The crescent moon shone high above the night sky, wispy clouds slightly concealing the shining stars behind. The dim moonlight hardly offered enough light to watch where to put one’s paws on. Tripping and walking into bushes wasn’t hard.
The dark was definitely hazardous, especially here in the very outskirts of ShadowClan territory, where the pine trees were less. Bramble tendrils lay around, seemingly waiting for a hapless cat to step on them. Some parts of the ground were slightly slippery too, with a thin layer of ice glazing it.
Despite this, Russetpaw and her hunting-mate Needlepaw didn’t really have much of a choice. Leafbare hit ShadowClan hard, and there was hardly enough prey to go around. The pine forest in the heart of the territory didn’t have a lot, and so they were forced to venture out into the outer reaches. The more senior warriors were hunting out on the marshes. The general lack of prey meant that hunting patrols became more frequent, and they sometimes continued well into the night.
“I wonder how they are doing over there,” mumbled Russetpaw, in between sniffs of the air.
“They?” Needlepaw’s voice came from somewhere to her left.
“They, of course! The other warriors!”
“Oh. They’re fine, I’m sure.”
They searched a little more, but no matter how much they scented around, they weren’t able to spot any prey.
“Come on,” Russetpaw mewed with a flick of her tail. “There seems to be nothing here. Let’s move a little.”
“Yeah,” replied Needlepaw, looking behind her back to check for anything.
They walked slowly in another direction, jaws open to try and catch a whiff of something. In the darkness, sudden lights cut through the forest every now and then. It had never crossed Russetpaw’s mind earlier how close they were to the Thunderpath. She extended her claws to try and get a better grip on the slippery ground. She was afraid to lose control and skid right into the middle of a monster’s path. It wouldn’t be hard, she realized with a gulp.
A crunching sound somewhere to her left made her freeze. “Wait a second,” she hissed to her Clanmate. She dropped down, using her tail to tell Needlepaw to do the same.
“What’s there?” Needlepaw asked her, a little too loudly.
“Keep quiet!”
They lay in wait, trying to pinpoint where exactly the sound came from.
“Tyler!” A meow sliced through the still air.
Russetpaw’s eyes widened. A cat? She nodded at Needlepaw, and they started stalking towards the voice. They rounded a bush, and they spotted the cat.
It was a tom. A kittypet, with a collar around his neck. He was slim, with shiny amber fur, and his brown-rimmed eyes were bright as he glanced nervously around. Russetpaw found herself staring for more a little while. What? She snapped herself out of it.
“Keep hidden,” she told Needlepaw. They hid a little behind the bush.
The tom sighed in exasperation. “I’m not even sure where I’m going… I suppose that’s what you get for following your instincts.”
Needlepaw swivelled her ear at Russetpaw. “Look!” she hissed urgently.
Russetpaw looked around a little closer. She gasped inwardly. Beside him was a crow, which looked freshly caught. This cat knew how to hunt.
“He’s a threat, Russetpaw.” Her companion glared at the trespasser.
Russetpaw nodded. “Let’s confront him.” They stepped out of their hiding place.
“Just what do you think you’re doing here?” Russetpaw strode towards him, fixing him with a menacing glare. The tom cat’s eyes immediately widened in fear, and his jaw dropped as he slowly began backing away.
“Please,” he begged, “I-I really mean no harm. I was only passing by—“
Needlepaw laughed mockingly. “Passing by? No harm? Then what do you call that?” She gestured to the fresh crow next to him.
The tom looked at the piece of fresh-kill. “I-I caught it.”
“You caught it?” Russetpaw asked. Without waiting for an answer, she jumped for him, tripping him and laying him low. Her claws were already out and on his pelt, precariously close to his skin.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t rip your throat out right now,” she spat.
“You’re on ShadowClan territory,” said Needlepaw.
“S-ShadowClan?”The tom was positively shaken now. Russetpaw could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest.
