EOTW: The Broken Shadow: Chapter Twelve

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War
Book 2: The Broken Shadow
Chapter Twelve

     An explosion of movement interrupted the quiet of the early morning. Blazepaw burst from the bushes, landing square on the raven's back before the bird even saw him coming. It didn't even have a chance to cry out before Blazepaw dispatched it with a neat nip to the neck. The huge bird fell still under his paws.

     Blazepaw felt a thrill of delight. The raven he'd killed was absolutely huge. It was nearly as big as he was. The Clan would be overjoyed at the catch.

     Hunting had been very hard in the last quarter moon since the Gathering. Every cat was going hungry. The fresh kill pile looked pitiful most days. Even the queens were starting to look ragged and thin, their ribs sharp through their pelts. Blazepaw's raven would seem like a gift from StarClan.

     He scooped up the sleek bird in his jaws, struggling to drag it along as he started off further into the woods. A nearby oak with twisted roots served as the perfect place to bury his raven. He kicked as much dirt and leaves as he could manage over the creature. The last thing he needed was for some other predator to take the raven while he was gone.

     With less than a moon left in his training, Blazepaw had been sent out on one of his final assessments. He was to bring back as much prey to the Clan as possible. His mentor was probably out there somewhere, watching him and noting his progress. He hoped Bumblestripe had seen that catch. That was one of his best catches yet.

     Blazepaw left his raven behind, setting off to find more prey. As he padded through the woods, golden sunlight lit up his pale ginger pelt. He had grown much from the small apprentice he had been. Where he had once stumbled about on stubby legs, now he was tall and sleek, with a lithe, lean build, a hunter's build. He had a compact head with small, neat ears, and an elegant tail. He had all the strenght and skill of a full warrior, and the lean muscle to show for it. Blazepaw stalked through the forest, reveling in the brief warmth of the sunlight, and the joy of his last catch. If things went well, he would be a warrior soon, and he couldn't wait.

     His search for prey led him close to ShadowClan's border. Blazepaw nosed around the bushes, hoping to find at least another mouse to bring back. Suddenly, something nearby rustled, causing the apprentice to freeze. He dropped down against the ground, staying low as he poked his muzzle through a nearby bush.

     What he saw made his claws slide out and dig hard into the ground. Ahead of him, lithe forms were stalking through the forest, his forest. He recognized them as Smokefoot, Shrewfoot, and Snowbird of ShadowClan. All three cats carried prey in their jaws, and they were strutting through his territory like they owned him.

     Blazepaw's immediate instinct was to lunge from his hiding spot and make them pay for their theft. But reason held him back. As strong as he'd become in the past moons, he was only one cat, and these were three seasoned warriors. He had no hope of beating them in a fight. All he could do was watch from afar, then return to camp and report what he had found.

     He resisted the urge to rake his claws over their ears as he watched the ShadowClan warriors joke and laugh loudly as they carried their prey. Finally, they retreated back to their own territory. Blazepaw glared after them until they were gone, then turned and headed briskly through the woods.

     His first task was to find his mentor. The assessment could wait – reporting ShadowClan's thievery was more important. It didn't take long to track down Bumblestripe's scent. He found him behind a patch of thorns, close to where he'd caught the raven.

     Bumblestripe seemed surprised to see him. “Blazepaw?” the gray tabby asked, rising to his paws. Blazepaw had reached his mentor in height, so the two toms were even as they faced each other. “What are you doing? You know you can't talk to me during your assessment.”

     Blazepaw shook his head. “This is important. How long have you been watching me?”

     The tom looked baffled, but answered warily, “I saw you catch the raven, and I was going to follow you again soon. Why?”

     “I saw ShadowClan cats hunting in our territory,” Blazepaw told him grimly. Bumblestripe stiffened, anger flashing in his yellow eyes. “It looked like they took a lot of prey. We have to tell Bramblestar.” He unsheathed his claws, growling, “I wanted to fight them, but there were too many.”

     Bumblestripe nodded slowly. “You did the right thing, Blazepaw. No point in getting shredded when we can have a patrol ready to go soon. And you're right, we can finish this another day. Let's go tell Bramblestar what you saw.” He touched his nose to Blazepaw's ear, adding, “You did a fantastic job with your hunt, though. I'll be sure to tell Bramblestar of your excellent progress, and I'm sure everyone will appreciate that raven. I'm very proud of you.”

     Blazepaw purred, bursting with pride. “Thank you, Bumblestripe.” He shook out his pelt, remembering the task at hand. “Come on. We'll pick up my prey, then head back to camp.”

     The two toms made their way back towards the camp, prey in their jaws. Blazepaw was stumbling a bit over his raven, but he was too proud to ask for Bumblestripe's help. He held his head high as they passed through the thorn entrance into the camp.

     Poppyfrost approached the toms, eyes widening as she noticed the raven. “Did you catch that?” she asked Blazepaw. He nodded, head dipping under the weight of the bird. The she-cat purred, “That's great! Put in on the pile, then get yourself something to eat. You earned it.”

