A Moonlit Path by Chocolatemeerkat (good story books to read .txt) 📕

back to camp. I got suspicious, so I followed her out. She was going to the ReedClan border, but didn't get there because I jumped out and questioned her. We had an argument about her loyalty to ForestClan, then she ran off and I instantly knew that she had been meeting with the ReedClan medicine apprentice, Sootpaw, because he was standing at the border when I turned round." Echopath explained, her voice shaking.
"Go on." Eagletalon meowed.
"I scented another cat close by, and I knew that something terrible would happen. So, I tracked down Flowerpaw, but I was too late." Echopath was close to letting out a sob. "She was at her claws, her life being taken by the cat I hate so much."
"Her?" Eagletalon looked puzzled.
"Ghostfire." Echopath replied coldly, her voice like chips of ice. "She attacked Flowerpaw and killed her."
"Did she get you?" Eagletalon demanded, his fur ruffled up in anger. Echopath nodded, showing him a long scratch going down her side. "That's it."
"I'll rip her fur off!" Eagletalon snarled. "No one injures my friends and gets away with it!"
"You don't need to." Echopath told him. "Ghostfire is a skilled fighter, she will beat you easily. I don't want you getting hurt because of me."
"Well, we better get back to camp." Eagletalon turned away to pick up his blackbird, but he paused and turned his head. "If something like that happens again, I will tell Bramblestar. It's not fair that so many innocent cats are being killed because of Ghostfire's ambition."
"I'll just say that a rogue attacked us, seeing as that's why we've allied with CourageClan." Echopath meowed, picking up Flowerpaw's limp body. "It's half true, seeing as Ghostfire wasn't born into the clan."
In complete silence, the two ForestClan warriors made their way back to the gorge.

Back in camp, many cats had already been alerted by their return as they caught the stench of blood. Sandtail was first out to greet them, closely followed by Otterswim. They were horrified at the sight they saw.
"What happened?" Sandtail asked. "Did ReedClan attack you?"
"No." Echopath replied, shaking her head. "Some rogue jumped out of nowhere and attacked us. I couldn't rescue Flowerpaw in time... and I watched her die at the rogue's claws. I chased off the rogue, so it's out of our territory now, but it attacked me after Flowerpaw."
"Did you see what it looked like?" The deputy pressed on. "If we know what it looks like, then I'll send a patrol to scout the territory at dawn in case it decides to return."
"It was too dark." Echopath meowed quickly. "Luckily, Eagletalon found me, otherwise I wouldn't have got back to camp safely."
Close by, the silver she-cat saw Ghostfire leave the den and dip her head in greeting to Lionclaw, who was coming over to see what was going on. The white she-cat murmured a few words to the senior warrior before leading him away from the crowd. Echopath felt anger bubbling inside of her. You keep your paws off Lionclaw, you murderer!                                                                                                                  "May all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!" Bramblestar yowled, jumping up onto the rock. The ForestClan cats assembled below the great rock. Echopath sat down between Eagletalon and Runningbreeze, who was yawning. "I didn't expect Bramblestar to be calling a meeting while some of us were half-asleep!" He moaned, letting out another yawn. "I hope this is for a good cause."
"It is, I promise you." Eagletalon told him.
"Not long ago, two cats were attacked by a mysterious rogue." Bramblestar reported. "We can't be sure if it was one of ReedClan's rogues, but it took the life of Flowerpaw and almost killed Echopath."
Gasps went up from the gathered cats, many of them staring at Echopath. Lionclaw's eyes were wide in horror, while Ghostfire's face was expressionless.
"Echopath couldn't see what the rogue looked like, but I want border patrols increased. We will be prepared for a attack if this rogue returns, especially if this rogue was sent by ReedClan." Bramblestar finshed with a sigh. "Clan dismissed!"
"You might want to get that scratch checked." Eagletalon mumbled, poking his friend with his claw. "I'll wait for you, if you want."
"Thanks, I'm grateful for it." Echopath meowed, turning away from the crowd and towards Oakpelt's den. Tonight, for the first time in a long time, he would be working alone with no apprentice.
"I take it you want me to look at that scratch of yours?" Oakpelt called, his voice not as cheerful as it usually was. Flowerpaw's death had affected him badly.
"If you could, please." Echopath replied. She took in a breath of the cold air as she sat down, while the medicine cat inspected her injury. "It's not as worse as I first thought. I'll give you some dock for it, just to be on the safe side."
While Oakpelt sorted out some dock leaves, Echopath watched him. As a kit, she and Rosekit would have annoyed Sweetpetal, a former medicine cat of ForestClan, but mainly Echopath would just sit there and gaze at all the herbs. The cream medicine cat would have liked to have taken her on as her apprentice, but Echokit decided that she wanted to be able to hunt and raise a family, rather than collect herbs and watch cats die.
"Being a medicine cat isn't just about witnessing cats join StarClan." Sweetpetal had told her. "Don't forget about new kits, and the pride of knowing that you can help your clanmates in so many different ways."
I think I would have rather been a medicine cat now. Echopath thought, regretting her choice to train as a warrior. I wanted a mate and kits. I've been a warrior of ForestClan for several seasons and I still don't have any kits? I think taking up Sweetpetal's offer would have been a better option for me.                                  "You look depressed." Oakpelt observed, padding over and dropping the dock leaves. "You weren't that close to Flowerpaw, so I've got no clue why you're so down in the dumps."
