Chapter Twenty Four

The pale moon illuminated a dark and ominous forest. A slender pale brown she-cat crept through the undergrowth. Her eyes were locked on a single target that stood just a few tail-lengths ahead of her. Another cat. A golden tom with ginger flecks covering his pelt. The apprentice-aged she-cat stopped for a moment and stared at the cat for a few heartbeats.

"Who are you?" was all she could ask. He looked familiar. She couldn't quite place why that was, or what she was doing here in the first place. This forest was unfamiliar to her.

"My name is Leopardheart," the tom replied. Sprucepaw's eyes widened at the familiar name. Leopardheart... that was the name of her father! Her mind was reeling with this new information as Sprucepaw stared at him for what felt like an eternity. "It is good to finally meet you, my little apprentice," he added in a purr.

"W-Why are you here?" she asked fearfully, realizing there had to be some reason behind his sudden appearance. She was all too aware of wha