Night Whispers

She opened her eyes into a dream. Mist swirled around her paws, and yowls rang in the cold, dead air. For the first time, her heart sank when she found herself in the Dark Forest. She wanted to sleep all night for once. Her scratches from the battle were stinging, and her paw hurt. Training day and night was exhausting. She closed her eyes, hoping the dream would fade, but the cold mist nipped harder at her paws.

With a sigh, she opened her eyes. A stretch of short, bare grass sloped ahead of her, and the sky above loomed black and starless. Ivypaw stretched, preparing herself for the training session. At least her Dark Forest Clanmates never compared her to Dovepaw.

Paws brushed the grass behind her, and she turned. A brown tom with a black ear—small, lithe, clearly from WindClan—approached. He halted and nodded a curt greeting. Ivypaw frowned, trying to remember who he was. She’d seen him at Gatherings. As she groped for the name, a voice beyond the crest of the slope called to him.

“Antpelt!”

Antpelt. That was it.

As the brown warrior raced toward the voice, Ivypaw reared up on her hind legs, trying to glimpse who had greeted him. Pain shot through her sprained paw. Before she could spot another cat in the shadows, she dropped, landing heavily, back onto all fours.

A mew behind her made her jump. “You look tired.”

“Hi, Tigerheart.” She was pleased to see a cat she instantly recognized. His thick tabby pelt rippled over his powerful frame, but his eyes looked weary. “You look tired too,” she sympathized.

“I wouldn’t mind one night’s rest.” He yawned.

“I guess they want to toughen us up.”

Tigerheart didn’t seem to hear her. “I don’t suppose Dovepaw came with you tonight, did she?”

Ivypaw bristled. “They chose me, not her!” Not waiting for a response, she charged up the slope toward the trees, following the trail of crushed grass Antpelt had left. Breaking through the tree line, she hurtled into the shadows, rage pulsing in her ears. So much for being free from her sister here!

Why did Tigerheart want to see Dovepaw anyway? Did he have a crush on her?

She snorted. He’s wasting his time. There was no way Dovepaw would have anything to do with a cat from another Clan. She liked hearing Lionblaze tell her how amazing she was too much to risk breaking the warrior code.

Growling, Ivypaw swerved among the trunks. She saw the matted orange-and-white pelt too late, and slammed into the side of a thick-furred she-cat. Recovering her balance, she turned on the warrior who’d blocked her way. “That was a dumb place to sit!” Ivypaw snarled, still seething.

Before Ivypaw could draw breath, the orange-and-white she-cat leaped on her. Ivypaw felt claws at her neck, and her breath shot from her chest as the warrior thumped her to the ground and pinned her there. Terror flooded Ivypaw as she struggled for air. She froze as the warrior leaned slowly closer.

With stinking breath and lips drawn back, the orange-and-white she-cat snarled, “Show some respect, apprentice.” She curled her claws until the thorn-sharp tips sank into Ivypaw’s skin. “You don’t want to die in a place like this. There’s nowhere beyond here, you know. Only darkness.”

A tabby pelt flashed at the edge of Ivypaw’s vision. “All right, Mapleshade.”

Ivypaw fell limp with relief as she recognized Hawkfrost’s meow.

“Let her go.” There was a menacing growl in his voice, and Mapleshade released her grip.

Ivypaw drew a long gulp of air and began to cough. Hacking, she scrambled to her paws, her belly brushing the earth as she crouched and tried to catch her breath. She was shaking from nose to tail.

“Pull yourself together,” Hawkfrost snapped.

Mapleshade flicked her tail. “Try to keep your visitors under control.” She turned and stalked away, muttering, “I preferred it here when it wasn’t overrun with wide-eyed idiots.”

Ivypaw blinked up at Hawkfrost. “Sorry.”

“Never mind Mapleshade,” he answered briskly. “She’s been here a long time. But not for much longer.”

Ivypaw glanced nervously at the departing warrior. The shadows seemed to be swallowing her, and Ivypaw realized with a start that the she-cat’s outline hung in the air like mist. She could clearly see the trees on the other side of Mapleshade, where she should only have been able to see the warrior’s sturdy body. Ivypaw shivered. “Do all cats fade away?”

“Eventually,” Hawkfrost growled. “If they survive long enough.”

He headed away through the trees. Ivypaw hesitated for a moment, her belly tight. She never wanted to fade away. She shook out her fur and bounded after Hawkfrost.

“Are you okay?” Hawkfrost was frowning at her hind paw as she caught up.

Ivypaw remembered the sprain. “Fine, thanks.”

Hawkfrost leaped a narrow gully in the forest floor. “If you’re not up to training, go home.”