Her paws couldn't stop moving. They had to be in motion- pacing, walking, doing something. Her paws tingled. She couldn't sleep.
Night was setting. The stars were coming out, and the warm air had cooled. Wind rustled the tree branches, and Tanglestar shivered. An eerie feeling was settling on the forest, there was no doubt. As Tanglestar fidgeted in the entrance to her den, she realized the clan could feel it too. The kits weren't out playing, and the usual chatter wasn't drifting across camp. Almost all cats were in their den, but not sleeping. They were waiting.
Tanglestar jumped up, and padded across the clearing to the medicine den. She hadn't seen Hawkmask all day, and was eager to see how he was doing.
"Hawkmask?" Tanglestar asked, stepping into the dark den.
"Hello. Hawkmask is asleep-"
"No I'm not!"
The leader peered around Silvermoon and saw the proud warrior lying on a bed of moss, watching her with eager eyes. The blood had been washed off of his pelt, and there was a large gash on his side covered with cobwebs.
"You're supposed to be asleep," the medicine cat mewed with a sour tone, flicking her tail as she watched Hawkmask.
"So?" Hawkmask ignored Silvermoon. "I heard something is going to happen tonight. Do you know what it is?"
Tanglestar shook her head. "No. Could you leave for a minute?" She said, turning to Silvermoon.
Scowling, the she-cat sighed. "Fine. But be quick." With that, the medicine cat trudged out of the den.
Right away Hawkmask asked, "Does it have to do with the stone?"
"I think so. I need that stone. Were those Mountainclan warriors last night?"
Hawkmask was quiet. He changed his position so he was lying on his side then said, "No. The tom was an outsider. I didn't recognize his smell. But the she-cat, I think I've seen her before at a gathering."
"From what clan?"
"I don't know."
"Tanglestar! Hurry up!" Silvermoon's voice drifted inside the den.
"Bye," the leader whispered, bowing her head and leaving the cozy, bramble-woven medicine den.
As Tanglestar padded softly back to her den, she couldn't stop thinking about the stone. She needed it, but it would be impossible to get if an outsider had it. But the tom's mate- Hawkmask said he'd seen her before. An outsider and clan cat?
Just outside of her den, Tanglestar paused. She glanced around the camp, watching each of the dens closely. Satisfied, she slunk towards the entrance, keeping in the shadows. Hopefully no one would need her while she was away, or she'd be in an abyss of trouble.
Outside of camp, all was calm. Too calm. Tanglestar twitched her tail and flicked her ears, listening for the sound of birds, or even an owl, but there was none. The only sounds were a few crickets chirping, the breeze rustling in the leaves, and her legs brushing against the bushes. Maybe Tanglestar should have brought Smokesong just in case…no. It wasn't worth the risk.
She heard the creek up ahead, and started into a trot. If she was going to make it to Falling Cliff soon, walking wouldn't cut it.
Tanglestar could just see Falling Cliff through the trees when she picked up a strange scent. It smelled like another cat, but not any cat she knew. Perhaps it was the black tom from the night before? The she-cat continued through the bushes, stopping to cautiously smell the air every few steps. As she continued, the scent didn't fade, but it didn't grow either. Tanglestar figured that wasn't a good thing.
After a couple fox lengths she broke through the bushes and was standing at the foot of Falling Cliff. She could see the outline of shattered boulders and feel the loose rocks under her feet. She headed for the hidden trail up the side of the cliff.
"Almost there," she muttered, scrambling up the thin path. "And…" In one giant leap Tanglestar had scrambled up a ledge, and had reached the top. As she looked across the flat rock she saw another figure… but before she could make out any details, a bright light blinded her and the ground beneath her paws dropped away, sending her plummeting towards the forest floor.
Please review with suggestions or comments, and thank you very much to those who have already reviewed and followed! I will hopefully post the next chapter in a week, so keep an eye out!
