The female ocelot crouched down low, hidden among the reeds. She watched as a group of cats come up close to her location. From what Ivythorn told her, these cats were from a clan called RiverClan.
Savannah was a bit thankful that her spotted coat made a good camouflage. She didn't want all these cats to find her. No. She wanted them to come one-by-one. It would make convincing them so much easier. She knew that these Clan cats were smarter and more faithful then most rogues and loners she met, though not by much.
The patrol of cats stopped and starting talking among each other. Savannah strained her ears to listen on what they were saying.
"Birdsong said that a patrol from yesterday scented WindClan on our territory around here," said one, a ginger female.
"Those fox hearts! Greenleaf has given us the entire Clans bountiful fresh kill. Is WindClan so greedy that they need to steal prey from us?" another, a striped tan and white male, growled.
"Regardless, I think we should split up and search the area for their scent," one, a brown female, suggested.
"Good idea Otterpelt. Mothflight, Otterpelt, you go over there by the stream. I'll continue forward and Mistcloud, you head over there by the reeds," the ginger female said, pointing her tail to where Savannah was hiding.
Perfect! Her plan was working beautifully. Once the blue-gray female came over, then it would be time to unveil herself. The groups of cats began to split up in different direction. Mistcloud The female started sniffing the area, no doubt looking for the supposed WindClan scent. She let out a hiss once she smelled a certain area. Savannah smiled. The female clan cat was no doubt sniffing the scent where Savannah rolled in to put the WindClan scent to lead cats closer to her.
The female continued to sniff the area, coming closer to Savannah. The female cat then glared at something. Savannah could only guess that the blue-gray female spotted her.
The clan cat's pelt bristled up as her back arched. "Coward! I know you're there! Why don't you show yourself?" the female spat. Savannah grinned. "Alright then," Savannah calmly said.
"What are you doing on Rive-" the female cat was cut off once Savannah showed herself to the blue-gray female. Her jaw hung open with an awe-struck look in her eyes. Savannah couldn't help but purr in amusement at the female's expression.
"I'm sorry, where did you say I was? I didn't quite catch it," Savannah purred. The blue-grey female shook to regain her focus.
"I-I'm so sorry! Please forgive my rudeness. I didn't expect a cat from the great LeopardClan to be here," the female pleaded, her head bowing.
Savannah twitched her whiskers in amusement. She couldn't believe that these clan cats thought that she was a leopard. How stupid were they?
"You do not need to apologize. You were only defending your territory after all," Savannah mewed, her voice sweet as honey. "Sit up, young warrior. Tell me, what is your name?"
The blue-grey female looked up. "My name's Mistcloud. I'm from RiverClan," the female said.
Savannah nodded. She looked around the area. There was plenty of water here, much more compare to the other Clans she had seen. She guessed that these cats liked getting their paws wet. "Tell me, Mistcloud. Does RiverClan like the water?" she asked.
Mistcloud nodded. "RiverClan is the only clan that likes to swim. The other clans are too scared to get their paw wet," explained Mistcloud.
"Well, it looks like RiverClan is the closest clan that's more like LeopardClan," Savannah sighed, pretending to miss the ancient Clan.
Mistcloud looked surprised at Savannah's remark. "What happen to LeopardClan?" she asked.
Savannah filled her eyes with sadness as she let out a sigh. "It was those hairless monkeys! They destroyed all the ancient clans! They slaughtered our warriors and ripped their pelts off with their sharp claws. Only two LeopardClan warriors were left after that," Savannah sobbed. "Those two warriors are my ancestors."
Mistcloud nodded. Savannah could see the female's eyes filled with sadness, though it was not artificial like Savannah's. "I-I'm so sorry. Is there anything I, no, anything that RiverClan can do? I know! Maybe you can stay here. Badgerstar, our leader, will be more then happy to welcome you," Mistcloud suggested, her eyes filled with hope.
Savannah shook her head. She couldn't settle down in one clan yet. "I'm sorry. I can't do that yet. I do want you to do me a favor," Savannah said. Mistcloud quickly nodded her head.
"Anything! I'll be more then happy to help in any way," Mistcloud mewed, almost begging her to be of some sort of help.
