Warrior Cats: The Four Clans

            Goldpaw shook her head side to side and glanced forward. Ahead, Ebonypaw seemed intent on leading them and not looking back. He stared directly up where the star usually was. His gaze was as icy cold as ever. The young she cat frowned and stole a glance at the others in the group. Still they were content to be talking the rest of the day away. With a grin she sped up. It was easy to catch up to Ebonypaw on the open moor they were in. They had left the forest about a day ago and now were traveling in the open.

            "Ebonypaw?" she said quietly. If the black tom had heard her, he made no attempt to show it. She came along side him and gently flicked his side with her tail. His ice blue eyes snapped to her but remained impassive. Goldpaw's knitted her brows together and made a slight frown. "You dont have to be so grumpy." She looked forward, "I just wanted to know if you are alright."

            Out of the corner of her eye she saw a look of surprise on Ebonypaw's face. "Yes I suppose," He said softly. Goldpaw was happy to hear his sweet voice talking to her instead of hissing or growling. "Well, I am alright other than that filth we have along with us now." He growled a bit and glanced forward.

            "I know Blackfox isn't exactly what I want for company either but we are sort of stuck." She mewed softly. "Eaglepaw seems to be enjoying him quite a bit."

            "He would," The black tom frowned deeply.
            "Come on Ebonypaw. Don't say that. You know Eaglepaw is just a little rebellious." Goldpaw tilted her head to the side and gazed up at the tall young tom.

            "He should follow the code more. It would serve him better than waltzing about thinking he can do whatever he wants." Ebonypaw turned cold eyes over his shoulder and fixed the three cats behind them with his stare.

            Goldpaw rolled her eyes "Dont be like that. We all know that you believe the code is the answer to everything-,"

            "Because it is." He interrupted.

            "But some cats just dont see it that way. I know Eaglepaw really does respect the warrior code but he just needs a little time to completely understand it." Goldpaw murmured thoughtfully. Yet the dark apprentice only let out a snort as his reply.

            "Hey Goldy!" called the all too familiar rugged voice of Blackfox. The golden she cat cringed and oddly enough she saw Ebonypaw's whiskers quiver in amusement. "Why are you hanging around that boring lump of fur? Come back here! Its a party back here." A rough and uneven laugh caught up to her ears, making the she cat frown.

            "I don't have any intention of walking with you." She growled back.

            "Aw, come on Goldy." The black and white warrior whined. "You are making me sad. You would think that you stopped being in love with me and started falling for hotshot there." Goldpaw's fur bristled greatly and she whipped her head around and glared at him. Her blue eyes glowered at the dark tom. Yet he merely winked at her and oddly enough made a really weird gesture. He puckered his lips and made a sort of, chu, sound. Goldpaw tilted her head to the side and furrowed her brows.

            "By the way Goldy, this is the part where you race back here and slap me across the face." He giggled loudly. Yet Goldpaw was confused by what he had done. What exactly did that gesture mean?

            "Might I ask... what exactly was that you did? If this is the part where I slap you I am assuming it wasn't a nice thing." She frowned slightly and kept a steady pace with Ebonypaw. Blackfox grinned from ear to ear as he laughed.

            "It's called a kiss." He chuckled to himself as if it were some great joke.

            "A... kiss?" Goldpaw asked with a confused expression. Blackfox turned his golden eyes to the sky for a moment as if he had to think about it.

            "Well, actually I learned it from some rogues that I met on the edge of the territory." He started. Goldpaw bristled at the thought of talking to rogues. If Blackfox was any kind of clan cat he would have chased them off the territory. "They were talking to our deputy Littlewillow." Blackfox's eyes grew dreamy as he thought about Darkclan's she cat deputy. Goldpaw sneered at him but he took no notice. "She had quite the attitude that day, so one of them did what I just did. Littlewillow was confused but just left with the rest of the patrol. I stayed behind to ask what it was he had done. He told me it was something the twolegs did to one another to show either love or just to annoy the other. But I wonder... what was the motive behind my gesture?"

            Goldpaw growled at Blackfox's meaning. He wanted to confuse her by making her think he was really in love with her, yet the young apprentice wasn't an idiot. She knew he was only doing it to get on her nerves. If the Darkclan warrior had any feelings that were even related to love he would be sweet. He would be gentle, kind, and warm. Not obnoxious, loud, callous, rude and in every aspect, horrible. Yet Blackfox's charming smile pushed to the front of her mind making her think that he just might know how to be sweet.

