Chapter Eight: The Porthos Game

The sun dawned golden three days later, and the medicine cats all deemed it a good sign. Hawkear and a small patrol had risen early and were helping RiverClan cats on ThunderClan territory to begin laying the trail of fish, small rodents, and berries. There was a small ShadowClan patrol keeping a watch on the bear. It had not yet risen from its slumber.

The sun seemed hardly to have moved in the sky when a messenger was sent with words that prickled Hawkear's fur: the bear had already found their trail and was following it eagerly and hungrily. The bait-patrol was only just inside WindClan territory. "We need to pick up the pace, and get the trail as far as possible before the bear gets too close," Hawkear told them. "Then the runners will have to come into play."

However, the bear had woken up ravenous, and was polishing off morsel after morsel of the bait. It was drawing too close for comfort by the time the bait-patrol was a third of the way across WindClan territory—much closer than they had hoped. This was when the first WindClan chase patrol was sent out. The bear, feeling playful after its meals, gave a joyful maw and followed them at a laid back lope before eventually tiring of his inability to catch them and speeding into a full gallop. The cats, having relaxed at the initial slow pace, now sprinted away in panic, some dashing out of sight and scent and flying up trees, eyes huge, ears flat, tails fluffed out, claws piercing the bark of the branches they clung to. In a short time, the bear was led to a small pile of berries and meat, which it would hopefully dine on while the next chase patrol could be organized and the preceding could rest and calm themselves.

The misleading peace of the RiverClan camp was disrupted as a ShadowClan apprentice burst through the reeds with news that the bear had not eaten the most recent bait pile. "We must send out the next runners," Mistystar ordered.

"None of our warriors have recovered enough yet," growled the WindClan deputy.

"What are we going to do?" wailed a young apprentice in fright.

"We need some cat to lead the bear away before it stumbles across RiverClan," said a frantic queen, wrapping her tail protectively around her kits.

"I'll go," said a voice from behind them. They turned to face Hawkear.

There was a short, awed silence before Mistystar meowed, "But you're not as fast as a WindClan warrior—the bear will catch you for sure."

"I'm a fresh cat. That's got to be better than an exhausted one."

"Well you are not going alone," she replied responsibly. "Who else is willing to go?"

"I will." The form of the grey WindClan warrior Crowfeather padded through the cats to stand beside the young tabby.

"I will go too," said Petalfur of RiverClan, joining the two.

"Count me in," Foxleap called, nudging his way to sit beside his temporary apprentice.

Two more WindClan warriors and one apprentice announced that they were rested enough. Brambleclaw completed the patrol. "This is the final stretch, then," he meowed. "We'll need every cat we can get." At length, even the ShadowClan apprentice agreed to join. There were cats from every Clan in this group, now.

Firestar padded up to face Hawkear. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, green eyes remorseful. "This isn't your burden to carry."

She shook her head. "I made it my burden by coming to help you in the first place. Now I must see my mission to the end. This is something I must do."

Firestar narrowed his eyes in understanding and rested his muzzle on top of her head, almost as though conducting a silent warrior ceremony. "Hawkear, your story will be passed on for generations to come. Yours and James's."

"No," she meowed. "Mine is not a story to be passed on." The World Order must be preserved.

He purred softly. "You will be remembered anyway. Now go and fulfill this destiny that StarClan have chosen for you."

She licked his shoulder respectfully, like a newly-made warrior, locking gazes with him for long moments before silently whisking away to lead the patrol out of camp. "C'mon, mates. We got us a bear to find," she sighed.

With a growing sense of trepidation, she padded through the reeds, over the peat and soft earth, following Brambleclaw's lead and the bear's scent trail. The smell was growing stronger and stronger with every pawstep, and at length a great rumbling sound echoed in their ears. Brambleclaw sniffed cautiously at a thick copse before lashing his tail violently, signaling for the patrol to stop. "It's in there," he mouthed. The ShadowClan apprentice, the most silent mover, stalked forward, paws making no sound on the pine needles underpaw, and poked her head through the leaves.

"It's asleep," she whispered caustically with a superior sniff, thinking the other cats weak to fear something that was sleeping.

"That doesn't make it any less dangerous," Hawkear warned. "And we have to make sure it wakes up before its Twolegs leave."

"You mean we'll have to wake it up?" a WindClan warrior yowled in alarm.

Hawkear flicked her tail (she would have facepalmed if she could), suddenly agitated. "No, I mean you've already woken it!"

In a moment, the bear exploded through the bushes. Half the patrol took momentary flight before regaining their wits. The creature pricked its round ears at the nearest Hawkear and bent down to sniff her. Her heart was pounding wildly, her ears flat against her skull and eyes huge before she took a deep breath and wove around its paws in the most playful manner a scared-bleepless cat could muster before the bear rose onto its hindpaws and spotted the other cats. It brayed happily and Hawkear darted away, the chase beginning.

