Chapter 2:
"What do you mean he's gone?" Rifka said.
"Crescent can't be found either," Sky said padding up to them.
"So they might be together?" Rifka said a tiny bit relived.
Sky nodded. "Kira" he said. "Gather four or five others and go search."
Kira nodded quickly then ran off.
…
TawnyPaw padded eagerly ahead turning back only to make sure her mentor was following.
SagePelt padded closely behind her apprentice unaware of their luck.
It wasn't just the mouse she watched TawnyPaw triumphantly catch, but the Outsiders as well.
SagePelt caught a familiar scent.
"Oh hi!" she mewed excitedly to Hidan and Crescent.
They were glad that they'd run into her instead of anyone else.
"SagePelt" Hidan said, grunting a bit from Crescent's weight. Hidan had to help him walk.
"Yeah?" she grinned.
"Uh where can we find Rachel?"
SagePelt tipped her head to the side a bit. "Um she lives on WindClan land."
"Could you take us there?" Hidan said hopefully.
TawnyPaw looked uneasy though this did not affect her mentor. "Yeah why not?" SagePelt mewed. "TawnyPaw-"
"Alright" she sighed.
SagePelt carefully led them across a border and far enough to run into a pair of WindClan cats.
"Who are they?" a small brown cat asked a fluffy black and grey she-cat.
"It's SagePelt" the she-cat told him. "And who are your guests?"
"Erm MossMeadow, MousePaw-" SagePelt mewed a tiny bit less bubbly than normal. "they're Outsiders,"
"I can see that," the she-cat said.
"Er no MossMeadow like the big group of rouges- the Outsiders."
MossMeadow nodded briefly. "What do they want?" she asked icily.
"We came to see Rachel," Crescent said humbly.
"Will she want to see you?" TawnyPaw mewed hesitantly from behind SagePelt.
"Either way" Hidan mewed confidently, "We must see her."
Without warning a badger who'd spied the group dashed at them suspecting they were easy prey.
It shot a massive paw at them hitting MousePaw and sending him flying. "MousePaw!" MossMeadow yelled. He'd been tossed several feet away.
Hidan lunged at it, only to have a big claw rake his side.
For one reason or another it now only wanted him dead. The badger kicked the others aside knocking them to the ground with a few hard kicks.
Then it turned back to Hidan.
Hidan waited for it to kill him. It sent one of its paws up into the air and he closed his eye's tight.
But nothing happened. "Thank StarClan! Rachel!" he heard MossMeadow pant.
Hidan opened his eyes and saw the grey she cat standing over the badger with one paw on its back and one on its neck.
With a sickening crack the crushed its spine and neck in an instant.
This was insane.
"Sorry MossMeadow- this one slipped away from me," Rachel apologized.
"The Outsiders are what?!" Rachel yelled after Hidan and Crescent explained to her.
"We- we don't know for sure Rachel"- Hidan said.
"Please don't be rash until we know," Crescent mewed.
"Fine- but you will warn me should there be any other decisions made-" Rachel did not ask this- it was more of an order.
"Thank you-" she said to them. "You are like my Insiders. No one shall know of this but us."
Rifka paced nervously.
"This is Rifka?" she heard someone at the entrance of the camp say.
There stood a grey she cat with brown stripes who Crescent was leaning on.
"Who are you?" Rifka asked her.
"Rachel."
Hidan told her of Rachel's "fight" with the badger.
Who is she? Rifka wondered.
"Uh… Rifka, this is Rachel…" Hidan answered, "She was the one who beat us all up when I took everyone to ThunderClan's land…"
Rachel nodded, but seemed indifferent to this comment.
"She's, like really strong too." Hidan added, "And just now she kinda saved our butts… so…. Thanks though." he added, directed towards Rachel.
"I see." Rifka had been scowling at the she-cat, but when she heard that part of her family's butts had been saved by her, she was furious. She turned to Hidan.
"Hidan, a badger. Defender's are strong and powerful not kits who need saving. We are teaching our Trainees how to fight. We taught you, and every other cat in the Outsiders." She turned to Rachel, "Rachel, I'm glad you were there to save their sorry butts, and I thank you for that" Still talking to Rachel, who still appeared indifferent to the conversation, Rifka glared at Hidan, "We hope you don't have to do it again."
