Moonlight washed over the clearing, bright as day, but beneath the trees and bushes and edges, the dark shadows of the night seemed to unsheathe like claws.
"Where is Berrystar?"
The call from the senior warrior rung through the entirety of the camp like an echo. Crispy, crunchy brown leaves rustled beneath Redpaw's crimson feet as she pressed her paws onto the ground, pushing her head out of the apprentice den.
"Where?"
Padding frantically along the green blades, frozen by moonlight, was a pale grey she-cat. Her pelt was as silver as stones, yet the tips of her ears and tail were as white as snow, along with her silky underbelly.
The bold reply of Berrystar shot back. Redpaw watched, her eyes widening as the large grey tomcat bounded over to the senior warrior, who's face was swirled with panic.
"Larkwind," he addressed. There was a tear of worry in Berrystar's voice as he spoke.
Berrystar had been the leader of RiverClan before Redpaw had been born. The tomcat had earned loyalty from each warrior from the youngest apprentice to the frailest elder.
"Larkwind, what's gotten under your fur?"
Redpaw's eyes burned with curiosity as Larkwind collapsed to a seat. Her pelt was heaving, as if she had outran a pack of foxes.
"I had to tell you as soon as I could," she heaved. "There's dog scent on our borders, Berrystar."
"Dog scent?"
Redpaw realised that the voice she had just heard did not come from outside of the den, but from beside her. She turned quickly to her side.
Her sister's sandy ears had shot down to her face. Her green eyes had widened with shock as she lowered herself to her paws, not taking a glance off the senior warriors speaking outside. Redpaw had been so intrigued with fear at the conversation of the warriors that she had forgotten her sister was beside her.
"Echopaw," Redpaw muttered. She felt her heart sink as her sister's face turned to hers. She could see the fear in her eyes, the panic unspoken through her mouth, which was hanging loosely as if there hadn't been a bone to connect it to her face. "Please don't worry."
Her sister stayed silent. Her body had not moved. Instead, her head simply jolted around again the second she heard Berrystar's voice meow down the clearing. "Spiderice," called the leader. "Get over here!"
Redpaw suddenly felt shocked by the leader's hostility. She could feel Echopaw's fur bristling beside her. "I'm scared," she heard her sister mutter, no louder than a simple whisper. She watched. A large solid black tom stepped to Berrystar's side. His muscles outlined his body hugely, and his eyes were the deepest shade of green.
"You need to organise a patrol," Berrystar meowed. Redpaw could tell that the leader's voice was tinged with worry, yet he still sounded bold, just as he always was able to.
"Take Larkwind and whomever you choose," he meowed. "There's dog scent on the borders."
"Dog scent?" the black tom repeated, his ears perking with shock. "Of course, don't worry."
Redpaw watched in envy as the warrior panted to the other side of the clearing to collect cats for his patrol. Spiderice was Redpaw's mentor, the cat which Berrystar had specifically chosen to teach Redpaw the ways of a warrior, so that she could grow up to be like him.
"We've never had a dog on our borders before," Echopaw muttered. Her sandy face was flustered with worry as she looked up to Redpaw. "I hope the senior warriors know what they're doing."
"Hey, Redpaw."
Redpaw's pelt bristled as she shot around. Outside of the apprentice den stood Spiderice, the senior warrior which mentored Redpaw. "Would you like to come on the patrol?"
Redpaw opened her mouth to reply, her heart racing with excitement, but her sister had reached a reply before she could. "Can I come?" Echopaw had muttered. "I-I don't want to know Redpaw is alone."
"She won't be alone," Spiderice had mumbled. "She'd be with me, Larkwind and Sparrowstorm."
Redpaw panicked as Spiderice took a break in his speech, and she thought he was about to turn away in full refusal. "Nevertheless, Echopaw, your mentor is coming along. I'd ask her, not me."
Larkwind, the silver she-cat that had originally scented the dogs was Echopaw's mentor, the cat that had been chosen to teach her. The senior warrior had grown older since Redpaw had been born. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she knew that Larkwind would have to resign to the elder's den soon enough. Besides, she was Berrystar's mother.
Redpaw's pads felt cold as she followed her sister across the clearing as she headed towards the patrol who were preparing to leave.
"Hello Larkwind," Echopaw had called. The beautiful silver cat turned her head, dipping it in welcome. "Is everything okay Echopaw?"
"Yes thankyou," Echopaw had replied. "I-I was wondering if you had a free space on the patrol."
"Oh boy." The old she-cat's meow had turned to a raspy laugh. "Look at you, Echopaw," she meowed. "Not like you asking to join a patrol."
Her sister said nothing, just waited politely yet in anticipation for the warrior's response. "Very well," Larkwind meowed. "But we must get a move on, so stay close and do whatever you're told."