“We don’t need to explain anything to you,” Russetpaw hissed. “The only thing you need to know right now is to get out of here.”
Needlepaw took a step forward. “What are you doing here in the first place anyway?”
“Whatever I’ve done, I’m so sorry. My name is Blink. I’m… I’m lost. My housefolk, they forgot to get me while we were on vacation. They went off in the car, and they left me there. Tyler, he’s my Upwalker. He’s undoubtedly scared for me. They must be really worried about me right now. They probably think I’m dead. That’s why I decided to go look for them. Now, I’m not sure where I am right now, or if I know where our town is. I haven’t eaten for two days.”
Russetpaw loosened her grip on the tom. She realized how light he was, no more than bones and fur. He’s not slim, he’s skinny. She exhaled sharply. Even though he was a trespasser, she felt a twinge of pity for Blink.
“I just want to see my housefolk again,” he meowed sadly.
Russetpaw let go of Blink, stepping off him. Blink shook himself off as he got up. His eyes were pleading.
“Is there a town nearby? If—“
Needlepaw glared at Blink, making him stop. “Enough of your talk, kittypet. You know we don’t understand. We don’t care, either.”
Russetpaw looked at her fellow apprentice. “Needlepaw…”
“Leave now,” she growled, “We’ve warned you.”
Blink began backing away slowly. “But… I just… I—“
Needlepaw lunged, catching him in a grip. She clawed at his stomach with her hind claws. The tom yowled in pain. He wriggled out of her clutch and ran away.
“Hey!” Needlepaw yowled, looking back at Russetpaw. “He’s going into ShadowClan territory! Let’s get him!”
Russetpaw didn’t have the time to protest as the other apprentice went off after Blink in hot pursuit. She shook her head. This is for ShadowClan. She steeled herself, following Needlepaw in chasing the trespassing cat.
The weak, tired kittypet was no match for the two ShadowClan apprentices. Russetpaw felt like she could run circles around him. He was that slow.
“Watch your step, Needlepaw!” Russetpaw warned, jumping over a bramble bush.
“Got it,” she affirmed.
In no time at all, they were able to steer him to the border towards ThunderClan. They were now going at high speed, all three cats hurtling towards the boundary.
Russetpaw tried slowing herself down. Her fur stood on end when she realized that the ice that was coating the ground was making her slip. She luckily regained her balance.
“Needlepaw, the ice!”
Needlepaw’s eyes were as wide as the full moon in fright. “Russetpaw!”
Russetpaw tried extending her claws to get a grip on the ice, but quickly retracted them, feeling the sharp pain. She gained a new layer of fear when she saw what was ahead. The Thunderpath! She saw her entire life flash before her eyes, realizing that there were only a few moments left before all of them would be at the mercy of Twoleg monsters.
She looked around, seeing the trees passing by. There was one low lying oak branch ahead. She gasped, “Needlepaw! Jump!”
“Jump?!”
“Just do it!” Russetpaw yowled. StarClan help us. She sent a prayer up before bending her limbs and jumping.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Russetpaw saw Needlepaw; she jumped too. They both slammed into the branch, chest first. The wind was knocked right out of her. It felt like a boulder was dropped in her stomach.
Beside her was Needlepaw, looking winded too. But safe. She was safe.
Russetpaw looked down from the branch, clutching it tighter with her claws. Blink was still running. A cutting light, blindingly bright, flashed in Russetpaw’s eyes. A sinking feeling was burning a path through her body.
“Blink!” she yowled with all her might.
It was too late. Blink heard it, but not before he tripped over a vine. He tumbled into the Thunderpath, right into its path.
A sickening thud was heard. Russetpaw was hit by instant numbness. She couldn’t move anything. Blink, who was just talking with them a few moments ago, was now a mangled mess in the middle of the Thunderpath. Blood ran like little streams, already beginning to freeze. It made her want to throw up. She narrowed her eyes and let out a hoarse yowl with her strained throat. Her sight darkened, and she fainted.