Post by Shadowstalker on Nov 21, 2011 12:23:22 GMT -5
Someone was calling his name.
"Darkheart!"
The dark tabby opened his eyes slowly. He was lying in a bed off dried bracken and moss. Standing over him was Foxpaw. The red apprentice sighed with relief as Darkheart stirred.
"If you didn't wake up, I was about to jump on you. We were afraid you'd never wake."
Darkheart sat up groggily. "What happened?"
Foxpaw sat down, curling his tail over his paws. "You fell into the river, mate. Knocked yourself out on the stepping stone, y'did. Then went on to be hurtled over the waterfall-"
Darkheart had been grooming his ruffled fur and gagged. "I fell off the waterfall!?"
"Sure did," Foxpaw continued cheerfully, " Lucky you float, or you would have drowned." He swished his tail back and forth, "Anyways, a patrol found you a-washed up on the bank. Goldenleaf didn't think you'd ever wake up."
Darkheart stood up, only for Foxpaw to push him back down again into his nest. "You need to rest. Falling from a hundered-fox-length waterfall isn't a everyday routine."
The young warrior relaxed in his nest. He and Foxpaw had been good friends when he was an apprentice. Darkheart had only just had his warrior name, and Foxpaw's couldn't be far behind. He stretched, "What about Blackleaf and Riversong?"
"Blackleaf's fine, except for that cut on his shoulder. As for Riversong, well, her tail-end won't ever be the same again. See, she froze is shock when you fell in, and the coyote caught then end of her tail. Horribly shredded, it is, but thankfully not an important part of the body. They're both in their own nest on the other side of the den. Goldenleaf wanted you to have some peace and quiet."
Darkheart's stomach growled. Foxpaw turned tail and dashed off, throwing the last word over his shoulder, "I'll get you something to eat!"
Resting his chin on his paws, the tabby tom waited until his friend returned. He heard voiced from the main area of the den.
"Let me check that wound, Shadeforest."
Darkheart supposed Goldenleaf was checking Shadeforest's wounds from the battle with Brambleclan. But then he heard something that changed this thought completely.
"How did you get this one?" Goldenleaf said this almost as if it was routinely. A complaint?
"Not here!" his leader's voice hissed.
Goldenleaf sighed. "Fair enough. But your getting far too many wounds too often. And why? For needless k-"
"Shh!" Shadeforest hissed.
The voices went quiet.
Not long later, Foxpaw came back with a squirrel. He dumped it at Darkheart's paws. "Here you go. Had to dig deep to find that one."
Darkheart motioned with his paw. "Have some. This is a lot of food."
As they ate, Darkheart explained quietly what he had heard. Foxpaw looked stricken. "Darkheart, I just thought of something. Yesterday I heard both of them in Shadeforest's den, arguing over something. Goldenleaf was irritated with her because she had done 'needless death'. At the time, I assumed they were talking of the battle with Brambleclan and the death of Hawkstar. But now I'm not so sure. What if-" he paused here, as if he couldn't believe he was saying this, "what if it's not? And it's something else?"
Darkheart wasn't so sure either. "You said it sounded as if she were threatening Goldenleaf? But why?"
Foxpaw shook his head. "Of that, I'm not so sure. But Goldenleaf knows something that Shadeforest is afraid of. Maybe we-"
But he broke off as Goldenleaf entered the den. "Good to see you awake, Darkheart." she glanced at Foxpaw, "What were you both talking about?"
"When Darkheart can leave his nest." Foxpaw mewed innocently. Then he tried to work some information out of Goldenleaf, "Say, how's Shadeforest doing?"
Even though she was acting nonchalant, Darkheart saw Goldenleaf stiffen. "What?"
"I heard her come in." Darkheart confessed, "Apparently she was wounded. What happened?"
Goldenleaf sniffed, "just got caught in a bramble. Now if you'll excuse me . . . " she stalked off.
Both toms exchanged looks.
"She was lying." Foxpaw accused.
"We don't know that." Darkheart pointed out.
"I can tell. Shadeforest, caught in a bramble?"
"She could have used a better excuse." Darkheart agreed. "Like she ran into a fox."
"But then she'd be saying there was a fox on our territory, " Foxpaw argued, "and then patrols will be send out-"
"Okay, okay."
Foxpaw said goodbye and left the den. Darkheart rested his chin on his paws, wondering was was going on between his leader and his medicine cat.
