"Lightblaze?" 

The cream tom groaned inwardly. His nest suddenly felt a thousand times more comfortable, and he wrapped his tail over his nose, wishing Plainfoot's voice would just vanish into thin air. It was cold outside, and the den was warm.

"We need you for the dawn patrol!" 

Uh-oh. He didn't think he could talk his way out of this one. Muttering a quiet apology to Plainfoot for being so late, he uncurled himself from the comfortable moss, yawning deeply. Lightblaze cast a look down at himself. His fur was messy and ungroomed, moss and feathers sticking to it in some places. Oh well, he thought. That'll have to wait. I have a patrol to go on. 

He padded out of the den, his jaws still stretched in a sleepy yawn, but immediately closed them when he caught sight of Plainfoot. The russet-colored tom was standing near the camp exit, with three other cats- Quickrise, Whisperstone, and Morninglily, he thought. No, that's Waterwind, not Quickrise, mouse-brain. 

Plainfoot flicked his tail pleasantly when he spotted Lightblaze. "There you are!" he purred, flicking an ear in amusement. "We were beginning to think you had ceased to exist!" 

Picking up on the tom's good mood, Lightblaze purred in return, his heart lighter. Maybe it wasn't an entirely bad thing to have woken up this early!

***

Or, maybe it wasn't. 

Lightblaze's pelt prickled in embarrassment as a twig cracked under his paw, alerting the mouse to his presence. It scampered away faster than he could run, and in any case, he didn't feel like chasing it. It was the fifth one he had missed this morning alone, and all he had to show he went out at all was a tiny mouse and sore paws. 

He inhaled deeply, hoping to catch another scent that might have drifted through the area- another piece of prey wouldn't have done him any harm. His eyes widened as a scent far different from any prey animal's flooded his nostrils. Is that Whisperstone's scent?

Lightblaze tried to remember when he had last smelled the tom- a while ago, at least, and realized that yes, it was the scent of his old mentor. But why was it here, so close to the border? He knew the white tom hated border patrols, and he couldn't remember him being on one- and cats typically didn't hunt this close to the border. Lightblaze had only tried out of desperation.

Another cat's scent seemed linked with it- an odor he couldn't identify, but seemed very similar to the smell of BrightClan cats. And what's more, both were fairly recent, it seemed, and had been replenished multiple times. 

Lightblaze looked down at the ground in front of his paws out of pure fear. There, ingrained into the ground, was Quietstar's unmistakable pawprint. 

The cream tom turned and ran, his tail sweeping over the pawprint and covering it effectively. Where was the patrol? They needed to know this! Whisperstone was a traitor!

He raced, terrified, through the forest, until he collided with Morninglily. The light brown tabby she-cat gasped in surprise, looking at him with concern. A prickle of pain shot through his flank, followed by the warm feel of blood, and Lightblaze belatedly realized he must have accidentally run through a bramble patch.

"Are you okay?!" Morninglily hissed, her eyes wide. Lightblaze saw the other cats emerge from the trees.

"Whisperstone is a traitor," panted Lightblaze. "Met Quietstar by the border-" The rest was lost as the cream tom fought to regain his breath. 

Waterwind turned around, facing Whisperstone with blazing anger in her blue eyes. "Is this true?" she hissed, ears pinned back.

The white warrior seemed unconcerned. "No," he replied coolly, merely looking confused at the grey she-cat's suggestion. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Liar!" Lightblaze yowled at the tom, equally as angry as Waterwind had been a moment before. He glanced around at the other cats, hoping to find someone to back him up- but none of the others seemed to be taking him seriously, just like last time. He sagged miserably, barely hearing Whisperstone's next words.

"He's telling kit stories again. You really shouldn't trust him." 

***

A defeated Lightblaze padded back to camp far behind the others, letting his tail drag behind him. He was pretty sure a thorn was in his foot, but he didn't necessarily care. Why can't they believe me? he wondered sadly, hurt clouding his thoughts. 

I only tell the truth...

---

Day 374. 

Today, they sent cats out again, like they tend to do a lot. Oddly, subject thirteen seemed to get separated from the rest. When he came back, he told them something, but they didn't seem to believe him...

~Catty. Unedited as of yet.