Into The Wild

“See you,” Firepaw replied uncertainly. He padded back through the fern tunnel. Her strange words were echoing in his mind, but he could not make sense of them. Why had she shared them with him? Surely fire was an enemy to all who lived in the forest. He shook his head in frustration, and bounded over to the apprentices’ den.

“Graypaw!” Firepaw hissed into the ear of his sleeping friend. They’d been allowed to rest all morning, after working on repairs for most of the night. Tigerclaw had ordered them to be ready to begin training at sunhigh. The strong yellow light filtering through to the den told Firepaw it was already near that now.

He’d had a restless night. Dreams swirled through his mind each time he fell asleep, confusing and indistinct, but full of darkness and menace.

“Graypaw!” Firepaw hissed again. But his friend did not stir. He’d eaten two of the poppy seeds before he’d slept, and now he was in a deep slumber.

“Are you awake, Firepaw?” Ravenpaw mewed from his nest.

Firepaw spat silently under his breath. He had wanted to talk to Graypaw before Ravenpaw awoke.

“Yes!” he replied.

Ravenpaw sat up in his bed of moss and heather and began to wash with quick flicks of his tongue. “Are you going to wake him?” he asked, nodding toward Graypaw.

A deep voice growled outside their den. “I hope so! Training is about to start.”

Firepaw and Ravenpaw jumped.

“Graypaw, wake up!” Firepaw poked his friend with one paw. “Tigerclaw is waiting!”

Graypaw lifted his head. His eyes were still heavy with sleep.

“Are you ready yet?” called Tigerclaw.

Firepaw and Ravenpaw crept out of the den, blinking as they emerged into the sunlight.

The deputy was sitting beside the tree stump. “Is the other one coming?” he asked.

“Yes,” Firepaw replied, feeling defensive on behalf of his friend. “He’s only just woken up.”

“Training will do him good,” growled Tigerclaw. “He’s grieved for long enough.”

Firepaw held the menacing amber gaze for a few moments. Warrior and apprentice, for a heartbeat their eyes were locked as enemies.

Graypaw scrambled sleepily out of the den.

“Bluestar will be ready for you in a moment, Firepaw,” announced Tigerclaw. The words distracted Firepaw from his anger. His first training session with Bluestar! Excitement surged through him. He had expected his wounded mentor to be resting still.

“Graypaw,” continued Tigerclaw, “you can join my training session. Do you think you’re up to it, Ravenpaw?” He glowered at his apprentice. “After all, you got some pretty nasty nettle stings while the rest of us were fighting those rats.”

Ravenpaw looked at the ground. “I’m fine,” he mewed.

Graypaw and Ravenpaw followed the deputy out of the camp entrance. Ravenpaw’s head hung low as he disappeared through the gorse tunnel.

Firepaw sat and waited for Bluestar. She did not keep him long. The gray queen emerged from her den and padded across the clearing. Her fur was still matted in places where her wounds were fresh, but she betrayed no pain in her confident stride. “Come,” she called to him.

Firepaw noticed with surprise that she was alone. Darkstripe and Longtail were nowhere to be seen. A thought occurred to him and suddenly his excitement was tinged with anxiety-here was an opportunity to tell Bluestar what he had overheard last night.

He caught up with her as she headed for the gorse tunnel and fell in step behind her. “Will your guards be joining us?” he asked hesitantly.

Bluestar replied without looking back, “I’ve ordered Darkstripe and Longtail to help with the camp repairs. Securing ThunderClan’s base is our first priority.”

Firepaw’s heartbeat quickened. He would tell her about Ravenpaw as soon as they left camp.

The two cats followed the trail to the training hollow. The path was strewn with freshly fallen golden leaves that rustled beneath their paws. Firepaw’s mind raced as he searched for suitable words. What should he tell his leader? That Tigerclaw was plotting to get rid of his apprentice? And what would he say when Bluestar asked him why? Could he bring himself to say out loud that he suspected Tigerclaw had killed Redtail? Even though he had no evidence beyond Ravenpaw’s excited storytelling at the Gathering?

By the time they reached the sandy hollow, Firepaw had still not spoken. The hollow was empty.

“I asked Tigerclaw to hold his training session in another part of the forest today,” Bluestar explained as she padded into the center of the hollow. “I want to concentrate on your fighting skills, and I want you to concentrate on them too-which means no distractions.”

I must tell her now, thought Firepaw. She needs to know about the danger Ravenpaw is in. His paws prickled with anxiety. I won’t have another chance like this…