Chapter 8

Flowerpaw could scent blood and flesh weaving through the air. She wondered if it had been her own. Flowerpaw curiously looked side to side, making sure no predators had attacked her. She then could see a dark figure halting beside her. Before she had any time to call to her brother, she felt the sharp teeth of the gray-striped she-cat dug into her pelt. And with a fright, she woke up.



Flowerpaw saw Stonepaw and Snowpaw eating together a few tail-lengths away from her. Ever since he met that pest, he hasn't paid any attention to me!



Two nights had passed since Crowpelt's absurd actions, and Flamefur has recovered. Flowerpaw didn't pay notice to that, all she was thinking about was her nightmares that never seem to vanish. Who is the gray she-cat who keeps attacking her in her dreams? She's had several guesses that it's Snowpaw's mentor, Dustcloud, but whenever Flowerpaw saw her, she looked harmless. Flowerpaw shook the thought away after she had seen Silverheart speaking with Thunderclaw. Are they talking about Stonepaw and I? Flowerpaw wondered.



When Silverheart saw Flowerpaw approaching, she gave a look of dread and said her goodbyes to Thunderclaw. Did Silverheart not like her? Once she reached her, Silverheart began, "I was thinking I could show you some hunting skills."



Flowerpaw nodded, "That would be great."



"Okay, follow me," Silverheart meowed.



They had reached some grassy fields, where rabbits and mice were plentiful. Flowerpaw did well on her first few tries, grateful to the quests with her brother that had showed her in the first place.



"You did a fine job, let's take these back to camp," Silverheart mewed.



Flowerpaw took as many mice as she could in her mouth and carried them back to camp, and when she had dropped her fresh-kill back in the pile, she heard Stonepaw calling after her.



"Hi, Stonepaw," Flowerpaw meowed, feeling a little angry that they havn't talked for two days because of Snowpaw.



"Hey, do you want to eat with me?" Stonepaw asked.



"Sure, I've kind of missed talking with you," Flowerpaw said, wishing she hadn't because she thought she sounded too desperate.



Stonepaw nodded, half-not paying attention, half-thinking.



Flowerpaw noticed his unease, "Everything okay?"



"Y-Yea, I just have this... weird feeling," Stonepaw embarrisingly said.



Flowerpaw licked his ear, "Why don't you see Leafwind."



"No, not that kind of feeling. I mean, I feel... fine. It's just," he stopped, thinking how he should finish, "I think she likes me."



Flowerpaw didn't need to ask who he meant, she already knew. A dark flame grew in her, and she had wished Snowpaw had never met her brother. She tried to keep calm, for her brother's sake, "She probably does," she didn't know if she should ask him, but she did, "Do you feel the same way?"



Stonepaw looked at her, nearly insane. "I think I do."



Flowerpaw didn't want to hear anymore. Snowpaw is taking Stonepaw away from her, and he needed him back. "That's great, I'm going to go eat with someone else, bye."



"But I thought we were-" Stonepaw realized for the first time that Flowerpaw didn't approve of his mini romance. He regretted telling her what he felt, but he couldn't take it back.