DH's Warriors: Scourgestar's Reign: Smoke

"Sandpaw! Yellowpaw! Nightpaw!" all of BloodClan yowled together.

Smokefur sat with Sandpaw, his new apprentice. Redpelt had gotten Yellowpaw. Nightpaw sat next to Scourgestar, his father and mentor.

The cats stopped chanting and broke up, off to do more interesting things.

Smokefur looked down at Sandpaw. She was timid and a little scared, but she tried not to show it.

"Come on." Smokefur meowed. "I'll give you a tour of BloodClan." He stood up and exited the camp. The bones cast a shadow over him, which he ignored. Sandpaw looked at them in awe. "Did my father really kill that Twoleg?" she asked. Smokefur nodded and continued on.

Dead leaves crushed under their paws. The ones still on the trees were bright oranges and reds. A chilly wind ruffled Smokefur's pelt. Sandpaw shivered, but Smokefur barely noticed it. He took her to where the trees thinned out. "This is the WindClan border. Do you smell that strange scent? That's where the Clan territory begins."

Sandpaw nodded. Smokefur took her to the ShadowClan and RiverClan borders as well. He was secretly dreading the Thunderclan border, but he knew he would have to. As he started that way, they ended up where he and Cedarleaf were attacked. "Take a deep breath, Sandpaw." he instructed. She did so.

"Do you smell that? that's fox. It's wandering around the territory, Cedarleaf and I were attacked by it. If you ever spot it, you have to come get the others so we can kill it." Smokefur meowed. "Now, onto the ThunderClan border."

The scents of ThunderClan were fresh, meaning a patrol had been there a few moments earlier. He lowered himself, taking in the scent of his old home. Suddenly, Sandpaw made a warnig noise. Smokefur rose up to be nose-to-nose with Robinwing, holding a mouse. Eaglepaw stood behind her.

"Hello." Smokefur meowed curtly, about to pour out his excitement, but at the last moment remembering Sandpaw.

Robinwing dropped her prey. "Hello." she meowed back.

Smokefur was aware of Sandpaw's staring gaze. "Well, ThunderClan cat, carry on."

Robinwing picked up her prey, but not before whispering, "Tonight."

Smokefur gave her a little nod and went back to Sandpaw.

"Did you know her?" Sandpaw asked. "I sometimes heard Blackpaw telling Hawkpaw and Smallpaw about how you're a wimp because you're really a ThunderClan cat. He's almost as bad as Nightpaw."

Smokefur thought about lying for a moment, but the new apprentice's wide, innocent eyes got the better of him. "I did know her." he admitted. "But that doesn't mean I'm weak."

Sandpaw nodded. "I saw you beat Stormclaw, before Mother yelled at us to come back to the Nursery."

Smokefur smiled. "Good. The more cats who saw it happen, the more who can actually convince Stormclaw that he was actually beaten by a non-BloodClan cat."

Smokefur lead Sandpaw back to the camp. The sun was just on its way back down, but Smokefur could tell his apprentice was tired. She had never gone out for that long. He instructed her to the Apprentice den, then went to find Redpelt. Smokefur couldn't find him, so he waited. The red warrior and his small golden apprentice came back as the sun slipped behind the horizon.

"-at was great, the way you caught on so quickly." Redpelt was meowing, while Yellowpaw's eyes were wide with admiration.

"Redpelt, I need to tell you something." SMokefur meowed. His friend's head shot up from looking down at his apprentice, and he nodded. "Yellowpaw, why don't you go to the Apprentice's den?"

Yellowpaw scampered off the same way his sister had, and Smokefur told Redpelt about the meeting that night. Redpelt's eyes lit up with excitement.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Smokefur and Redpelt sat in the bracken again. Smokefur was very uncomfortable, because a thorn bush had grown right next to their hiding spot, and a branch had placed itself right at his ear.

They had been waiting for a while now, Redpelt had fallen half asleep. Smokefur was on his way as well by the time Robinwing stepped out into the open.

Redpelt jerked, causing Smokefur to move and the thorns to dig into his ear. Smokefur gave a yowl and pushed Redpelt out of the bush.

Robinwing smiled at Redpelt, then frowned at Smokefur. "Your ear is bleeding."

