After the Gathering in Slateclan...

Quartzpelt walked back into camp, silently remembering his awkward conversation with the beautiful she-cat he had met that night; Fernfang. 'I wish I could sneak out to see her.' Quartzpelt thought wistfully. "Why do you look so starry eyed dude?" Amberheart asked causally walking over to his friend. "Oh! Nothing. Just..." He trailed off, not knowing weather or not to tell his friend about his forming crush. "I was just thinking about tonight when I talked to those she-cats. Did I embarrass myself pretty bad?" He looked at his friend, watching him try to hide a tiny smile. "It wasn't as bad as it could be." Amberheart responded, keeping a straight face. "Be honest." Quartspelt said firmly, looking his friend in the eye. "Ugh, fine. It was pretty bad...putting it mildly." He said calmly. "I didn't mean your actual thoughts on it! Sheesh." Quartzpelt sadly looked at his feet rather then his best friends eyes. He walked to the Warriors den, to sulk and figure out what to do with his life. "Quartspelt, wait! No! Please don't be sad. I don't want to be the reason you are pouting in a corner. Can we just chat?" He waited for a response. "I wish we could, but I can't share this with anyone else. If I ever get in trouble I don't want my friends to get dragged down with me." Quartzpelt whispered on his way past the entrance and into the Warriors den, still not answering his friend.

Snakefang walked to the opening of the camp, looking for his leader with pure fresh hatred in his burning yellow eyes. 'Where is that fox hearted piece of fresh badger dung? I need to have a talk with our so-called-powerful leader, if you could call that scrap of fur a leader in any form.' He started brewing in the corner of the entrance to camp, waiting for his leader to enter. He watched Quartzpelt and another tom start talking so he hid behind a curtain of grass and started eavesdropping wanting to know what they were doing. He heard something about Quartzpelt talking with some other she-cat from another clan. He tucked himself silently into the grassy corner of the entrance as Quartzpelt walked past. He listened intently to Quartzpelt whispering something to himself. 'Hmm...sounds like Quartzpelt is talking to a cat outside of our clan. And a she-cat no less. Maybe that means he will sneak out soon to see her again. And if he does, then that will make my plan only easier from here on out...' His thoughts faded away when Petalstar entered the clearing.

 He finally saw his leader next to the deputy, Scarletrose. "Hey Petalstar," Snakefang said, keeping the anger out of his voice. "Hello Snakefang. Did you keep the camp safe while we were away, or did you let a fox in? Ha! I'm just kidding." the leader joked. Snakefang fake chuckled at her remark, then got right to business. "May I have a quick chat with you in your den? I would prefer if Scarletrose did not accompany you, if that is aloud." He asked calmly, but with a glint of malice in his cold yellow eyes. "Why do you want to talk with my sister alone? And why must I not come with her?" Scarletrose mewed as she walked over to her leader, giving her a quick nuzzle on the chin. "I would just like to ask her a few questions about some thoughts of future boarder protection and attack, and I would prefer we be alone, that way there will be no interruptions. Is that a good enough answer for you?" Snakefang answered, smoothly making up a lie. "That is okay I guess, but next time maybe just show a bit more respect." The deputy purred. "Thank you. I apologize for any disrespect I may have inflicted." He gently hissed. Scarletrose walked away toward the other cats entering the Slateclan camp, making sure the slowest cats were accounted for.

Petalstar nodded towards Snakefang and started walking to the Leaders den. Once they got into the den Petalstar looked at Snakefang and asked: "Well, what is it you would like to talk about?" She waited for him to respond.

Snakefang stared at his leader making sure no one else could hear him. "I wanted to tell you something about Quartzpelt. He seems to have been talking to a she-cat during this gathering, and I have a suspicion that he may try to sneak off to see her again. If he becomes disloyal to us, then he might end up telling Rockclan all of our secrets and help them plan an attack on us in the near future. What are you thoughts on this matter?" He watched her think for a moment, a look of mild surprise and disbelief cross her face. "Where did you hear all of this if you were not there, Snakefang? I didn't assign you to come to the Gathering because I thought you might start a scandal with some of the she-cats you fought recently, and furthermore who did you hear this from?" Petalstar sat nearer him looking into his bright yellow eyes. He looked back at her, neon eyes unwavering.

 "I heard this from the very mouth of Quartzpelt himself. I overheard him chatting to one of his friends, Amberheart, and I heard him whisper something to himself on the way past. This is what he said: 'I love the she-cat I met tonight and I must sneak out to meet her on the boarder soon. I cannot tell my friends because they might get in trouble with me, and I don't want that. I have to find a way to see her and not get found out...' and that is all I remember. I think if he has the chance to actually escape and tell the she-cat that he loves her, he might never come back to us, meaning he could tell them our secrets in return for their help fighting us, and reassuring their dominance over their territory near our two borders." Snakefang looked at the Leader, watching her mind swirl with unknown thoughts.