"Okay," Echopaw agreed.
"Let's get a move on," Redpaw heard Spiderice call from the front.
Energy fizzed beneath Redpaw's pelt as she followed the older cats out of the camp. Although this hadn't been Redpaw's first time out of camp, she still couldn't resist feeling that it was.
"Are we going past the river?" Echopaw meowed quietly to Larkwind, who was padding alongside her as she spoke.
"Perhaps not," she meowed. "But I've taught you well to swim incase, I'd hope."
Redpaw heard her sister purr as she gazed up at her mentor. "Spiderice has taught me well, too!"
The mention of his name had obviously caught the attention of the jet black senior warrior who was plodding up ahead. He stopped in his tracks, turning his head and advancing towards the group. "You bet I have," Spiderice meowed. His voice was deep and raspy, but Redpaw still heard pride in her mentor's meow. "Redpaw's a strong swimmer."
Redpaw felt a tang of pride as she felt Spiderice's head brush against hers. "Only because you taught me," Redpaw confessed.
"That's enough."
Sparrowstorm's voice was quiet, yet it still seemed to lash through the patrol. "We have a pack to scent, if you had not forgotten."
"Come on Sparrowstorm," Larkwind meowed. "Can't you cheer up a little?"
"I'm perfectly cheerful, thank you very much."
Sparrowstorm's pelt ruffled as he turned his head and continued to walk further and further away from the camp.
"You're a great mentor too," Redpaw meowed. She knew that the brown and white tom was a mentor to Stempaw.
She felt her heart sink as Sparrowstorm turned back towards her, but instead of a harsh response, the senior warrior just smiled. "Thank you Redpaw, I hope you're right."
The senior warrior turned back around, signalling with his tail for the patrol to come.
There was a short moment of quiet as Sparrowstorm turned his head back away from the group, and up ahead. "Come on now," he meowed boldly, turning up his head to taste the scent in the air. "I'm smelling something."
"Yes, I told you," Larkwind agreed. Redpaw turned around, watching Echopaw's mentor breathe in the surrounding air. "Why is the scent so strong?"
"They must have came from this side," Sparrowstorm continued. "Obviously because the river doesn't flow at this end."
Redpaw had finally found the courage to speak up between the senior warriors. "What are we going to do?"
Redpaw's heart sank as the cats exchanged a worried glance. "There's not much we can do," Spiderice meowed. "But theyre definitely here."
It was Echopaw's voice which spoke up next.
"Are we going to have to move?"
"Berrystar is the cat who makes the final decisions," continued Spiderice. "The most we can do now is do what we can to prevent the dogs coming any father."
"Are you sure they're dangerous dogs?" Redpaw meowed. Something inside her was wishing that the warriors were just making a mistake, or that they were worrying too much over a small canine passing through.
"If it was a two-leg walking their yappy little mutt, we would know," Sparrowstorm spoke. "These dogs are bigger, wilder. I just want to know why they're here."
"Me too," Larkwind meowed. "We must report it to Berrystar, so he can discuss it with Streamspots."
"I just hope we aren't too late," Spiderice mumbled.
"Too late?" It was Sparrowstorm who spoke up now. "We're never too late."
Redpaw didn't think her body would pull her to sleep as much as it had when she returned from the patrol. Echopaw had curled up, her sandy body pressed lightly beside her. Before her eyes shut for rest, she heard a caring voice call from the shadows.
"What did you find on the patrol?" called a russet brown she-cat. Redpaw heard the leaves just on the inside of the den crunch as a she-cat set down her body. Redpaw breathed in the sweet scent of her mother, and turned to her to speak.
"Good evening Emberfall," Echopaw meowed, rolling over her body to face her mother as she spoke.
"There's definitely the recent of dog," reported Redpaw sleepily. "I think Berrystar is going to discuss the problem with Streamspots, and they're going to decide what to do from there."
"Neither of you were hurt, right?" Emberfall's tone was sincerely laced with panic as she looked down to the two.
"We're both fine," Echopaw mumbled, half asleep.
Redpaw watched as her mother glanced to her for a definitive answer, and her ears perked up with relief when Redpaw gave her a brief nod.
"Good," she whispered. She stretched out her head closer to Redpaw and Echopaw, licking their ears in turn, softly and slowly. "I wouldn't ever want anything to happen to either of you," she whispered. Redpaw let out a small timid purr as she felt her mother's muzzle push softly against her pelt. "Goodnight," she whispered, before pushing her body off the ground and disappearing behind the lichen. As the darkness engulfed the den, she rolled over and pressed her muzzle into the pelt of her sister, before finally letting herself drift off to sleep.