Dark Shadows ( WARRIOR CATS FANFIC WITH OCs)

Chapter 22- Scarletpaw

Scarletpaw woke up with an immensely happy feeling in her chest. She stood up and surveyed the almost empty apprentice den. Rainpaw and Brownpaw had left early in the morning with their mentors, but Rustpaw was still sleeping.
Some of her happiness evaporated when she saw the empty nest of Brownpaw. The apprentice now barely talked to her, and he always found an excuse to not go training or patrolling with Scarletpaw.
Scarletpaw padded out the den and saw Shimmerfire hurrying towards her, his grey fur bristling with excitement.
"Scarletpaw! Today you can have a day off." He announced.
Scarletpaw perked up. "Why?"
"Honeyfur is kitting. If you listen closely-" he broke off, and Scarletpaw heard a yowl from the nursery. At once, Rosepaw pelted out of the fern tunnel and squeezed into the nursery. "-you can hear her."
"Who is the father?" Scarletpaw asked.
"The Genie with Three Wishes!" A familiar voice meowed. Scarletpaw spun around to see Gingertail emerging from the fern tunnel too.
"What in the name of StarClan is a genie?" Scarletpaw wrinkled her nose.
"Something you don't know, Scarletpaw." Gingertail flicked his tail teasingly.
"Fine." Scarletpaw huffed. They sat in silence for a while.
"I'm going to hunt. Do you want to join me?" Gingertail said abruptly, standing up, breaking the silence.
Scarletpaw nodded. "Of course! Should I go call Rustpaw?"
"Um, no, thank you. I-I'd bet that he is s-sleeping." Gingerpaw stuttered, looking put out.
"Don't worry, he is such a sleepyhead! I will wake him up." Scarletpaw meowed cheerfully.
"U-um, ok-kay." Gingerpaw meowed and sat down.
"Perfect." Scarletpaw wandered to the apprentice's den and poked her head inside. "Rustpaw! Hunting patrol!"
Rustpaw groaned. "No, I want to sleep."
"Sleepyhead! Wake up! I'll even call Cloudyfur."
"What? Okay okay, I'm coming." Rustpaw stretched and rose up.
Scarletpaw smirked to herself. Mentioning Cloudyfur to an unwilling Rustpaw was the best tactic ever.
"So, where is she?" Rustpaw shook his ginger fur to rid it of the moss.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe out on patrol? You'll meet her." Scarletpaw meowed slyly.
"You tricked me!" Rustpaw tackled Scarletpaw to the ground. They began to play-fight, sending pieces of moss everywhere and destroying several nests.
"Let's go, Gingertail will be waiting." They both shook the moss out of their fur and bounded out.
Outside, Gingertail was standing there, looking very irritated.
"What's the matter? Let's go!" Scarletpaw beamed. Gingertail grunted in response.
The trio raced out of the camp, the leaf-bare wind in their fur and ears.
"Shhh! I can hear a thrush." Rustpaw stopped the group and crept into the undergrowth, leaving Scarletpaw and Gingertail alone.
"Look, Scarletpaw, I know you don't like me, but can I ask a question?" Gingertail tried, after Rustpaw was gone.
Scarletpaw frowned. "I don't hate you. It's just that... you get on my nerves." She had no idea what to say.
"Yes, anyway, but please hear me out." Gingertail took a deep breath. "I..."
CRASH!
"Rustpaw!" Scarletpaw meowed delighted at the thrush in the brownish-ginger tom's jaws.
"Easy," the apprentice muttered, laying the prey on the ground and covering it with some leaves. He left again.
"Um, I overheard Palewing that one of Honeyfur's kits will be a traitor." Gingertail meowed nervously. "Rosepaw knows too, so I wanted to share the news with you."
"Oh, okay." Scarletpaw nodded. "Now, we have a forest of prey to catch, and the fresh-kill isn't going to kill theirselves first. Coming?"
She was trying to play cool, but the news disturbed her. She promised to herself that she would mention it to Rosepaw first thing she returned.
"Please think about it." Gingertail's eyes were big and pleading.
"I'll talk to Rosepaw afterwards." Scarletpaw darted away from Gingertail and into another small trail, mulling over her thoughts.
At the end of their hunting patrol, she caught a mouse and a pigeon. Gingertail only caught a rabbit, but it was very big, while Rustpaw caught two mice, a vole and a thrush.