Savannah leaned in closer. "I want you to keep quite about seeing me. I don't want the other clans to know," Savannah murmured. "I don't want to put your clan in trouble if they kept me. The other clans might want to hurt you if they know I'm with RiverClan."
Mistcloud had a confused look on her face. "Couldn't I tell my clan though?" she asked.
"No!" Savannah spat, making the female cat flinch with surprise. "I-I mean, I don't want anyone to find out I'm here. If your clan found out I'm here, they might want to find me and want me to join your clan. I don't want to say no but I don't want your clan to get hurt if the other clans found out. Do you understand?' Savannah asked, hoping that the female clan cat would get it through her thick skull that she can't stay with RiverClan.
Luckily, the female cat seemed to understand as she slowly nodded her head. "Mistcloud? Where are you? Did you find anything?" called a voice from a distant.
Mistcloud and Savannah jerked their heads to see the groups of cats together. "That's my patrol," Mistcloud muttered, looking back at Savannah.
"You better head back to them or they might get worried. Please, don't tell them I was here. Do you promise?" Savannah pleaded, making her eyes filled with a desperate hope.
Mistcloud looked hesitant at first but them nodded. "I promise," Mistcloud whispered before she rushed back to her patrol.
Savannah among the reeds again, straining her ears to hear what the patrol was saying.
"Mistcloud, did you find anything over there? You were there for quite a while," a female voice asked.
"I smelled WindClan by those reeds," Mistcloud said. Savannah's eyes widened. Was Mistcloud going to tell on her? 'But she promised me!' Savannah thought, her throat hard with worry. "However…" Savannah's ears perked up again as Mistcloud continued. "The scent is stale. It looks like they haven't been there for a while. We should report it to Badgerstar or Birdsong just in case though."
There was a silence that felt like days. Savannah's breathing became faster as she began to panic. Did they not believe Mistcloud? Were they going to come over here to see what she found?
"Alright then. If the scent is stale, then they must have stopped coming on our territory. Although, we should tell Birdsong and Badgerstar and they'll bring it up at the Gathering," suggested a male voice.
Savannah let out a soft sigh of relief as she carefully peered out of the reeds to see the patrol of cats leaving the area, probably going back to their camp. Savannah waited for a little while until the patrol was out of sight. Once they were gone, she quietly slipped out of the reeds and sneaked past the area, looking out for another patrol coming along. She had to make it back to the barn she lived. Ginger and Brass were probably wondering where she was all this time.
Savannah had managed to pass through RiverClan's territory and headed inside the barn. Ivythorn was grooming herself and then looked up when Savannah entered the barn. "Savannah, you're back! Where did you go?" Ivythorn asked, padding up to Savannah and dipped her head.
"I went out exploring the territory and the Clans," Savannah simply said. Ivythorn hissed at the word Clans.
Savannah was not surprised at Ivythorn's reaction to the word. The tortoiseshell female had every right to be spiteful towards them. The poor female cat was once a Clan cat that was in love with another with a cat from a different Clan. For that reason, she was exiled from her own Clan and her mate's Clan. Savannah had met the female cat a few years back and Ginger and Brass reluctantly let the former Clan cat stay at the barn.
"Anyway, you must be hungry," Ivythorn said. She whipped her head to Poison, a former rogue that Savannah had found a few days ago. "Poison! Stop standing there like an idiot and get Savannah some food, now!"
"That won't be necessary" Savannah said but the thin tortoiseshell female had gone to the where they gathered their food and came back with a small mouse and tossed it to Savannah.
Ivythorn let out a low growl at the prey. "You call that food? This could barely feed a kit!" Ivythorn hissed at Poison.
The small female ducked down, her tail between her legs. "I-It's all we had, I swear," Poison softly murmured. Ivythorn's tail lashed back and forth wildly.
"Then you go and hunt some more, you lazy, go-for-nothing, waste of space! Show some more respect for once! Do you know who she is? Of course you don't. She's from the great LeopardClan, you mouse-brain!" Ivythorn snapped, making Posion shrink at the female's snarling voice.
Savannah just rolled her eyes. When her and Ivythorn met, the former Clan cat thought she was from LeopardClan and has served her fiercely ever since. No matter how many times Savannah told her that she was an ocelot, Ivythorn didn't seem to understand and continued to refer to her as a leopard. Personaly, Savannah thought Ivythorn was a bit of an idiot to think that she was a leopard. However, the former Clan cat was useful for information and she had to admit that Ivythorn was very informative about herbs and berries.
