New chapter!

Sorry for the wait, blah blah (you know, the usual crap I give you as an excuse).

:P

-Essence

Chapter 26

Nightstar padded out of her den, her black coat shining in the sun. She had felt a bit stronger after the battle, knowing she had defeated her malicious sister for the first time in her leadership. The ThunderClan leader knew Ravenstar would come back for more.

Nightstar's claws flexed at that thought. I will be waiting for her with open claws, she thought angrily.

Suddenly she felt a sharp prod to her flank. She turned around and faced Badgerfrost, her deputy.

"Badgerfrost? What's wrong?" she asked once she noticed the grim expression in the tom's face.

"It's Rosepaw," he growled. "I can't find her anywhere." His amber eyes narrowed as the leader shook her head.

"Don't worry, Badgerfrost," she mewed. "She has to be around here. Why do you want to see her?"

Badgerfrost sighed. "Maybe because she's my daughter. I need to tell her something really important that she should've known a long time ago."

Nightstar flicked her ears. "What is it?" she asked him. She, being her usual nosy self, always poked around Badgerfrost's business, despite the deputy's growing annoyance.

"It's a secret, Nightstar," the black-and-white tom responded through gritted teeth.

"I'm your leader, Badgerfrost," Nightstar growled. "Tell me."

Badgerfrost blinked and shook his head, deciding Nightstar wouldn't be able to help him. He turned around and left her, heading for the entrance of the camp.

The ThunderClan shrugged, figuring Badgerfrost's secret wasn't her concern after all. She wouldn't let the grim deputy ruin her mood as she padded towards the fresh-kill pile.

It's well-stocked, she thought happily. The prey was abundant, with much to choose from. Badgerfrost must have sent out extra hunting patrols after the battle to re-stock it.

Involuntarily, she glanced at the apprentice's den.

Remember, Nightstar, she growled to herself. Heatherpaw's not your apprentice anymore.

With a pang of sadness, she chose a plump sparrow, its feathers sticking to her black fur as she bit into it. Her happy disposition had disappeared with the thought of Heatherpaw and she closed her eyes, giving in to her somber mood.

I had failed her, she thought. She didn't deserve a mentor like me. Redfeather's young and able to teach her way more than I had ever thought I could teach her.

Nightstar bit into the flesh with a new intensity. I have to focus on my leadership duties. Not an apprentice.

She heard a rustle in the tunnel that made up the entrance of the camp and for a second she thought it was Badgerfrost. When she looked up, her heart sank with dread as she spotted Raggedstorm and Owlfeather padding into the camp, with a russet-red shape hanging limply between them. Heatherpaw's scent also drifted towards her nose.

She almost knocked over Eaglepaw in her haste to run towards her den.

"Nightstar!" the apprentice hissed as she darted past him. Before he could say any more, she was out of sight.

The leader hid inside the den, her black pelt bristling. Was that Redfeather? She thought. Why did Raggedstorm look as if he had caught a traitor-

"Nightstar,"

Raggedstorm padded into the den, his brown tabby coat ruffled and disheveled. "We have caught a traitor."

Nightstar closed her amber eyes, wanting to hit herself for being such a good guesser. She opened her eyes again to see Owlfeather pad into her den.

"A traitor?" she managed to choke out. She padded closer to the warriors, a bit surprised not to see Redfeather among them.

"Yes," Raggedstorm growled. "It was Redfeather."

Nightstar let out a hiss. Why does her guessing have to be so accurate? "Not possible!"

"It is very much so, Nightstar." Raggedstorm's eyes bore into hers with such intensity she thought she would burst into flames. "He has RiverClan scent on him."

Nightstar thought she would faint. Redfeather was one of her most trusted warriors. She even gave her apprentice to him!

"He has been giving away Clan secrets to Ravenstar," Owlfeather mewed, his gruff voice leaking with tiredness.

Nightstar bared her teeth in her fury. She even told Redfeather secrets she would keep from Badgerfrost, her deputy. Her heart ached with betrayal, a feeling she rarely felt.

"Where is he?" she asked, her voice shaking with anger.

"In Cloverleaf's den," answered Raggedstorm quickly. "He had a nasty head wound."

Nightstar's fur bristled. "I was about to give him one just like that."

Raggedstorm blinked. The leader's hostility even surprised a warrior like him. He took a step forward.

"Nightstar," he mewed. "Wouldn't you like a few secrets from RiverClan?"

The ThunderClan leader froze.

"I'm sure Redfeather had picked up a few tips now and then."

Nightstar's intense gaze bore into Raggedstorm and a small smile crept onto her face. "Are you sure?" she asked.

Raggedstorm gave a curt nod. "Pretty sure. So he will be a sort of-"

"Double agent?" Owlfeather finished for him, a slight look of confusion on his face.

"Perfect," Nightstar purred, her amber eyes glittering with sudden malice. "I can keep him alive just long enough to discover RiverClan's most treasured secrets. Once he comes to, Raggedstorm,"

She turned to the warrior.

"Bring him to me."

Raggedstorm nodded. "Yes, Nightstar."

Owlfeather's eyes alternated between the two cats, not sure what to do. He quietly slipped out of the den, not wanting to interfere with business he couldn't understand.

He looked around the camp, watching for the familiar white pelt of his apprentice. He wanted to squeeze in a small training session before he caught up on his sleep.

