Ravenpaw's farewell

They fell asleep in the long grass beside the waterfall to the rhythm of the running water, and woke up again with the first rays of sunlight filtering through the trees.Barry catches a squirrel, and to Ravenpaw's relief, Bella eats as well as her brother.

The creek around them became narrower and shallower until it was a creek between the sandy banks that the cats could almost wade through.They walked in a single file along the river, Ravenpaw and Barry at the head and tail.Riley and Bella kept chattering about who was the first to spot the fish under the shiny creek.Ravenpaw half-listened; he knew they had reached the end of the creek, which meant they could cross SkyClan's border at any moment.

"I feel like a fox on fire!" Barry gasped. "Shall we find a shady retreat?"

Ravenpaw narrowed his eyes.There seemed to be nothing but sand ahead of them, though there were some trees at the top of the bank, but he doubted they would be able to climb such a steep incline.Riley pushed past him.

"I'll go and see first!" The tom trotted along the creek to the gorse bushes.He stopped to question them, then disappeared from sight.Riley was standing triumphantly in a small cave sheltered by gorse when they caught up to him.It was very comfortable but narrow, just big enough for four cats to lie down on.

"I'm hungry." Bella meowed.

"Let's rest for a while, and then go hunting." Ravenpaw promised.His feet ached from the scorching sand.When the other cats settled down, he closed his eyes.

His nose was suddenly filled with a very familiar smell.He heard faint whispers, not from his companion but from two other cats.It had been a long time since these voices had been heard, and Ravenpaw's heart was beating fast.Although he didn't know what they were talking about, he could tell it was Spark and Sandstorm.He could feel it right next to him, worried and excited.Here too they had rested, and they knew their journey was drawing to a close.

I did it!Ravenpaw thought.I followed in their footsteps to the Celestial Clan!

He opened his eyes and saw Bella standing at the door, looking out at these things.

"I seem to hear something!" she meowed.

"Another cat!"

Ravenpaw took a deep breath. "We are already very close to the border of the Celestial Clan." He meowed.Three pairs of eyes stared at him in the dim light. "We should not have crossed the border, but we have to be careful. No ethnic group welcomes crossers."

Riley licked his chest. "What if they don't like us?" he murmured.

"What if they think we're just silly pet cats?" Bella added.

Barry put his tail on her flank: "If they don't welcome you, we'll take you home. We won't abandon you, I swear."

Ravenpaw met his friend's gaze and nodded.

They crawled out of the cave and walked quietly by the stream.There wasn't the cat Bella was talking about, but Ravenpaw opened his mouth and tasted the air.The canyon was wide open, and the banks descended until they passed through the woods beside the creek.Barry caught a baby rabbit and they ate fast, with the older cats on the lookout for signs of the pack.

The sky was full of white clouds, and dusk came early.Ravenpaw decided to spend the night here before leaving for SkyClan tomorrow morning.Barry found a meal of dry leaves and made a clean enough nest.Riley and Bella crouched quietly inside; they were much better than ever, as if they knew the real adventure was just beginning.Ravenpaw asked Barry to stay here while he scouted some nearby terrain.

"We don't want SkyClan to find us sleeping outside of a rat on their border!" he pointed out, and Barry nodded.

Ravenpaw left the creek and walked through the woods, pausing with each step to smell the bushes and the air.The cat smell is strong here, but he can't find any boundary markers.There's also a lot of pet cat smells, sometimes almost overshadowed by stray cats.Ravenpaw wasn't surprised by the mix, knowing that some warriors of SkyClan only spent part of their time with the Clan.

He went back to the hazel bushes and lay down.Barry fell asleep after a while, still nodding off, but Bella and Riley were still awake.

"We're not sleepy at all!" Bella whispered.

"Tell us some warrior code!" Riley begged.

Ravenpaw sighed: "Okay, but sleep after listening. Who remembers the last time we discussed the rules?"

"Die for a Clan any time," Riley began. "You can't be friends with cats from other Clans."

"You can't cross the border of other tribes." Bella meowed.She tilted her head to one side: "But if SkyClan is the only Clan, it doesn't matter, does it?"

