Chapter 2: Familiar Invaders
A half-moon passed ever since Leafpool stayed with Asuna in ShadowClan. There was no new signs or prophecies, so the days in ThunderClan just continued as usual. Over near the fresh-kill pile, Suguha sat with Twigkit as the two shared a vole.
"Suguha, why is Jayfeather always so mad at me all the time?" The kit asked before taking a small bite of her fresh kill.
"Oh, that's just Jayfeather being himself. He gets mad at everyone, even me sometimes."
"I just seem to make him mad all the time, but I just like being around the den. Should I stop?"
"I wouldn't. You really enjoy helping Briarlight, and I know how much Alderpaw means to you."
"Right. I would get out of the way, but all the other kits don't really like playing with me."
"It's probably because they're older than you. They're like that now, but once you're all apprentices and warriors, you'll be really great friends."
"I hope you're right."
"I know I'm right. For now, if you want someone to play with, just ask me or Kirito if we're not out hunting or doing anything. We'll always make time for you, Twigkit." The kit pressed closer to the light ginger she-cat, who gave her a comforting lick.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." The two looked up to see Nightheart. "Do you mind if I join you?"
"Not at all." The black she-cat sat down next to Suguha. "How was hunting today?"
"It was okay, but definitely not the best. With leaf-bare approaching, I'm not surprised." She replied. "How about you, Twigkit? What have you been up to today?"
"Oh, um…nothing much. I wanted to change your dad's bedding, but Jayfeather told me that it wasn't necessary." Twigkit told her. "I hope he gets better soon, Nightheart."
"You're so sweet." Nightheart gave her a lick behind her right ear. "I hope he gets better soon, too, especially since you'll be able to meet him. I know you'll like him."
"Bramblestar!" The she-cats heard Mousewhisker's meow resonate around the camp. They then noticed Jayfeather and Alderpaw run out of the medicine cat's den.
"What's going on?" Twigkit wondered.
"I'm going to go check it out. Suguha, can you stay with Twigkit?" She nodded and Nightheart got up. As she was walking towards where Bramblestar was now standing, she saw that Kirito was there as well. He noticed her and turned around. "Do you know what's going on?"
"Apparently WindClan's fighting rogues on our territory and are outnumbered." He explained.
"You don't think…" The she-cat stopped when she heard her leader's voice.
"Nightheart, Kirito, Lionblaze, Cloudtail, come with me!" Bramblestar demanded. Without warning, he darted towards the thorn tunnel leading into the clan, the four cats he called following, Jayfeather and Alderpaw behind them. The group of ThunderClan cats sprinted through the forest, Mousewhisker leading them towards where the attack was occurring. Once they were standing at a rise at the very edge of the forest, they looked down to see Onestar, Oatclaw, Emberfoot, and Furzepelt fighting as hard as they could against the rogues. They were clearly outnumbered. Without warning, the leader darted down towards the rogues and the others followed. He wasted no time in ripping one of the rogues away from Oatclaw, while Kirito immediately pinned a tabby down.
"Cloudtail!" Nightheart pulled a black she-cat off of the tom, allowing him to get back up. Lionblaze tackled a silver tom to the ground, hissing.
"Stop!" A voice commanded. The rogues did so, and Kirito moved off of the tabby he was on top of. He wondered where the command came from and his eyes widened in disbelief when he realized that right next to Bramblestar was Darktail, the leader of the band of rogues that he and the others fought at the gorge. He looked back at Nightheart and he could see the worry in her violet eyes. Now that the fighting stopped, the Clan cats grouped together while the rogues did the same.
"Jayfeather, Alderpaw, we have wounded!" Bramblestar called out. He then glared over at Darktail. "Leave, lest you still want to live." Darktail let out a snarl, blood coating his teeth.
"This won't be the last of us that you see of us. We're not done here, and we know more about your so-called Clans than you think." With that, the leader left into the brush, followed by the other rogues.
"Is everyone okay?" Bramblestar wondered.
"I'm fine. Just a few scratches, but nothing severe." Kirito told him. "How about you, Nightheart?"
"I've been through worse." She responded. "It was them…I had a feeling, but I didn't want to believe it." She whispered.
