Chapter 18

Lionblaze shook his pelt. Mountainstripe and Antpelt were at his side, and Weaslefur and Mapleclaw across from him. All of them chattered over the fresh kill pile. Lionblaze bit into his vole as Antpelt continued his story about the earilier patrol.
"Twolegs eveywhere," Antpelt explained chewing on a robin's wing,"I never saw them come this early in Newleaf," Antpelt and Weaslefur shook their head.
"I've never seen a twoleg," Mapleclaw put it,"I bet they're ugly,"
"The ugliest! Only have fur on their heads and muzzles and where these ugly colored pelts. All sorts of colors like a messed up tortoiseshell if you ask me," Antpelt bit off another bite continuing his story,"They were on the Riverclan and Shadowclan border, at that twoleg place,"
"As if the clans didn't have anything else to worry about," Mountainstripe growled, fidgeted next to Lionblaze. He had barely touched his chaffinch.
"You gonna' eat that?" Weaslefur mumbled as he took the last bite of his rabbit he was sharing with Mapleclaw. Mountainstripe shook his head and pushed the small prey over to the ginger tom with distinct white paws.Weaslefur nodded his thanks as he sculfed down the prey. Mapleclaw leaned over to Mountainstripe.
"How Windclan cats manage to stay that thin while they inhale their prey is beyond me," Mapleclaw whispered. Lionblaze suspected she hadn't wanted anyone else to hear that, but Antpelt raised his head. His fur bristled.
"Why would a Riverclan cat want to know, you guys stay fat all leafbare while the rest of us struggle for a mouth full of prey." He sneered, Weaslefur narrowed his eyes and nodded at the already plump Riverclan tabby ginger. Mapleclaw hissed in annoyance, got up and joined Petalfur and Cedarclaw. Lionblaze looked at his son in surprise, could the clans' friendships be broken so easily?
"I'm going hunting," Mountainstripe announced quietly, slowly leaving the glaring Windclan toms. Lionblaze got up.
"Er, me too," He mewed awkwardly, joining his son as he left the gorse barrier.
"Where do you want to hunt?" Lionblaze looked around, sniffing for the slightest bit of prey and listening for the chirp of a bird.
"I was thinking the trees," Mountainstripe mewed quietly, studying his paws. Lionblaze looked at his son quietly, realizing her knew nothing about him.
"Sure," Lionblaze nodded, Mountainstripe looked up and twitched his ears. In a flash, the black and orange tom was in a tree, expertly hooking his claws around the tree trunk and flying through the trees silently. Lionblaze gasped as his son jumped over three foxlengths into the next tree. "Do you always hunt in the trees?" Mountainstripe gazed down at him through the trees, sunlight lightly dappling his pelt to make it look gray.
"When I'm alone," He answered quietly, his voice barely audible above the whisper of wind on leaf. Lionblaze nodded, scampering up the tree less than gracefully. He hated climbing trees. But he wanted to see his son where he was most comfortable.
Mountainstripe raised his tail over his muzzle, Lionblaze stopped in his tracks and waited for his son. The odd thing was, Lionblaze couldn't hear a bird anywhere. Mountainstripe stuck close to the tree limb, his tail quivering just ever so slightly as he peered downward into the forest. Thick leaves blocked anyone's view of the two cats hanging many fox lengths above the ground. Lionblaze kept watch on his son, his huge claws pierced the tree bark as he clung to the thinnest parts that would support him- then he jumped. Lionblaze bit his tongue to keep from launching himself to catch his young offspring. He pulled his head through the leaves and saw his son leap atop a rabbit, biting the throat as it collapsed under the weight of the much larger animal.
"Wha-who-..." Lionblaze stammered before the words could come out of his mouth,"How did you learn that?" Mountainstripe gazed into his father's eyes carefully.
"Rockfur from Skyclan taught me," Mountainstripe shrugged waddling away with the rabbit. Lionblaze skittered down the tree and followed the tom.
"Where are you going?" Lionblaze demanded. Mountainstripe turned around.
"To bury the prey?" He cocked his head. Lionblaze stepped closer eyes round.
"You just jumped from the trees to catch a rabbit! You need to teach this to Thunderclan!" Lionblaze hissed in excitement. No prey would be able to get away if they lept from the trees! Mountainstripe shrugged.
"I guess so," Mountainstripe looked at his paws again. Lionblaze narrowed his eyes.
"Is everything alright?" Lionblaze approached his son. The broad shoulders and chest were much bigger than him. He was taller than Lionblaze and more muscular but Lionblaze knew he could take him in battle, not must because he had his powers, but because his son was so timid. "You can tell me," Lionblaze murmured, studying his son.
"I don't want to be a warrior,"
"What?"
Mountainstripe looked up fiercly, claws scraping the ground as he dropped the rabbit,"I'm six moons old! I should be an apprentice right now! I should be with Firepaw and Sandpaw, with my sister. But now I'm just a warrior. Pretty soon I'll have an apprentice because Bramblestar can't wait for me to teach another cat how to be as strong as I am. But I don't know how!" Mountainstripe growled.
Lionblaze looked at him sympathetically,"Why don't you take a break for a while? Visit Leopardkit, help with the apprentices at training. I'll ask Bramblestar to lay off you for a while,"
Mountainstripe shrugged,"Okay," He padded away,"I'm going back to camp," He dragged the rabbit away carefully over the rocks. Lionblaze sighed, watching his son leave. Mountainstripe was right, he was still supposed to be an apprentice. He never had been able to play around with his friends. But he had to be loyal to his clan, no matter what he was a warrior now.