"Darkheart!"
The dark tabby opened his eyes slowly. He was lying in a bed off dried bracken and moss. Standing over him was Foxpaw. The red apprentice sighed with relief as Darkheart stirred.
"If you didn't wake up, I was about to jump on you. We were afraid you'd never wake."
Darkheart sat up groggily. "What happened?"
Foxpaw sat down, curling his tail over his paws. "You fell into the river, mate. Knocked yourself out on the stepping stone, y'did. Then went on to be hurtled over the waterfall-"
Darkheart had been grooming his ruffled fur and gagged. "I fell off the waterfall!?"
"Sure did," Foxpaw continued cheerfully, " Lucky you float, or you would have drowned." He swished his tail back and forth, "Anyways, a patrol found you a-washed up on the bank. Goldenleaf didn't think you'd ever wake up."
Darkheart stood up, only for Foxpaw to push him back down again into his nest. "You need to rest. Falling from a hundered-fox-length waterfall isn't a everyday routine."
The young warrior relaxed in his nest. He and Foxpaw had been good friends when he was an apprentice. Darkheart had only just had his warrior name, and Foxpaw's couldn't be far behind. He stretched, "What about Blackleaf and Riversong?"
"Blackleaf's fine, except for that cut on his shoulder. As for Riversong, well, her tail-end won't ever be the same again. See, she froze is shock when you fell in, and the coyote caught then end of her tail. Horribly shredded, it is, but thankfully not an important part of the body. They're both in their own nest on the other side of the den. Goldenleaf wanted you to have some peace and quiet."
Darkheart's stomach growled. Foxpaw turned tail and dashed off, throwing the last word over his shoulder, "I'll get you something to eat!"
Resting his chin on his paws, the tabby tom waited until his friend returned. He heard voiced from the main area of the den.
"Let me check that wound, Shadeforest."
Darkheart supposed Goldenleaf was checking Shadeforest's wounds from the battle with Brambleclan. But then he heard something that changed this thought completely.
"How did you get this one?" Goldenleaf said this almost as if it was routinely. A complaint?
"Not here!" his leader's voice hissed.
Goldenleaf sighed. "Fair enough. But your getting far too many wounds too often. And why? For needless k-"
"Shh!" Shadeforest hissed.
The voices went quiet.
Not long later, Foxpaw came back with a squirrel. He dumped it at Darkheart's paws. "Here you go. Had to dig deep to find that one."
Darkheart motioned with his paw. "Have some. This is a lot of food."
As they ate, Darkheart explained quietly what he had heard. Foxpaw looked stricken. "Darkheart, I just thought of something. Yesterday I heard both of them in Shadeforest's den, arguing over something. Goldenleaf was irritated with her because she had done 'needless death'. At the time, I assumed they were talking of the battle with Brambleclan and the death of Hawkstar. But now I'm not so sure. What if-" he paused here, as if he couldn't believe he was saying this, "what if it's not? And it's something else?"
Darkheart wasn't so sure either. "You said it sounded as if she were threatening Goldenleaf? But why?"
Foxpaw shook his head. "Of that, I'm not so sure. But Goldenleaf knows something that Shadeforest is afraid of. Maybe we-"
But he broke off as Goldenleaf entered the den. "Good to see you awake, Darkheart." she glanced at Foxpaw, "What were you both talking about?"
"When Darkheart can leave his nest." Foxpaw mewed innocently. Then he tried to work some information out of Goldenleaf, "Say, how's Shadeforest doing?"
Even though she was acting nonchalant, Darkheart saw Goldenleaf stiffen. "What?"
"I heard her come in." Darkheart confessed, "Apparently she was wounded. What happened?"
Goldenleaf sniffed, "just got caught in a bramble. Now if you'll excuse me . . . " she stalked off.
Both toms exchanged looks.
"She was lying." Foxpaw accused.
"We don't know that." Darkheart pointed out.
"I can tell. Shadeforest, caught in a bramble?"
"She could have used a better excuse." Darkheart agreed. "Like she ran into a fox."
"But then she'd be saying there was a fox on our territory, " Foxpaw argued, "and then patrols will be send out-"
"Okay, okay."
Foxpaw said goodbye and left the den. Darkheart rested his chin on his paws, wondering was was going on between his leader and his medicine cat.