Smokefur sighed. "It's nothing. So, how have you been?"

Robinwing smiled. "Cold."

Smokefur nodded. "Leaf-bare is almost here."

"I don't feel a thing." Redpelt meowed, and Robinwing tried to push him over with her paw, like they did when they were apprentices. He didn't budge.

Robinwing laughed. "Yeah, because all of your fuzz! Jeez, guys. Do you run laps around the territory every day to get those muscles?"

Redpelt smiled widely. "Jealous?"

Robinwing rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because I want to be a giant, furry rock."

Redpelt pretended to be offended. "Rock? I think you mean boulder!"

That made them all laugh.

"So," Robinwing began after she had stopped laughing, looking at Smokefur. "Who was that apprentice with you?"

"That was Sandpaw." Smokefur meowed. "She's my new apprentice. redpelt has her brother, Yellowpaw."

"And guess who their father is. Scourgestar." Smokefur sighed.

"Oohh." robinwing meowed sympetheitically. "Sorry for that. they have any of their father's personality?"

Smokefur shook his head. "Mine doesn't. How about Yellowpaw?"

"Nope. That nasty Nightpaw must have gotten all of that. So, how's training Eaglepaw working out?"

"She's a fast learner, but she can't sit still long enough for me to show her the proper way. One moment, I'll be demonstrating the hunter's crouch, and the next, she'll be running up a tree after a squirrel. She's hard to handle." Robinwing sighed.

Smokefur smiled. "Sounds like a pawful."

Robinwing nodded. "Yeah. How are your apprentices?"

"Well," Redpelt began. "We've only had them for a day, but for me, Yellowpaw has been really great. He's kind of talkative, though. He seems happy he doesn't have to spend all his time listening to Nightpaw anymore."

Smokefur nodded. "Sandpaw is pretty quiet. She's not one to keep secrets, though."

Robinwing shrugged. "Maybe she's just excited to be out of the Nursery."

They continued to chat until Smokefur realized that the moon was almost gone. "We've been here too long, we need to go."

Redpelt nodded and got up. He smiled at Robinwing and disappeared into the bush Smokefur went to follow him.

"Wait, Smokefur." Robinwing meowed. Smokefur turned back around, and Robinwing licked his cheek. "When we were apart, I missed you. More than you can imagine. I missed redpelt, too, but I missed you more. I realized that I love you. I love you, Smokefur."

Smokefur's eyes went wide. "I... I..." he stuttered. Suddenly Redpelt stuck his head out of the bush. "Come on, Smokefur!" he hissed.

Smokefur shook his head, then turned to Redfang and nodded. He looked over at his shoulder to Robinwing, standing there. then he bounded into the bush.

He caught up to Redpelt, who looked at him. "What was that about?" he asked.

"Robinwing told me... she loves me." Smokefur meowed. "And, I think I love her."

Redpelt's expression suddenly turned dark, and he stopped. Smokefur looked at him oddly.

"Yeah, well, I've been thinking, too. We should stop seeing Robinwing." Redpelt meowed.

"What?" Smokefur cried.

Redpelt nodded. "This is against Scourgestar's rules."

Smokefur stared at him, his mouth slightly open. "...What?"

"It's against Scourgestar's rules." Redpelt meowed again.

"Since when are you with Scourgestar?" Smokefur demanded.

"I've realized he's not a bad cat." Redpelt argued. "He just wants there to be order."

"Order?" Smokefur cried. "Order?!? Scourgestar has killed thousands of cats!"

Redpelt narrowed his eyes at Smokefur. "Sometimes, you have to kill to keep order."

Smokefur's pelt bristled in anger. What is he thinking?

"You can't fight me." Redpelt growled. "I'm bigger than you."

I've beaten Stormclaw. Smokefur thought. I could take him... if I had to. I can't fight my best friend. He let his fur go flat.

"Stop seeing her. If I catch you sneaking out, I will alert scourgestar, like a real BloodClan cat who is loyal to his Clan should." He warned. With that, he stalked off, into the night.

When Smokefur returned to camp, Redpelt wasn't there. He slipped into his nest quietly. When he fell asleep, he was plauged with dreams of green eyes, the cat who they belonged to changing from Stormclaw to Scourgestar to Redpelt.