Lionblaze walked down towards the lake to sort out his thoughts. The pebbly sand under foot soothed his slightly. Wind ripped across the open area, the sun beat down on him without the protection of the thick trees. He settled down a few tail lengths from the water. It lapped gently at the shore line, rhymically sounding in his ears.
"I was looking for you,"
Lionblaze didn't turn his head towards his mate's voice. He merely flicked his tail toward where he wanted her to sit next to him. Cinderheart padded up next to him, her fur splayed against the wind. Sunlight dappled across her pelt. She stared into his eyes, then back out at the water towards Riverclan.
"Cinderheart?" Lionblaze murmured.
"Cinderpelt," The gray she-cat corrected.
Lionblaze shook his head,"Yes, Cinderpelt. Why were you looking for me?" He murmured again, closing his eyes so they were barely slits. Cinderheart looked at him sharply.
"We're mates, I thought I should," She sighed,"I saw Mountainstripe come into camp looking upset, I thought you might know something," Lionblaze nodded as he explained the situation.
"He has a right to be upset," Cinderheart mewed, Lionblaze nodded once more.
"But he has to be loyal to his clan more than anything, he's a Thunderclan warrior," Lionblaze added, Cinderheart looked at him.
"Are you saying he's got to ignore his feelings?" Cinderheart growled.
"Well it can't get in the way of helping his clan," Lionblaze explained carefully. He looked across the water again, Twolegs ran along the shoreline busily chattering and taking things out of a monster,"Look at that," He nodded towards the shore. Cinderheart looked up and started shaking her head.
"That can't be good for the move," Lionblaze commented,"They'll have to leave at night as to not attract attention from the twolegs,"
"Do you think its a sign?"
"A sign?"
Cinderheart looked at him,"From Starclan, telling the clans they shouldn't seperate?" Lionblaze narrowed his eyes.
"Jayfeather's had no signs," Lionblaze murmured thoughtfully, flicking his tail across the beach. The pair were quite for a long time.
"I can swim," Cinderheart sayed suddenly, jumping into the lake. Lionblaze got up and let a mrrrow as she splashed in the shallow waves. "Come in! Its so nice!"
"Let me think about it, getting my fur wet, possible drowning," Lionblaze joked, Cinderheart rolled her eyes. The sun shone high above the sky. A few more cats came out of the forest, probably for a sun high patrol. Bumblestripe approached them.
"Have you two seen Jayfeather?" Bumblestripe asked as CInderheart made her way out of the water and shook her fur. Water sprayed across Lionblaze's fur. Lionblaze and Cinderheart looked at each other.
"No, is he missing?" Lionblaze stepped forward, Dovepelt, Bumblestripe and Firepaw looked at each other.
"He's been gone since clan meeting," Dovepelt sighed, flickering her gaze from Cinderheart to Lionblaze.
"Can't you hear him?" Lionblaze asked, shifting his head. Dovepelt closed her eyes and twitched her ears for a few heartbeats.
She shook her head,"I can't hear anything. If he's out there, he's not doing anything,"
"Lets go look toward the Windclan border," Bumblestripe sighed. Cinderheart looked at him sharply.
"I'll join you," She said, dipping her head at Bumblestripe,"With you leading of course. This is your patrol," Bumblestripe nodded.
"I will too," Lionblaze got up, Bumblestripe shot him a look, shaking his head.
"Bramblestar wanted to see you. I think you should head back to camp," Bumblestripe explained. Lionblaze nodded, departing from the patrol and running through the forest back to camp. The sun rippled across his shoulders, dappling him to a darker ginger. His eyes glowed as he leaped over a log. He suddenly felt so powerful he could do anything. He climbed to a branch over looking the forest despite hating to climb. He didn't stop even when the tree limbs swayed under his weight. Finally, since he found his mate two moons ago with her mind in shambles, ever since he was falling apart himself, he felt free. He continued to climb until he reached the very top of the oak tree he as climbing. He looked out across the forest, he was sure he was as far up as any cat could get to at the lake. He gazed down, the thick leaf cover blocked any sight to below. Instead he gazed out, he could still see the twolegs milling about on the opposite shore, he looked away toward the Windclan border. He could see the faint dots of cats- Bumblestripe's patrol- busily hunting for any signs of his brother. He knew he should be at camp so he could hear whatever Bramblestar had to say to him. But he could be late, Bramblestar wasn't expecting him anytime soon. So he stayed there, seeing the birds flying just tail lengths from where he was perched carefully on the tree top. He knew he could catch them if he leaped, but he didn't want to risk missing a tree branch and falling down onto the forest. He felt mroe powerful than any time before. Even more powerful than when he fought Tigerstar and Hawkfrost, when he defeated so many cats in the Dark Forest he couldn't count them. He flexed his claws, grinning when he felt the deep indentations in the oak bark.Lionblaze knew he was the most powerful tom in the whole forest, he had the most charisma, leadership, the best warrior of the clans. He had won that battle with the Dark Forest, sure those the other warriors had helped, but he could've defeated the whole of the army. He kept thinking this over and over in head his head until he let out a powerful caterwaul that could be heard from here to the stone hollow.