     “Actually, Poppyfrost, we need to speak to Bramblestar,” Bumblestripe told the tortoiseshell warrior, dropping the prey he'd been carrying at his paws. He scooped it up again, then padded towards the pile, Blazepaw at his heels. They left their prey on the pile, then started off for the High Ledge.

     Blazepaw waited for his mentor to scale the rock face, then launched himself up after him, pulling himself up the stones until he had reached the High Ledge. Inside the shadow of the cave, Bramblestar was curled in his nest. He lifted his head as Bumblestripe and Blazepaw padded inside. “Can I help you with something?” the leader asked, tilting his head in question.

     “My apprentice saw something during his assessment,” Bumblestripe told the leader. He nodded to Blazepaw. Briefly, Blazepaw recounted what he'd seen at the border.

     Bramblestar's expression grew more and more grim as Blazepaw spoke, his amber eyes smoldering with a dark anger. When the apprentice had finished speaking, the leader growled, “Thank you for telling me, Blazepaw.” His gaze slid to Bumblestripe. He ordered, “Go collect the senior warriors, and the Three, and bring them here. We must organize a patrol.” Bumblestripe dipped his head, then turned and trotted out of the den.

     Blazepaw hesitated, glancing after his mentor. He wasn't sure whether Bramblestar wanted him to follow his mentor, or to return to the apprentice's den. The apprentice made a move towards the entrance, but Bramblestar called him back with a short mew. “You can stay, Blazepaw,” he told the young tabby. “You've earned your right to speak with us about this.”

     The apprentice felt a burst of pride. He was to be allowed at a meeting meant only for Bramblestar and his senior warriors? Blazepaw tried not to preen too much at the leader's praise, sitting before him with his tail curled neatly around his paws.

     It didn't take long for Bumblestripe to return. Behind him were Leafpool, Birchfall, Mousewhisker, Berrynose, Hazeltail, the Three, and Ivypool. Lionblaze looked surprised to see his son there, but didn't comment on it. Instead, he asked, “What's going on, Bramblestar? Why did you need to speak to us?”

     In a low growl, Bramblestar told them what Blazepaw had seen. Blazepaw saw the warriors' expressions grow darker and darker, low growls and snarls rumbling from them. Birchfall and Mousewhisker shared a dark glance, and Lionblaze's claws slid out and scratched against the stone floor of the den.

     When Bramblestar had finished speaking, Hazeltail asked evenly, “What do you want to do about it? Should be attack?”

     “Tigerstar's more than asked for it,” Berrynose growled.

     Bramblestar nodded slowly. “He has. Tigerstar has shown a blatant disrespect for the warrior code, a complete lack of control over his own warriors, and an utter refusal to admit to his own faults and try to fix what he has broken.” His amber gaze hardened as he added, “But I promised I would give him one chance, and that's what I'm going to do.”

     “You're going to talk to him,” Jayfeather mewed, his blind gaze intense. Blazepaw glanced away. He was used to Silentpaw's blindness, but Jayfeather always had an odd look to his eyes that Silentpaw never had, knowing and seeing and blind all at once. Blazepaw had known Jayfeather all his life, but he still found that blind blue gaze unsettling when it got particularly intense.

     The leader flicked an ear in acknowledgment. “Yes. I'll tell him what Blazepaw saw, that we will defend our borders to the death, and if his cats continue to hunt on our territory, that he will have battle patrols on his territory to worry about.”

     Lionblaze tipped his head curiously. “Do you want me to go?”

     “No,” Bramblestar mewed firmly. “I'm going to offer Tigerstar a warning, not scare the fur off him. Bringing my unbeatable warrior into his camp would be an immediate declaration of war.” Blazepaw's father looked disgruntled, but gave Bramblestar a stiff nod of assent.

     Bramblestar looked over his warriors thoughtfully. “I think I'll bring you, Hazeltail, and I'll bring Ivypool, Blazepaw, and Bumblestripe.” He turned to Mousewhisker, Birchfall, and Berrynose, explaining, “I need you to look after the Clan while I'm gone. Now that we know Tigerstar is letting his warriors steal our prey, we don't know what else he'll stoop to. Help Squirrelflight keep an eye on the camp.” His warriors nodded, sitting up straight, eyes gleaming. Blazepaw could see they were collecting themselves for the task ahead. “Ivypool, you know Tigerstar from training together. I want you to watch his reactions and let me know what you think.” The silver-and-white warrior gave a solemn dip of her head.

     Blazepaw fought hard to keep from fluffing his pelt out with pride. He was to come with his leader to challenge ShadowClan, on a mission that only the senior warriors knew about? He truly was on his way to being a full warrior.

     Dovewing lifted her head, asking timidly, “Do you want me to come too?” Bramblestar looked at her in surprise, as did Blazepaw. “I knew Tigerstar well. From, you know, the trip with the beavers. Maybe I can talk to him?” Blazepaw was surprised at the queen's expression. She didn't seem pleased at the prospect of speaking to Tigerstar, but there was an odd gleam to her golden eyes, something almost wistful.

