really talked to the black warrior ever since he joined the clan when she was just an apprentice. But she didn't know why he was just now talking to her.

"So what do you think about the rogue thing?" he asked curiously. Squirrelleap snorted, "The cat was probably just passing through. But of course, just like Whitestar to be looking for a fight."

Nightpelt had a slightly shocked expression in his amber eyes. "Do you always talk about your father like that?" he meowed. "He is not my father and he never will be," she hissed.

The tom flinched at sharp tone and Squirrelleap immediately felt bad. "I'm sorry," she meowed, ducking head guiltly. "No it's fine, you don't have to apologize," Nightpelt meowed and layed his long black tail over her shoulders.

She almost flinched at his warm comforting touch. She had felt nothing like it. At least since she was a kit. But this was different.

"Hey do you want to go hunting with me?" the black tom meowed. Squirrelleap nodded and followed him out if the bramble tunnel and out into the pine forest.

She shivered as a cold wind swept through the trees, making them sway peacefully. Squirrelleap followed Nightpelt until they reached the marshes on the outskirts of Cloudclan territory.

She suddenly saw a frog in the corner if her eye. She dropped into a hunters crouch and crept forward on light paws. Once she was a few mouse-lengths away she pounced gracefully.

She sank her teeth quickly into the green animals neck. Squirrelleap picked up her catch and padded back to Nightpelt.

The tom purred and waited for her to bury her prey before moving on to find some more prey.

It was almost sunhigh and Squirrelleap had caught two mice along with her frog. Nightpelt had caught a sparrow and a squirrel and was padding over to her.

"This will be plenty of prey for the clan," Nightpelt purred through his mouthful of prey.

Squirrelleap nodded with agreement and grabbed her mice and went to go retrieve her frog. The two then made there way back to camp.

The leaf-fall sun slightly warmed Squirrelleap's pelt as she walked into camp. She and Nightpelt set there prey down on the fresh-kill pile and as Squirrelleap started to walk away Nightpelt called her back. "Hey....umm....do you want to share a mouse?" he asked while shuffling his paws in the dirt.

Squirrelleap was slightly puzzled but responded with a nod. She followed Nightpelt over to the low hanging fern and sat down beside him.

They shared the mouse in a peaceful quietness. Until Nightpelt finally spoke, "So I know you and me have never really talked before but I'm hoping we could hang out some more. To get to know each other I mean." "Of course," Squirrelleap purred. She enjoyed talking to the black tom. He was one of the only kind cats in the clan, besides Hollypaw and the medicine cats.

They talked about many things for a while. "So what's your favorite piece if prey?" he meowed. She tilted her head in thought then answered, "Probably squirrel."

Nightpelt almost fell over in laughter. "What's so funny?" she asked in confusion. "Your name starts with squirrel and you like to eat squirrels. I think that's ironic," he chuckled. Squirrelleap purred at his laughing nature.

The sun was beginning to set when Squirrelleap and Nightpelt started to get tired. "My mouth hurts from talking too much," he yawned. Squirrelleap chuckled and followed him into the warriors den. Her nest wasn't close to his but she didn't mind.

She flopped down in her nest and closed her eyes. Almost immediately a comforting darkness fells
over her.