Swiftdash's Hope Chapter 4

Instructions

(The day it all went wrong; she didn't get expelled) Swiftpaw padded after some other cats on a patrol. Her head was down, not imagining Falconflight. Falconflight was gone. She had been killed by someone, the same way her parents had been. She had argued with Ivyblaze earlier, she hoped that Ivyblaze hadn't set the trap. She looked up from the patrol. They were heading back to camp. This was also the day of Honeypaw's warrior ceremony. Swiftpaw realized that she didn't really care. As they patrolled, Swiftpaw thought about the day. It had been pretty normal. Falconflight had been killed a sunrise ago, and Swiftpaw just shook out her pelt. Their relationship had been close, but not as close as Swiftpaw and Blurpaw's. Swiftpaw lifted her silver-tabby tail. She scented the air. _-Mouse!-_ she thought. She crouched down, and Quietbreeze, her new mentor nodded in approval. Swiftpaw wriggled her haunches and pounced on the rustle of bushes. The mouse's squeal was cut short as she killed it with a bite on its neck. She padded back to the patrol proudly with the mouse in her teeth. Quitebreeze smiled. "Great job Swiftpaw!" She meowed. Swiftpaw smiled. "Thank you." Swiftpaw purred. She headed back to camp with the patrol. Ivyblaze wasn't in camp, and Swiftpaw wondered why. __-is she guilty?-_ Swiftpaw wondered. Once Swiftpaw had dropped the mouse in the fresh-kill pile, she grabbed another apprentice. "Hey, Dapplepaw. Wanna go find out what Ivyblaze is doing?" Swiftpaw called to her. Dapplepaw's eyes held a creepy gleam the Swiftpaw had to look away. It was always in her eyes. They made her shudder. The padded out of camp together, following Ivyblaze's scent. at some point, Swiftpaw caught Lostkit's scent, along with Hazelshine's scent. She thought they must have gone on a patrol together. _-although, Lostkit is quite young-_ she thought with a flick of her tail. She then picked up a familiar scent. At first, she just ignored it, hoping it was nothing. The fur on the back of her neck stood up as she smelled blood, and death. They entered a clearing. Dapplepaw didn't give off any fear-scent, and when she glanced back, her eyes were filled with hunger for more. Swiftpaw moved silently away and looked around the clearing. Ivyblaze was sitting in a crumble on the floor, dead. Next to her, Hazelshine was unconscious, a paw bent in an awkward angle. Swiftpaw Fliched and ran up to her. She noticed Lostkit in the bushes near a poppy flower. She would see to her later. "Dapplepaw, help me carry them ack to camp!" Swiftpaw hissed. Dapplepaw smiled, her smile hard, "Why can't I bite on her paw instead? Then we can carry them back." Swiftpaw looked at Dapplepaw, a shocked expression on her face. "Dapplepaw..." There was a rutsle, and Swiftpaw saw a gleam of eyes. A piece of fur from Lostkit. Swiftpaw's eyes widened. "Stagleap," she breathed. Dapplepaw kept pestering Swiftpaw to let her bite Hazleshine's paw more. Swiftpaw said the wrong thing. "Over my dead body!" She snarled. Dapplepaw attacked too soon. She bit on to Swiftpaw's neck, and pushed her aside. Dapplepaw bit into Hazelshine's paw, and she disappeared into the bushes, talking in a hushed voice to Stagleap. _-were they working together?-_ Swiftpaw thought. She tried to call out but realized that her voice got caught in her throat. She coughed and tried hard not to slip into blackness. She listened to them, but she couldn't tell exactly what they were saying. She tried to sit up at some point and felt dizzy. She pricked her ears, feeling a bit better. She frowned. Had she blacked out? Yes, she had. Thornstars' scent was in the clearing. She heard a rustle and saw Dapplepaw's eyes following her. She sat back down, still feeling a little surprised, and sad. She curled up and sank into a welcoming blackness.