"Ivythorn, there's no need to yell at the poor thing. Besides, Savannah can get her own food if she was hungry. Those no need to order Poison around like she's your slave," Ginger said, jumping down from the upper floor. "Besides, I've never seen you hunt around here. Aren't Clan cats supposed to know how to hunt?"
Ivythorn glared at the dark ginger female, a growl rumbling in her throat. "What right do you have to talk to me like that? Say that again and I'll claw your ears off, you old sack of bones," Ivythorn snarled, unsheathing her claws.
"That's enough, Ivythorn," Savannah snarled, stepping in front of the two females. "You should treat Ginger as well as Brass with respect. If they didn't welcome you here, you would be out on your own struggling to survive. Or you might be some hairless monkeys play thing."
Ivythorn had too much respect for the apparent LeopardClan cat and didn't so much as growl or hiss at her. Ivythorn slid past Savannah and faced Ginger. "I'm sorry, Ginger," Ivythorn said. Ginger nodded but Savannah knew that Ivythorn didn't mean her apology and she suspected that Ginger didn't buy it too.
Ginger turned his attention to Poison, licking the still frightened female. "Come now, dear. Let's go out hunting," Ginger sweetly said, trying to calm Poison down. The young female nodded and followed Ginger out the barn.
Savannah let out a quick, faint smile at Ginger's kindness towards the timid rogue. She then turned her attention to Ivythorn, giving the female a hard glare.
"Come with me Ivythorn. I want to talk to you," Savannah said. Ivythorn nodded, though there was a hint of worry in her eyes. The two cats went out of the barn and into the fields, anyway from where Ginger and Poison were hunting.
Savannah settled her self down in a patch of weeds while Ivythorn sat down a few inches away from Savannah.
"What's this all about?" Ivythorn asked, trying to play innocent. Savannah continued to glare at her.
"You know what this is about, Ivythorn. I am sick of your attitude towards Brass and Ginger lately. They gave you food and shelter and yet you constantly show them little to no respect for their hospitality. I also don't appreciate how you bully Poison. If we want our plans to go well, we need every cat we can get. If Posion is threatened, she might leave us," Savannah explained.
Ivythorn's ears flattened. "I'm so sorry Savannah. I didn't mean to scare her. I was just stressed and worried about you. You were gone for two days and I thought something bad had happened to you," Ivythorn said with a disgustingly sweet tone in her voice.
Savannah didn't buy her words for a second but said nothing. "I don't care for excuses, Ivythorn. If you show any disrespect towards Brass or Ginger again, I can guarantee you that we'll be doing more then just talking," Savannah warned, her voice stern.
Ivythorn's eyes widened with shock to see the seriousness in Savannah's tone and eyes. "Y-yes of course," stuttered Ivythorn, giving quick nods.
Although Ivythorn was useful for her information, Savannah would not stand any sorts of disrespect towards the cats that saved her life. As far as she was concerned, Ivythorn was a bit of a nuisance to Savannah.
"Good. Come on. Let's go hunting, shall we," Savannah said as she brushed by Ivythorn.
Ivythorn nodded as she padded with Savannah but kept her distance between her.
Savannah and Ivythorn went into the open field behind the barn. Savannah opened her jaws and caught the taste of a crow. Savannah turned to see a huge crow eating a mouse that had been dead for some time now. Savannah dropped down into a crouch and began stalking her prey. As Savannah got closer to her target, the crow never took it's eyes off it's meal. 'How perfect,' Savannah grinned as she leaped forward, her claws outstretched as she clawed the crows back just before it took off. The crow thrashed around in pain on the ground and then Savannah snapped it's neck between her powerful jaws.
"Nice catch, Savannah," Ivythorn said. Savannah could hear a hint of nervousness in Ivythorn's voice, probably thinking on what Savannah could do to her. Savannah just acknowledged Ivythorn's comment with a grunt.
The sun glared down on Savannah's pelt. After so many years of hunter out in the open, she would have gotten use to it by now, but no. Savannah missed hunting under the rainforest canopy. However, Savannah knew that she would not be going home anytime soon.
