Wind whipped the forest, ruffling the ebony fur of a she-cat as she padded into her territory, proudly holding a plump mouse. She hurried into her shelter, an overturned squared dumpster bin. Inside, her teacher and brother was grooming himself lackadaisically.
"Welcome back, Dusk," he purred, sitting up on his haunches and stretching out his claws.
"Lookit what I got!" Dusk replied cheerily, holding her mouse up and puffing out her chest. "Caught it myself!"
"Congrats, kid," came a deeper, more gravelly mew. A large long furred tom with deep green eyes trotted in, affectionately bumping heads with the kit. He shouldered his way in, placing himself next to his brother.
"Thank you, Cedar," she meowed, wolfing down her kill eagerly.
Perhaps it was a shift in the rampant wind, or a new scent fading in from the rain, but Cedar immediately stood, his fur on end.
Cedar lifted his massive head and let out a earsplitting yowl to call the band of rouges together. From all angles, cats leaked from the trees and nearby shelters, circling around the large plastic den. They drew together and melted into a fabric of pelts.
"Welcome, my band," Cedar dipped his head in respect for his cohorts.
They dipped their heads back and mewed in unison, "Kindly, leader."
"I have brought you here for a reason. Those foolish clan cats are stealing from our territory, and it must be stopped!" He roared, stamping his paw down and creating a tremor through the rain-softened earth.
A ripple of protest went though the small band of rogues.
"They can't do that!" A deep gray she-cat jeered, scowling. "I'll rip the fur off their backs if I even see that they've made it one tail length into our territory!" Her claws sunk into the earth. They appeared much larger and deadlier than a regular cat's should be.
"Unnecessary, but appreciated. Thank you, Ax," Cedar rumbled. "Anyhow, I am sending two ambassadors over to Windclan to discuss this. Any volunteers? Raise your tails."
A small army of tails instantly flew up. It was considered an honor to do a task for the band leader, not to mention it was a fine reputation boost. Cedar stepped out of his trash bin, sniffing each of the cats with their tails raised.
"I have decided that Twitch and Boxer shall go!" He roared. Twitch yelped, hopping up at his name and skittering over to Cedar. He shook from ears to tail, sheathing and flashing his claws restlessly. Boxer took more time, proudly swaggering up to Cedar.
"I have also decided that you should pay mind to take along Dusk, so that she may experience field work on a higher level," Cedar commanded.
"W-will do, sir!" Twitch stammered out. "We are leaving at sunrise, so please be p-prepared!" He said excitably.
"Yup, yup," Boxer agreed. "I'll be hittin' the hay in a few. You should probably do the same, little one," he left with a dismissive wave of his tail and crawled into his den.
Cedar hid away in his shelter, pushing past Dusk and sprawling out in the back. Dusk pawed closer to Crag before deciding to rest, finding the comforting scent of her older brother's fur to be for for rest.
Sleep washed over Dusk like a black wave.