Chapter 2 - Secrecy

Not a noise stirred the foliage. A pink, delicate nose twitched hesitantly. It noticed something amiss, but too late! A flurry of leaves marked the passage, and the rabbit’s fate was foredoomed. Lethal sharp claws closed around it, snuffing out its life.
Nightpaw appeared quite pleased with herself. She had been distracted ever since the Gathering had ended, but the next day she felt lighter despite the Oceanclan apprentice, Thrustpaw’s, words he had spoken to her at the end of the Gathering. She picked up her catch and padded back to her waiting mentor. Shadestar purred his approval and they both padded back to camp.
She carried on with her normal apprentice duties, changing out the elder’s moss beds, fetching food for Roseheart the medicine cat and some queens. As the sun sank lower, a feeling of dread overcame her. What if Thrustpaw didn’t show, or what if it’s an ambush? Nightpaw pushed the thoughts from her head and waited until it was time.
Hastily, she arose from her moss nest in the apprentice den and slunk carefully out of camp, telling one of the warriors that guarded the cave entrance she was going out to clear her head. One of them, a light gold tabby tom named Spidersky remarked on how the appearance of the other clan’s must have rattled her. Nightpaw merely smiled and continued on her way to the rendezvous.
She trotted swiftly away from the camp entrance, passed the training forest, and headed straight, before veering off as Shadestar had done so that she was now in the second forest. She wove around limbs and rocks, until she reached the great depression. She padded down into it cautiously, and trotted over to the Great Ledge. Nightpaw sat at the bottom of it, waiting for Thrustpaw.
Soon, she could make out the silhouette of a figure, sliding down the sides of the depression, and she flattened herself to the ground. The figure looked around, and mewed with delight. It padded towards her and she saw that it was Thrustpaw. She stood and glared at him, her gaze like ice.
“Alright, I’m here. What was it you needed to tell me?” she sat down and waited impatiently for an explanation. Thrustpaw purred, and licked the top of her head, and Nightpaw began to feel uneasy.
He paced around her, his golden eyes glowing. “I—I was afraid to say it at the Gathering, but, I hope we can become great friends.” his gaze lowered and his voice softened. Nightpaw stared at him, not understanding the full meaning of his words..
“Sure, we can be friends, but you’d just better watch out in battle! Who knows when we’ll have to fight each other.” she was bewildered at Thrustpaw’s want to be her friend.. He shrugged, and sat down, curling his tail about his paws.
“Thanks Nightpaw, we’ll be the best of friends.” his eyes shone wet in the darkness, and Nightpaw shivered with fear and emotion.
“I think we should go back to our own clan now.” she broke off the conversation, and raced out of the depression, her feet flying and flashing, leaving an astounded Thrustpaw in the dust and shadows.
She exited the large forest but instead of going back to camp, she ran towards the training forest. There, she stopped by the stream and slipped in, letting the cold water wash away Thrustpaw’s scent. She got out, shivering, and licked her fur dry. Then, she composed herself and padded back to camp.
Nightpaw strode back into the cave uneasily, the guards nodding at her as she passed. She instantly headed for a tunnel that led to the apprentice den and curled back up in her nest next to Burntpaw.
“Wake up Nightpaw, or we’re going to be late!” a voice broke her calm sleep, and she rose to her paws groggily.
“Huh? What?” she peered around in the shadowy den and spotted Burntpaw standing over her, prodding her stomach with his paw.
“Bleedingheart said that we could train together!” he bounced about happily and raced out of the den. Nightpaw got up slowly and followed him out, noting that Shadestar and Bleedingheart, the deputy and also Burntpaw’s mentor, were waiting.
The four trotted out to the moorland and the mentors demonstrated stalking techniques to the apprentices. Nightpaw was focused, her mind brushing Thrustpaw out of her head. She and Burntpaw were then sent off to the training forest to hunt for the elders.
Bleedingheart sent the pair off, giving them the instructions, “I’m sure Stripemuzzle would enjoy a vole and Smokepool said she fancied a mouse.” Nightpaw and Burntpaw trotted off to the forest, intent on fulfilling their elder’s needs.
Nightpaw instantly spotted a vole snuffling among some fallen maple leaves. She drew her paws one before the other, careful to keep downwind of her prey. She circled around the side of it, and pounced upon the unsuspecting creature. It squealed once, but a quick bite to the neck silenced it. She growled, the squeal would have upset any other hopes of catching prey. She grumbled relentlessly as she picked up the vole, but she was thrust aside by a flash of brown fur.
She looked up, and saw the brown she-cat that had barreled into her catch a squirrel, burst through the forest and meet face to face with Shadestar and Bleedingheart’s bared teeth. Nightpaw followed out, meeting up with Burntpaw who had caught a mouse, and together, they ran towards their mentors.
They arrived in time to hear Bleedingheart hiss, “Oceanclan! What are you doing on our territory? We only allowed you a fox-length in our territory to hunt!” his voice was hard and his eyes burned with anger. Shadestar had bristled and his fur made him look twice as big.
The brown she-cat looked around wildly, and then yowled into the wind. Suddenly, five more cats streamed from the training forest, coming even farther into Mountainclan territory. Silentstar was among them, and her eyes blazed with anger.
She stopped, and strutted stiff-legged up to Shadestar, “You have stopped one of my warriors from hunting in the grounds you gave us? Are you going back on your word?” she lowered herself to the ground, prepared to attack.
Then, Nightpaw noticed that one of the cats there was Thrustpaw. She felt resentment rise like bile in her throat. This was his repayment? She unsheathed her claws, prepared to fight.
Shadestar strolled forward till he was nose to nose with Silentstar, his eye flaring and his growl menacing as he said, “We allowed your warriors only a fox-length in our territory, and you come almost all the way to our camp! We have as much right to decline our offer and send you packing home.” his pelt bristled and he crouched low, ready to give the attack orders.
The Oceanclan leader stood upright, her movements stiff and proud. “Swiftflow chased the squirrel from the allotted space to here, so it was still on the grounds you gave us.” she smiled ruefully; pleased she had outwitted the Mountainclan leader.
Shadestar straightened and recovered himself, “Yes, but you have strayed too far into our territory, next gathering, I remove my offer.” he flicked his tail and yowled as the two hunting patrols met head-on. Nightpaw and Burntpaw fought side by side, scratching at the one called Swiftflow, until she ran, bleeding, back to her camp. Some of the other warriors had fled too, leaving about three from Silentstar’s patrol. Nightpaw yowled triumphantly, but was silenced as her muzzle was pushed into the earth. She heaved upwards on her paws, throwing her adversary off. She whirled on the attacker, planting a paw on its throat.
“Nightpaw! It’s me!” the cat squeaked. Nightpaw looked at him confused, for blood from Swiftflow and others had run into her eyes. She gasped, and the resentment rose once again. Underneath her, trapped under her paws, was Thrustpaw.

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