Savannah opened her jaws again and tasted mouse scent. Savannah turned to see a plump mouse nibbling on some seed by an old oak tree. "Ivythorn, why don't you catch this one," Savannah turned to the tortoiseshell female.
Ivythorn nodded as she dropped down into a crouch and slowly padded towards the mouse. Savannah found it a bit unusual that Ivythorn tried to go out in the open instead of looking for cover but said nothing. Suddenly, Ivythorn sprung forward into a swift run and snatched up the mouse and killed it before it even noticed her. Savannah had to admit that the female was quite agile.
"Nice catch," called Savannah. Ivythorn padded towards Savannah, her eyes were gleaming at Savannah's compliment. "Although, I must say, it was a rather unusual method. Don't most cats try to hide themselves and pounce on their prey once they're close enough?" Savannah asked.
Ivythorn shook her head. "My Clan hunts out on the open moors. We rely on our speed to hunt more than the other Clans," Ivythorn explained.
Savannah nodded but something else still tugged at her mind. "If you can hunt, then why don't you?" Savannah asked.
Ivythorn flattened her ears. "I do! Ginger just doesn't see me hunt," she snorted. Savannah ignored Ivythorn's snort although she didn't know to believe in the she-cat or not. Savannah had also never seen Ivythorn hunt as well but maybe she hunted in a different area.
"We should continue hunting. We'll need to refill the pile," Savannah said as she and Ivythorn continued on hunting.
The sun was beginning to set as Savannah finished off a snake and carried back to where their other prey was. Ivythorn looked at Savannah's catch with disgust. "Why would a LeopardClan warrior eat something as vile as a snake?" she asked, sticking her tongue out is disgust.
Savannah shrugged her shoulders. "They're actually pretty good. You should try one," Savannah suggested.
Ivythorn gagged on the inside but respectfully dipped her head. "I have... and I find the meat to be repulsive," she replied as calmly as possible.
Savannah nodded, respecting the female's opinion. She picked up the rest of her prey, a crow and two mice, and she and Ivythorn went back to the barn.
Savannah and Ivythorn entered the barn to see Ginger and Brass back from hunting sharing a meal together. Tide, a cat that had kept Savannah warm that night years ago, was digging through the pile for something to eat. Poison was eating in the corner by herself, as usual.
Savannah and Ivythorn dropped their food in the pile, Ivythorn grabbing a crow for herself and sitting beside Poison. Savannah watched as Ivythorn and Poison began talking to each other.
"Did you catch that raven, Posion? It's quite impressive," Ivythorn said, in one of her disgustingly sweet tones.
"Uh…Yeah. I did," Poison mumbled softly.
"Speak up, child. I can barely hear you!" Ivythorn hissed, making Poison flinch. "I-I mean, I'm sorry about earlier. I was just stressed is all. I didn't mean to snap at you either."
Poison nodded lightly. "I-It's fine," Poison said as resumed eating her prey.
Savannah turned her attention away and grabbed a snake from the pile. She knew Ivythorn was faking it, but as long as she was being nice to Poison, she didn't care.
Savannah toke her prey and settled down next to Tide, who was eating a vole. "Hello Tide. Long time no see," Savannah greeted. Tide didn't live in the barn. We usual roamed around but he visited once and while.
Tide looked up from his meal and looked at Savannah's choice of food and let out a good natured snort. "I don't understand how you can eat lizards or snakes. Don't they taste weird?" he asked.
"They're not that bad. They're kind of chewy," Savannah replied.
Tide shrugged his shoulder. "If you say so," he muttered and turned his attention to Poison and Ivythorn. "I see that the barn is getting more cats here. What are the two she-cat's names?"
"The tortoiseshell and white is named Ivythorn. She was a Clan cat," Savannah replied. Tide's ears twitched in curiosity.
"A Clan cat, huh? What happened? Did she get tried of stealing the barn's catnip and prey?" Tide chuckled.
Savannah rolled her eyes and grinned. "It's a long story. Anyway, the other tortoiseshell is Poison. We found her last season almost starved to death and Ginger toke her in," Savannah continued explaining.
Tide let out a light-hearted chuckle. "That's Ginger for you," Tide purred and continued to eat his meal. Savannah continued to eat her meal as well until she finished it. She still missed the delicious prey from the rainforest but the food here was passable.