Hidan couldn't contain himself.
"I'm sorry! It's just it popped up out of nowhere! How was I supposed to know it would come out?" He tried desperately to save himself from the piercing of Rifka's eyes.
"Be alert. Be ready. Be prepared." This was what Rifka left Hidan with, but no sooner did she resume her harsh stare.
Hidan lowered his eyes, as he could not bear to see Rifka's eyes burning holes into his any longer. He could still fell her presence.
"Excuse us." Rifka told Rachel.
"Hidan! Where have you been?" Rifka was, again, flaming.
"I--" Hidan started.
"Two moons of… no four moons of pulling ticks for you." She corrected herself, "And I don't want any excuses. I'm going to take you back to the camp, and then I'll have a little chat with Sky, and then we'll both have a chat with you."
Hidan wondered how she could string so much information into one sentence.
Rifka walked over to Rachel and said:
"Thank you, Good-bye."
With that she left. He and Crescent followed Rifka submissively, with Kira and the others following. Once they got to the camp, were sent to bed without any fresh kill, like naughty kits or apprentices.
…
"Well?" Sky asked, after Rifka explained what had happened on WindClan territory, "Why did he drag Crescent out over to WindClan land?"
"To see that rouge, obviously." Rifka told him, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"No," Sky wasn't satisfied with Rifka's answer, "Why did they want to see her in the first place."
"I doubt it was to talk to her about attacking Blue and the others." Sky replied absentmindedly.
"Maybe... but… I don't know…" Rifka was also thinking of something else.
"Well, it is a bit on the late side," Sky commented, "perhaps we should get some rest."
"Well, I believe that is a fine idea." Rifka stretched her jaws in a fake yawn, but settled into her nest again, resting. Not sleeping, resting.
"Sky?" She noticed that Sky was not breathing steadily as he usually did when he was asleep, "You still awake?"
"Yeah."
Sky seems wide awake, figuring from his tone, Rifka thought.
"Wacha want?" Sky grumbled.
Or maybe not, she followed up.
"You know perfectly well what." Rifka was snappish as she usually was in the mornings, seeing that the sun had just peaked over the horizon.
"No, actually I don't." Sky was also grumpy.
"Hnnn…" Rifka pondered, " I don't see why Hidan and Crescent went to see Rachel. I mean, what was so dire they needed her for?"
"Well why don't cha ask him?" Sky didn't seem annoyed, but instead a little curious. He was still thoroughly grumpy. "I wouldn't know."
"I don't want to approach him directly… I suppose Hidan dragged Crescent out there… He always has these big, irresponsible ideas. Like taking three Trainees into ThunderClan land." She glared at the wall of the leaders' den as if she could see through the wall. Sky assumed that she was imagining she could see Hidan, and was glaring at him.
Rifka always has the oddest thoughts and the like, Sky thought, But they're usually right.
"Well, seems like you have to Rifka." This was Sky's solemn reply.
Rifka didn't answer but instead grunted. There were a few moments' silence, but then Rifka told Sky,
"I raised his punishment from one moon of tick pulling to four moons of tick pulling."
"Crescent needs a punishment too, y'know." Sky was being very informal in his speech.
"Well, Crescent can have two moons." Rifka decided, without asking for Sky's consent.
"That sounds good." Sky gave his thoughts on the matter.
"Well…"
"Well what?" Sky asked, sounding tired now.
"Well if it was Crescent's idea and not Hidan's—which I highly doubt that it was—Hidan's punishment will be four moons, counting his earlier incident, and Crescent will have three also." Rifka said defiantly, "Did I do my math correctly?" She asked Sky.
"Well, what were the two different numbers of moons the punishment was going to be?" Sky asked.
When Rifka looked confused, he added:
"How long each of them were to pull ticks off of the cats."
Rifka nodded her head, signaling that she had gotten it, and said:
"Whoever's idea it was, was going to get three moons, and whoever was dragged along would get two moons."
"What if they both hatched the 'great' plan?" Instead of answering Rifka's question, he posed another one.
"Uh…" She didn't feel like going into that now, so replied, "We'll figure that out once it comes along."
Sky nodded, because it seemed like a good, or at least decent, thought to him in the meanwhile, as it was not the most likely thing in the world.
