Hello readers! Thank you for clicking on this story! I'll keep this short and sweet. This is the 2nd spin-off I promised for the Legacy series, it isn't necessary to have already read the Legacy series to enjoy this, but it will have more meaning if you have. I hope you enjoy reading this!
Chapter 1
"Pshh! Wake up!" a faint hiss cut through the snores and unison breathing of more than a dozen cats. Near the back of a pitch-black den a young warrior raised her head, hazel eyes gleaming through the gloom, blinking as she looked at the entrance where two silhouettes stood, illuminated by star and moonlight.
Time for work. The she-cat thought, rising to her paws and skirting the edge of the sleeping warriors so as not to wake them as she exited the den. Outside the den she greeted the two warriors who had summoned her with a respectful bow.
"I wish I could have called you out of your den for a happier reason, but I'm afraid that isn't the case," one of the cats mewed tersely. The cat was Boulderstar, leader of ThunderClan, whose blue eyes were cold and hard like shards of stone and whose gray pelt shone white under the gleam of Silverpelt.
"We'll explain on the way, though I assume you can guess what this is about," the second cat, Coalspark, who was deputy of ThunderClan, mewed, turning on his tail and leading the way across the clearing and out into the forest.
The guard was not at his post as they passed through the entrance, and she assumed that Coalspark had ordered that the camps boundary be patrolled so that they could leave without notice. The three cats slipped into the silent forest unseen and unheard.
Cold air filled her lungs as she walked behind the two toms, keeping her paw steps light and undistinguishable from the faint rustling of wind through the thinning trees. Fallen leaves, crisp with frost, crunched softly under the paws of the cats in front of her, but she made no sound, her slight frame and dark pelt making her appear to be nothing more than a moving shadow, evading the pools of moonlight that filled the cracks between the tree cover.
She had to go through the trouble, this was why she was chosen for this mission and even though she knew what would lie ahead of her, her heart was calm, and her eyes remained steadily fixed on the back of Coalspark's head. The back of her father's head.
Fallstripe was not anything unusual. A young warrior, one out of five kits, of which four were still living. A quiet cat who enjoyed being with her family and friends, hunting in the forest and was protective and loyal to her Clan.
She was undoubtedly the runt of the litter, but that had not stopped her from being a fine warrior. True, her black pelt, faint dark gray tabby stripes, and hazel eyes, coupled with her short fur, scrawny frame, and slender legs made her disappear in the crowd and even her faint scent was usually covered by the scents of others, made her presence unnoticeable and uninteresting. But that was exactly what made her so suitable to be a spy.
It was her most protected secret, she was a spy to be used against both inside and outside the Clan. No one knew except for her father—who had recommended her for the position, explaining to her it was the best way she could serve the Clan—and the leader, whom she admired more than anyone else.
This was her job along with normal warrior duties, and the current mission was… well, now her father was talking. "This is the third time in just our own Clan," he was growling with fierce ire, glaring over her shoulder, not exactly at her but at something that could not yet be seen.
"And counting ShadowClan and WindClan, this is the seventh reported incident," Boulderstar mewed quietly, glancing back at her with a veiled look in his eye. Fallstripe knew what that meant, and she raised her head, meeting his gaze and giving him a nod. The leader was growing vexed by these occurrences and he was not going to tolerate for much longer.
"It has been three moons since the first time this happened, and you still have no leads?" Coalspark looked back at her sternly and she shrunk back deeper into the cover of the night, the first feelings of anxiety rising.
"I'm sorry, I have not found any solid clues yet. It would have been easier if I had been able to examine the ShadowClan and WindClan accidents," she added with a hint of discontent, which she immediately covered up. Betraying her unease would not be good and she wrapped her tail around her leg, focusing on moving even more quietly than before.
"We're almost there now. Needlepine told us that she had been out of the elders' den for a while and this is what we found," Coalspark mewed, leading her off the trail and past a thick wall of ferns. Fallstripe stifled her sneeze as the ferns tickled her nose, blinking rapidly and wrinkling her nose.
