A Misty Path (A Warrior Cats Fanfiction)

Chapter 23

"So, you're not going to tell anyone?" Mistflower tried not to look into Speckledleaf's disapproving green eyes. They looked too much like Sandpaw's, and the one thing she didn't need at the moment was Sandpaw looking at her with disgust.

"No."

"Why not?" Speckledleaf's low growl sounded dark with anger. She took a bite of the small mouse Spottedface had managed to catch to try and seem casual to curious RiverClan onlookers.

"I - I just..." Mistflower shuffled her paws. She suddenly felt uncertain. Why don't I want to tell the Clan? Cloudpool will be the one taking the blame, not me. She sighed. "I guess I just need some time to sort things out."

"Sort things out?" Speckledleaf scowled. "I'm telling you, Mistflower," she warned, "this is a bad idea. I think you should tell Palestar, at the very least!"

Mistflower twitched an ear. "Maybe."

Speckledleaf didn't look satisfied, but she nodded curtly and stood. "You can finish that." She flicked her tail at the mouse lying at Mistflower's paws. "I'm gonna go check on Larkbird." Larkbird, the young elder, had been feeling worse and worse ever since the attack. Her leg injury had begun to hurt again and she was too weak to move.

"Alright." Mistflower swallowed the rest of the mouse. She sighed. I wish there was someone out there I could hang out with, do something with. I feel like a stranger in this Clan.

Mistpaw yawned, stretching in her moss bed. "Hey, you're awake!"

She snorted. "Morning, Mudpaw."

The little brown-furred apprentice beamed at her, big blue eyes glowing. "You're never awake this early! And Sandpaw's out patrolling - he might be back by now but I dunno - and Speckledpaw's doing medicine cat stuff so it's just us two." He twitched an ear. "And no, Mossypaw, Willowpaw, Snowpaw and Whitepaw don't want to play with us."

Mistpaw snorted again. "Typical." She slowly got to her paws, arching her back and stretching. "Does Perchscale need me?"

Mudpaw blinked. "Uh, don't think so. I think you're free this morning." He bounced up and down energetically. "Wanna go swimming?"

Mistpaw twitched her ear. "Whatever you wanna do, Mudpaw." She left the apprentices' den, Mudpaw on her heels. "Oh, Sandpaw's back -"

Sandpaw lifted his head and glanced over at Mistpaw and Mudpaw. He opened his mouth, but instead of saying something, he flopped to the ground lifelessly, his handsome green eyes dull and lifeless. Mistpaw backed away in terror, screaming. A fiery figure appeared behind Sandpaw, placing an unsheathed paw on the apprentice's bloodied body. Eyes blue as ice gleamed as darkness whirled around Mistpaw. The apprentice spun around. Mudpaw lay on the ground, his body torn and scarred, blood oozing out of wounds across his fur. His big bubbly blue eyes were cloudy and gazed into the distance. Black fog whirled around Mistpaw, swallowing everything in her sight. She tried to scream, but it filled her lungs and her eyes clouded with darkness. She felt herself falling, her paws on empty air. Writhing and crying out, though no sound came out, she -

"Mistflower, get up." Mistflower jolted awake. Mossystone glared at her, unwelcoming dark green eyes glaring down at her.

"What?"

Mossystone scowled at her. "What do you mean, what? You're a warrior, you should get early to be ready in case the leader needs you. We're not exactly out here on a holiday, y'know."

So he woke me up for no reason. Right. Mistflower got up stiffly, shoving Mossystone out of the way and padding for the den exit. "Where're you going?" She rolled her eyes at his scalding tone.

"Away from you."

"Haha, very funny -"

"I'm gonna go get a drink, drama king." Ignoring Mossystone's outraged protests, Mistflower padded out of the Twoleg den, heading for the river. It had been hard for RiverClan to get water. They'd resorted to a small pond near the den, although Mistflower despised the taste of the pond water. She stuck with the river. It was dangerous if the other Clans spotted her, but it was worth it for a quality drink. Crouching down low in case of patrols, she crept through the tall grass towards the river. Approaching the bank, she glanced around cautiously before bending down to take a drink.

Wanna go swimming?

Mistflower jolted up as the innocent voice of Mudpaw sounded in her ears. It's just a dream, it's just a dream... Ghastly images of the nightmare flashed across her eyesight: Mudpaw laying dead at her paws, the black fog entering her eyes and filling her mouth, Sandpaw falling to the ground, the fiery figure...

Flame-like orange body. Glowing ice-blue eyes... her blood curdled as a cat rose to her mind's eye. Sparkfang. The cat who had destroyed her life. Who had killed Sandpaw, who had hurt Beetleshell... who had single-handedly torn apart her family. She felt her claws unsheathing, digging into the deep mud. A growl rose up from her throat.

Sparkfang.

He ruined my life.

So I'll take his.