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CHAPTER TWO
" Hear The Whispers In The Dark "

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"Gatorpaw, it's time to get up," the typically grumpy voice of Slateclaw called in through the apprentice den's entrance.

The young tom blinked open his eyes, taking in the soft dawn rays that filtered through the leaves of the apprentice's den. His gaze strayed towards Squirrelpaw and Bearpaw's nests, which were empty. They must have left with the dawn patrol.

"I'm not wasting daylight waiting for you to get out of your nest," Slateclaw meowed, rather impatiently.

With a renewed urgency, Gatorpaw pushed himself to his paws. He still felt groggy, the grips of sleep still firmly wrapped around his sight. He stumbled a bit as he made his way out of the den. "I'm awake," he mumbled.

Slateclaw fixed him with a serious stare before he continued. "I want you to go and clean Blightstar's nest in his den. Once you've finished, we will resume our hunting patrol from yesterday.

Cleaning nests may usually be a dreaded apprentice task, but Gatorpaw didn't mind. I guess Blightstar gets so busy that he doesn't have time to change his old bedding. "Should I go now?" Gatorpaw asked. He would hate to intrude on Blightstar when he was relaxing in his den.

"Yes, he's gone to have a chat with Geckoflight. So he should be gone long enough for you to change out all the bedding with fresher moss and bracken. I believe you can find the bracken in a pile outside Geckoflight's den," Slateclaw explained.

Without another word, Gatorpaw made his way towards Blightstar's den. The grassy camp clearing looked practically deserted. Thickly interwoven vines spanned across the entirety of the camp wall, casting the open clearing in shadow. Even the spindly trees helped to strengthen the darkness over the MarshClan camp.

In only a few short strides, Gatorpaw was approaching Blightstar's den. It was a massive, hollow tree with a ragged hole at its base. The opening appeared as a yawning black maw, strangely intimidating.

"Hello?" he called inside. But there was no reply. Slateclaw said he left to have a talk with Geckoflight in the medicine den, he reminded himself. He knew there was no reason he should be nervous to enter.

After a long breath, Gatorpaw slid into the shadows of the den. It only took a few heartbeats for his eyes to adjust to the gloom. On one side of the vacant space sat Blightstar's scruffy nest, while the rest of the den was quite spacious.

Gatorpaw took a few short steps across the den, inhaling the musky scents of wet earth and dampened bark. His gaze shifted towards the back wall, which was completely riddled with claw marks. Other than the absence of any sort of light, the den seemed cozy.

He started to pull the dirty bedding into a pile, making sure not to leave any sharp bits behind. As he scraped away, he noticed that the bracken lining had torn. I'll have to get some more, he reminded himself.

As soon as Gatorpaw had bundled together all the soiled moss and bracken, he picked it up in his jaws and trotted out of the den. He headed straight for the camp entrance and left his burden right on the other side of the leaf-covered tunnel.

Instead of going back to Blightstar's den, Gatorpaw turned and bounded over to the entrance of Geckoflight's cavernous rock. He could already see the bracken pile that Slateclaw had mentioned to him before he had started his task.

His whiskers twitched as he bent down, ready to grasp a mouthful of the brittle stalks. But the sound of Blightstar's raised voice caught his attention. He pricked his ears, trying to hear what he was saying through the lichen draping over the medicine den's entrance.

"How do I warn the Clan when you aren't even sure what we are facing? If StarClan is trying to warn us about a gruesome fate, there must be something we can do to prevent it!" Gatorpaw didn't think he had ever heard Blightstar so frustrated.

"Perhaps it's best to not say anything to the Clan just yet," Geckoflight's calm voice replied, "StarClan will reveal our answers in time. Just remember their message. On the night when stars fall, chaos will reign supreme. The forest will bend beneath its power, and the darkness and Clans will blend as one"

A shiver crept down Gatorpaw's spine. I don't think I was supposed to hear that, he thought as he took a sudden step back. His heart slammed uncomfortably in his chest. With a twitch of his tail, he bent down to grab the bracken and sped back over to Blightstar's den.