Now, remembering her prior question, Rifka asked again,
"Did I do my math correctly?"
"What were the two lengths of punishments again? I confuse myself with side conversations. "
"Um… excluding Hidan's earlier punishment, the cat that had the idea would have three moons, and the one who followed along would have two."
"OK then," Sky was doing the math in his head, "If it was Hidan's idea, he would have four moons, and Crescent would have two moons. Now, if it was Crescent's idea, which I also highly doubt it was, Crescent would have three moons and Hidan would have two moons…. Three including his other chastisement."
"Alright." Rifka said, "Now I'm going to get some shut-eye now."
"I'll tell Lars that he's in charge for the time being."
"Gllmph." This was Rifka's reply, as she already drifting off into a deep sleep.
…
"Lars," Sky prodded the large brown tom, "Lars, get up!"
"Hnnn?" Lars blinked wearily.
"Rifka and I are having a talk in our den; it might take a while, so we'd like you to be in charge. You know, just make sure everything is in order," Sky glanced reproachfully at Hidan and continued: "And tell cats when to patrol and the like." Sky told him, rather commanded him, and left, leaving Lars no time for questions or comments, just t say in reply,
"Alright, Sky!" a bit too loudly.
In doing this, he woke a few cats who gave him glances of castigation. He quickly settled down, and the other cats he had woken up did so also, eager to get back to sleep.
…
Back in the leaders' den, Rifka was asleep when Sky entered, so he quietly got into his nest. Instead of going to sleep as he commonly did, he lay awake. He was more aware of the earlier incidents now, and wondered.
Why did he go over there? Sky thought, Or rather why did they go over there?
Sky felt like he was talking to the Spirits of Shadow World, and asking them to answer all of his questions, which he was.
Why did that cat, Rachel, protect them instead of attack them this time? Thiswas the main question on his mind, I mean; she attacks them, and then saves their lives. Why? I guess anyone would, but still…
He trailed off with his thoughts. He was tired, and finally trailed off to sleep.
…
"So," Rifka's tone towards Hidan was stern, "Why did you do it?"
Hidan was silent. After awhile, since Hidan still refused to speak, Rifka turned to Crescent to see if she could extract more information from him.
"So? Do you have anything for me?" Rifka asked after Crescent also refused to speak.
Neither of them would speak, so after about an hour later of staring each other down, Rifka was so exasperated, that she just walked away from Sky, Crescent and Hidan.
Sky took this opportunity to see if he could force anything out of Crescent or Hidan.
"Well. I see you wouldn't give anything to Rifka." He told them, rather at them, for they were standing there as if he didn't exist, and stared at the place he stood as if he was a rock.
"Well, I hope you know you each get at least two moons of tick pulling; off of everyone. Hidan, you will get at least three, due to your earlier infringement of the rules. Rifka and I are pretty sure that this was your idea Hidan, therefore if it was, you will get four moons and Crescent, you will get two."
The two were taken aback, but they tried not to show it, but Crescent cracked more than Hidan did. He said a low, muffled, tone:
"Crap."
Sky decided not to say anything, but thought:
Well, they're actually admitting that I'm here. At least Crescent is.
"Well, now that you both know that, I think my job here is done."
He turned around to leave, but called over his white shoulder:
"If either of you feel the need to tell Rifka or I why you chose to go to WindClan land to talk to that rouge Rachel, please feel free. We'd love to hear it. Even though you probably wouldn't, we might be able to cut your punishments a little bit…"
With that he left to the den he and Rifka shared.
…
The night sky grew seemingly darker as Rifka padded slowly away from the camp.
Has a day already gone by? She wondered.
Apparently it had.
Sky padded after her. "You seem troubled," he observed. "Is this about Rachel?"
"Yes."
The two noticed Hidan sitting by a small pond.
"Hidan" Sky said.
Hidan barely turned to look at them. "What?" he said.
"What are you doing out?" Sky said.
"I'm watching the stars." Sky and Rifka sat down near him, listening.
"Did you know that the Clans cats ancestors live up there? They call it SilverPelt."
The leaders looked at him curiously but said nothing.
"SilverPelt is where the dead clan members go. Oh yeah. I have something to tell you."
The leaders looked at him with interest. "What?" they asked in unison.
"Don't punish Crescent for anything. I dragged him along without his permission."
