Chapter 4
Shadowpelt slowly opened her eyes. A faint rustling sound had woken her. "Who's there?" She called softly. "It's me, Cinderstripe." A light voice replied. "Cinderstripe? What is it?" Shadowpelt asked, she had a feeling it was more bad news. "Larkwing and her kits have vanished." Cinderstripe reported. "How many have disappeared in the last two dawn's?" Shadowpelt asked wearily. "We've lost ten cats." Cinderstripe said, there was a hint of sadness in her voice, and Shadowpelt remembered that her mate had vanished. "It must have been the Twoleg's." Shadowpelt said. "So many cats couldn't have disappeared unless they did it." Cinderstripe looked down at her paws. "And we will get them back, tonight." Cinderstripe was suddenly interested. "Really? Oh, thank you Shadowpelt!" She quickly turned around and left to tell the rest of the clan. After she had left Shadowpelt sat up and started to think. The only thing we can do is all attack at the same time, but, how many will die? She shook her head to clear it. It doesn't matter. We all would rather die fighting then starve. Shadowpelt stood up and headed for the clearing where the clan was slowly arousing. "Shadowpelt! Is what Cinderstripe tells us true?" Asked an elder somewhere in the middle of the cats. "Yes." Shadowpelt replied. "What!?" The elder exclaimed. "You actually are going to attack the twolegs? What kind of Mouse-Brained idiot would do that?" The elder cried. "Your deputy!" Snapped Shadowpelt. "And last I checked the clan follows the leader, since Whitestar is gone, that makes me in charge." The elder dipped her head and laid down, but she muttered something to the cat next to her. If Shadowpelt had noticed she ignored it. "We leave tonight!" She called, her voice rang out to all the cats gathered near hear. Fear scent hung in the air. They all knew they probably wouldn't survive the night, but what did it matter?
...
Shadowpelt awoke to a cat shaking her. "Shadowpelt." The cat meowed urgently. "It's time we be heading off." Shadowpelt slowly stood up. "Right. I'll be right there." She muttered drowsily. The cat nodded and left. As soon as the cat had left Shadowpelt considered curling back up in her moss, sleep hadn't come easy, but she knew she couldn't. Reluctantly she walked out of her den. Outside cats where talking to each other about the upcoming battle. Shadowpelt yowled and all heads turned toward her. "We leave now, we are going to search all of Twoleg Place until we find our cats, don't attack unless I give the order." Shadowpelt meowed. "Elders, Queens, and Kits stay, everyone else, follow me." Shadowpelt started forward, toward the Twoleg Place, toward; most likely, death.
Slowly, and quietly the cats trudged forward. Eyes darting around, listing for the slightest sound that might signify danger, but nothing. The forest was quiet. "Up ahead on the right." Shadowpelt whispered. The cats nodded. They turned the corner and many scents hit their noses. The most strong though, was fear scent. Shadowpelt signaled with her tail for the others to follow her. She quietly slipped through the shadows next to a twoleg nest. She motioned for the other cats to keep quiet. Shadowpelt stood up on her hind legs and looked in the window. Inside the large nest sat all the missing cats, they where surrounded by some square shiny web. The cats were all crying out. Shadowpelt dropped back down and whispered to the other cats. "They're in there. We're going to have to find a way in." A loud noise interrupted Shadowpelt and she jumped. Turning around she noticed that the window was open. "Follow me." She leaped into the window and scanned the inside of the nest. "It's clear, let's go." She whispered. Shadowpelt leaped down into the strange nest and her comrades piled in behind her. The cats raced over to the web things and greeted the cats that had been missing. "Watch this!" Some cat called and yanked on some of the web stuff. The web opened up and the cat raced out. Instantly every cat clawed at the web to open it. Soon all the cats were free, but a fierce growling came from behind them. They whipped around found themselves face to face with a giant dog.