"Yeah. They had to have followed us all the way back here…but what do they want with us?" Kirito looked over at Alderpaw while he was tending to the wounded WindClan cats. He noticed his amber eyes meet his and he could sense the dread inside of them.
"Whatever it is, it definitely is a threat to all the Clans." She told him.
"She's dead? They heard Emberfoot meow as the others looked down at Furzepelt.
"Oh no…" Nightheart placed a paw over her mouth in shock. "Is this…our fault?"
"We can't blame ourselves. There's no way we could've anticipated this, especially since it's been a month ever since we came back here." Kirito assured her. The two then noticed Jayfeather and Alderpaw immediately turn their attention towards Onestar, blood pouring out of the WindClan leader's throat. "They even killed Onestar too…" Suddenly, they heard Onestar let out a gasp as his eyes opened once more. Blood still covered his throat, but the wound was clearly gone.
"He lost a life." Nightheart told the black tom.
"Lost a life?" Kirito tilted his head in confusion.
"Clan leaders are each blessed with nine lives. When one is lost, well…you saw what happens." She explained.
"How many does he have left?"
"The only one who knows that are his Clanmates, or even only Onestar himself." Once the WindClan leader finally got up, he looked over at Bramblestar.
"Where are those rogues?"
"Gone, for now."
"We have to follow them."
"Furzepelt is dead, and your warriors are in no condition to fight. They need medical attention. Please, come to ThunderClan for now. We'll take care of them there." Onestar seemed to ignore the leader's offer, looking back towards his territory.
"We should get home now."
"Your warriors are in no shape to travel that far." Jayfeather told him. The leader looked over at Emberfoot and Oatclaw and saw that they were both being supported by Lionblaze and Cloudtail.
"But…what about Furzepelt?" Emberfoot asked, eyeing his fallen clanmate. Onestar didn't say a word, his face devoid of emotion.
"Cloudtail, you and Mousewhisker stay with her body until a patrol comes."
"Kirito?" Cloudtail looked over at the tom, asking him to take his place in supporting Oatclaw. He walked over and allowed the brown tabby to lean on his shoulder. Once he helped support the tom, the cats made their way back to ThunderClan.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Let all cats old enough to catch their prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting." Bramblestar announced. Rain began to fall from above, the water streaming down every cat's coat as they walked over to listen to the ThunderClan leader.
"Wait…has anyone seen Ivypool?" Dovewing asked, her eyes filled with fear. When the cats got back, news of the rogue attack traveled quickly around the camp.
"Mother's not here?" Nightheart meowed anxiously, looking around the camp for her. "Oh, where is she? Please tell me that she's around here."
"She's hunting with Fernsong right now." Alderpaw told them.
"I have to go out and get them! What if they get her and Fernsong? Father's unconscious and I can't lose mother too!" She felt a tail touch her shoulder and saw that it was Cherryfall.
"Don't worry. Ivypool's survived way worse. It'll take more than those rogues to stop your mother from seeing you again." She assured her. "Where do you think you get it all from?" The black she-cat let out a smile.
"I hope you're right. I'm sure she won't let anything stop her from seeing father when he wakes up."
Onestar padded through the ThunderClan cats until he stood in the front of them, looking up at Bramblestar. "We'll be taking Furzepelt back so we can sit vigil."
"I wouldn't. Oatclaw and Emberfoot are seriously wounded and won't be able to carry her, unless they want to reopen their wounds." Jayfeather warned. "We'll take care of them for a few more days."
"They're WindClan warriors. They're strong and will travel with me."
"I have an apprentice along with me. Let Kestrelflight save his herbs for his Clanmates. We'll nurse these two back to full health in the meantime."
"Right. I'll send a patrol with you to help carry her body, Onestar." The ThunderClan leader added. He could tell that the WindClan leader still wasn't content with being aided.
"You've already lost one Clanmate. Don't risk losing another." The medicine cat warned.
"Very well." Onestar said, letting out a breath.