Coalspark and Boulderstar had stopped ahead of her and she padded to Coalspark's side, looking around the tall grass that was littered with fallen leaves. Laying in a pool of moonlight, with her dappled fur slicked down to her sides, eyes closed, and legs folded elegantly beneath her, Leopardspot lay as peaceful as if she had been sleeping. But the strong scent of lavender and rosemary betrayed the idea, the sharp-tongued elder who was always giving an objurgation to a careless apprentice was no longer with this world. May StarClan light your path.
"This is closer to the camp than the other times," Fallstripe mewed, turning her mind from grief to work, taking a deep scent of the clearing. As she'd expected, the cloying rosemary and lavender had washed out all other scents and aside from the natural ThunderClan scent that Leopardspot still carried, there was nothing but the usual forest scents.
Fallstripe sighed, this mission was not getting any easier. For three moons now, mysterious murders had plagued the Clans of Shadow, Wind, and Thunder. Of course, each Clan suspected each other, and although there was not enough solid proof to increment any Clan, if these murders continued, they would have to go to war and with leaf-bare on the way, that could be disastrous.
But the murders were so strange and perplexing, seeming to be without reason and carried out in an absurd manner. Each time the victim was discovered in the same way as Leopardspot now was. Their fur unruffled, their legs folded neatly, and the traditional herbs used on fallen Clan cats during vigil already applied.
It was the use of these traditional herbs that made most cats assume that the perpetrator had to be a Clan cat and not a rogue, however, Fallstripe knew it wasn't impossible that a rogue had somehow learned this information about Clan cats and was using it. But, there was no proof because the murderer left no trace of him or herself.
The victim was never injured in any way, looking as if they had died naturally. Except that the way they were found almost guaranteed some cat was purposefully killing cats. Fallstripe shut these thoughts out as she examined Leopardspot, looking over her fur for some hint, some clue to use. There was no scent, no bit of fur caught in her claws, no sign of a struggle of a fight.
But wait… Leopardspot's fur was damp, not soaked, but too damp to have been caused by the dew which had not yet fallen and would have turned to frost in these cool temperatures. Looking around the clearing, Fallstripe could find a faint trail of bent grass blades.
"This isn't where she died," she mewed, retracing the trail, more excited than she had been for the past moon. This was the best clue she'd been able to find, the last two deaths had not left any sign of the cause of death at all, but if she could find the place where the murder happened, there might be another clue to follow.
With the leader and deputy following her through the dark forest, Fallstripe pricked her ears as she heard the running of water and stopped by a small spring that formed a pool, surrounded by mossy trees and rocks. This was where the Clan cats often gathered fresh moss for the nests or for the patients of the medicine-cats. Plus, it was located near the dirtplace, which is where Leopardspot had supposedly gone when she disappeared.
Fallstripe could smell Leopardspot, but that annoying scent of lavender and rosemary covered any other cat scent that was there. So, the murderer puts the scent on their fur first, and then on the victim, to mark them?
But she found what she had been hoping for, a sign of a struggle. It was nothing more than a couple muddy pawprints and some ripped up moss, but it was enough for Fallstripe to see what happened. "Leopardspot came around here to get a drink after going to the dirtplace, which is why the guard didn't notice her leaving camp," Fallstripe mewed, circling around the pool, standing where she imagined Leopardspot had stood.
"Then the murderer came up and jumped on her from behind. The moss was wet and slippery, and they fell into the pool, where Leopardspot was drowned." Fallstripe mewed heavily, ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach as she imagined the old elder being preyed upon, stalked and hunted and finally, killed.
"Then the murderer dragged her to where we found her, and prepared her like that to be found," she finished with a sigh. It was a nice change to be able to figure out how the murder happened, but this had not produced any good clues. Circling the clearing, she realized with chagrin that the scent seemed to appear here directly and could only be followed to where Leopardspot lay. It appeared and disappeared without a trace.
"How did they get so close to camp without being noticed, and then get away without a trace? It's not possible," Coalspark growled impatiently, sniffing the bases of trees, looking for a sign that the escape had been through the trees.
Fallstripe shook her head and slumped down on the ground. Dawn was approaching, and the three cats looked at each other with hidden glances, Leopardspot's corpse between them, since Boulderstar had carried the elder back with them. "Fallstripe, sweep the area, look for any sign of the murderer. We'll take Leopardspot back to camp for vigil and explain this to the Clan. Be back by sun-high with some prey," Boulderstar decided at last, taking Leopardspot's body onto his back again.