"Do you remember Sweetpetal, Ferretjaw's sister?" Echopath blurted out. Oakpelt looked a bit puzzled, but he nodded anyway. "She was my mentor, mouse-brain. One of ForestClan's greatest medicine cats, she was. Shame that she couldn't cure her brother's own mate."
Echopath had been told the story of Goldsky's death, and Sweetpetal feeding herself deathberries because she was so ashamed. It had happened not long after she became Echopaw along with her sister, Rosepaw.
"You were alive then." Oakpelt pointed out in amusement. "Do you not remember your own clanmates?"
"Of course." Echopath insisted. "But my apprenticeship was ages ago. I'm a senior warrior, for StarClan's sake."
The medicine cat said no more as he tended to the scratch on Echopath's side. She whinced a bit, but the stinging didn't last long.
"Done." Oakpelt mumbled. "Come back and see me again if you've got any trouble."
"Thanks!" Echopath called, leaving the den quickly.
On her way out, she spotted Ghostfire's white pelt just in the centre of camp, curled up. She could have been mistaken for a bush, or a pile of snow if it had been snowing.
"You were lucky that I didn't tell Bramblestar about what you did." Echopath snarled, keeping her voice low.
"And what good would that have done?" Ghostfire snapped impaitently. "I'm tired of everyone thinking that they can boss me around like some helpless kit!"
"You've not been in the clan for very long." Echopath pointed out with a sigh. "Some cats don't trust you yet. Earn our trust first, then you're free to do what you like."
"Since I was kitted, I've recieved no trust whatsoever!" Ghostfire snarled, her black eyes showing hatred. "Not even my own brother trusts me, yet I've tried so hard just to get cats to like me! So far, my brother has got an apprentice and a she-cat padding after him!"
"Who?" Echopath asked, curious.
"Some white she-cat, I think she's Runningbreeze's sister." Ghostfire grumbled. "Why would you care?"
Floatingcloud? Mooning over a cat with a murderous sister? Echopath nearly fainted in shock. A sensible she-cat like her has got her eye on Foxtooth, the timid and shy cat who says barely anything?           "Although you have no idea how much I hate you, I'm going to have to tell you something only few cats know." Echopath meowed, sitting down beside Ghostfire. "I was given the chance to train as a medicine apprentice, but I chose the path of a warrior. As you may know, Eagletalon, Lionclaw and their sister Lostsong trained with me. Willowstream and a few other cats were apprentices with me too."
"I know about Willowstream." Ghostfire meowed, a softer tone to her voice that Echopath had never heard before. "She was Eagletalon's mate, if I remember correctly."
"Yes, well as you said, she was." Echopath went on. "I had trouble fitting in with the other apprentices, as I was rather impaitent and only my sister Rosepaw could have a peaceful conversation with me. However, Eagletalon, Eaglepaw he was then, saved me when I almost drowned on ReedClan's territory. We became good friends, yet I had the feeling that we could have been closer than friends. Eaglepaw was about a moon or so older than me, so his warrior ceremony came before mine. He took the newly named Willowstream as his mate not long after, and I was heartbroken."
"Go on." Ghostfire mewed.
"I became a warrior with Pigeonwing, Roseheart and Flamesnake." Echopath continued. "My sister fell in love with her mentor, Mudfang, and they became mates shortly after. I had never been fond of Mudfang, and I especially showed no grief when he was killed just days before his kits were born. Roseheart gave birth to Featherkit and Chickenkit not long afterwards. Her relationship with her kits didn't last long, as she was taken by wild dogs when they were four moons old. I promised that I would care for the young kits, and now they've gone..." She trailed off, but sat up straight and held her head high. "You see why it is hard for me to show sympathy for others like you. Especially ones who kill for the sake of their ambition."
Without waiting for the white she-cat to reply, Echopath stalked off to the warrior's den. Eagletalon had already fallen asleep, but Lionclaw was still awake, gazing at her with his amber eyes. Echopath felt a cold chill go up her spine, like something was wrong.
"I didn't know how much danger the clan was in." He meowed after a while. "I thought the rogues would just be after CourageClan, not us."
"This is our fight too." Echopath reminded him coldly. "We agreed that we would fight beside CourageClan against the rogues. They could drive us out of the forest for good."
Lionclaw was silent again, but he was suprised at Echopath's reply. She was not normally so agressive, and even she, herself, felt bad about it.
"I'm sorry!" The golden tabby cried. "I should have protected you, then Flowerpaw wouldn't have died and you wouldn't have got injured!"
"The rogue was strong and clever." Echopath comforted him. "You couldn't have defeated it without help."
"I guess." Lionclaw curled up by himself in his nest and started to close his eyes. "You better get some sleep, Echopath. Good night." He mumbled quickly.
He obviously didn't want to talk to me that much. Echopath realised with a frown. Disappointment struck her as she watched the large golden tabby sleep, and then his brother, who was having no trouble sleeping.
Taking the risk, the silver she-cat laid down beside Lionclaw and curled up beside him, her blue eyes taking in the last of the light before she fell asleep, comforted by Lionclaw's pressence.