"A wise choice." Bramblestar meowed. "Blossomfall, Snowbush, Berrynose, you'll help guide Onestar back to WindClan and carry Furzepelt. You'll care for them both as if they were your own Clanmates." The three cats nodded. "Everyone, the rogues in the forest are dangerous. While we have no idea of their intentions, it is clear that they don't mind taking the lives of any one of us. We must all stay vigilant and warn the other two Clans." He looked out towards all his clanmates below. "Lionblaze, you take Cinderheart, Birchfall, Sparkpaw and Poppyfrost and warn Mistystar. I'll take Kirito, Suguha, Cherryfall, and Dovewing to ShadowClan and speak with Rowanstar." When he finished, he saw the small form of Twigkit wriggle her way to the front of the crowd.
"Can I come with you? Please, I want to see my sister!" The kit begged. "I need to know if she's safe!" Alderpaw pushed through the crowd as he approached Twigkit.
"You're too young to go. It's especially dangerous with the rogues hanging around." The tom explained. He then looked up at his father. "Let me go with you. I can check on Violetkit, and also see how Leafpool's doing."
"It would be nice to see how long until she comes back." Jayfeather meowed.
"Okay, you can come along." Bramblestar told his son. "We all leave immediately. I want every warrior who isn't leaving to stay put in the camp and protect it at all costs." The leader received nods from the rest of the warriors. "Alright, let's move out."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Hurry up everyone!" Alderpaw called out, racing through the rain in front of the rest of the ThunderClan patrol he was with. We have to run faster if we want to make sure Violetkit's okay.
"Alderpaw, hold up!" His father called out, finally catching up to him. "We need to be wary, especially with the rogues around. Plus, I don't think ShadowClan would appreciate us just rushing into their camp." He explained.
"Your father's right, Alderpaw. We understand that you're worried about Violetkit, but we have to be safe too." Suguha added. "…and this rain isn't exactly helping either."
"C'mon Suguha, it's only a bit of water." Kirito told her, giving her a small nudge.
"Says the one who looks as spiky as a hedgehog." Dovewing teased with a giggle.
"He does. You look like you'd fit right in with RiverClan." Cherryfall stated.
"Well I would like to catch some fish. Too bad it's not exactly the prey you all prefer."
"Concentrate, everyone!" Bramblestar interrupted. "We can chat later, but we need to stay focused on the rogues and their scent." The leader proceeded while the others followed, being careful to scent the rogues and keep their ears focused on any sort of sounds nearby.
"Could they have ran away?" Dovewing asked, but Bramblestar shook his head.
"They definitely weren't the type that would." Kirito, Suguha, Cherryfall, and Alderpaw all knew that was the truth. After staying with them for a while and seeing how they lived and acted, simply retreating would be very hard to believe. "We need to check for their scents along the border in case they went this way."
"Be we need to warn ShadowClan!" Alderpaw said impatiently.
"It's more important if we know where they went. It'll tell us if they're still here, and maybe we can find where they are staying." He replied as he walked along a path that outlined the border, followed by the rest of the cats. As he was walking, the leader suddenly stopped and lifted his muzzle. The others did the same and could sense the same scent he smelled.
"It's them. I won't forget that scent for as long as I'm here." Kirito looked around, wondering if there were any stronger scents in a certain direction.
"Have you dealt with them before you went to help WindClan?" Dovewing asked.
"Yeah. We met them on Alderpaw's quest." The tom's ears suddenly twitched and he immediately took a defensive stance in front of Dovewing. The others heard the same pawsteps and huddled closer together. "Is it them?" They watched as they saw movement inside the forest.
"No, it's ShadowClan!" Dovewing broke away from the group and made her way to the border. They all joined her and saw that the ShadowClan patrol consisted of Tigerheart, Tawnypelt, Stonewing and Juniperpaw. Once they reached the scent border, they spread out, looking at the ThunderClan cats.
"What are you all doing here?" Tigerheart demanded.
"Tigerheart, we have important news!" Dovewing told him. As she tried to step over the border, the tom bared his teeth.
"Whoa, I thought we were all friends here!" Kirito said, taking a defensive stance next to the she-cat. Tawnypelt stepped forward and looked over at her brother.
"What kind of news?" The ShadowClan she-cat's nose suddenly twitched and she padded over to some brambles and sniffed them. "Here too…"
"What you're smelling is rogues. We came here to talk with Rowanstar."