            As she was lost in thought she didn't notice Blackfox saunter easily to her side and walk beside her. He watched her as she was in thought and without warning he licked her jaw and with a giggle he jumped away. Goldpaw let out a screech and chased after him. The black and white warrior laughed loudly as his long strides let him easily kept a good distance from the angry young she cat. But Goldpaw wasn't about ready to let him get away without a good beating.

            Ebonypaw watched as the golden she cat disappeared in to the tall grass after Blackfox. He couldn't help the small smile that touched his lips at seeing her so flustered. He shook his head to shake away that feeling. He heard Blackfox's loud uneven laughter coming from a good distance away before it started growing closer. Ebonypaw knitted his brows as the laughter grew even closer. Out of the grass burst Blackfox. Ebonypaw gasped and right at the last second Blackfox leapt nimbly over the young tom, looking as if it was second nature.   

            From the bushes Goldpaw came crashing through. She gasped and tried to skid to a stop, but wound up blundering into Ebonypaw. They both crashed to the ground in a writhing mass of bristling fur and flailing legs. Ebonypaw growled, they finally stopped with him squashed into the ground with his face in the dirt and Goldpaw sprawled out on top of him. "Get off..." he hissed with a mouth full of dirt.

            "Well now," Came Blackfox's mocking laughter. "Haven't you two gotten closer?" Ebonypaw felt anger twist in his gut making knots of hatred. Goldpaw hastily jumped off of him with a look of shock on her face.

            "I am so sorry Ebonypaw!" She hopped to his side and sniffed him all over more than likely looking for any wounds.

            "Don't worry about me." He snorted. His ice blue eyes glared at the Darkclan warrior who still only brushed it off like he didn't care about Ebonypaw opinion. "What were you thinking, running around like that?" He hissed. "Didn't your mentor ever tell you to stay with the group?"

           "Aw, mom!" Blackfox whined like a kit, mocking Ebonypaw in every sense.

            A heavy paw crashed in to his side making him cough and sputter. Ebonypaw's ice blue eyes stared up at the vicious face of the Darkclan warrior. His blood was as cold as ice when their eyes met. The hatred in the Blackfox's eyes made Ebonypaw freeze. His breathing stilled and his body tensed getting ready for the death blow. Blackfox lowered his face slowly and deliberately. "Listen hotshot. I really don't like you and I can see you don't like me. Blackfox's usually light uneven voice now sounded as smooth as silk and full of dripping poison. The perfect dark tone he talked in only made Ebonypaw's heart rate increase. With slow and hypnotic eyes, Blackfox continued in a low and dangerous voice, "But I have to tell you one thing. If you ever try to come at me like that again, I won't hesitate. You are one hundred years to young to even think about taking me on."

            Ebonypaw hadnt talked the whole time. Instead he made the greatest effort to act as though he was traveling alone. The black tom's ice blue eyes never once turned over his shoulder to make sure his companions were keeping up. Rather he kept his ears forward and his eyes trained on where the star in the sky was supposed to be. Goldpaw heard a short sigh come from Eaglepaw. It sounded like the gray apprentice really wanted to break the horrible silence they now traveled in. Goldpaw couldn't agree more with him. Yet something held her back. She didn't want to be the first to speak and she could tell that no one else wanted to else want to either.

            The older gray apprentice sneered and hissed, "Alright, I have had it! I my eyes dont work but my ears work perfectly fine, but by the way things have been happening I would think I as born deaf as well! Can we at least talk about the weather?" Goldpaw felt a smile creep across her face and noticed out of the corner of her eye, Duskpaw snickering to herself.

A rough voice sounded from behind them, "Well then, what about this weather? It sure is splendid I would think." The Darkclan warrior didn't wait for anyone to reply, rather he just prattled on like a gossiping elder, "The clouds are just beautiful, I think that one looks a flower. What do you think Eaglepaw?" Goldpaw cast a glance behind her to see Blackfox looking to the sky and pointing with his tail knowing full well that the apprentice was as blind as a bat. Eaglepaws gray fur bristled and a sarcastic smile sat upon his lips.