"You mean to find Rachel?" Rifka mewed quickly.
Hidan nodded.
"Yeah."
"Why did you go?" Sky said in an empty voice.
Hidan didn't take his eyes off of the stars. "I went to tell Rachel that the Outsiders might
attack ThunderClan. I went to warn her and ask her to protect them."
Rifka stirred and was becoming furious.
"Why would you tell-" Sky trailed off.
"Hidan!" Rifka screamed.
"If you thought your punishment was bad………" she panted heavily.
"Rifka-" Sky said. But it was no use.
"You're BANNISHED! Leave the Outsiders at once!"
Hidan looked up unphased.
"Okay," he said calmly. Hidan got up and padded away.
Rifka and Sky sat stunned; unable to move.
"He…..just…..left" Rifka said, her eyes wide. "Just…left. No argument. Just like that."
Hidan was no longer an Outsider.
Kira opened her eyes and sat up.
Rifka and Sky aren't back yet, she realized.
Kira sat still a few minutes more then stood up. She padded around their land.
Kira saw Rifka and Sky sitting by a pond.
She bounded over to them.
"Rifka! Sky!" she called. They looked over at her. Kira stopped short a few steps away from them.
"Wh- what happened?" she said hesitantly.
Carmen felt a sharp pain in her side. She looked up and saw Kira who'd slammed into her.
"Sis!" Kira panted. This was urgent.
"What?" Carmen asked. "They kicked Hidan out!!!!!" Kira mewled.
"WHAT?!" Carmen repeated. "Why?!"
Carmen didn't wait for an answer. She dashed out of the nursery.
Carmen found the leaders in their den. "Why?!" she demanded loudly.
"Hidan! What did Hidan do?!"
Rifka looked at her, her expression cold.
"He told Rachel everything. He gave her the wrong idea and he made what we need to do much harder," she said.
Carmen was silent, her face became blank and she padded out.
"We'd better watch out for Rachel," Copper was saying as Carmen slowly walked up to the fresh kill pile.
"Shut up!" Carmen hissed. "We owe Rachel two of the Outsiders' lives. She saved Hidan and Crescent."
Carmen didn't wait for Copper to say anything just stormed angrily away.
"This means that we can't punish Crescent you know," Sky said. "He did nothing."
"Just because he's you brother doesn't mean you can play favorites," Rifka said.
"He did nothing Rifka."
"Fine. We can let him be."
"Really go," Kira grinned. "Me and Mona will watch them, go have fun." Kira nudged her sister towards the camp entrance. "Go," she laughed.
Carmen obediently walked out.
In no time she had tracked down a rabbit. Carmen pursued it mercilessly. As she launched she saw a massive figure over her.
Carmen took a deep breath and gasped. She realized two things.
One: she was on Thunder land,
and Two: there was a badger behind her.
…..
Mona looked around the nursery. She watched the kits play happily.
"Kira?" she said.
"Yeah?"
"When will Carmen be back?"
"I dunno- "
…..
The badger snarled revealing an uncountable number of gleaming yellow teeth.
It swatted Carmen and sent her crashing into a mess of jagged rocks.
Carmen gasped as a shard flew into her side tearing a gash in it.
The badger leapt at her. It landed beside her and smashed a rock above her burying her in the ruble.
Then it dug her out and tossed her around.
Carmen felt whack after whack as she flew from tree to tree.
Suddenly the massive beast stopped.
One of her eye's slowly opened a crack.
Hidan!
Hidan tore into the badger mercilessly.
Carmen felt a slight tug at her shoulder. Rachel nudged Carmen onto her back and sprinted up a tree.
"Hidan!" she called. "Get up here! I'll take care of it."
Hidan left the dying badger and walked to the bottom of the tree.
"Good work," Rachel said.
"You've been helpful" Hidan said to her.
"Thank StarClan Thunder has you," Rachel said. "I'll be away for a few days. Some of these guys got away from me. I'll have to spend some time tracking them down and keeping them off the Clan land."
Hidan nodded. "I'll tell them. The gathering is in a few nights."
Hidan jumped and in one swift movement he was beside her on a limb.
Carmen felt the limb give way as she fell.
And yet, she didn't hit the ground.
Hidan had her scruff in his mouth. He didn't let go until they were on the ground.