     “No, Dovewing,” Bramblestar told her, not unkindly. “I need you to stay here.” Dovewing almost looked relieved at her leader's order. “Keep an eye on our meeting with Tigerstar from here, and keep Squirrelflight updated. If things go wrong, you can let her know right away so she can send backup.”

     “Things won't go wrong,” Dovewing assured Bramblestar. “Tigerstar is a lot of things, but he is a cat of honor. He won't attack a patrol who came to talk.”

     The dark tabby seemed to doubt Dovewing's assessment, but he simply flicked his tail in reply. “I want to keep this between us, just until I return from ShadowClan,” he told his warriors. “No need to rile up the Clan just yet. They'll want Tigerstar's blood, but they'll feel better once I've spoken to him.”

     One by one, the senior warriors dipped their heads, Blazepaw following suit. Cats began to stand, ready to attend to their duties. Before any cat could leave the den, however, Ivypool spoke. Calmly, she mewed, “Bramblestar, I would like to request that my apprentice come with us as well.”

     Blazepaw stiffened in surprise. Silentpaw? In what way was sending his sister to another Clan to warn them to back off their borders a good idea? Bramblestar seemed surprised as well. He asked Ivypool, “You're sure?”

     Ivypool bristled a bit. “You doubt her loyalty?” she asked with an edge to her growl.

     “It's not that,” Bramblestar replied calmly. “But Silentpaw has not been shy about being friendly with other Clans in the past. She may speak out and make the Clan look weak if she thinks I'm not being fair to ShadowClan.”

     “Maybe that's what you need to hear, then,” Ivypool pointed out. “Since when are you afraid of your cats telling you what they think?” Bramblestar looked away, making Ivypool's tail kink in amusement. “Don't worry. Silentpaw may make friends easily, but she's not a fool who would condone prey theft.” Her voice lowered as she added, “Silentpaw does not have the Clan's full trust. She needs to earn that trust back, and I think a mission like this would help her do just that. It would assure her Clanmates that she's not afraid to challenge other Clans, and ignore her friendships there, when necessary.”

     Bramblestar was nodding thoughtfully. “You could be right. Very well.” He turned to Blazepaw, ordering, “Go tell your sister that she's to accompany us to ShadowClan territory. Get something to eat, then meet us by the entrance. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

     Blazepaw tried to hide his displeasure. He gave a stiff nod, mewing, “Yes Bramblestar,” before turning and heading out of the den. The apprentice scrambled down off the High Ledge, landing neatly on the ground below.

     Now that it was late morning, almost everyone was awake and getting ready to work. Warriors were moving briskly about camp, getting ready for patrols or training. Through the cats walking about, Blazepaw managed to catch a glimpse of his sister. “Silentpaw!” he called out. Silentpaw's head shot up, ears flicking towards her brother. The she-cat padded to Blazepaw, head tilted curiously.

     The black she-cat had a short, shiny pelt, hard muscle clear to see under her fur. She was a hair taller than Blazepaw now, but where he was lithe and made for speed and stealth, she was thickly built and made of muscle. She didn't have the massive height or build of their father or Bramblestar, but she was pretty close. Any cat's first thought when they faced her in battle now certainly wasn't going to be her blindness.

     “What's up?” she asked, her broad head still tilted, her small, neat ears perked with interest, and hope.

     Blazepaw tried not to show his discomfort. He looked away slightly as he told her, “Bramblestar wants to see you. We're visiting ShadowClan.”

     Her gray eyes lit up. “ShadowClan? Why, what'd they do?”

     “I saw them hunting on our territory,” he told her in a low voice, keeping an eye out to make sure other Clanmates weren't listening. Silentpaw stiffened, ears flattening against her head. “Bramblestar's taking a patrol to talk to Tigerstar.”

     “And he wants me to come?” she asked, tail flicking in surprise.

     Blazepaw's ears flicked back. “Ivypool thought you should come, and Bramblestar agreed,” he mewed stiffly. “Now come on. We're all going to meet by the entrance.” He left his sister behind as quickly as he could manage, tail bristling.

     Ever since the Gathering, Silentpaw kept trying to corner him, wanting to speak to him about something. It took some effort to keep dodging her. Every time she tried to talk to him, he'd find a patrol to join, or a den to clean, anything to keep from having to face her.

     Deep down, he knew she was just trying to make things right. But he simply wasn't ready to forgive her. It had taken her far too long to realize how bad things were between them, and she acted too much like he should just forgive her like that. It was more complicated than that. She had left, he wasn't just going to forgive her like that.

     He grabbed a mouse from the fresh-kill pile, wolfed it down, and headed to the entrance. Bramblestar and Bumblestripe were already there, and Hazeltail, Ivypool, and Silentpaw soon joined them. Bramblestar's amber gaze swept quickly over the cats he had chosen. “Alright,” he finally rumbled, “Let's go speak with Tigerstar.”