With the bear's great paws thundering on the soft ground close behind them, they crashed through the trees. At long last, they burst into the open, and the pace picked up a little. Now they only had to lead it across most of the RiverClan territory. Yeah. They flashed across the grasslands, heading into the marshes. With all the recent rain, the land was boggy and unstable (much like Tia Dalma's bayou). Cats were tiring already, trying to keep the same pace through the terrain while the bear was having a good ol' time getting muddy and playing tag. Even before they were halfway through the marshes, the two apprentices dropped out and sprang into hiding places.

In one stretch of land where the ground was more solid, very near the tree-bridge to the Island, Crowfeather and the other two WindClan warriors doubled back to circle around the bear to re-interest it in the 'game'. The foremost wove precariously around the creature's forelegs and under its belly while the other two wound around it, jumping into dog-like play-bows. The bear swung its great head left and right excitedly, trying to watch all of them at once. Finally, it mawed and bucked a few times, sending the two warriors fleeing in terror and Crowfeather to continue the chase on his own. Petalfur, Brambleclaw, Foxleap, and Hawkear raced out from their hiding places, somewhat refreshed, to help him.

He meowed something crossly at them—which they could not make out over the sounds of their own breathing—but they knew he was relieved.

The solid ground soon came to an end, and the group entered the marshes again. Only the mud and peat were deeper and stickier. Is sucked at Hawkear's paws and she sank up to her elbows and knees with every stride. Few of the other cats were faring much better, and the bear wasn't sinking in nearly as deeply—and thus was beginning to catch up to them. Only Petalfur was navigating the terrain with ease and little effort, being familiar with this territory, picking her way carefully but swiftly through the peaty quagmires.

Again being randomly observant, Hawkear noticed this and yowled, "Follow Petalfur!" She had wanted to say more, but her breath was too short and her already-low endurance was failing. However, the rest of the patrol understood and complied.

At long last, they climbed out of the marshes. Hawkear was beginning to have trouble breathing, but—thank StarClan!—the bear slowed to a walk, distracted by a nearby bees' nest hanging in a tree nearby. The patrol darted under a bush thicket and crouched huddled together, panting for breath. Hawkear did not allow herself the luxury of flopping over, however, for she knew that if she did, she would not get up again. Instead, she padded around the patrol under the bush, taking deep breaths and doing the breathing exercises she'd learned from marching band.

Crowfeather and Brambleclaw, being the first to recover enough, soon crept away to keep watch on the bear, while Petalfur, Foxleap, and Hawkear continued to rest. At length, the latter three poked their heads out of the bush to watch as the bear stood on its hindlegs, leaning with his forepaws against the trunk of a tree, and nosed at a beehive hanging from a branch a few feet above his head. After a few moments he swiped his paws at it, battering it until it fell to the ground (much like a piñata). The bees swarmed out of it, and Hawkear, due to a lifelong phobia of stinging insects (although she was perfectly fine with other creepy-crawlies) drew back under the bush, out of sight but still able to see between the leaves. They swarmed around the bear, stinging and attacking. The bear was oblivious to their efforts, though, as he snuffled through the broken hive, seeking out larvae and gobbling them up.

The bear made short work of the hive, and soon sat comically on its rump like a Twolegs, licking the honey off its paws. "Petalfur," Brambleclaw murmured, "make sure your medicine cat knows about this place. She could use the honey."

"Thanks, that's a good idea. I'll tell her."

The whole process lasted only a few minutes before Crowfeather and Foxleap instigated another game of chase. The other three joined in immediately, but the bear was beginning to tire of the game. The cats had to keep doubling back for short bursts of tag with their pursuer.

After a while of this, Hawkear noticed Petalfur beginning to labor, and it was obvious that she would have to fall out at any time. "Just stay with us till the River," she pleaded. "We need your help to cross it." With the mouth of the river already in sight, the RiverClan warrior nodded and found the strength to go on, and the patrol surged toward the rushing water.

The point where the River flowed into the Lake was dotted with rocks and deltas all the way across. The cats slowed almost to a stop, the bear loping nearer and nearer, and followed Petalfur's lead one by one across the stepping stones, water washing away the mud from the marshes. The quickest and most well-balanced cats went first, followed by those slower or less sure-footed.

While she was surefooted as Amy or on dry land, she was the opposite on the slippery rocks. She hadn't had the chance to practice this in her feline body. She jumped from rock to rock, unable to predict her landing because of her lack of experience. She slipped every which way, claws leaving scores in the algae and rock. "Come on, Hawkear!" Foxleap was encouraging her. She followed his suggestions calmly and carefully, but it was slow going, and the bear was gaining more and more.

They were perhaps halfway across the small river (though large to the cats) when the bear reached the bank. It paused to look around for the cats, having momentarily lost sight of them, before lowering its muzzle to drink from the water swirling around its black paws. That was when it caught sight of the patrol navigating across. It splashed into the water after them, ignoring the stepping stones and swimming strongly. "Look out!" Brambleclaw warned them, and the patrol took off.

