Warriors: Culprit

CHAPTER ONE

Rosepaw skittered through the forest, her bushy tail swinging. She'd strayed farther from camp than usual, but she knew she had a good reason. 'They always get mad at us for going too close to the MoonClan border, but I know that's always where the best mice are.'

Soon, the she-cat reached a thorn bush lodged between a cliff and a gigantic oak tree. "Here we go, the border. Now where are those mice..."

She heard pawsteps, and looked up to see a cat on top of the steep rock, scanning the area below him.

Rosepaw's ears perked up and she dove into a nearby berry bush to watch him. Just as she hoped the tom hadn't noticed her scent, she saw him narrow his eyes at her hiding spot and jump down from the rock. "I know you are there," he said.

"H-hello?" She mewed nervously, slowly stepping out from the bush.

"What," the stranger paused before finishing, "...are you doing here?"

Rosepaw gazed at the cat above her. "Hi! I'm uhh... hunting! I should ask you what your business is in our territory!"

"Just taking one of my walks. Not that it interests you, anyway." The tom huffed nonchalantly, "I didn't expect to see one of your lot... by themselves?"

Shrugging, Rosepaw meowed, "Do you live in SunClan territory? I've never seen you around here before." She tried to change the subject.

"My den is at the edge of your clan's territory, my dear," he said, "There is a difference." He leapt down from his cliff and began to circle Rosepaw, examining her carefully, his brown fur now half-lit by the shards of sunlight shining through the thick leaves, "Although out of all the warriors I've seen around, I don't think I've seen you."

Rosepaw gulped, suspicious of this stranger. "Well, my name is Rosepaw!" she dipped her head, trying not to give the potentially dangerous tom an attitude.

"I am Ashenflame." He flicked his tail before jumping onto a tree branch and curling up, closing his eyes, ready to sleep.

"Umm... that's a nice name! It's so nice out today, isn't it?" Rosepaw leaped onto the tree beside Ashenflame. He opened one of his eyes, half-wondering why the young she-cat hadn't left yet. "Well, if you say so." He shuffled away from her to the base of the branch and settled again.

"I-is something wrong?" Rosepaw asked.

"Haven't you been taught by your parents not to get too close to strangers when you were a kit?" Ashenflame snapped, bringing a deep flush to Rosepaw's ears and face. "S-sorry..." she mewed sheepishly, then shook her head, "A-and no, I never had any."

"What?"

"Parents, I mean. I never met them, they apparently died when I was a kit."

Ashenflame pushed away a stab of sympathy for Rosepaw, then shifted a little. "You should get going, the sun is setting, and nights in Sunclan... are ironically cold. This isn't a very great time for hunting, to say the least."

"Oh..." Rosepaw sighed. Sunstar, her Clan's leader, expected her to at the very least be back with fresh-kill, but instead she got distracted by some rogue! "U-um... c-cold... That's true... but I'm actually trying to find food for--"

"I can help you."

"Really?" Rosepaw gasped, "This is great! L-let's go!" She immediately jumped off of the branch, looking up at Ashenflame expectantly.

The rogue sighed, regretting his offer, but honored it and leapt down after the apprentice. It was very wrong of her to trust him, but he wanted to see how far she'd go, and then teach her a lesson.