"Are you telling me that they're on our land?" Tawnypelt meowed in disbelief.
"Yes. Please, I must speak with Rowanstar." The leader pleaded.
Tawnypelt gave him a nod. "Tigerheart, please lead them to ShadowClan while Stonewing and Juniperpaw follow the scent."
"Be careful out there. These rogues are extremely dangerous. If you see them, get help immediately." The leader then looked over at Tigerheart. "Lead the way." The tabby tom shot one final look at Tawnypelt, receiving a nod from her.
"Follow me." They followed the lone ShadowClan warrior and as they were, Kirito felt a pelt bump into him. He looked and saw that it was Dovewing.
"Hey…thanks for sticking up for me back there."
"It's nothing. I guess this is my first time actually coming into contact with a patrol from another Clan, so I expected a friendlier greeting, but I guess when we're not at a Gathering this is how it is." He told her. "I thought you and Tigerheart were close though."
"He's just trying to put it all in the past. I should try and do the same."
"Do you think that's the right thing to do?" He asked. "Listen to me, I'm starting to sound like Asuna." Dovewing let out a giggle.
"Well you both are really close…" The she-cat's ears suddenly dropped. "…but to answer your question, I don't know if it's right or not. I mean, he seems to have done it."
"Let's not ponder on it for now, especially since we're on some serious business." He told her.
The group finally reached the ShadowClan camp and when they entered, they could see how disgusted some of the ShadowClan cats were seeing them. They saw Rowanstar on the far side of camp and once he noticed them, he made his way over, Crowfrost at his side.
"Have you come to take back your medicine cats?" He asked.
"They say they have news." Tigerheart explained.
"About what?"
"There's a band of rogues walking around the forest. They already attacked a WindClan patrol. Furzepelt died, and Onestar…was critically injured, and so were the other two cats in his patrol."
"How many were there?"
"Six."
"And ThunderClan came to their rescue? Does your Clan think that we all need your help?"
"I'm just reporting it for the sake of all the Clans." He responded, unfazed by the ShadowClan leader's accusation. "We've already scented them on your border, and so has Tawnypelt. There could even be more of them."
"What makes you say that?"
"On the quest, our cats met up with them. We know that there are more, but it would be safer to think that there isn't only six of them loitering around the lake." Bramblestar looked around him. "I would like to ask for permission to survey your land to see if they've left our territories."
"You're asking to go around ShadowClan?" Rowanstar's claws pressed into the ground.
"Only to find out where they've gone."
"No. ShadowClan can search for these rogues themselves. We don't need help."
"I can understand your concern, but ThunderClan and ShadowClan need to work together, especially since they threaten all the Clans. These cats can even be linked to the prophecy."
"That prophecy was talking about the kits!" Tigerheart growled
"But…Bramblestar does have a point." Tigerheart and Rowanstar both looked at the ShadowClan deputy. "Perhaps they are being regarded in the prophecy. Maybe we should work together and track them.
"Or…we can just give everyone our findings at the next Gathering." Tigerheart suggested. The ShadowClan leader stayed silent before twitching his nose.
"Fine. We'll send a joint patrol out to look around. Crowfrost, you will take Tigerheart, Scorchfur, and Spikefur with you. The other ShadowClan cats heard their names called out and padded over.
"What's going on?" Spikefur asked his leader.
"You're going with these cats to track some rogues on our territory." Rowanstar gave the ThunderClan cats an irritated look.
"Should I take Yarrowpaw?"
"It will be good training for her if you do."
"Right. I'll be right back."
"Be quick about it. The sooner you get back, the sooner we can find out more about these rogues." Tigerheart told him. Once he was back with his apprentice, the group headed out into the forests of ShadowClan.
The two patrols made their way through the pine trees. The pine needle laden forest floor soon turned to marsh and the trees were now closer than before.
"Ew…this is soooo gross." Suguha complained as mud covered her paws after every step she took. "Why did it have to rain today out of all days?"
"Was picking you to come with us a mistake?" Bramblestar said with a small laugh.
"Oh, no Bramblestar! It's just…icky. I-I don't mean to call ShadowClan's territory that!" She assured the others.