"Fallstripe, be careful," Coalspark ordered and she dipped her head, knowing that it was his awkward way of showing fatherly affection. She stood and watched them take Leopardspot away, closing her eyes for a moment as the first strains of birdsong echoed through the forest.
StarClan, may Leopardspot rest peacefully with you and may you protect the Clan from this murderer. I fervently ask that you help us find this villain before any more cats are sent to join you. Opening her eyes, she raised her gaze to the graying sky overhead which was turning pink in the eastern corner of the sky, the stars fading fast as the sun crept up from slumber.
Shaking off her sleepiness, Fallstripe assumed her task and investigated all the area that enclosed the crime scene, and without much luck, came to a stop as the sun neared the tops of the trees. "Nothing again," she sighed, sitting down on bare patch of dirt, licking her sore and dirty paws. The only explanation she could find was that the cat had somehow masked his trail, but with such a strong scent of lavender and rosemary, was that even possible? Maybe they went back to the pool and soaked themselves, after all, scent usually washed off in water. But then how did he get there?
I hope I can figure this out before it happens again, father will be mad if I can't. she had solved several mysteries in the past using her spying and observational skills, but none had involved death and she felt the weight of this secret mission weighing heavily on her chest.
With a sudden thought, she jumped to her paws and raced away toward the edge of their border where ShadowClan, ThunderClan, and rogue met. This was another secret of hers, one that she kept to herself.
It had happened after the first murder, the death of a senior warrior named Moonfrost. Fallstripe had been sent to investigate privately, and in desperation gone scouting in rogue territory, at the time convinced that it had to be a rogue who was using Clan traditions to commit murder and deflect suspicion. She now recognized that it had been her way of denying that the murder could have been caused by a Clan cat, which was a possibility she now knew had to be given careful consideration.
But during her scouting missions which she carried out for nearly a moon, she had come across something which she knew she could never tell another soul.
She had at first attacked him, but then after talking and learning more about him, she had changed her mind. He had even been helping her, telling her all he knew about the surrounding rogues and keeping an eye on their movements while meeting up with her once every three days to report. This was that third day, and she was sure he would already be near the meeting place even though they usually met at twilight.
It was easy to get him to cooperate with her, he seemed to enjoy it. She hadn't realized it at first, but she noticed later how accommodating and earnest he was in his helpfulness. He was always excited and ready to work, and she couldn't help but wonder why, but his help made her job infinitely easier, so she played along for now.
Dashing across the border without hesitation, she went a little further in until she came to a small grassy clearing among the trees. The green glade shone gold in the sunlight and Fallstripe stretched her tired muscles, letting the warm sunshine soak into her dark fur as she purred in contentment, completely pushing Leopardspot's untimely death from her mind as she flopped onto her side on the sweet, green grass and rolled around, scratching and warming herself in the grass that was softer than any grass.
"Fallstripe, you're early," a warm voice purred, and her nose twitched as the scent of freshly caught mouse washed over her and sent her belly grumbling.
"Thorn," Fallstripe murmured, opening her hazel eyes to look up at the handsome golden tom. She didn't deny he was handsome, his thick golden fur was as warm as the sun's brilliant rays and his white chest was as pure as freshly fallen snow. His muscles were as developed as any Clan cat's and his blue eyes had the sharpness of a hawk's and the tenderness of a soft blue sky.
She pondered for the millionth time what made him want to help her, what made him work for her with no other compensation but meeting with her and no other incentive other than what only he could know. Falllstripe wasn't petty enough to think she was ugly, but she knew she was not especially pretty, no, she was average at best. But whatever his reasons are, I hope they don't change anytime soon, after all, if I had to investigate rogue territory, this job would take up all my free time outside of normal warrior duties.
"Have you eaten yet today? You can have this if you want," Thorn mewed, giving her the mouse as she sat up. She gratefully took the mouse from his mouth, their whiskers brushing as she looked him in the eye with indifference. The warm glow she saw there didn't affect her, but she blinked gratefully and glanced down, feeling a little embarrassed to take food from a rogue.