Her ears twitched as she heard the door open. Savannah quickly climbed up to the upper part of the barn, careful not to be seen. Savannah could clearly hear Ginger, Brass and Tide mewing and some random gibberish. Savannah guessed that it was coming from one of the hairless monkeys that owned the barn. She had to admit, these hairless monkeys weren't bad. They sometimes came and gave them fish or milk. However, Savannah had a feeling that she should hide from them. She had grown a lot since when she first came to the barn and she didn't want to scare them.
A few minutes had past before the hairless monkey left. Savannah jumped down from the upper level to smell a heavenly scent. She recognized it as fish, cooked fish. Brass and Tide happily gobbled down the food. Ginger grabbed a couple of pieces for Poison and Ivythorn and tossed to them.
Ivythorn let out a snort of disgust. "Do you really expect me to some twoleg slop? I'm good with fresh kill, thank you," Ivythorn snorted. Ginger huffed and padded over to Savannah.
"Would you like some, dear?" asked Ginger. Savannah shook her head.
"I prefer raw food, thank you," Savannah said. Ginger nodded understandingly and settled her self by Brass and Tide, munching on the fish.
Tide licked his lips in satisfaction and stood up. "Thank you for having me over. It's about time I leave before it gets too late," Tide meowed.
Ginger nodded and smiled. "Alright then, be careful. Don't be a stranger, Tide," Ginger mewed.
Brass stood up and touched Tide's nose. "Be careful, brother," purred Brass. Tide started purring as well. "I will. Thank you, Brass," Tide said as he headed out the door.
Savannah grabbed a thrush and settled down next to Brass and Ginger. "I didn't know Tide was your brother, Brass," Savannah mewed.
Brass nodded. "Actually, we're half brothers. We shared to same mother," explained Brass. "Do you have any siblings?"
"I have two brothers back home," Savannah replied. "In the rainforest? My, you must miss them a lot," Ginger said. Savannah sighed and nodded.
It was true. She missed her mother and her brothers, even when they teased or scolded her. 'I wonder if they miss me or if they're looking for me,' Savannah wondered and then shook her head. 'Of course they miss me! They're my kin.'
Savannah finished her thrush and jumped up on the upper level and settled down in the hay. She was thankful that the barn was warm, especially during the cold seasons. Poison went up into the upper level a while after and settled down in a corner.
Savannah wondered where the female came from. "Poison," she said. Poison looked up at Savannah. "Tell me, where did you come from?" she asked.
Poison looked nervous at first but toke a deep breath and calmed down. "Me and my brother lived on the streets. I-It was awful there…so many cats frightening for food. We were born in a gang of rogues but I managed to escape," Poison explained.
Savannah's ears twitch in interest. These cats could possibly help them with their plans "Do you think you can show me where this gang is?" Savannah asked. Poison looked shocked and shook her head rapidly. "N-No! I can't…I just can't," Poison sobbed.
Savannah sighed, a bit annoyed at the female's timid nature. "Poison, these cats may be able to help us. I promised you that you'll never good hungry again but I need as much cats as I can get for my plan to work. Will you show me?" Savannah asked, her voice hard.
Poison sighed and nodded. "I-I don't know…Can you give me a few days?" Poison pleaded, her eyes big with hope.
Savannah gave her a stern looked but then sighed and nodded. She shouldn't force the timid female or she might refuse and leave permanently. "Fine. I'll give you a few days to decide," Savannah said. Poison nodded and drifted off to sleep.
Ivythorn padded up to Savannah. "Why would a LeopardClan warrior need more cats for the plan?" Ivythorn asked, her voice filled with suspicion. Savannah gave her a stern stare. "You know how many cats there are. If we want our plan to work, we'll need as much help as possible. They'll be too much for me to handle even," Savannah explained, her voice calm.
Ivythorn simply nodded before settling down somewhere on the upper level. Savannah let out a yawn and curled up and drifted off to sleep. 'Soon, we'll put our plan to action…'
A/N: Sorry it's not that exciting. This chapter was more of a look at Savannah's life now but I promise to make it better. I'll write her perspective every three chapters or so. Oh, and because I forgot a disclaimer, I don't own warriors. If I did, I certainly wouldn't be writing fan fiction. Read and review and tell me what you think.