"Well the sooner we find where this scent ends, the sooner you can leave." Scorchfur told her.
"You're in luck then." Crowfrost stated as he joined Tigerheart near a ditch. He sniffed the earth before looking back at the others. "Their scent ends here. Anything beyond this ditch is no-Clan's land."
"Shouldn't we check beyond it just in case?" Bramblestar suggested. Dovewing leaped over the rancid stream nearby, Tigerheart following behind her. He pushed her aside and stuck his nose close to the earth.
"Nothing."
"Well perhaps they went through the stream to disguise their scent."
"They're rogues. Besides, who would want to get their paws wet in this filth?"
"Like I said, a cat who wants to disguise their scent, meaning that they didn't want to leave a trail." The tom looked at her and let out a growl.
"Still as smart as ever."
"Still as arrogant as ever."
"Come back you two. We're done here." Bramblestar called out to them. "It seems they've left this territory, so we should get back home. Thank you for letting us look through your territory."
"You're welcome. We'll escort you back to your border."
"Wait! I need to speak with Leafpool to see when she'll return to ThunderClan!"
"I'd also like to go back to see how Asuna's doing…if that's okay." Kirito added, and Suguha nodded in agreement.
Crowfrost rolled his eyes. "Tigerheart, you take these three back to camp. The rest of you follow me in escorting these two.
"We'll wait for you at the border." Bramblestar informed them.
"See you three later." Dovewing meowed before leaving with the ThunderClan leader and the other ShadowClan cats.
"Alright you three, let's get going." Tigerheart took the lead, Kirito walking next to him as Alderpaw and Suguha tagged along behind the two. As they were walking, Kirito decided to start a conversation with the tom.
"So…how's Asuna been doing?"
"She's been doing better. Leafpool's helped her become less stressed…but sometimes she blames herself for Littlecloud's passing."
"He died?"
"Yeah. A few days after Leafpool arrived to help. I try to tell her that it's not her fault and that she did the best she could, but she still has a feeling of dread about it." He explained.
"That sounds like her. Thanks for comforting her though, especially when I'm not around." A small blush formed on the tom's face.
"It's the least I can do after she was taken away from you." Kirito was confused. Tigerheart was so hostile when he was around Dovewing, but now he was talking to Kirito as if they were friends, which he thought they were, but was doubting it with the way he acted towards the she-cat.
"So…what was with the anger towards Dovewing? At the Gathering you were fine, but today you seemed…off, I guess."
"I'm just doing what any Clan cat should do. If anyone goes on our territory, I fend them off."
"But aren't you both friends?"
"It's…complicated. Like I said, I do what's best for my Clan." Kirito didn't want to try and question the tom any more so he stayed silent for the rest of their walk.
Once the four retuned to the ShadowClan camp, they made their way over to the medicine cat's den. When they entered, they saw Asuna and Leafpool instructing Puddlekit, now Puddlepaw since he was a medicine cat apprentice.
"Leafpool, Asuna, you have guests." Tigerheart told them. They stopped what they were doing and turned to see Kirito, Suguha, and Alderpaw.
"Alderpaw!" Asuna padded over to the apprentice and gave him a small lick to the forehead, causing him to become flustered. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever! How's your training going?"
"Well you know…the usual yelling from Jayfeather. I miss having someone in there easing his anger a bit." The she-cat let out a small laugh.
"You know, I'm here too, Asuna." Kirito told her.
"Yeah, but I've seen you more recently than Alderpaw." She told the tom, causing him to let out a smile. "Suguha, have you been keeping him in control."
"I've been doing my best to." She replied with a giggle. "How about you? Are you liking it here?"
"It's…different, but it gets better with every passing day." The cream she-cat replied.
"It's so great to see you three. We heard that there was a ThunderClan patrol, but we thought you all left. Where are the others?" Leafpool wondered.
"They're waiting for us at the border. I remembered Jayfeather wanted me to talk with you, so here we are."
"Right. Let's talk outside for a bit. Asuna, do you mind watching over Puddlepaw?"
"You can count on me." Leafpool smiled before walking out of the den with the apprentice.
"I should get going now. Can I get you a piece of fresh-kill before I get back to my duties, Asuna?" Tigerheart asked.