"We should get you to FeatherHeart," Hidan said. "That's the second time you've saved my life" she told him.
He shifted Carmen onto his back and sped to the ThunderClan camp.
He's changed so much in one night, Carmen realized. He's so fast and so strong.
"What's StarClan?" Carmen asked.
"SilverPelt is where Clan cat's who've died go. And all of them make up StarClan," Hidan said seriously.
"They watch over and guide us."
"But then why?" Carmen said remembering that Rachel had thanked them. "Why does Rachel believe in them if she isn't part of the Clans?"
"I don't know," Hidan said. "But she does."
He set her down on a bed of warm moss in a roomy den.
There were square holes in the wall where plants had been placed.
A small red she-cat hurried in. "Rachel told me you brought us an Outsider," she smiled.
"Carmen is hurt bad," Hidan told her. "A gash in her side. Possibly other injuries internally. Could be from shock, more likely getting smacked around. Check for infection from the rubble. Or even the badger. It won't have spread too much if there is, I think."
The red cat nodded quickly and began sorting through the plants.
He's changed much more than anyone would think, Carmen realized.
"We're out of marigold," Hidan said. "I'll get some. Take care of her FeatherHeart."
Hidan walked to the entranced.
"Hidan! No don't leave me!" Carmen cried.
"I'll be back soon" he said. Hidan set his head on top of hers. "I will be right back" he promised, and then walked out.
Hidan walked out and saw SagePelt leading TawnyPaw back into the camp.
"SagePelt, sorry to ask you this but could you please help me restock the marigold and cobwebs? I promised Carmen I'd be back soon."
She cheerfully nodded.
"I saw some on our way here," SagePelt grinned. She led Hidan to a small field a short distance away.
SagePelt was never unhappy unless totally necessary. That was one thing Hidan liked about her.
Carmen watched in fascination as FeatherHeart mixed plants and lathered brown goo onto streaks of cobwebs. "Stay still," FeatherHeart said as she carefully put the cobwebs covered in the stick mixture onto her gash.
The Outsiders don't have a healer, Carmen thought.
Carmen noticed that she had wiped up some of the blood onto a yellow leaf that was turning orange.
"What's that?" Carmen asked shakily.
"The leaf with blood on it I can use to see if the badger caused you any internal harm."
"And the cobwebs?"
"Those are to stop the bleeding, and the tree sap on it is combined with some herbs to help heal your gash. Oh, were almost out of cobwebs," FeatherHeart said.
"Good thing we got some more," Hidan said stepping in. Beside him there stood a pretty white she-cat with a huge grin.
"Carmen this is SagePelt," the white cat grinned even bigger than before.
"SagePelt has been very helpful in making me feel at home" Hidan said.
He turned to FeatherHeart and helped her put the herbs in the right places.
'It's like he's lived here forever, not just a night', Carmen thought sadly. He seems so at home here.
"Other than his name you'd never know he wasn't Clan born!" SagePelt mewed in an effort to cheer up Carmen.
Unfortunately, this did not help.
"You really fit in," Carmen said to Hidan a while later over a mouse.
"Yeah, Clan life is great. You always have someone lookin' out for yuh," he said.
"When will this end?" Carmen said abruptly.
"When will what end?" Hidan asked.
"When will you come home?" Carmen said staring intently at him.
"I'm sorry Carmen," Hidan told her. "This is my home now."
"But! But!" Carmen wailed. "You can't leave me!"
"You can come and be part of the clan life too if you want," Hidan said absently, while stargazing.
Carmen looked at him in shock. "What? I- I have family, in the Outsiders……
I have Willow and Chloie and Juni."
"They can be part of this too Karma," Hidan told her.
"You don't even care that they don't like you? Why? Why have you never hated them back?"
"I can't hate anyone that loves you Karma, don't forget that."
Carmen looked at him in shock, her eyes welling up with tears.
She pressed he face into his fur.
"I love you" she whispered.
She felt his head on top of hers.
"I love you too Karma, my own personal piece of Karma."
Carmen felt her heart melt at his words, she was his. Forever.
He would be eternally faithful, and when they died they could be together in StarClan.
She'd never been loved by her kits father. A tom who'd only wanted revenge on his unfaithful former mate.
