"Hey!"

Leaf opened her eyes timidly. She was still shaking with fear, but she felt just a little more confident. A dog wouldn’t speak in Cat...not to mention that voice sounds familiar...

She heard the rustling behind her again and spun around uneasily. A black tom hopped out of the shadows and padded over to her. Leaf relaxed and sighed with relief when she recognized him. It was Dawn! I guess I’m not gonna die today!

"You shouldn't be here," he said. He didn't seem angry that she was here, but worried. "It's too dangerous."

Leaf took a deep breath to calm herself down. "I'm so glad you're here...you know, instead of a dog. Sky brought me here to the forest, but I panicked and ran away when a dog barked at us and now here I am..." she explained. "And I have no idea where here

is, exactly."

Dawn glanced anxiously from side to side. "Cats have disappeared around here. Not Tribe cats, but...other cats."

Leaf crouched in horror, and her amber eyes became like two golden moons darting about nervously. Sky was right. I guess dogs

have gotten out before.

"Wh-what kind of other cats?" she stuttered.

"Rogues, loners, kittypets who wander too far from their homes." His voice had an ominous edge that made Leaf's heart pound in alarm.

"Wow." In the distance a dog barked viciously, causing Leaf to flinch and flatten her hears. A wave of worry overwhelmed her, and she twitched her tail anxiously. "We gotta find Sky!"

"Don't panic!" hissed Dawn. "Predators can sense that."

Realizing he was right, Leaf took another deep breath and sat up, licking her ruffled chest fur flat. She looked back at Dawn with wide eyes and whispered, "What should we do?"

"Act normal. Carefully and quietly walk back towards camp." He stood next to Leaf and pressed himself against her side, and Leaf appreciated his comforting touch. "Don’t worry, I'll be right here beside you."

Leaf nodded and smiled gratefully.

As they walked through the forest, while Leaf was trying to suppress her dread, Dawn started talking casually. "You know, it wasn't so long ago that I was about to become a sharp-claw. I'm not much older than you. I know what it's like. I still remember the day I became a sharp-claw."

Leaf's curiosity soon overcame her fear, and she calmed down due to the coolness of his voice. "Wow...what was it like, becoming a sharp-claw?" she asked inquisitively.

"It was...exciting. Amazing. You feel like nothing can hold you back...like you’re...walking on air. It's hard to explain," he concluded. "You'll understand what I mean soon enough."

"Cool!" Leaf whispered. Her vivacious amber eyes were wide and sparkled in anticipation, and she had long forgotten all her fear of the dogs. "I can't wait!"

Dawn smiled at her. But suddenly his smile changed to a frown and he stared down at the ground as they continued through the forest.

"What's the matter?" Leaf asked, a little puzzled at his abrupt change in mood.

"N-nothing," Dawn muttered. Leaf wasn't fooled; it was obvious something was wrong. "Nothing you need to worry about, anyways. It's my problem."

Leaf slowed down and looked into his amber eyes. "If you want, I can help you with your problem," she offered.

"N-no, it's my problem," he meowed, returning her gaze for just a heartbeat. "You just enjoy your training. I don't wanna drag you into this." He looked away and stared at the ground again.

"Okay...well, don't forget that I'll be here for you, no matter what," Leaf said. She watched him worriedly, curious about what was bothering him, but scared of what it might be.

"Thank you," Dawn said. He turned to look at her gratefully.

Leaf smiled kindly at him. "You're welcome," she purred.

His eyes changed from darkened by pain to filled with warmth. "We should probably hurry up."

"Yeah, but..." Leaf looked back worriedly. "What about Sky? I hope she’s okay. Maybe she’s even waiting back at camp for me."

"Me too," Dawn agreed solemnly.

"Yeah, she's a great mentor and a great cat." Leaf looked down.

Dawn nodded. "Yeah. She's been a great mentor so far...that much is obvious."

"What do you mean by that?" Leaf was a little puzzled. "You were never her to-be."

Dawn smiled. "You're doing so well in your training. You'll be a great prey-hunter soon."

"Oh. Thanks," Leaf purred, unsure how to reply. She suddenly felt as if she had no tongue, and even if she did she wouldn't know what to say. Much to her relief, they reached the edge of the trees and the entrance to the cave came into view. Leaf sighed. "Thanks for bringing me home."

"You're welcome," Dawn replied. "And I couldn't just leave you out there."

Suddenly, Leaf heard a large bird take off behind her. "Fox dung!" an annoyed she-cat spat.

Leaf spun around, and so did Dawn. "Sky!" Leaf exclaimed.

The white she-cat emerged from the forest and stared at Leaf and Dawn. "Your talking cost me my hawk," she meowed harshly.

"Sorry. But I was so worried about you!" Leaf said, dashing to her mentor's side.

Sky's blue eyes softened, and she purred. "Me too," she said softly.

"I'm so glad that the dogs didn't get you!" Leaf mewed, looking up at Sky.

"Dogs?" Sky's eyes lit up with amusement. "Those mousebrains are afraid of their own shadow!" she purred.

"Really?" Leaf laughed, then a puzzled look came over her face. "But Dawn said that cats have disappeared from the dogplace, and..."

"I wasn't talking about those dogs," Dawn interrupted mysteriously. "I was talking about something much worse."

Leaf turned around to look at Dawn, her eyes filled with confusion and terror. "What could be worse than dogs?!"

"Nothing you need to know about now."

"I'm almost a sharp-claw! I can handle it!" Leaf hissed indignantly. "Please tell me, Dawn!"

"The truth will only scare you. Believe me, I wish I'd never found out the truth, either," he said as he turned and padded away from Leaf and Sky.

Leaf sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine..." She followed Dawn to camp, with Sky close behind. If only he would tell me! I’m not a kit anymore...

Impressum

Texte: Inspiration for RP: Erin Hunter, Warriors RP creator: dangerheart* Characters: Leaf: bravestar Dawn: Hawkshadow56 Sky: dangerheart*
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 27.05.2010

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Cover art by ~Midniterain of deviantART