"Let's share it, and then we can talk," she mewed, taking a bit of the mouse and waiting for him to take one. Thorn purred and bent down to take a bite of the mouse and she admired the firm muscles of his back that rippled under his well-kept coat. At moments like this she wished he'd been a ThunderClan cat, then she could have gotten closer to him.
They ate in silence, with only distant bird song and the rustle of leaves disturbing the comfortable silence. Falllstripe let out a sneeze as a gust of wind blew a whirlwind of leaves past them and then she stood up, having finished the meal.
"We lost another member today," she mewed as Thorn got to his paws as well, overshadowing her with his height as she led him along on a winding walk.
"I see," Thorn mewed sorrowfully, "I'm sorry, but I've been keeping a close watch on the border, I don't think any one has crossed the border from this side."
Fallstripe nodded, "I couldn't follow their scent at all, so they could have gotten in from anywhere. The real question is how they could have hidden their scent. Once we can figure out that trick, hunting them down is only a matter of time."
"I noticed that you keep using the words 'their' and 'them,' do you still think it's more than one cat?" Thorn asked, ducking down to avoid a dead branch that was sticking out of a bush.
"It's still a possibility that we can't deny. Without scents to go on, the number, gender, and whole identity of these cats are a mystery. I'm certain that only one cat is present at each murder, and the murders are so similar in style it is undeniable that they are linked. But whether it's the work of one cat or multiple cats working together is impossible to know at this point," Fallstripe sighed, a frown creeping over her face as she pondered about the murders again.
"And there was no sign of any cat crossing the border last night?" Fallstripe affirmed, to which Thorn nodded.
"I don't think a single creature crossed the border last night by paw, they would have had to fly," the golden tom mewed, looking up at a robin that flew from its perch at their approach.
Fallstripe grumbled, "This is no good. We're not getting anywhere, and I doubt that Leopardspot will be the last victim."
They were quiet for awhile and then Thorn spoke, "I know that we've been concentrating hard on catching the killer, but what if we're going at it from the wrong direction?"
Fallstripe looked at him in interest, "What do you mean?"
Thorn stopped and faced her, a thoughtful expression on his face had replaced the easy and carefree one he usually wore when he was with her. "Instead of trying to figure out how the murderer is killing, why don't we figure out why."
Fallstripe stared at him incredulously, her job had always been to find out how things were being done. It was usually up to her father or leader to determine why, it wasn't part of her job to understand why cats committed such acts, and to her, she couldn't comprehend it, so it was impossible to figure out. But if they could find out why… they could predict the murders and figure out a list of suspects.
But now, as Thorn poised her with his idea, she took in the possibilities understanding the why would allow. "If we could figure out why the killings are being committed…" she mewed, her hazel eyes wide as she looked up at Thorn in amazement.
Thorn purred, his sweet, caring look taking over his face again, "Then we could predict who the targets are and from there, who the likely killer is."
"Thorn, that's brilliant!" Fallstripe exclaimed in excitement, her thoughts already working hard at figuring out this new problem. She touched his nose with hers in thanks and she tried to ignore the excited beating of her hearts as she saw a bright flash of energy cross his eyes. "I'll see in three days! Let's keep working hard!" she called as she raced away from him, leaving him all alone beneath a maple tree. A fresh vigor to tackle this job flowed through her and she raced through the forest as if there were wings on her paws, the forest a brown-green-gold blur around her.
Coming to a halt outside of camp, she calmed her beating heart and panting breath. Giving her fur a few licks she recalled that she was supposed to return with prey, to give a cover story for her absence. Sniffing around the bushes, she wandered a little way from camp to give herself more of a chance for finding prey.
"Hey, Fallstripe!" the black tabby she-cat looked up as her name was called, and recognizing her Clan-mates, hopped back to the main path.
There she met four of her Clan-mates, all ladled with prey. "What are you doing out here all alone?" an elegant white she-cat scolded her, dropping her prey on the path and greeting her with a worried look in her bright green eyes. "Didn't you hear about Leopardspot?"
Fallstripe dipped her head, "I'm sorry, but I was staying close to camp." She guessed that after Leopardspot's death, Boulderstar had decided that no cat should go leave the camp alone.