He could swear that his pulse rung in his ears. What could they possibly have been talking about, he thought with another tremor of foreboding. Gatorpaw was just pushing the bracken together to form Blightstar's nest when his leader shoved his way through the shielded entrance into the den.

"I didn't think you'd still be here," Blightstar admitted with a grunt, "I thought Slateclaw was taking you back out to hunt?"

Gatorpaw could see his leader's fur was spiked with fear, and his eyes were wide and anxious. "I just got here," he countered. At least that's not completely a lie.

Blightstar's crimson-colored irises bore into Gatorpaw for several long moments. He could feel the fur rising along his spine as he waited for his leader's response. He seemed to be stricken with panic, suddenly too overcome to speak.

"Gatorpaw, are you finished? It's time we were going," Slateclaw's impatient call drifted into the den.

The apprentice continued to look up into his leader's frozen expression. But finally, he appeared to have shaken his fright enough to speak. "Go, now," he growled, "and don't come back to camp unless you've caught something to help feed the Clan."

Blightstar's remark felt like unsheathed claws across his muzzle. "Yes, Blightstar," he whispered before he ducked his head and dashed past on his way out into the camp.

As he emerged, Slateclaw gave a short, satisfied nod. Without a single word shared between them, they both made their way to the camp entrance and out into the marshlands.

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Gatorpaw's muscles burned like fire as he and Slateclaw trudged through the thick mud. His fur was clumped with dirt and brambles, and his muzzle was covered in scratches from a frantic dive into a thorn bush only minutes earlier.

But he couldn't suppress a hearty purr, his jaws clamped around a plump squirrel. Slateclaw was only a few paces behind him, laden with his prey. The silver-furred warrior beamed with pleasure while they trekked back to camp. Behind them, the sun was beginning to set behind the forest's canopy.

"You've done well today," he mumbled around the soft fur of his fresh-kill, "Blightstar will appreciate the extra prey."

At the mention of their leader, Gatorpaw felt his chest grow heavy like it was suddenly full of river pebbles. I hope he will be happy with this squirrel, he thought. But his anxiety only deepened as he and Slateclaw pushed their way into the camp.

The Clan was bustling with activity as they appeared. Pythonshade and Harewhisker were sitting close together near the camp wall, watching Squirrelpaw and Bearpaw as they prepared to spar. Flamewish and Sunsplash, the orange pelted sisters, were sorting through the fresh-kill pile. Beside them, the elders Wavedancer and Foxstep were waiting to be handed their evening meals.

"Take your squirrel to the fresh-kill pile. You are welcome to relax for the rest of the evening," Slateclaw meowed as he padded past Gatorpaw towards Blightstar's den. I wonder why he's going to see Blightstar, he thought.

As Gatorpaw approached, Flamewish turned her rusty yellow gaze towards him. "Did you catch that?" she purred, "it looks delicious." At the sound of her delighted tone, Gatorpaw felt his anxiety ease.

Wavedancer also shifted to look at him as he neared. "That looks like the perfect piece of prey for me, Foxstep, and Sagefrost to share," she meowed, her voice soft and crackly.

He set down the squirrel at the elder's paws. "Go ahead and have it," he mewed, "it's still nice and warm." The tangy taste of the prey's blood still lingered in his mouth. But he knew the elders would appreciate the squirrel a lot more than any of the other cats in the Clan.

Wavedancer lowered her head to give him a quick nuzzle in his cheek fur before she picked up the fresh kill in her jaws. He watched her for a short moment, noticing how skinny and frail she looked. Her bones pressed against her dull, gray fur.

Foxstep hung a few paces behind, like a russet shadow behind his den mate. He hadn't uttered a single word, his green eyes narrowed as Wavedancer thanked Gatorpaw for the prey. But after a hastily muttered farewell, the two older cats were taking their meal back over to the elder's den.

"Thank goodness you came," Flamewish chirped, "I was afraid it would take them a while to find something suitable to take back to their den." Beside her, Sunsplash was pulling a small robin from the pile.

