Rise of the Warren: Dangerous Alliances
Written by S. Morgan Cargile
Updates every Friday
A small hare crept silently towards the top of a hill, sheltered from owls by a a dense canopy of trees and gorse. With each step she paused, sniffed the air, and felt the dirt for vibrations through the sensitive pink pads of her paws. She closed her eyes and waited before moving forward. She willed her heart to quiet and her breathing to slow. A rapid heart rate could reveal their location. The wind swept her scent away. Her trek up the hill, invisible and silent, slowed a low crawl. She knew surprise was the only way her plan could succeed. She needed to appear at precisely the right moment. The moon would tell her when to rise. Until then, she must not be detected.
The small hare projected white light, a dangerous color amongst the fall leaves, but in a few moons time, she would be invisible in a snow bank. With her dense white fur, tipped light gray, one might believe that each hair on her silky coat had been dipped in silver.
Once she and the rabbits reached the top of the hill, she sat in silent vigil as the moon began to rise behind her.
The two large rabbits, with soft fawn-colored coats, blending imperceptibly into the fallen leaves, matched their leaders pace but remained a hop behind. They twitched their ears listening for sounds on all sides. The silver hare sat at the crest of the hill, folding her paws under her slender body. The rabbits silently crept closer to their leader and crouched low on either side to disguise her glistening coat. Their leader, less than half their size, slipped invisibly between them.
She slipped her face between the two massive rabbits, twitched her nose and sniffed the air. "They come," she said ominously.
Below the hill lay a recessed circular clearing with a tall, narrow tree on each quadrant - a small hollow. In the middle of the clearing, an intimidating shard of dark rock jutted violently through the soft ground. Specks of clear quartz dotted its jagged landscape. Soft mosses crept up the sides of the rock and covered the floor that lay beneath. The first leaves of Fall floated weightlessly in the air above the green carpet. The clearing, sheltered by hills on all sides protected small ferns and bright flowers glistening with the first drops of dew. The moonlight filtered through clouds and bathed the clearing in ephemeral light. The leaves fell to its floor in drifts, as harbingers of the harsh winter to come. The hare and rabbits shivered silently as a rush of cold air swept across the moors.
Dozens of cats began gathering in the clearing below. Some cats greeted each other with affectionate nuzzles while others exchanged icy glares that told stories of old grudges and fresh wounds. As the hare had been foretold, no cats fought with each other. Even the most battle-hardened cats exchanged respectful nods. Younger cats earnestly exchanged tales of recent adventures. Elder cats sang tales of epic battles, long ago fought, by the legendary big cats who once roamed these lands. The entire clearing seemed to vibrate as cats swirled around each other in greeting under the colorful backdrop of green mosses contrasted by fiery-orange leaves falling from the sky.
Four cats jumped onto the tremendous rock in the center of the clearing. A sturdy gray queen yowled to silence the crowd below.
In the moment of silence created by the gray cat's command, the hare stepped forward onto the highest point on the hill. The moon rose in the sky behind her, turning the silver doe into a dark silhouette. She called to the cats below in a noble, confident voice "Your Gods have decreed that no violence shall occur at a clan gathering. Our Gods have decreed that we shall deliver their message to your clans. Therefore, our message must be heard."
"We don't take orders from prey!"
"Only clans may speak at our gathering!"
Below the hill rang yowls of laughter and mocking. A gray tabby tom said to a silvery black she-cat, "I bet I can catch her before you can!"
More voices joined the cacophony.
"She's so small, she's hardly worth the effort! Hardly bigger than a vole!"
"Clan rules don't apply to outsiders!"
An elder gray queen said to a small red she-cat in a raspy voice, "I think this is the most fun we've had at a gathering since I was a kit!," before falling over with laughter.
A muscular, red tom, sitting quietly alone, titled his head with curiosity, watching the moonlit rabbits above. "I think I remember this…I think I've seen it in a dream!" he gasped, whispering to himself.
Undeterred by the jeers from below, the small hare stood her ground; her face betraying no emotion. She simply watched the cats in silence and waited.
The two large rabbits, larger than the largest most rugged battle cats, rose from their crouched position to stand next to the diminutive hare. Both simply stood by her side, without a hint of fear or aggression.