"Leopardspot wasn't far from camp either, now come on, help me carry this back," the white she-cat, her sister, mewed, angling to the prey she had dropped.
Fallstripe nodded and greeted the other three cats with a sheepish look as she helped Ivysong pick up her prey, and entered the camp following in the footsteps of the cats in front of her and ladled with prey she hadn't caught.
In the clearing Fallstripe's eyes were immediately drawn to Leopardspot, her body as perfectly arranged for the vigil as when she'd first seen her that morning. Cats were mourning instead of sharing tongues and a heavy, solemn atmosphere kept even the kits in the nursery silent.
But she noticed that while every cat was mourning, there was no chief mourner, no cat to sit at Leopardspot's head. Of course… she never took a mate or had kits, and the rest of her close kin died when the Clans were taken over by the tyrants.
Fallstripe's felt pity in her heart for the cranky elder and sobered her own mood as she quietly laid the prey she carried on the fresh-kill pile and joined the murmuring group of warriors by the warriors' den.
Ivysong had also went there, and Fallstripe sat next to her pretty sister on the edge of the group as they listened to the older warriors talk. "This is the third time in the past two moons," Smokeclaw—a dark gray tom with hard blue eyes who was also a son of Boulderstar—was speaking to the warriors.
"It has to be ShadowClan, right? They always happen at night," Sagelight was now mewing, the amber-eyed bridled queen's whiskers twitched in fury.
"And they're being very sneaky about it, Coalspark said there wasn't a trace of scent or pawprints or fur," Sootfur, a warrior and Fallstripe's former mentor, joined in.
"Which means we can't even bring evidence against them at a gathering," Gorsewhisker, the most senior warrior of the group, growled. His brown eyes were dark and festering, as if it wouldn't take much to push the senior warrior into a rage. He and Leopardspot were good friends…
Ivysong leaned over to her and whispered, "But why would Leopardspot even be a target? She was an elder, it's not like killing her would hurt the Clan. And the complete disregard for the warrior code! It had to be a rogue!"
Fallstripe shook her head, "I think the phycological impact is enough damage to make it worth it for another Clan. But, I don't know why they would break the warrior code… it must be for a serious reason." Fallstripe pondered what that reason could be.
"You know," Fallstripe looked up as their brother and littermate Duskleap turned toward them, "All the cats that have been killed so far have been senior warriors or elders."
Fallstripe pricked her ears, "That's true. Moonfrost and Fireclaw were both some of our most senior warriors, and then Leopardspot had only just become an elder."
The three littermates gave each other a perplexed look, "Weren't the cats killed in ShadowClan and WindClan senior warriors as well?" Smokeclaw had apparently heard them and joined in their conversation with a gleam of interest in his unchangeable blue eyes.
Fallstripe and Ivysong exchanged a glance before nodding shyly in front of one of the most respected ThunderClan warriors. "That's true," a new anxious wave of murmur swept over the cats while also a breath of relief escaped some of the younger warriors.
But what could the reason be for targeting the senior members of the Clan? Fallstripe's attention shifted inward as she considered carefully what this could mean. The only thing the victims had in common was that they were of an older generation, and the murders happened at night without clear signs of a struggle. Is some cat trying to eliminate the senior members? But why? I would say personal grievance, but from three different Clans? And why not RiverClan? Or are they just not telling us so that they can seem stronger than the other three Clans… Or are they behind it?
But Fallstripe shook her head at that, there was no way that a fat, lumbering, smelly RiverClan cat could possibly sneak into the heart of ThunderClan territory and disappear without a trace.
"Hey, Fallstripe," the black she-cat started as Ivysong bumped her shoulder and broke her out of her thoughts, "Pay attention, Sootfall is signaling for you."
Fallstripe noticed the senior black she-cat signaling and hurriedly got to her paws and with a dip of her head to excuse herself from the group and trotted over to her grandmother who was sitting outside the elders' den with Needlepine. "Fallstripe," Sootfall greeted the daughter of her daughter with a warm purr, although her hazel eyes were cloudy with grief.
"I haven't seen you all day, how are you doing?" the black she-cat asked her, turning toward her with a concerned look on her face.