"Where's Rosepaw?" he asked himself. He yawned, too lazy to go looking for her. "She can train herself," he told himself. "She's very good at that." Without another word, he slinked to the warrior's den, his dark tabby pelt melting in with the shadows.

Raggedstorm padded out of Nightstar's den as the warrior's tail disappeared into the den. The light brown tabby tom was proud of himself.

This may be my first step to becoming deputy, he thought. If I keep up like this, she might want to demote Badgerfrost for a more…suited cat. Me.

With a smile on his face, he headed towards the fresh-kill pile, his mouth salivating with hunger. Before he could even open his mouth to get a piece of prey, a yowl erupted from the entrance of the camp.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Heatherpaw pushed Eaglepaw off her with a playful shove.

"What did he think about that?" the tom asked her, shaking his dirty pelt.

The she-cat got onto her four paws again and blinked in confusion. "Who?" She started to lick her fur flat with her gentle tongue.

Eaglepaw tipped his head to the side. "Swiftpaw?"

Heatherpaw looked around, not seeing a trace of the ghostly cat. Where did he go? she asked herself.

"He's gone," she mewed quietly and resumed licking her pelt.

"Where did he go?" Eaglepaw asked, starting to lick his ruffled brown tabby pelt just as Heatherpaw was doing.

The she-cat shrugged at his question. "I don't know. He never tells me that kind of stuff."

Eaglepaw abruptly stopped licking and flicked his ears, as if he heard something. His amber eyes widened in alert.

"What's wrong?" Heatherpaw asked him, noticing his hesitation.

"It's nothing," Eaglepaw admitted with a sigh. "I just thought I heard something, that's all."

The light brown tabby apprentice flicked her tail nervously. An uncomfortable feeling crept up her spine.

Eaglepaw brushed his tail along her back, noticing her sudden anxiety. "Don't worry," he mewed reassuringly. "It was nothing, trust me."

Heatherpaw gave him a wane smile. Ever since Redfeather attacked her, she had been more wary than ever. She then let out a purr.

"That was fun," she mewed, deciding to change the subject.

Eaglepaw nodded, grinning. "We should play-fight more often. You're a worthy opponent!"

Heatherpaw shuffled her forepaws on the ground with embarrassment. "You are too, you know."

Eaglepaw's eyes glinted. "Thanks. We should ask our mentors for a training session together."

Heatherpaw's heart lurched with the thought of Redfeather again. He's not my mentor anymore, she thought. I wouldn't want him to be. Not now.

"Wouldn't Nightstar want you to train with Maplefur and I?" Eaglepaw asked her lightly, concern leaking into his voice.

Heatherpaw let out a growl. "It's not that, Eaglepaw. I'm sorry. I won't be training for a while."

The brown tabby tom's ears flicked forward in surprise. "Why?"

"Redfeather was my mentor."

"But…what happened to Nightstar?" he asked her.

Heatherpaw flattened her ears. "It's a long story," she murmured, looking at the ground under her.

Eaglepaw nodded, understanding. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it."

The light brown tabby she-cat looked at him with grateful heather-colored eyes. "Why are you so…perfect?" she asked him.

His expression was one of confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," Heatherpaw mewed. She got up and brushed her flank against his, almost causing him to fall over with surprise. "You always try to flatter me, and-"

"Does it work?" Eaglepaw asked hopefully.

"It does now, mouse brain," she purred. "Just a couple of days ago you were just plain annoying,"

"I'm sorry." Eaglepaw's head hung low close to his furry chest.

Heatherpaw used her tail to lift the tom's head to meet her steady gaze. "But now I don't feel that way as-"

"So…" Eaglepaw interrupted her again, his voice sounding excited now.

"Don't get ahead of yourself now, Eaglepaw," Heatherpaw mewed, amused. "I didn't finish. Just that you're not annoying me-"

She could see Eaglepaw deflate a bit, his amber eyes losing its excited glitter.

"-as much as you did before." Heatherpaw gave him a playful shove.

Eaglepaw blinked at her, not sure what to say next.

"Don't look so down, Eaglepaw," Heatherpaw mewed, her heather-colored eyes twinkling. "I didn't say I didn't like you."

Eaglepaw smiled. "So that means-"

"Again, don't get ahead of yourself. You toms are all very impatient!" Heatherpaw laughed.

"And you she-cats are all so very confusing!" Eaglepaw retorted, laughing along with her. He got up and lashed his tail, ready to pounce on Heatherpaw for another bout of play-fighting. Maybe that's what got her to liking him more…

"No, Eaglepaw," she mewed quickly. She looked up at the sky. "We have been gone too long. They will start to miss us."

The tom stood up straight again, his heart racing with anticipation. "Aw, Heatherpaw! What's your hurry?"

Heatherpaw blinked. I want to go see Redfeather, she thought. I want to know how he's doing…with his wounded head and all-

Before she can finish the thought, Eaglepaw tackled her to the ground. She landed with a thud and she felt his sheathed front paws on her belly pinning her down.

"Eaglepaw!" she hissed into his ear. "I told you-"

Before she could finish the sentence, the tom was thrown off her. He landed with an 'oof' a few tail-lengths away from her. She quickly got up, not wasting time to see who knocked Eaglepaw clear across the clearing.

It was Foxpaw…

…and the she-cat didn't look happy.

A little short, but whatever. :P

...and the usual maddening cliffie to accompany it, of course.

They don't call me wicked for nothin'. :)