Cinder

Chapter 19

   Ravenclaw padded into camp with a mouse dangling from his jaws. Sagepaw scampered beside him, a squirrel in her jaws. Firepaw and Poppyflower padded beside them, each carrying prey. As they bounded into the clearing, a small ball of fur sprang out from the side of the ledge wall and landed on Ravenclaw's back. Ravenclaw bucked, growling. Shadekit slid off of his back and faced the young warrior, hissing.
    "WindClan invasion! We will kill you all!" He hissed. He rolled into his back and started batting at Ravenclaw's flicking tail.
    "That is enough." Switcheye emerged from the nursery. "Come and join Lizardkit in a game of moss ball." She invited. Shadekit's tail dropped.
    "But that's lame. I wanna he like father and kill l those flee bags of then other clans!" Shadekit protested. Ravenclaw felt an icy claw of foreboding race down his spine. This was not good. Mudstar was already training his son to be a killer. What was worse, Lizardkit wanted nothing to do with it, and Ravenclaw was afraid of what measures Mudstar would go to to hurt or brainwash Lizardkit into following his lead.
"I don't like the sound of that." Sagepaw whispered in Ravenclaw's ear. Ravenclaw flicked his ear but did not reply. He felt fear like icy claws prick his heart when he thought of Cindercloud. He loved her, and wanted her safe. That would not happen so long as Mudstar was leader. Ravenclaw caught Switcheye's gaze. For once, no hostility for the black warrior was in her eyes, only motherly concern for her kits. Perhaps having kits was a good thing for the deputy. It might dull her fierceness. She flicked her gaze to where Shadekit and Lizardkit were tussling on the ground. Shadekit pinned his brother to the ground and sunk his teeth into his brothers throat. For a moment, Ravenclaw feared that he had actually killed his brother, but Lizardkit meowed a protest, and Shadekit jumped off of him.
"I killed you!"
"Hey no fair!" Lizardkit protested.
"Kits, That is Enough. Come take a nap now." Switcheye meowed. Shadekit paddedbuo to his mother, mewing protests, before they disappeared into the nursery. Ravenclaw shook his head sadly.
"That kit will be a strong warrior." Ravenclaw's fur stood on end as Mudstar bent down and whispered in his ear. "One of the best this clan has ever known! Wouldn't you agree?" He growled. Ravenclaw nodded quickly, his heart hammering in his chest. He felt Mudstar snarl at him before the leader padded away. He puffed out a breath of relief.
"Mudstar seems to take an interest in you. What is that all about?" Sagepaw asked quietly.
"StarClan knows." Ravenclaw muttered.