Gatorpaw's attention shifted to the older warrior. "Has everyone else gotten a chance to find something to eat?" he asked.

Flamewish glanced around the camp, taking in all the cats who had settled down with their prey. "I believe so," she replied after several moments, "find yourself something tasty. You deserve it."

Gatorpaw couldn't help but feel warmed by her praise. A soft purr vibrated in his chest. "Thank you," he murmured. He peered down at the fresh-kill pile, his gaze immediately fixed onto a pair of mice near the edge.

Without a moment to spare, he bent down and grasped them both between his teeth. "See ya later," he mumbled to Flamewish. The orange-furred she-cat gave him a farewell mew as he turned and carried his meal across camp.

Almost instantly, he heard the familiar, gentle voice of his mother, Violetflower. "Gatorpaw, come join us," she called. His gaze focused on her silver pelted frame, noticing that she and Burrpelt, his father, were sharing a sparrow near the camp wall. Burrpelt's dusky brown fur practically blended with the brambles that formed the camp wall. With a delighted flick of his tail tip, he made his way towards them.

"I saw that squirrel you carried into camp," Burrpelt meowed as he approached, "it looks like it was an excellent catch."

Gatorpaw felt his fur grow hot as his father praised him. "It was nothing, really," he murmured as he settled down beside Violetflower and began to tuck into the first of his two mice. If it had been an excellent catch, I wouldn't have wound up with a muzzle full of bristles, he thought self consciously.

"I'm sure Slateclaw was pleased. Blightstar has been rather rough on him lately, concerning your training," Violetflower mewed as she curled her tail around to brush against Gatorpaw's flank.

I didn't know Blightstar was treating Slateclaw unfairly because of me, he thought in surprise. Slateclaw was the Clan's most senior warrior, deserving of at least some form of respect from their leader. "He seemed happy," Gatorpaw replied, his voice muffled as he chewed his prey.

At the thought of his mentor, he looked up from his fresh-kill towards Blightstar's den. Slateclaw was sharing the prey he caught with their leader and the deputy, Fangtooth. Their similar gray pelts resembled a cluster of storm clouds on a dark horizon.

As he watched, Blightstar suddenly lifted his head and locked gazes with him. His expression was bleak, his eyes betraying the feeling of dread within him. Gatorpaw felt as though a fire had begun to flicker in his belly. He could not tear his stare away from Blightstar's.

As if called by an unheard voice, Gatorpaw's mind was filled with the sinister words that he had overheard Geckoflight mention that morning. On the night when stars fall, chaos will reign supreme. The forest will bend beneath its power, and the darkness and Clans will blend as one. At the mere thought, a shiver crept down his spine.

"Gatorpaw, are you alright?" Violetflower meowed as she reached her paw out to touch against his shoulder. He flinched, breaking his gaze with Blightstar. He looked over at his mother, his eyes wide.

"He must just be tired after his long day," Burrpelt chimed, "why don't you go and head to your nest. You deserve to rest."

Gatorpaw didn't try to argue. He would much rather go to his nest instead of trying to explain to his parents what he had heard Geckoflight and Blightstar talking about earlier in the day. "He's right, I'm just tired," Gatorpaw insisted, "you can have my other mouse. I'll see you both in the morning."

He could tell Violetflower didn't quite believe him. Her azure-colored irises bore into him as he stood and scampered over to the apprentice's den. Once inside, he flopped over into his nest with a gusty sigh.

He wasn't sure how long he lay there until the other apprentices started to push their way into the den. He kept his eyes shut tight, hoping that no one would bother him. Thankfully, they all returned to their nests without a single word spoken between them. In a matter of minutes, their breathing deepened with the presence of sleep.

But Gatorpaw wasn't so lucky. Behind his closed eyelids, all he could see was a shadowy figure towering over him. Eventually, he gave up his hope of finding sleep and lay awake, his breath coming in shallow gasps as he felt a dark presence settling over him.