CHAPTER NINE

Dovepelt, Sparrowheart, and Shadowstream were hard at work searching for their brother. It was nearly moonrise and he had still not come back from 'hunting.' Dovepelt sincerely doubted he was actually hunting, and she was beginning to wonder if he was in WoodClan territory at all. But where else could he be?

She and Sparrowheart were trekking along the StormClan border, searching by the fern patch, a common relaxation area. Shadowstream was searching solo by the twolegplace border. Already that day they'd searched the MoorClan border and the Training Hollow and the big clearing and all his favorite hunting places, but so far they hadn't managed to pick up much of his scent.

Suddenly Sparrowheart stopped and called out. "Brightflower! Hey, Brightflower!" then he began waving his tail wildly, smiling.

Dovepelt narrowed her eyes. "Who's Brightflower?" her question was answered moments later as a grinning dark gray tabby she-cat padded over to them, smelling strongly of StormClan. Her smile faded slightly when she spotted Dovepelt, but remained intact overall.

"Hey, Sparrowheart. Who's the she-cat?" Dovepelt bristled slightly at her tone.

"This is Dovepelt. She's my sister. Dovepelt, this is Brightflower. She's the one who gave me the advice to apologize to Blacktail." Brightflower smiled at Dovepelt more broadly now.

"It's nice to meet you. So how did things work out with your brother, anyway?"

"Great. You were right, an apology does fix everything!"

"A sincere apology. The 'sincere' part is important, don't forget that."

"Right! I won't."

"Speaking of which," Dovepelt interjected loudly. "Have you by any chance seen Blacktail? We're looking for him."

"No, sorry."

"Oh. Too bad. Well, we have to go. We've gotta find him. It was nice to meet you. Let's go, Sparrowheart." Sparrowheart frowned, but said his goodbyes and followed her.

She was happy that her brother was getting over his grief, but she worried that he might be falling into his old ways again. She hoped he remembered how that worked out for him last time.

-x-

When Dovepelt and Sparrowheart returned to camp, empty-handed, they found Shadowstream sitting with Blacktail by the fresh-kill pile. As soon as she spotted them, she stood up and led Blacktail and the others out into the same quiet clearing.

"I found this mouse-brain wandering around the twolegplace border, muttering about hunting and following a squirrel too far." she said.

"What were you really doing in the twolegplace?" Dovepelt asked, curious. "You don't have any kittypet friends…in fact, you don't have any friends outside of the clan. So what's up?"

Blacktail opened his mouth hesitantly, but Shadowstream cut him off. "Who cares? The point is, I told him about my dream, and we've been trying to figure out what it means."

"I thought maybe the 'darkness' could mean some sort of storm or something like that," Blacktail said.

Dovepelt dismissed that with a shake of her head. "No, that's not a big enough for a StarClan warning to an ordinary warrior. We've just got to keep thinking."

-x-

The winds of change were stirring in the field beyond the clans. This moment was long in coming for Infinity, the cat who dwelled there alone. He could feel them always, creeping slowly like sickness, always hovering nearby and always out of reach, just out of sight.

Their fiery pelts and shadowy paws haunted his dreams, their dully lustered eyes were all he saw when he shut his own. Long, narrow snouts that ended in a gaping, sharp-toothed mouths seemed to follow him everywhere. He could sense them, in the forest, just beyond that first row of trees. Every night when he settled down to sleep he wondered if he would wake to find them surrounding him, hunger and bloodthirst rolling off them waves. Then he wondered if he would wake up at all.

Infinity knew it was only a matter of time before they took his field. It was all he had left. They had taken his woods and his home, and now they wanted him gone for good. When they came, it would be the third time his home had been snatched from him by the fire-pelted demons.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a narrow black snout. Gleaming yellow eyes followed. Infinity whirled around, his fur spiking out wildly. He unsheathed his claws as three other pairs of gleaming eyes appeared. Then three more. They had brought numbers, but they needn't have had to. Only one could have driven him out.

The foxes were unstoppable.

Once Infinity had lived with his peaceful family in a quiet forest far away. Then the foxes had come by the dozens, devouring his family and chasing him across the clans and into a new forest. Then, an hour ago, he discovered a fox in the home that had been his for such a long time. And where their was one, their were always dozens following it.

So he took to the field for the time being. He hadn't expected the fox attack, but now, as they stared at him from their bright eyes, he realized he should have expected it all along.

More foxes appeared, beginning to expose their flaming pelts. Infinity shrank away, fearful. Their stink filled his nose, making him cough. He had no choice. He had to leave his home again. He jumped over the boulders. Boulders stopped the foxes, they always did.

He didn't stop in the moors. If the foxes somehow got over the boulders, they would scale the moors easily, growing in numbers as they did. So he wandered beyond. He wanted to find the clan beside the lake, but he was too tired after his journey, and the reek of the foxes clung in his throat, making him cough. He must have fallen in dirt along the way, as his pelt was covered in powdery black stuff, hidden in his lush black pelt.

Since he was too tired to walk to the lake clan, he settled for the forest clan. He liked forests better. He settled down in a patch of thick grass, resting his head on his front legs.