"Good job, 'paws!" Shimmerfire and Fishtail had exclaimed to their apprentices. But it was Rustpaw that was hailed by the hungry Clan. They were all happy, it was obvious that Honeyfur's kitting was a success.
"My little Rustpaw is the best hunter in the all Clan!" Pheasantwing had meowed dramatically, licking her son's ear.
Cloudyfur didn't say anything, but she pressed against Rustpaw, purring.
"Share?" Gingertail offered the rabbit to Scarletpaw.
"Okay!" Scarletpaw felt herself warming up to him after the battle.
They were still eating when Rosepaw padded to them and collapsed on the ground.
"I'm exhausted," she groaned. "Palewing had me double check the kits and then sent me out to find more comfrey. My paws are aching."
"Aww. Mind eating?" Scarletpaw purred, and nudged the rabbit towards Rosepaw.
"How many kits?" Gingertail asked curiously.
"Four, but one died. Shadekit, Leafkit, Creamkit and Silverkit." Rosepaw meowed.
"Not bad. Rosepaw, I told your sister about the while 'traitor' thing." Gingertail added.
"Damn, can StarClan stop with the traitors? First, I'm one and I'm supposed to 'betray the Clan by having kits with another cat of another Clan' and if this kit is another traitor what is he going to do? Steal prey?" Scarletpaw meowed angrily, ripping a piece of rabbit off the carcass.
Gingertail shared a look with Rosepaw, but they didn't say anything.
"I'm off to sleep." Scarletpaw lied. She was sure that, by the looks they were trading, they were planning for another meet-up. Scarletpaw sighed inwardly to herself. The two cats had stopped with the meetings since the battle as far as she knew, but now it seemed that the bad habits were taking over again.
"Good! Then, sweet dreams." Rosepaw said brightly, obviously relieved that Scarletpaw wasn't there to hear all the sweet words about the she-cat of Gingertail's dreams.
After a bit, Rainpaw and Brownpaw came back. Then, after them, came Rustpaw, reeking of Cloudyfur. I'll leave it to you to decide what they did.
Suddenly, Scarletpaw realized that since Gingertail was sleeping in the warrior's den, she wouldn't be able to eavesdrop on him. Cursing Wishingstar, she padded out of her den, and padded outside camp, telling Frondshade who was on guard that she wanted a bit of fresh air, and settled down in a warm hollow, making sure to stay within hearing distance of the camp entrance.
She suddenly heard some voices, and saw the ginger pelts of two cats.
She followed them keeping distance, and heard them settle in the training hollow.
"Rosepaw! Today I approached her, asking to go on patrol with me, but she called Rustpaw!"
Scarletpaw suddenly felt as if someone dropped her in the gorge. She had a pelicular feeling of falling though the cold air, her paws tingling with the wind...
He couldn't be talking about...
"And then when Rustpaw left to catch a thrush, I almost told her that, but then he came agin!"
Scarletpaw could hear the wind whistling in her ears...
She closed her eyes, knowing it was almost time to hit the water...
She was dreaming, how in earth could Gingertail like...
"So I freaked out and messed up, I told her about the kits!"
Scarletpaw could almost feel the water droplets stinging her fur, she was going to crash...
"I can't handle it anymore! I need t-to tell Scarletpaw that I love her!"
The impact.
Scarletpaw could feel the icy cold water, the truth hitting her in full force. She could feel herself tumbling thought the icy currents...
How could Gingertail like her? But then all the telltale signs came rushing back to her...
Bring her fresh-kill when she was injured... that glint in his eyes whenever she mentioned Brownpaw or the other toms... the sweet way he greeted her... the bluff of hating her... and even when she eavesdropped on the two she should have figured it out... even the Wattpad readers knew...
She stumbled, and her paw caught on a bramble.
CRACK.
"Who's there?" Gingertail called out.
She tried to run away, but she crashed.
CRASH.
Her heart caught in her chest and forced itself up her throat.
"STOP!" Rosepaw came storming, and ripped away the wall of brambles.

DRAMAAAAAAAAAA