All except for Hawkear, who was on a large, flat, wet stone, sprinting in place. "No grip no grip no grip no grip no grip!"

"Hawkear! More pad, less claw!"

She froze. "Oh." And tore after them. It took the patrol half as long to get across as it had to get halfway. "Land! Solid land!" Hawkear rejoiced momentarily as her paws met the bank and carried her onward.

An exhausted Petalfur carried herself to a hiding place and bid the patrol good luck as they sped past her.

The four remaining cats were headed into the last stretch of land until the marina. They raced through the short burst of woodland just beyond the river, the crashing of the bear behind them seeming deafening in their ears, a sound surpassed only by the beating of their hearts.

As they burst into the open, it can be assumed that the bear tired of the game, for it suddenly sped up, tearing after the cats with the confidence that it would catch them. The frantic and tiring cats picked up the pace until they were flashing across the territory.

With already waning endurance and now a faster pace, Brambleclaw and Foxleap dropped out of the run. Glancing precariously over one shoulder, Hawkear saw them emerge from their hiding places, following at a slow trot after she, Crowfeather, and the bear had passed, so that they could be nearby to help if there was an emergency.

Furlong after furlong passed, and each one seemed to grow longer and longer. At last (and yet actually very soon) the boat rental was visible on the horizon. Having their destination in sight gave Hawkear a small boost of extra energy, although her limbs felt heavy and her paws felt numb.

"Crowfeather," she yowled breathlessly as the Twolegplace drew nearer, "Fall out."

"I'm not going to run away," he growled indignantly.

"If you go the whole length... you risk capture and discovery by Twolegs." The buildings were getting closer. "Let me finish the job... I know about Twolegs; if I get caught ...I'll be okay."

"You'll get killed—the bear will catch you!"

"I can do it, don't worry! Get outta here!"

Understanding that he could not win this argument, Crowfeather ducked into hiding as they circled a small copse. "Run, Hawkear, run!" he yowled after her.

The bear was quickly gaining, and soon it was right on Hawkear's heels. She hit the wood of the docks and kept running, fighting the growing sense of numbness. They raced past the boat-rental building and onto the asphalt parking lot. The hard surface tore at Hawkear's claws and pads—but look! James was right there! And there was a big circus trailer pulling up behind him. She had made it. Just a little bit farther, and this would all be over.

She hadn't expected her legs to stop working.

She tumbled to a halt, eyes fixed on the circus trailer, paws twitching as though she were still trying to run. She could hear the bear behind her. It had caught her. She was lost. She felt its teeth wrapping around her, understanding that it would pick her up and shake her like a dog would a toy. She was just a plaything. She squeezed her eyes shut, teeth gritted, ears flat against her skull as she was lifted into the air. A loud whistle pierced the air. She detachedly felt herself fall to the ground and the bear jump over her, and cracked an eye open to see it bounding toward James. He outstretched his arms to catch its massive paws as it reared up. The cat halfheartedly allowed the waltz, "Dancing with the Bear" to play in their minds and give them something to dance to. He swung the creature around (or maybe it swung him) with the simple steps.

Some way into the song, a tall, dark, lanky, mustachio'd Italian-looking man approached with a leash and collar dangling from his grasp. Another man joined him with a needle. "No, no!" he protested (with a tidy British accent). "Porthos doesn't need that. He's well-enough trained." And ignoring the astonished look of his colleague, he hopped into step with James and the bear. "'Scuse me." He snapped the collar round Porthos's thick neck. He put a hand on Norrington's shoulder as a signal to stop, tugging on the leash a few times and saying, "Come home now, Porthos!" The bear obeyed, overjoyed at seeing his handler again and bounding into his embrace. "You silly animal, you had me worried sick. How can we ever thank you, Mr. Norr—?" he looked up to gratify James who...wasn't there.

He had walked off, cautiously approaching the limp form of Hawkear. Her sides were heaving as she greedily gulped in air. "Amy?" he murmured, kneeling beside her and cradling her in his arms. She was too exhausted to even correct him on her name. A twitch of her tail tip was all she could manage.

"James," she finally meowed, unable to muster enough energy to enter his mind. "James, I need coltsfoot. Get me to Jayfeather, James, help me," she pleaded breathlessly, knowing he could not understand what she was saying.

"You silly idiot," he rumbled in soft crossness, rising and carrying her to the only place he knew she could be helped to recover and calm down: the quarry. But it was such a long way away, and she wouldn't get the herbs she needed.

Foxleap and Brambleclaw were watching the outcome from their hiding place. "I think he's going to take her back to camp," the former guessed.

"It's too far away," argued the latter. "And Jayfeather isn't there, anyway, he's—." An idea suddenly popped into his head. "He's at the RiverClan camp. Foxleap, you lead him to the riverside far enough away from their camp, and I'll go get Jayfeather and tell him what's going on."

The red tom darted out, wove around the Twolegs, and quickly convinced him to follow.


And there you have another chapter. Only one left! Happy Halloween, and happy birthday to me! Leave me birthday reviews XD