But Hidan would love her.
HawkStar looked up to see Hidan and the Outsider enter her den.
"Yes?" she said.
"Carmen wishes to join us, and to bring her kits," Hidan said.
"Alright then, a queen. Hidan have you told her of our ways? Has she accepted them?"
"She knows of StarClan and SilverPelt and of the gatherings….but I still must teach her
the warrior code."
HawkStar looked at Hidan proudly. "Good," she said. "If she accepts the code then she may join us."
……
Kira looked worriedly up at the dark sky.
Carmen hadn't returned. Perhaps something had happened to her.
When Kira reported these suspicions to the leaders, they were immediately worried.
"Lars!" Rifka said, noticing he was nearby.
"Yeah?" he asked in reply.
"Gather a patrol and go out on a search for Carmen."
The big brown tom nodded and instantly began to do as his leader had commanded him.
"Isn't Carmen Hidan's mate?" Sky asked after a moment of thought.
"He loves her, but I think that's about as outright as it gets," Kira said, unaware of what had happened at the ThunderClan camp.
"Do you think she went looking for him?" Rifka said.
Sky nodded. "It's possible. Kira, gather a patrol of your own and search near ThunderLand."
"Yessir!" Kira said before hurrying off.
At dawn both patrols returned.
"There was blood," Gretz reported. "Carmen's and what we think is badger blood, by the smell of it. Quite horrible, let me tell you that. Not a doubt about it. There was also the scent of badger, Rachel, Carmen and some ThunderClan cat."
"This isn't enough!" Kira wailed. "I need to know more" she said then ran through the camp, and onto ThunderLand.
Kira was back almost an hour later. She spoke to no one, just blankly walked into the nursery.
A few moments later she came out with Carmen's kits, which had similar expressions.
They all spoke to no one. Just expressionlessly left the camp.
..….
"MOMMY!" Willow shrieked with joy, seeing her mother at the ThunderClan border.
Carmen cuddled her kits. "What's he doing here?!" Willow demanded at seeing Hidan behind her.
"Hidan saved my life and showed me clan life" Carmen told her kits.
"Are you sure about this, Sis?" Kira said.
"I am, I'm ready for a new life, with a real mate."
"MATE?!" her sister and kits echoed her.
"Yes, Hidan is mine now," Carmen said, putting extra emphasis on mine.
"He's our dad now?!" Willow demanded.
"Yes, so get used to it, kits." Carmen pressed her muzzle to Hidan, who gave a velvety purr.
"I wanna go home!" Willow yelled.
"We are, Willow, we're going to our new home now."
…..
"KIRA!" Rifka shot, as she came into the camp.
"Where have you been?! And where are Carmen's kits?!"
"Carmen and her kits and Hidan are together," Kira said as she slumped down on a mess of tangled moss. "They're all ThunderClan now…"
"They're WHAT?!" Rifka shouted at Kira once she had the full story.
"Hidan decided to live under the protection of Thunder, and he became one of their Clan. Carmen, apparently, couldn't live without Hidan, so she went looking for him. Thunder's leader said if Hidan taught Carmen the warrior code, and she accepted it, she could live with Hidan in ThunderClan. Of course, Carmen had to have her kits with her, so they went too." Kira explained to Rifka for the second time.
Rifka had been listening intently, and now took a few moments' time to ponder this fact. She opened her mouth as if to protest or exclaim 'WHAT?!' again, but instead remained silent and stared at the loose, damp soil under her paws.
"He really does follow orders…" Rifka muttered half sarcastically, half really believing what she was saying. 'And always finds ways to slip through them… And the rules too, for that matter,' she thought, rolling her eyes.
Assuming the authority tone that she usually had, Rifka said,
"We've got to get him back. What if he tells Thunder of our plans, secrets and weaknesses?"
"I really don't know…" Lars's booming voice rang in the small den
"Nor I…" Sky was at a complete loss too.
"Well?" Rifka prodded, "We have to do this together."
The group nodded slightly.
"Do you think that we should tell the others?" Kira piped up.
"Well, I'm sure they've noticed that Hidan's gone." Lars put in. And that his big mouth isn't blabbing all the time, he thought to himself.
"Well, maybe we should wait till someone asks…" Sky said thoughtfully.