Fallstripe purred reassuringly, "I'm fine, I was just out hunting. I was shocked to hear about Leopardspot, though," she mewed, lowering her voice in a respectively somber voice.
Sootfall nodded, dark eyes glistening. "Leopardspot was never a cat I got along with well, she never got over my rogue roots. But she was a good and loyal warrior and served the Clan well, she didn't deserve an end like that."
Needlepine grunted his agreement, "Neither did Moonfrost or Fireclaw," he murmured, green eyes misty as he looked up at the blue sky.
Fallstripe felt a twinge of pity for the old cat. He had seemed to grow older ten times as fast since his mate, Rainstone passed away. And each death since then seemed to weigh on him heavily, as he seemed to grieve the passing of every life with more feeling than the last.
Fallstripe shared a glance with Sootfall, Rainstone had also been a very important cat to them both. Not only had Rainstone been one of the cats to help deliver her littermates and herself, but Rainstone had also cared and played and helped raise them, so that she had seemed like family growing up. When she had died in a bout of green-cough early new-leaf, they had been devastated, but the old she-cat had been mourned the most by Needlepine, and only the company of his blind daughter, Scorch, eased the grief.
"Fallstripe, I just want you to make sure you take extra care right now," Sootfall mewed caringly, laying her black tail on Fallstripe's dark shoulder.
She purred reassuringly, trying not to feel stung, "I'll be careful, I don't plan on dying anytime soon." I have to catch this cat quick, or else the job will be taken off my paws.
"That's good to hear," Fallstripe straightened in surprise as Coalspark approached her. He dipped his head respectively to the two older cats and addressed the three of them. "We will hold vigil from sunset to dawn tonight, make sure you're prepared to pay your final respects," the deputy mewed
Needlepine nodded and then got to his paws, disappearing back into the elders' den. Needlepine always had a strange aversion to Coalspark… Banishing the thought from her mind, she noticed that Coalspark was giving her a signal that they were to talk in private.
Fallstripe gave Sootfall a friendly goodbye and followed her father to an empty corner of the camp. She waited nervously as he stopped with his back to her, wondering what he wanted to tell her. Is this it? Have they decided that I can't handle this anymore? It felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest and she was almost shocked at how badly she wanted to keep this job. Her position as spy, scout, and private investigator were her own special jobs that were the one thing that made her special to the Clan, even if barely any cat knew about it.
"You have one moon," Coalspark mewed quietly, still not looking at her so that she had to guess his emotions from his silver striped back. "Boulderstar is anxious, the Clan is afraid. Find the culprit in one moon and save the Clan, or else we will have no choice but to mobilize the whole Clan and risk being caught unprepared for leaf-bare and possibly starting wars with the other Clans."
Fallstripe was sure he could hear her heart beating and her ears felt hot with shame, but a fresh breath of hope filled her soul. "I will find the murderer. I swear to StarClan that I will protect my Clan," she whispered, hoping that her father could see how important this was to her. If you turn around, I know you'll see it in my eyes.
Coalspark nodded and added without facing her, "Then I pray you are successful. Also, the dawn patrol reported a rogue scent by the WindClan border. I haven't sent another patrol to investigate it yet, but I will soon."
Fallstripe's ears pricked, "I understand, I'll go right away," she mewed, dipping her head and turning on her paws. She turned and headed for the entrance, nearly bumping into a gray tom on her way out.
"I'm sorry, Rainfall," Fallstripe mewed, stepping back from the blue-gray tom's chest, her nose wrinkling at the scent of lavender and rosemary.
"No problem," the medicine-cat grumbled, "I was just getting some more herbs for tonight's vigil, though I wish I didn't have to collect these so often lately," he mewed, readjusting his grip on the traditional burial herbs.
Fallstripe nodded her agreement in silent sympathy, she imagined preparing your dead Clan-mates for burial was the least pleasant medicine-cat duty. "I hope we can put an end to these murders soon," she murmured quietly.
"I think all the Clan wishes that," Rainfall sighed, "But be careful if you're going out, I think Boulderstar said that no one can go out alone, so you might want to find a buddy."
Fallstripe shook her head and sidestepped around him, "I'm not going far, and I'll be careful, everyone else is resting for the vigil tonight and I don't want to bother them." And this is my mission, not theirs.