Petalstar looked at the ground, letting everything sink in from what she just heard. "We need to make sure he does not have the chance to escape then. Where is he now?" 

Snakefang looked into the clan leaders eyes, choosing weather to tell the truth or to tell a lie. 'Well, if Quartzpelt ever gets caught and we attack, I have a better chance of getting rid of Scarletrose in battle and eventually taking charge of this clan.' He thought for a moment, then answered: "I believe he went hunting near the Bugclan boarder after he got into camp. Should we go after him?" Snakefang said, getting up.

Petalstar looked around quickly then replied, "Yes, we should find him to make sure he does not do anything mouse brained." She got up, then glanced back as Snakefang started to follow her, limping a little bit. "Are you okay?" She asked. "Oh, I will be fine. I just hurt myself a little bit when I was play-fighting Eaglepaw. I was teaching him how to properly dodge an attack and not get hit. I was moving past him and I twisted my paw a little bit. He should be moved into a warrior rank soon." Petalstar stared at him for a moment. "Well, would you like to stay in camp, as to not injure your leg anymore?" She asked. "Yes, that would be better. Thank you!" He got up and nodded to his leader, then limped out of the den.

Snakefang looked at the entrance to the camp and let a very small smile slip across his face, as the leader followed him out of her den, into the gentle pale moonlight.

Quartzpelt ignored his friends calls, and slipped into an uneasy sleep. He dreamed about the forest, and the cat he had met that night. After what felt like hours, he woke up to the sound of cats hustling around outside the Warriors den.

'What in the name of Starclan is happening out there?' He thought groggily, getting up and walking to the opening of the camp. He looked at the moon and realized he had been asleep for only a few moments.

Petalstar walked over to the High Hill to announce a search for the presumed-to-be-missing Quartzpelt. "All Slateclan cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather below the High Hill for a clan meeting!" She yowled. She waited a moment for the cats to gather around. "I have just received word from Snakefang that Quartzpelt has gone missing, and might have tried to sneak off to one of our boarders with Rockclan. We must send out a search party to bring him back." She had just finished her speech when one of the senior warriors, Halfface, chimed in and asked: "May I ask, why Quartzpelt has gone missing?" They stared at the leader.

"Well Halfface, he has fallen in love with a cat in Rockclan and he has sneaked out to try and meet her tonight. I want to bring him back so he does not reveal any of our clan secrets." She looked down at the warrior, who nodded and re-positioned themself, listening intently.

Quartzpelt looked out into the clearing in horror, realizing Snakefang had heard him. 'What's wrong with Snakefang?! Why would he eavesdrop on me? If I come out now, I might be punished, but if I wait for them to leave I could see Fernfang again. Hmm...' his thoughts trailed off into indecisiveness.

"The cats I will take with me will be assigned into three groups. The first group will be me, Scarletrose, and Halfface, and we will look near the Rockclan boarder. The second group will be Vixentail, and Echopaw, who can search near the Bugclan boarder just in case he did actually go hunting. And the third will be Heathermist, and Raggedear, and you can both go to the far corners of our boarders with Rockclan near where the stream crosses the marked area's." She finished assigning groups, but when she was about to walk off the hill she heard Scarletrose intervene saying: "Would it not be wise for me to stay and guard the camp. All due respect, sister." She side-eyed Snakefang as she was talking. 

Snakefang died inside. Rage started to build up yet again, but he quelled it before anyone could see his reaction.

"That is a good point. I shall take Amberheart with me instead." Petalstar announced. She collected all of the cats and made her way out of the camp. The three groups went their instructed directions and dissipated into the shadows.

Amberheart glanced at the Warriors den on his way out, noticing a pair of glimmering blue eyes from the entrance to the den, behind the fern wall. 'Oh Quartzpelt...please don't do anything stupid.' He thought as he trotted out of camp into the ever darkening woods, hoping this wouldn't be the last time he saw his friend.

Quartzpelt locked eyes with his friend as he walked away. 'Oh no, no, no, no!!!!' He screamed in his mind. 'What am I going to do?! Should I sneak out? If I do and get caught, then I could be exiled for loving a cat outside our clan, or Petalstar might imprison me so I can't ever see another cat outside our clan again!' He contemplated violently for a few moments and then made up his mind.

"Fernfang, I'm coming." He whispered. He silently walked through the shadows over to the entrance to the camp. He looked around to make sure he wasn't seen, then leapt through the opening and dashed in the direction of Rockclan. He was so hurried that he didn't even notice the shadow next to the entrance. Snakefang slowly moved his head into the moonlight watching him run away.

"Perfect." Snakefang hissed, slipping back into camp with devious intent in his cold heart.