"I'm okay. Thank you, Tigerheart."
"Right. Well I'll see you both next time." The tom exited the den, leaving the four cats.
"He's really sweet." Asuna meowed. "He tries his best to make me feel like I'm in ThunderClan. He reminds me of you, Kirito."
"Looks like you have some competition." Suguha teased, causing the tom and she-cat to blush.
"Suguha!" The two exclaimed, causing her to laugh.
"Anyway, I should be checking on Puddlepaw." Asuna walked over to the apprentice, who was busy sorting herbs. "What's this one do?"
"Oh, um…that's tansy…which is good for coughs." He answered.
"And this one?" Asuna pointed a paw over at bristly herb. Puddlepaw stared at it for a bit. "Puddlepaw?"
"It's…I can't remember. I'm sorry, Asuna." The tom apologized. "I don't think I'll ever remember every single herb here."
"Don't worry, Puddlepaw. Being a medicine cat takes a lot of practice." She assured him. "This is Horsetail. Do you know what it does?"
"Isn't it used for wounds?" Asuna placed a paw on the tom's head and gave him a comforting pat.
"Good job! You see? It just takes a lot of time to learn." She told him. "I know how hard it is being forced into something like this when you'd rather be a warrior, especially something as difficult as being a medicine cat, but you'll be helping ShadowClan so much. I'm so proud of the progress you're making."
"Thank you, Asuna." He said with a smile.
"You and Leafpool seem to be teaching him well." Kirito told her.
"We're trying our best. Oh, Puddlepaw, you haven't met Kirito or Suguha." She realized. "They both came to this world with me. Suguha is Kirito's cousin, and Kirito's my mate."
"But…you're a medicine cat." Puddlepaw stated.
"Right…but I've also been destined to be a warrior as well. Also, I don't think that rule would apply to me being from another world and everything." She explained.
"I guess that makes sense. It's nice to meet you both."
"It's nice to meet you, too. I'm sure you'll be a great medicine cat. You are learning from some of the best ones." Suguha told him. As they talked a bit more, they stopped when Leafpool reentered the den.
"Sorry, Leafpool. We were taking a little break to catch up and introduce each other." Asuna told her.
"You know I'm not Jayfeather, right?" She told her with a laugh. "Alderpaw's just over at the nursery talking with Violetkit."
"Can we go see her, Kazuto?" Suguha asked.
"I don't see why not. We'll probably be heading back afterwards since we don't want to keep Dovewing and Bramblestar, so I guess until next time we see you two."
"Bye you two." Both Asuna and Leafpool walked over to the two and shared a quick goodbye before they walked over to the nursery. Kirito still remembered where it was from his last visit, so he led them both there. When they entered, they saw that Alderpaw was talking with Violetkit and Needlepaw.
"Kirito!" Violetkit ran over the tom and he crouched down so she could press her cheek to his.
"Hey you. Wow, you've grown a bit since the last time I saw you!" He told her with a smile. "You remember Suguha, right?" The kit looked over at the pale ginger she-cat, but no reaction came out of it.
"It's okay if you don't. It's been so long." She assured the kit. "It's good to see that you're okay here."
"Why wouldn't she be?" Needlepaw questioned.
"I didn't mean for it to come out that way…" She apologized.
"It's okay, Suguha. I know you didn't mean anything bad." Alderpaw told her. "You should have too, Needlepaw."
"Alderpaw, it's okay." Suguha assured her. "Sorry, Needlepaw."
"It's fine." The she-cat simply told her.
"Alderpaw, we don't mean to rush you, but we should get going back now. Those two are still waiting for us at the border." Kirito told him.
"Right." Alderpaw crouched down so that he was at eye level with Violetkit. "I'll make sure to tell Twigkit everything."
"I know you will." The kit meowed with a smile. "Bye Kirito! Bye Suguha!"
"Bye, Violetkit. Hopefully we see you again soon." Suguha told her before she and her cousin left the den and headed towards the camp exit. "It must be really hard for them to be apart from each other. It's almost like me worrying about you being trapped in SAO. I never knew if I'd see you again or not, Kazuto…but now we're together, so there's still some hope for them."
