night must end [closed]

As the moon tucked itself beneath the horizon, heralding the end of another tense night, Emberleap hovered near the camp’s thorny exit. Cats weren’t supposed to leave by themselves. If Flintstar hadn’t already made that clear, the past moon’s numerous vigils would have. Yet every time Emberleap weighed his options, he wondered. ShadowClan needed prey, but more than that, they needed herbs. Though he was no Clan-trained medicine cat, Iniko’s lessons had stuck with him; as long as he took precautions, stayed close to home, kept his trips brief, he could do this one tiny thing for the cats who’d taken care of him. And if something did happen, well… Better him than Basilpaw.

This last thought lingered in Emberleap’s ears. He stopped pacing long enough to press his paws into the earth and cast a furtive glance over his shoulder at ShadowClan’s camp. Things were winding down, warriors and apprentices settling into their dens. Hopefully he wouldn’t get in trouble for this. The mottled tom took a deep breath, then swept through the thorn tunnel. On the other side, he shook out his thin pelt. No one had followed him so far… Maybe this would be okay.

rogue rollin'

The member 'rhindon' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 4

Yellow eyes observed the camp as clanmates started to relax, which was what Loudpaw was doing. The tabby purred, content with the calm atmosphere. Rolling on his back, he watched as the stars disappeared one by one from the violet sky. He rested his eyelids for a moment, taking a deep breath. After a few moments of peace he opened his eyes again. Who is that? The tabby spotted a shadow pacing near the entrance to camp. What are they doing? Are they waiting for someone? Loudpaw rolled back over onto his stomach, getting dizzy for just a second before catching the mysterious cat slip through the thorn tunnel. The apprentice knew they were not supposed to go outside alone in camp without a partner, there had been too many cats killed because of rouges. He hastily stood up, hurrying after the cat. He was both curious and concerned, was he looking for someone? Why was he going alone? Loudpaw went through the thorn tunnel. Exiting to the other side, he spotted ahead of him a cream cat with mottled points of sorts. "Hey! Uh, where are you going?" he called out curiously, running up to his side, "Can I come? What is your name? What are you looking for?"

No sooner had he thought that than something came thundering through the mud toward him. Emberleap froze. For a heartbeat, he could only see Flintstar; then the panic cleared enough for him to realize the cat alongside him was neither Flintstar-sized nor Flintstar-shaped. “Loud…paw?” he managed, wilting. His friends’ kits were all apprentices now, weren’t they? Fortunately, Loudpaw sounded more curious than accusatory, and Emberleap found himself relaxing as he fielded the younger tom’s questions. “I was going to look for herbs—for Basilpaw, you know? My…” How was he supposed to explain Iniko? Eventually, he settled on something that wasn’t quite a lie: “My first mentor taught me some things about them, and I figured, well, any little bit helps.” He flicked an ear. “And my name’s Emberleap. It’s nice to…officially meet you?”

Of course, that wasn’t all. Emberleap tilted his head, one paw tapping against the muck. By taking Loudpaw along, he wouldn’t be breaking Flintstar’s rule anymore—and patrolling was always better with others, with or without the rogues looming over ShadowClan’s heads. It didn’t even have the usual downside: talking too loudly wouldn’t scare off the herbs. “Sure, you can come along. There’s just one thing—could you, uh, not tell your parents you saw me leaving? Or Flintstar? I don’t want them to—” A frown passed across his muzzle, and he sighed. “I know we’re not supposed to go out alone, but…this is important.”

Loudpaw gave Emberleap a suspicious glance, the rule was there for a reason. And the apprentice didn't like the idea of keeping stuff from his parents and mentor, two of them also happening to be the deputy and leader. Especially when it was specifically requested that he not tell anyone. It felt... Wrong. Yet in the back of his mind he knew he wasn't going to refuse, his expression softening. "Okay, I trust you, I will not tell anyone. As long as you do not do anything like... Bad, or against the code next time you sneak out, alright? And- and stay safe," he meowed with a flick of his tail, "It is nice to meet you too, Emberleap. And you are right, about getting herbs. I want to help Basilpaw in any way I can, she deserves it. So let us get to it." He couldn't train his sister, but he was determined to find other ways to help. He just hoped she would be able to find a new mentor soon, so she wouldn't be as stressed.