Shadows in the Night

Chapter Seventeen

Sorry for not updating, but here it is ;v;

Tailfur belongs to @vectorsigma.

Enjoy!

Nutpaw glanced around warily before deciding to try and track the scents of the cats who went to the gathering a half-moon ago. The shadows danced and flickered over her pelt, and Nutpaw found herself flattening her ears against her head. She pressed her nose to the ground, and detected a faint trace of scent.

She sniffed again. It was surprisingly easy to track, and she happily bounded along the path. Something told her it wasn't quite right, but her determination to get to fourtrees drove her forward.

Nutpaw tried to remember what her mother had told her about gatherings, but all she thought of was that there was a great tree in the clearing. Mousedung! How can I be chosen by StarClan if I don't even know where the gathering is?

She decided that the only way was to follow the mysterious scent. Nutpaw kept her eyes peeled open, and she jumped at the sight of a shadow flickering past her.

Don't be silly. It's just the trees! Then again, she saw the shadow whiz past her into some nearby bushes. And this time she knew it was definetly a cat, when she heard someone meow "Ow!"

Nutpaw felt her heart racing. What if it's a ShadowClan cat? I don't know much about them, but i do know that they eat kits for breakfast! She slowly began to back into a rosemary bush behind her, when she stepped on a brittle twig.

Nutpaw winced as the loud Snap echoed throughout the forest, then pressed her stomach to the ground. She felt earth and grit brush against her soft belly fur, but Nutpaw didn't care. My first day as an apprentice, and i'm getting killed!

She winced as the cat stepped towards her, and let out a whimper of fear, wrapping her fluffy tail around her paws. I'm sorry... She squeezed her eyes shut and prepared for impact.

"Nutpaw?"

Nutpaw blinked her eyes open, and could scarcely meet the other cat's gaze. She felt so embarrased.

"What are you doing out here so late?"

Nutpaw looked down at her paws. "I... I..." she sighed. "Sorry, Stormpaw."

The silver and white apprentice's long fur fluttered in the breeze, and her hard, dissaproving glare bore down on her. Suddenly, Nutpaw began to feel a little remorseful. Stormpaw's an apprentice too... what is she doing out so late?

Before she had time to process her thoughts, she realized that they were tumbling out of her mouth. Neverless, Stormpaw was not pleased. But Nutpaw did not get in.

"Answer me!" Nutpaw insisted, and padded up to the older apprentice. It was Stormpaw's turn to look embarrased, and the silver and white she-cat hesistated before nodding.

"Okay," she began, "I'll tell you. StarClan sent me. You have to promise not to tell anyone-"

"What?" Nutpaw exclaimed. Stormpaw narrowed her eyes in anger.

"Are you saying that I don't deserve to be summoned upon?"

Nutpaw widened her eyes, and quickly realised her mistake. "No- I mean, I was visited by StarClan too."

Every trace of Stormpaw's anger vanished, and the furious glint in her eyes was replaced by amusement. "And you, a naive apprentice, expected to make your way to fourtrees on your own?" She let out a mmrow of amusement, and Nutpaw only felt even more ashamed.

"It's okay. I'll bring you to fourtrees if you'd like!" Stormpaw offered, and turned to go. When she didn't hear the pitter patter of Nutpaw's paws, she paused. and turned back to Nutpaw with a questioning expression on her face. "You are coming, right?"

Nutpaw felt the urge to refuse Stormpaw's help. I can make it there myself! As she was about to refuse, she realised she had no other choice. No, I can't get there myself- look where it got me! Shaking her pelt out, she happily bounded after the older apprentice.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Nutpaw padded along the well worn path into the clearing, and was immediately hit by a beam of moonlight. The exposed clearing made everything seem to sparkle, and Nutpaw was so captivated that she couldn't even-

"Nutpaw!" She felt Stormpaw's prodding, and relatiated, fixing her gaze on the three cats sitting in the clearing.

"Uhhhh...." Nutpaw mumbled, earning a sharp hiss from her companion.

They both padded over to the dark figures who's shadows loomed threateningly over them- Nutpaw even heard Stormpaw, the usuallly fearless she-cat, let out a gulp of fear.

"Hi!" A blue-gray she-cat meowed, bouncing up and down in excitement. A dark brown tabby tom next to her grinned and nodded towards them, and a yellow tom looked at her before glancing away.

"You were invited by StarClan, right? How cool is that? I can't believe that they chose me! I mean, really-"

"Enough, Riverleap," the yellow tom rumbled, but his tone was light and teasing and his amber eyes glinted in amusement. "I'm Hawkfeather, by the way."

"And i'm Riverleap!" The blue gray she-cat called, and Nutpaw was surprised to see Stormpaw wince.

"What is it?" She whispered to Stormpaw, who sighed in return.

"Nightstar and Webfoot broke up at the gathering where it was revealed that Riverleap is Bluefur's kit."

"Bluefur?" Nutpaw questioned, her amber eyes round with confusion.

"She was a medicine cat, but now no one knows where she is," Stormpaw meowed, and froze when Tailfur looked at her.

"Stormpaw, Nightstar's kit, right?" As the gray and white she-cat nodded, her let out a mmrow of amusement. "I've heard a lot about you from Webfoot. He says that you're a good kit."

"How old are you?" Nutpaw asked, and grimaced at Stormpaw's hiss. Nutpaw cocked her head. What? What did I say? Tailfur purred.

"It's alright, Stormpaw." The dark brown tabby tom turned towards Nutpaw with a cheeky grin on his muzzle. "Actually, i'm-"

"Let's get on with it!" Hawkfeather yowled, his rumpled golden fur sticking out like he had burrs in his pelt. "We're wasting moonlight."

Stormpaw, Nutpaw, Tailfur and Riverleap gathered in a raggedy circle, and Tailfur cleared his throat. "I was told that we were supposed to work together-"

"-and travel far away to save all of our tails," Hawkfeather rumbled in amusement. Nutpaw purred. I think I like this old tom.

"Anyone know what that means? Where are we supposed to go?" Riverleap interrupted the cheerful meows, and silence settled in the clearing. Nutpaw was surprised to see Stormpaw sit up.

"I-I think it might have something to do with Leaftail." Nutpaw cocked her head to one side.

"You mean Nightstar's evil littermate?" Stormpaw nodded. Nutpaw remembered her father mumbling to himself about Hootpaw, Ripplepaw, Blacktail and Leaftail. When I ask him about it, he only snaps at me.

"Nightstar scared her off, but rumors say that she set up her own clan out there. I think that we're supposed to go and find out what they're planning."

Hawkfeather nodded in agreement. "Big thoughts for such a little cat." Nutpaw purred as Stormpaw flushed pink, her brow furrowed in mock anger.

"We'll be like spies!" Tailfur chimed in. "When do we leave?"

Nutpaw thought about it. No one really appreciates me for who I am back in camp... maybe being part of this mission will show them that I can be useful to the clan. "What about we meet back here next full moon?" She meowed.

"That's only a quarter moon away!" Tailfur exclaimed, and Hawkfeather meowed in agreement.

"But if we wait any longer, then we could risk losing our clans. Remember the attack that Nightstar reported a few gatherings ago?" Riverleap reasoned. "A LightningClan patrol was attacked straight on by Leaf and her allies. For all we know, they could be planning something right now!"

I'm afraid they're already are on their way to get us.