Leafstar groggily blinked open her eyes and flicked her tail over her muzzle as the sounds of her Clanmates' voices drifted up into her den from the gorge below. Fiery rays of sunlight slanted onto the floor the den, turning the sandy brown stone before her to a beautiful copper.
She rose to her paws, shaking the moss from her tabby pelt and giving the fur on her back a quick swipe with her tongue. The place by her side where Billystorm usually slept was already empty, though his scent still lingered by his side, despite his absence.
I'm so lucky to have him. He's one of the best Warriors I know, despite his kittypet past.
Leafstar could clearly recall the day Billystorm had pledged his complete devotion and loyalty to SkyClan...and to her. He had pushed away his kittypet background, become a full SkyClan warrior, and became the perfect father to her three kits.
The growing sunlight warmed Leafstar's pelt as she slid out from the leader den and scanned the gorge that sloped down before her. Below, she spotted the grey tabby pelt of Mintfur and Rockshade as they demonstrated their upward leaps to Cloudpaw, Leopardpaw, and Grasspaw. She watched as their sleek forms rocketed into the air, then fell back to the earth with perfect balance, resembling silvery fish as they leapt from the stream and twisted playfully into the air.
"Leafstar!" The cream-furred tabby she-cat turned her attention away from the two warriors, until it landed on the one who had called out to her.
Just outside the nursery, the bright ginger fur of Firecloud stood, her pelt shining like a thin tongue of dancing flame. The ginger she-cat's swollen belly sagged toward the earth, heavy laden with her unborn kits. Leafstar couldn't help but feel a surge of pride in her chest at the sight of her daughter. Firecloud...having kits! My grandkits!
Though Echosong had assured Firecloud that her kits wouldn't arrive for at least another moon, Leafstar felt as if they were already born. Firecloud looked closer and closer to kitting every day, her belly growing steadily larger with the promise of new life.
Not only that, but Birdscar's kits are almost ready to be apprenticed, and Cloudpaw and Grasspaw will be warriors within the moon! SkyClan is strong. We are ready.
"We can handle whatever you throw at us, Firestar." She murmured softly to herself, her gaze slipping away from Firecloud.
"What was that?"
Leafstar jumped at the sound of Stormfire's voice, and turned to look at the grey she-cat beside her. Her daughter's eyes shone with unspoken worry, and the hair on the back of her neck had begun to rise.
"Oh!" Leafstar shook her head quickly, realizing that she had spoken out loud. "Nothing! Nothing at all! I was just thinking out loud. Has the dawn patrol returned yet?"
To Leafstar's relief, the worry in the tabby she-cat's blue eyes melted away and was quickly replaced with the usual hard, determined gleam.
"Uh-huh. We just got back. Eggwhisker and Fallowfern caught a strong scent of rogue up by the Twolegplace, so Sharpclaw though you could take a patrol up there to check it out." Stormfire replied, tail lashing. "It seemed like there was a whole group passing through. Sharpclaw said we needed to keep a close eye on that border."
Leafstar felt the icy claws of fear grip her stomach as Stormfire spoke. Could it be some of Dodge's cats, or Stick's cats?
She could clearly remember that battle so many moons ago, before her kits were born, against the group of rogues led by Dodge, a wiley alley cat. A rogue called Stick tricked SkyClan into helping him defeat Dodge and his group, but the battle had been much more deadly than Leafstar could have imagined. Stick's daughter was killed, and Leafstar herself had lost a life.
Just two left. She thought bitterly, closing her eyes for a moment. Only two more lives to lead my Clan. Could my kits survive without me?
"Leafstar? Are you okay?" Stormfire's urging voice once again pulled Leafstar back to the present, pushing thoughts of death and battle to th back of her mind.
"Yes, I'm fine." Leafstar replied, rising to her paws and gracefully leaping onto the rockpile. "Please get Shrewtooth, Rabbitleap, and Tinycloud from the warriors den, if you would. I want to take them on my patrol. And if you see Sharpclaw, tell him to come find me, I want him with me too. Oh! Have you seen Billystorm?"
"Yes. He took out a hunting patrol just before I saw you." Stormfire replied, leaping up the slope. "I'll get Harryclaw and Heatherpaw too, yes?" She called over her shoulder as she disappeared into the shadowy mouth of the warrior den.
"Yes. Thank you, Stormfire." Leafstar whispered, though the ginger she-cat was out of sight. Leafstar flicked her tail and dropped down to land beside the stream, her eyes fixed on the top of the gorge when golden sunlight trickled down over the tawny rocks, washing away the looming shadows that lurked in the crevices.
SkyClan will live. I know it.
"We we just about here when Fallowfern first picked up their scent." Eggwhisker meowed, waving his tail in a gesture to the SkyClan border that lay less than a tail-length away. "There are at least five different scents up there, but we caught the first one here."
"Did they cross the border?" Tinycloud growled, lashing her tail.
"Not down here. Their scent went way up that way, though, but we didn't check it all out in case we ran into any hostility. Our patrol wasn't prepared for an attack against that many." Eggwhisker replied.
"Leafstar?" Sharpclaw turned to look at her, his amber eyes watching her carefully, awaiting her decision.
"We'll split up. Sharpclaw, you take Tinycloud, Eggwhisker, and Heatherpaw and head toward Twolegplace. I'll take Harryclaw, Shrewtooth, and Rabbitleap back toward carrionplace. If we meet trouble, send someone back to camp to get another battle patrol. Report back at camp around sunhigh, yes?" Leafstar meowed, watching her deputy closely to gauge his reaction.
In the past, Sharpclaw had been a little too commanding and too quick to take control, pushing Leafstar aside. Despite this, Leafstar knew there was no cat more loyal to SkyClan than Sharpclaw, and no matter what he did, the Clan was always the thing at the front of his mind.
Sharpclaw nodded, flicking his tail to summon the cats Leafstar listed to go with him. "Okay. We'll see you at sunhigh. Come on, Heatherpaw, Tinycloud, Eggwhisker!" The broad-shouldered tabby tom turned and stalked along the border, Tinycloud and Eggwhisker following close behind while Heatherpaw scrambled to keep up.
"Ready?" Leafstar asked, turning back to her patrol. Shrewtooth nodded and stretched open his jaws, tasting the air for the rogue scent.
"There's an odd scent coming from back that way. It might be rogue, but I'm not sure." Shrewtooth reported finally, clamping his jaws shut and rising to his paws.
"Lead the way." Leafstar dipped her head as Shrewtooth took the lead as the made their way back toward the carrionplace.
"Wait!" Rabbitleap hissed suddenly, skidding to a halt just in front of Leafstar. "Follow me! The brown tom hared through the tall grass, the patrol on his heels. As they moved, Leafstar caught the pungent scent of the rogue cats, drifting through the air.
They've been here. Inside our borders. They must've crossed last night, after the dusk patrol and before the dawn patrol this morning.
"Look!" Harryclaw yowled, racing to a patch of trampled grass. The grey tom began to claw at the beaten-down grass stems, ripping them away until he sat back on his haunches and lifted a mangled brown lump from the grass. He spat it out, and it landed by Leafstar's paws.
Leafstar peered closely at the half-eaten remains of a vole that lay before her.
Rogues. First they dare to enter our territory, then they steal our prey and leave perfectly good kill behind to become crow-food!
"Rogues." Shrewtooth whispered, pushing the prey aside.
"We need to run them off our territory." Harryclaw hissed, his tail lashing and his eyes burning with cold fire.
Leafstar felt icy claws of gear race down her spine. Is this what Firestar meant? Will SkyClan be destroyed by rogues?