Infinity shut his eyes peacefully. The foxes couldn't get him here.

-x-

Blacktail was worried, and not just because he'd kept his day with Juliet a secret. Well, that worried him too. He didn't understand why he hadn't told them about it, but there was something about her- maybe it was her sleek dark tabby pelt, or her softly glittering green eyes, or her deadpanned voice that was soft and high and the same time, but he felt like she was a special secret, and he didn't feel like telling his littermates about it just yet.

No, he had another worry on his mind. Thornstar.

He had been acting strangely lately. Sluggish and tired all the time. And he hadn't been out of his den in ages. Stonetail was taking charge, doing everything Thornstar usually did, but with a kindness the leader had never shown.

Stonetail insisted Thornstar was fine whenever a curious clanmate asked. But Blacktail wasn't so sure.

-x-

The next morning, Shadowstream was woken by Sparrowheart, Silverfur, and Blackfang leaving for a Dawn Patrol. She yawned loudly at their retreating figures, then stood up and stretched. She knew it would be near impossible to fall asleep again.

This morning, she was in a solitary mood. She left before anyone else could wake up, padding into the forest. Dew still clung to grass and leaves, shining in the morning light.

She lifted her head and stared at the sun beams wafting through the leaves. It was peaceful this morning, with the birds twittering in the trees. Then suddenly, she tripped over something warm and furry and fell on the ground.

"What in StarClan's name?" she stood up fast.

"Ow!" it was a cat. He had a fluffy black pelt and bright blue eyes with little green flecks inside them. He sat up, staring at her warily.

"Who are you? What are you doing in WoodClan?" she demanded, unsheathing her claws. She glared at him.

He shrank back instantly. "No foxes," he whimpered, flattening his ears back on his head.

Shadowstream cocked her head. "What?"

"I was attacked by foxes. Then I came here. There aren't any foxes in this forest. But the other forests I was in, they had foxes. Lots of foxes. I had to leave. They couldn't share anything with me, I had to go, I had to leave before they got me, they were getting so close…" he trailed off, panting. His eyes were wide with fright.

Shadowstream sighed. "You look really hungry."

"I am. No time to eat yesterday, had to run, run, run. No time to eat, no time to sleep, no sleep for three days…but I slept last night." he twitched slightly, scratching his ear with his front paw jerkily.

"You okay?" Shadowstream peered at the tom, looking him straight in the eyes. He flicked his ears quickly.

"Yea. Yea. I'm okay. Just hungry." he licked his lips.

She wrapped her tail around him hesitantly. "I'm Shadowstream. I'll see if I can get you something to eat."

"Okay. Okay thank you, thank you. I'm Infinity."

"Where did you live before the foxes attacked, Infinity?"

"In a field."

Shadowstream pricked her ears. "A field? Really? Where might this field be?"

"Past the moor. Past the boulders. The foxes can't get past the boulders."

Shadowstream stopped in her tracks. This was him! This was the savior! She looked him over. Hopefully he shaped up good, since he looked in pretty poor condition now.

But for now she had to be cool. He probably didn't know his destiny yet. "Oh. How did you like it?"

He looked up at the sky. "I loved it. From forest to forest to forest, eh?"

She had no idea what he was going on about. "Um, you got it. Anyway, here we are at the clan camp, where we all live. Stay here and-" but she was cut off from giving orders by Leafkit, one of Darkflower's litter, scampering up to them.

"I've never seen you before," she said in her tiny little kit's voice. "What clan are you from?"

Darkflower darted up and retrieved her kit, but not before it's shrill voice had attracted the attention of the clan.

"Fetch Thornstar!" Speckledfoot called out. "Shadowstream's brought back a stray!"

"I'm sure he'll love this one as much as the first!" another warrior called out.

Shadowstream clenched her teeth. Her leader had to let Infinity stay with them. He was the savior, for StarClan's sake! How could he save them from the unknown threat if he wasn't even with them?"

Thornstar emerged from his den, looking sick and…old. Really old. But he managed to stand up and walk over to Shadowstream with his standard prickly gaze.

"Shadowstream, what is this?" he asked sharply. Stonetail appeared at his side worriedly.

"I found this loner wandering in our forest," she said, uncomfortably aware at how similar this was to the incident that happened moons ago, and yet still lingered in her clanmate's memories.

"And…what? You think this is a rest stop for any ragged loner that wanders by?" Looked like his opinions on non-clanners hadn't changed. Great.

Mousewhisker poked his head in suddenly. "Thornstar, this cat is sick. He must stay here."

"He is?" Shadowstream shot a glance at the savior. Now that he mentioned it, his eyes did look a little bright, his nose a little runny.

Mousewhisker nodded. Thornstar faltered visibly. Stonetail leaned toward their leader. "Thornstar, be merciful. Allow the sick cat to stay for a while."

Thornstar nodded wearily. "Alright. The cat may stay…but only for a while." then he turned and retreated to his den again. Shadowstream breathed again.

Mousewhisker led Infinity off to his den. Shadowstream started to follow them, but then she spotted her littermates standing off to the side, looking puzzled. She had to explain all this to them, and then she could check up on Infinity.

Her pelt buzzed as she padded over to them.