With a final nod goodbye, she finally made it outside of the camp and immediately plunged off the main trail, intent on getting to the WindClan border and finding the scent without being delayed again. I wouldn't have suspected the WindClan border, given where the crime was committed, but this could be our first solid clue! I have one moon left to prove myself, one moon to save the lives of my Clan-mates, I can't fail!
She reached the WindClan border in record time, and began sniffing along the border, trying to ignore the rabbit and sheep tainted WindClan scent. The leaves had really thinned out on the WindClan border, with most of the trees already half-bare, their leaves torn from their branches by the wind that battered them constantly from the moor.
Unfortunately, the wind was strong, and she could barely find the scent of the dawn patrol, and she followed it anxiously, worried that the one lead they had found was already blown away. Following the dawn patrol's scent, she left the forest and followed the stream along the path that led to the moonpool, stopping at the edge of ThunderClan territory.
She pinned her ears back, that can't be it… I'll look a little further. Crossing over the ThunderClan border, she continued to follow the moonpool trail, feeling a slight hint of worry that she was doing something sacrilegious by using the moonpool trail without being a leader or medicine-cat, or even accompanying one.
She searched desperately for any sign of a stranger's scent, stopping just short of the rocky part of the moonpool path, knowing that if she hadn't found a scent at this point she probably wasn't going to. With a sigh she turned and looked down the hill she had climbed, taking a moment to relish the cool wind that buffered her hot face and catching her breath as she sat down and took in the view.
The lake was little more than a tiny pool in the distance, coruscate and pale blue. The large forest with its towering trees no longer seemed so impressive from a distance but was little more than a tiny swatch of shadow on the landscape while WindClan's barren moors rose and dipped like small waves to the lake's shore and the gathering island was a speck of earth on the lake's surface.
It seems so small… but the murderer is probably hiding somewhere in this landscape… I must find him. Then she thought of Thorn, he was in that landscape too, and she remembered what he'd said, why are these cats being murdered?
She pondered and thought but couldn't comprehend for what reason either a clan cat or a rogue would target senior warriors of ThunderClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan. But there must be a reason, right? She closed her eyes and tried to imagine, a vendetta against the Clans? Senseless violence? Coincidence?
As the roar of the wind filled her ears, Fallstripe imagined she heard the soft tread of pawsteps and opened her eyes in time to see a familiar form leap down from the rocks behind her. The tom had dark gray fur and silver stripes, he was tall and strongly-built and looked exactly liker her father. Except that he had dark blue eyes, eyes she had seen before but not on Coalspark.
He carried a foreign scent and was holding a mouse in his jaws, his eyes were fixed on her in surprise and he dropped the mouse to face her, a serious look on his face. Fallstripe's heart was beating wildly in shock and fear as she jumped into a battle-ready stance, already noticing the hard muscles and scars that this familiar looking rogue carried.
"Are you a Clan cat?" the rogue asked, the hint of a growl in his voice.
Fallstripe fluffed up her fur, "Yes, and who are you?" she challenged, cursing the trace of fear she heard in her own voice.
The tom leaped toward her and she prepared to dodge, only to find that he had cornered her against the rocky mountain path, leaving her with no choice but to climb up, I can't dodge fast enough!
She turned to face the tom head on, knowing that in a battle of strength, her slight frame would easily be overpowered. The tom skidded to a stop not more than a mouse-length away and lashed his tail, before mewing in self-satisfaction, "My name is Flint, and I've been looking for the Clans."
...
End chapter 1! Yay! It was a long chapter, so good job making it to the end!
Alright, I'm not going to beg for reviews, but if you want to let me know you liked it or didn't, feel free to comment, I always read them and love to see new and old faces (names) alike! 1 rule, no swearing! You can say you didn't like it, but keep it T-rated. I'll delete or report reviews that use an excessive amount of vulgar language :\
I'll try to update this on a weekly basis and it'll be about 10 chapters, give or take a little (probably give). Of course, life is difficult, so no promises but I will try really hard to have this done by summer. (Seriously, I don't want this hanging over my head anymore)
Thanks for reading and see you next time!