A broad, sturdy gray queen stepped forward. "The hare is correct. We shall not desecrate this gathering with violence. We shall hear her message and allow her to leave in peace. Agreed?"
The three other cats looked at each other incredulously, then nodded their approval. The other cats looked at each other with undisguised shock, looked to their leaders, then looked back to the hare flanked by two rabbits. The cats below followed their leaders orders, but their eyes revealed anger and disapproval.
The hare gracefully leapt to the clearing, touching the ground so lightly that she didn't make a sound until she spoke. The cats looked at each other in amazement. The two enormous rabbits remained on the top of the hill, still as monuments.
"Quieter than you thought, I suppose," she said with a wink towards a group of young cats, their mouths still agape in amazement.
She made her way confidently towards the large rock looking only towards the large gray queen, ignoring all other cats in the gathering. In spite of being smaller than the youngest cat present, she showed no signs of fear. The moonlight lit the silver tips of her coat. She seemed surrounded by light as she crossed the dark clearing. The green moss under her paws glowed from the moonlight on her coat. Her paws touched the ground so lightly and quickly that her leaps became a continuous wave of light undulating towards the great rock. She leapt, effortlessly to a spot directly in front of the gray queen.
The moonlight shone behind the two rabbits standing guard on the hill, illuminating two imposing outlines as the delicate hare stood on the rock surrounded by cats at least three times her size - the same cats who had killed and eaten her friends, her family, and possibly, her own mother.
The gray cat gasped as the hare, glowing by the moon approached her. "The light shall guide you," she whispered under her breath.
The other three cats on the rock remained standing but with backs arched and claws unsheathed. A quiet hissing floated through the air. The hairs of many cats stood on end as murmurs and angry growls passed through the clearing. A large brown tabby stood below the rock, his legs spread, gripping the ground with his claws, readying himself for attack.
All clouds cleared from the sky and the moon bathed the clearing in dazzling white light. The silver hare became as bright as the moon itself. The moonlight refracted through each quartz crystal in the dark rock throwing stars and rainbows throughout the hollow. The floating leaves seemed to stop, suspended in midair. For a moment, all was still and quiet.
The cats began stepping away from the rock in a mixture of amazement and terror. The only sounds were the breathing and heartbeats of the cats. The air became thick with their fear scent. As they broke free from their stunned silence, cats began growling and hissing around the rock, under the hare and their leaders.
Time seemed to slow as the growling cats became disoriented by the dazzling lights bouncing off of their meeting stone. Though stumbling, the cats sniffed furiously, searching for the source of their confusion. A shimmering fog drifted through the hollow overwhelming the cats in a kaleidoscope of lights and colors. Even the eldest cats looked upon the scene in amazement.
The petite hare gave a powerful stomp of a hind leg, once again silencing the crowd. "You will hear my message," came a dark, terrifying growl from the tiny hare's mouth blanketing the hollow in darkness and horror. The darkness and the voice fell upon the crowd, hard as a blow, stealing the breath from the cats' throats. A cloud passed over the moon and for a moment, the grove fell into complete darkness. Icy winds swirled around the circle, instantly freezing falling leaves and sending them flying as if thin blades of ice. The cats below yowled in panic as the invisible blades grazed their coats in complete darkness. The cloud passed and once again moonlight filtered into the circle through hazy clouds. No cat was injured, but the hare had the full attention of all cats present.
"Starclan gives their blessing to this guest. We shall all hear her message," announced the gray queen with formality.
All cats fell silent, waiting to hear if any cat voiced an objection.
"Are you the queen they call Bluestar?" The delicate hare asked quietly, as if the two were alone in the clearing, speaking confidentially. The three toms on the rock, frozen in disbelief, hardly recognized the slight.
Bluestar, towering over the shimmering hare, bowed her head in greeting. Bluestar lifted her head to meet the gaze of the seemingly otherworldly creature, recognizing the hare as her equal, or at least a hare deserving of her respect.
"My name is Cerridwen," said the hare, returning Bluestar's respectful nod of greeting. "Ēostre sent me to find you." The hare said with reverence as she looked towards the sky.
Turning her full attention to the glowing, silver hare, Bluestar said, "What message have you come to deliver?"