"Yeah. I'm sure that those two will be together again somehow." He replied. "Where is he?" Kirito turned around and saw Alderpaw running to catch up with them. "There you are. C'mon, we can't just let Bramblestar and Dovewing stand in the rain all day."
"Sorry about that. I forgot to talk about something with Violetkit." Alderpaw apologized.
"I think we'll be feeling sorrier for you when Jayfeather complains that you've been gone for a bit too long."
"Thanks for reminding me, Suguha…" The apprentice let out a sigh. "Maybe I should just stay here with Asuna and Leafpool." The other two warriors laughed.
"I don't think Twigkit would like that." Kirito stated.
"You're right. Wait, why are we still talking? Let's get home already!"
"I can't agree with you more, especially since this rain won't stop!"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Moonlight shone through the entrance to the medicine cat's den. Asuna snuggled deeper into her nest, but her eyes suddenly opened. I almost forgot to stay awake! She told herself, slowly getting up so that she wouldn't disturb Leafpool. For the past couple of days, she would see Needlepaw sneak out of camp, but she wasn't sure why. She knew that if she approached her that she would most likely lie about where she went, so she decided to follow her. She gazed through the brambles of the medicine cat's den so that she had a view of the apprentice's den, but also stayed hidden. She sat at the entrance for most of the night, but saw no movement yet. If only clocks were a thing in this world. She swiped a paw down to open the menu screen, but saw no clock. Worth a shot. Wait… She noticed a blurry figure behind the menu screen and immediately swiped it away to get a better view. It was Needlepaw, but she was heading over to the nursery. After a few seconds, she watched as Violetkit walked out and began to follow the ShadowClan apprentice.
She's taking Violetkit out? This isn't good. She waited until the two were out of sight before she stepped out of the medicine cat's den. I have to give them some time to create some distance. If only I was Kirito; following those two would be safer and easier. She watched as the two headed towards the tunnel leading to the dirtplace. Where could they be going? Asuna slowly began to make her way in the direction the cats were going, hoping that they wouldn't notice her scent yet. She began to worry once she crossed through territory unknown to her, especially since it was outside the ShadowClan border. She noticed their scent become faint once they crossed the muddy stream in front of her. I really, really hope I'm not overreacting about anything. Asuna let out a breath before she plunged into the dirty stream, hoping to mask her scent. She quickly brought her head back out of the surface and did her best not to cry out in disgust.
"It's for Violetkit's safety, it's for Violetkit's safety, it's for Violetkit's safety." She quickly reminded herself as she got out of the stream on the other side. She shook the remaining muck out of her fur and continued following the ShadowClan scent. She stayed hidden behind the trees as she trailed behind the cats, but suddenly stopped when she heard Needlepaw beginning to talk with someone. As she looked closer, she noticed that around them were the rogues that Asuna encountered on Alderpaw's journey. She could easily pick out Rain, Darktail, and Raven. It's true…they're in the forest now… Asuna could feel her heartbeat increase, but she knew that she couldn't just jump out and protect Violetkit; it would be absolute suicide. Needlepaw wouldn't let them hurt her…would she?
"Why shouldn't we share our territory? Clan cats just think they're so special. They're just cats." Needlepaw scoffed. "Why should other cats be deprived of hunting ground just because they weren't born here?"
Are they…actually agreeing with the rogues? Was Needlepaw really content with their way of life all this time? Asuna wondered as she continued to eavesdrop.
"Are you content with your life in a Clan even knowing that you're not one of them?" Darktail asked, looking down at Violetkit. There was a long pause before Violetkit finally had an answer.
"They try to make me feel welcome."
"Yes, but you don't, do you?" They're trying to confuse her! I want to stop them…but I don't want to make things worse between these cats and ShadowClan.
"C'mon Violetkit. You know that Rowanstar just makes a bunch of rules deciding who lives in our Clan and who doesn't. He needs to change and realize that we're all the same and that we want to live in peace." Needlepaw told her. Asuna couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sure, she knew that Needlepaw was stubborn, but she knew that she wasn't foolish enough to follow the path of the rogues. The way they live is wrong. It's anything but peace. Please Violetkit, please don't walk down this path.