"I'm worried about what that kit is going to grow up to be! He will be an apprentice soon enough." Ravenclaw confided in his mate, worry nagging his belly.
"Well, half of your clan are like Mudstar, what's one more?" Cindercloud said bitterly. Ravenclaw shot her a look.
"Sorry." She mewed. Ravenclaw wrapped his tail around her.
"You have a point. At least Lizardkit is mild mannered. He acts like a normal kit. And Switcheye seems to be less aggressive because she had kits. Maybe she will be a fine leader after all. I honestly hope she will be leader next if she stays this way. Maybe being a mother is good for her."
"Maybe so. Switchstar, has a nice ring to it." Cindercloud mewed. "And Blazeheart wouldn't be a bad leader either." She added.
"Yes, but he is still a strong supporter of Mudstar." Ravenclaw pointed out.
"One day things will get better. How do you think Maplefrost is? I don't see her as much."
"She's still shaken by Smokewing's death I'm sure. We aren't apprentices anymore." He meowed.
"Perhaps." Cindercloud mewed. At that moment, Maplefrost appeared.
"You're here!" Cindercloud exclaimed. Maplefrost nodded, her gaze guarded. Ravenclaw touched noses with his friend, but noticed that she looked uncomfortable and a little scared. He frowned. Cindercloud trotted over to the calico she cat, staring at her.
What's wrong?" She asked nervously. "Nothing bad I hope?"
"Everything's fine." She mewed tightly.
     "Obviously That is not the case." Cindercloud retorted. Maplefrost shuffled her paws nervously.
     "I guess I... there has been so much tension between the clan... as an apprentice I was blind to it but... are we really making the right decision meeting up like this? Our first loyalty should be to our clans. My two best friends should not be from rival clans." She meowed.
    "Why should we be unable to make friends with cats from other clans? Who do we have to be rivals?" Cindercloud argues.
      "I don't know! If I could change it I would!" Maplefrost mewed, distressed. Cindercloud laid her tail on her friend shoulder.
     "I know." She murmured.
     "We can't go on meeting like this. It's too hard. Maybe we can just hang out at gatherings." Maplefrost suggested.
     "It's not that simple." Ravenclaw meowed nervously.
    "What do you mean?" Cindercloud shot him an alarmed look. "Cindercloud and I are mates." He admitted at last. Maplefrost widened her eyes in astonishment.
     "Are you completely mouse-brained?" She exclaimed, fur prickling along her spine. "It's one thing for us to be meeting like this at all!"
     "We aren't going to have kits together." Ravenclaw defended.
    "That doesn't matter! Mudstar will kill you if he finds out, and Falconstar will not be happy either."
     "Mudstar would kill me if he found out I met up with you guys in the first place." Ravenclaw pointed out tartly.
    "Please be careful." The anger faded to be replaced with fear.
    "We will." Ravenclaw promised Maplefrost, not sure he could keep such a promise.

   "Ravenclaw?" Sagepaw's soft voice broke him out of his thoughts. All he could think about was his conversation with his friend and mate last night. What if Maplefrost was right? What if they shouldn't meet anymore? What if he shouldn't be mates with Cindercloud? He knew for sure Mudstar would kill him if he found out. But he couldn't stop seeing them. He was in love with Cindercloud, and Maplefrost was his best friend.
    "I'm fine." He meowed, leading her into the forest. Nothing stirred, no prey or wind. All was silent in the world, as if life was holding its breath before a huge storm. Ravenclaw knew life was never going to be peaceful, and he felt agitated by Mudstar. The world constantly felt like a storm about to break.
    His thoughts were muddled the entire session. He watched Sagepaw hunt. She was coming along very well. Then they had a mock battle. Ravenclaw was half focused on the task. Sagepaw slipped underneath him and kicked his paws out from under him. She slithered our from under his belly as he crashed down, before she pinned him by the shoulders.
    "You're distracted." She meowed. "You're never this easy to beat" Ravenclaw got up and shook out his sleek black fur.  
     "I know. There is a lot on my mind." He admitted. Sagepaw tilted her head to one side, concern glittering in her yellow eyes.
    "Stressed?" She guessed. Ravenclaw nodded absently. "I'm sure everything will be fine."
She mewed, though she herself sounded uncertain. He led the way back to camp.
   "You May go and sit with Daisypaw and Firepaw. You've earned it." Ravenclaw meowed. Sagepaw scampered away, while Ravenclaw found a spot beside Darkstorm and Finchwing. Blackpelt and Hazelstream were sitting a little way off, while Lizardkit and Shadekit lay on top of Switcheye outside of the nursery. Blazeheart was sorting out patrols. He noticed Mudstar padding toward him, and fear suddenly seized the young warrior.
   "I see Sagepaw is coming along well." He murmured. "She will make a fine addition to the clan." He meowed. Ravenclaw nodddd, feeling as if his heart would burst from his chest. "Just be careful. You wouldn't want something happen to yourself like what happened with Jetclaw." With those words, Mudstar padded away. Ravenclaw looked to Darkstorm, but his brother had not heard what the clan leader had said. In that moment, Ravenclaw knew that the clan leader had been responsible for the elders death...