Ravenpaw flicked his ears. "Maybe there are lone travelers here who don't welcome tourists. Go ahead."

"The elders and cubs eat first." Riley meowed. "All killing is for the sole purpose of eating."

"That's two rules!" Bella argued.

"You're all doing well," Ravenpaw told them. "Well, here are some more." He seemed to have returned to the training ground, listening to Bai Feng's earnest teaching to every new apprentice.The kind and patient Whitewind, he did a lot to make Ravenpaw's apprenticeship easier.

"A new warrior has to keep vigil for the clan. A warrior must have known at least one apprentice before he can become the deputy head." Ravenpaw paused, racking his brains to recall: "When the leader dies, the deputy leader inherits his position."

He stopped.Riley and Bella became very quiet, their flanks rising and falling in order.They are already asleep.Ravenpaw crouched down, resting his chin in the hair on Barry's stomach.Riley and Bella have struggled a lot to adjust to samurai life; he hopes SkyClan will give them a chance to make it happen.

"Oh, what did we find here? Four little samurai lost in the woods?"

Ravenpaw was awakened by the screeching sound and hot breath.A heartbeat later, he stood up, growling.Five cats surrounded them, squinting their eyes and drooping their ears.These are not samurai; they reek of pet cats, disgusting and malicious.Their hair is smooth and well-groomed, and they look round and well-fed, but their muscles are covered with fat.But their eyes were full of greed, and it was clear that the first cat was defiant.

"Tongue tied?" he sneered.He is a deep black tabby, almost completely black, but with piercing green eyes.

"I really didn't know patrols would be allowed to sleep."

Ravenpaw heard the other cats moving around him: "Stay away," he growled. "We're not here to make trouble." He was pretty sure the cats weren't SkyClan cats.They were very contemptuous of the patrol.He took a step forward, bristling the hairs on his spine.

"I'm so scared," panted the tabby cat, pretending to take a few steps back.Then he stepped forward again: "Just kidding. I don't like the way you look. You don't smell like those SkyClan fools, but you're more skinny than wild cats. Go back to your place and cool off!"

"Try it," Barry said in a low voice, walking up to Ravenpaw.

For a moment, the tabby looked hesitant.Barry was tall and strong with broad shoulders, and his voice was menacing.

"You heard what Pasha said," said another pet cat.Her fur is orange and white: "Come on." The other three cats stepped forward and pressed against their nest.

Bella got between them: "You heard what we said. It is impossible to drive us away! We are warriors, and we know how to fight!"

"Samurai?" Pasha spat, "Ha, they can't scare me." He twitched his ears at Ravenpaw, "Go, squirrelhead."

Thunderbolt!

Like lightning, Ravenpaw reached his ear with its front paws.The pet cat let out a cry of surprise.

"You asked for it!" he hissed.He lunged at Ravenpaw, his thick tail outstretched.

One of his companions, a silver-and-black she-cat, interrupted them: "It's boring, Pasha. And it's too cold. Can't we run down the canyon like we did last night? It's much more fun." .”

"These weasels are not worth fighting," the orange-and-white she-cat agreed.

The pasha glared at Ravenpaw. "You'll regret it if I see you again," he growled.Then he turned and jumped into the woods.

"Come on! Let's surprise SkyClan again!" Ravenpaw watched them as if in the shadows.His heart was beating fast and his front paws were still throbbing.

"They're not very friendly!" Bella exclaimed.

"Sounds like they're treating SkyClan the same way," Barry commented.He arched his eyebrows at Ravenpaw, "Do you think they're going to invade the camp?"

Ravenpaw shrugged. "I think they're more bragging than action." He meowed. "Or they'd chop us up while we were sleeping. But I don't think they'll bother us tonight. They The Twolegs want them home by dawn." He lay down and licked the sore soles of his feet.The other cats also lay down.

"I'll make sure they don't come again," Barry whispered to Ravenpaw.

Ravenpaw nodded his thanks.They must be very close to the SkyClan border, as the cats said.Bella and Riley will be able to see their new home for the first time tomorrow.

If the Celestial Clan accepts them.