"Yes, yes." Rifka said promptly, "Then it's settled. Nobody tell what has happened to him. Nobody."
'Her tone was unusually stern,' Lars thought, 'what's the big deal? They're bound to have noticed that he's gone… We really should tell them the truth before they get rambunctious, and the word 'rebellion' comes into their reads. I really do wonder why he left… Rifka banished him, but he actually listened to her for once… He really did leave… But what if he tells the Thunder cats of all of our secrets? What if they plan a surprise attack? What if they drive us out, like BloodClan drove us out of the forest? What will we do then? Come to think of it, what will happen to us if we don't take ThunderClan's land? Will there be another place for us? Back in the forest, maybe there's a place for us to stay… Well, I doubt it, if all four of the Clans left it for here… There's got to be something wrong with it, now mustn't there… Some to think of it, I wonder how all of the others will feel now that he's gone… And Carmen too, and her kits… And I'll bash my head against the stone wall of this very cave is there's a dunderhead who doesn't notice Hidan's gone… I will…'
He pondered these thoughts, each in their turn, and took no notice of what was happening in the humid cave. While all of these thoughts were crossing mind, Rifka had dismissed the rest if the cats, with the exception of Sky, but he had left anyway, with the farewell,
"My belly is calling for some prey! I'll be back in a bit!"
Lars was about to let some new thoughts enter his mind, when Rifka gave a little 'ahem', with the slightest hint of an annoyed tone. His head jolted up, as he had been staring at the cold, stone floor of the cave. He looked around and noticed that the others had left, even Sky. He had been so deep in his thoughts, that he had not heard a word of Rifka's dismissal, nor the fact that Sky stated he was hungry, and was, therefore, going to hunt to fill the aching in his belly.
"Oh…" He mumbled, "Excuse me, Rifka."
He did not dare make excuses to one of his leaders, least of all the more strict one. Rifka gave a curt nod, and Lars exited the cave.
He winced, and squinted his eyes at the bright sunlight that beamed from above. It warmed his brown pelt. Slightly annoyed with himself, he padded back to the rock on which the Defenders slept. He trotted over to his nest and fell into it.
'I didn't know I was so tired…' He thought, 'I'll just take a little snooze… Maybe a little walk later… Yes, that sounds good.'
He gave a great yawn, his brown chest heaving, and before drifting off into a deep sleep, he thought to himself, a bit ironically,
'I do have a habit of thinking to myself, don't I?'
…
"Lars! Lars!" There came a high squeak from above him, a paw padding his side.
"Yeah Lars! Where's Hidan? And Carmen?" A second voice came from his other side.
He recognized them both to belong to Sorrel and Dove.
"And where's Chloie, Juni and Willow? Huh? Where are they? We wanna play with them! We're bored!" The first voice, Dove whined again.
"Huh?"
Lars tried to disguise the fact that he knew where the said cats were. He blinked a couple times and stared into the two pairs of blue eyes above him.
"C'mon! Tell us!" The second voice, Sorrel pleaded.
"We know you know!" Dove followed up.
"No." Lars snapped at the two kits. His tone was firm; perhaps a little more that he had intended it to be.
The two kits said nothing, but looked at him, taken aback. Their expressions were of awe, astonishment, hurtfulness and despair. Their eyes were wide, and they also looked a tad bit confused at Lars's sudden comeback.
"Fine then. Be that way."
Dove erased the expression on her face, and left it blank. The only thing that she revealed was a slightly menacing glare from her icy blue eyes. She stared a Lars for a few moments. He returned her glare, but unlike Dove's, his showed no expression. He half expected Dove and Sorrel — who had adapted the same expression as Dove -- to burst out laughing at any moment, but they did not. He sighed, and the two kits ran back to the nursery in leaping bounds. More or less, the "leaping bounds" came only from Dove, and Sorrel ran in a tottering fashion behind her.
'I feel sorry for her,' Lars thought to himself, 'she never did tell anybody what happened to her leg, how it got crippled.'
Sorrel had not told a single soul what had happened to her leg. Perhaps she didn't remember it, or maybe she just didn't want anybody to know what had happened.
Maybe I could help… He thought somberly, Oh, there I go again, talking to myself! How does one get rid of these habits?
With a final shake of his head, shaming himself, he drifted back off to sleep again.