The Rogue Traitor #2 - Chosen Outcast

Dawn's brain was buzzing, and all the distracting noises of the farm were not helping. She kept repeating Dewpaw's words over and over again, "We want you back... we need you back." The apprentice wanted to go back to her Clan so much, she really did, but she didn't want to put them back. From the older tom's stories of what had happened in the Clan after she had left, she knew that her Clanmates desperately needed her back, even though it wasn't exactly clear why.

"Maybe you should go back," one side of her brain sighed.

"But you going back will just lead to more murder!" the other side of her brain argued.

"Your Clan needs you back, though."

"You are a danger to them."

"You want to go back."

"But Maplestar will just come back!"

Dawn growled and heaved herself to her paws, walking down the path that Dewpaw had made in the long grass. The sun was high in the sky by now, and the heat of the day was beginning to increase but it wasn't enough to exhaust the apprentice as she journeyed back to the barn. None of the farm cats did much that day, but Dawn didn't mind it, it gave her more time to think about what she should so about her position in SpringClan.

By the time sunset came around, the former apprentice was no closer to making a decision and when she curled up in her nest that night, she was just as troubled as she had been when she had woken up that morning.

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Dawn woke in the middle of the SpringClan camp, and she jumped up, startled at how she had ended up here right in the middle of the night. As she looked around, there was no one around, not a single cat. It looked about midday, the sun dappling the camp floor and birds twittering in the trees.

"Hello?" she called out, but no one replied. Someone had to be here, there was no way that the whole Clan would be away from camp. The apprentice walked over to the nursery and stuck her head through the ivy dangling at the entry. It took her eyes a little bit to adjust, but there was no one in the den. When Dawn stuck her head into the other dens, they were all empty, which was strange and slightly worrying. Had Maplestar attacked again? She sniffed the air, but there was not scent of the large ginger tom or his 'Pack' of rogues.

"Hello?" she called out again, but there was still no answer. Dawn took a step towards the camp exit before a bright flash of light burned through the camp. The apprentice crouched down on the floor and waited for it to pass, before opening her eyes, and finding that the camp was more alive than ever before.

Her Clanmates were everywhere. Whiskerstar was standing proudly on the Highrock, chin raised and blue eyes sparkling, no sign of his evil side that Dewpaw had described. Stagleap was standing at the leader's shoulder, looking down at Firekit and Mistykit as they play-fought on the camp floor. Silversong and Lilysong were chatting to each other outside the nursery, watching the two kits fondly. Cloudspot called out to the two kits from where he was sitting with Petalsplash and chucked them a ball of moss. The two kits squealed in delight and started attacking the big ferocious moss ball, knocking it around camp and into the medicine cat den. Flowerstem emerged with the moss ball in her mouth, Icekit at her shoulder, and dropped the toy back to the little kits. She looked down at Icekit and nudged him towards his littermates. The little white kit hesitated before walking unconfidently towards the two other kits, joining in their game.

Dawn looked away from the kits and saw Moonflower, Stormwind, Stripecloud and Grassbreeze walking into camp, mice, rabbits, and sparrows in their mouths. Stagleap bounded down from the Highrock, nuzzled his mate and they padded off to a shady part of camp.

"This is why I love my Clan," the former apprentice realized, "all of these memories... there is no way I could leave them... I have to go back."

Almost just as she had that thought, she woke up, startled for some reason, like the dream had only appeared to convince her to go back to her Clan. StarClan...

"Birdpaw?" asked a sleepy voice, and the former apprentice looked over her shoulder to see Dewpaw looking up from where he had been sleeping, "Are you okay?"

"I am fine," the she-cat whispered back, "get some sleep, we have a big journey in the morning."

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Sorry everyone for taking so long to update, school has been very busy and I am trying to find the inspiration to write. The next chapter might be a little while as well, sorry, but please do keep reading because there is some exciting stuff coming up!

- SkyandStarlight