Eaglepaw lifted his face to the sky as if he really could see it, "Really? I thought that one looked like your fat head." Blackfox's laughter reached Goldpaw's ears sending chills up her spine. The laugh wasnt heavy. Rather it had regained the light hearted manner it usually had. She had expected him still be concealing his true emotions like he had been for a while now. Leave it up to Eaglepaw to cheer up the dark warrior by insulting him.

"Well I see the resemblance now. Thank you for pointing it out. My, that is a handsome cloud isnt it?" Blackfox teased the apprentice back. Goldpaw honestly didnt get their sense of humor. Why was insulting one another fun? She frowned slightly and looked forward. Ebonypaw still held an easy marching pace, never looking back.

         The cold night air whispered past Goldpaw's ears as she awoke from her light sleep. The stars blazed above her head making her feel almost lonely. Was Starclan still watching over them from these strange stars? The moor land the group had been traveling in was now drawing to a close as mountains rose above the five cats. Their brown craggy peaks had made everyone in the party a little wary. Before trying to ascend the barrier of land, they had stopped for a good night's sleep. Yet the golden Fireclan apprentice couldnt find dreams. No, she sat lying on her side with her head on her paws feeling a little odd.

She expected something to happen. Almost as if something was missing. She had woken up, check, looked around, check, slapped Blackfox... not check. Goldpaw glanced around waiting for the warrior to show up and taunt her, so she could chase him around. Yet he wasn't there. He was no where to be seen. Oddly enough Goldpaws heart constricted. Where was he? Worry gripped the young she cat and she had no idea why it did.

She stood from her sleeping place and lifted her muzzle to the air. There was no wind that night, only the stifling quiet of this chocking night. A large snore made Goldpaw jump. Eaglepaw was laying with his back legs tucked beside him in an uncaring way and his front paws crossed under his chin. A troubled look crossed the gray apprentice's face for a moment. She figured that he hadnt caught the mouse he had been chasing.

She padded away from their small camp site in search of Blackfox. Yet his scent was no where to be found. Almost as if he had never been with them. Goldpaw's blue eyes searched the tall grass around her, in an almost desperate way. She kept telling herself, 'Its not that I care about him. I just dont want Eaglepaw to be upset that his jousting buddy isnt around anymore. Thats right! Thats the only reason I am looking for this self absorbed, flirtatious pain in the neck.' She nodded convinced that she had convinced herself.

The grass around her began to get thinner as she crested a small hill. Sitting in the light of the moon was a cat, one that she almost didn't recognize. His fur was bathed in silver light, making him look more ghostly and forlorn than anything she had ever seen. Yet even with the silver washed fur, she saw an odd tuft of hair sticking up on his head. There was only one cat in the whole world that had a cowlick like that.

Blackfox stared up at the moon, as if he was searching for some answer from Starclan. Like he was waiting for a starry warrior to come and confront him. His golden eyes illuminated in the soft glow of the moon above. They were pained so greatly, as if he had committed the greatest of sins and now had to bear the weight alone. Goldpaw felt her chest constrict with emotion. She couldn't help that her paws glided forward toward him. She wanted to sooth that deep stinging pain.

The black and white tom's ears pricked. He whipped around and faced the Fireclan apprentice. Yet as their eyes met, Blackfox's eyes grew afraid. Despite the fear a burning passion crossed his face, a warm mask of love over took him. Goldpaw had never thought she would see such a deep emotion cross the toms face. His eyes looked like they wanted to tear up. Like he had seen the starry warrior he was waiting for. Hauntingly, he stood. His usual uncaring steps were placed down ever so delicately, almost like if he made any noise, the spirit he saw would disappear.

His approach made her tense and her eyes grew afraid. Blackfox stopped. His eyes that had looked hypnotic and warm, grew wide. The spirit he had seen must have disappeared. Now he saw the cat that was in front of him. A look of complete devastation crossed his eyes before he took hesitant steps backwards. Goldpaw whirled around. She had caused that look of grief and devastation and she knew it. What ever had been troubling the dark warrior, it would have been better if it had troubled him alone. She would not have caused such a painful look to come across his face. Goldpaw raced back the way she came. Unsure of why she cared so much. Nothing made sense now.