Firepaw

"You found Yellowfang?" Mousefur's mew was a lethal mixture of scorn and shock. She really got on his nerves. Luckily for them, Tigerclaw hadn't been in the patrol. Whitestorm was leading it. Good. Milk his ego a bit and he would follow you like a bee follows honey.

At the moment, the great white warrior was puzzled, "I-I don't understand… Why is the traitor going to help us rescue the kits that she stole by raiding the ShadowClan camp?" Firepaw rolled his eyes.

He'd already explained the reason about a dozen times, "Yellowfang. Did. Not. Take. The. Kits. And she didn't kill Spottedleaf. She just wants to help us rescue the kits. Now, are you going to follow me to meet her? Graypaw is with her, so we should hurry. I know you'll make the right choice."

Whitestorm looked elated by this praise, and happily mewed, "Lead the way, Firepaw!"

When they arrived at the ash tree, Firepaw's heart sank. Yellowfang was gone.

He quickly spotted Graypaw pacing back and forth in front of the tree, so he approached him, "Where's Yellowfang?"

Graypaw pondered this a moment before answering, "She went to get some other loyal ShadowClan cats or something. You know, to help us with the raid."

Firepaw turned back to Whitestorm, "Don't worry, she's on her way back right now." Graypaw was suspicious again.

Talk about mood swings, "Maybe she's just sharing tongues with ShadowClan warriors while we're sitting here waiting to get ambushed!"

Whitestorm was starting to look nervous, "Um, Firepaw?"

"She'll come back." And if she doesn't, I'll find her. Then I'll kill her. For Spottedleaf.

"Well said, Firepaw. I am back." Yellowfang stepped out from behind a tree, her tail twitching with amusement, "You're not the only one who can sneak up on someone. Remember the day we met? You were looking the wrong way then too." Then three more cats materialized from the darkness behind her, and the ThunderClan patrol bristled with surprise. For a few moments, the air was filled with sharp tension.

Then a gray tom stepped forward and lowered his head, "We have come to help you, not harm you. You have come for your kits, and we can help rescue them."

Whitestorm was trying desperately to keep up to speed, "Um, so, what's in it for you?"

"We want to get rid of Brokenstar. He has broken the Warrior Code and brought ShadowClan into suffering."

Runningwind wasn't convinced, "So it's that simple? We just pop into your camp, snatch the kits, kill your leader, and go home?"

The gray tom nodded calmly, "You won't encounter as much resistance as you think."

Yellowfang stood up, "By the way, let me introduce you to my colleagues. This brilliant cat talking to you is Ashfur. He's an elder. That is Nightpelt, a senior warrior from before Brokenstar's reign. And this is Dawncloud. Two of her kits died when we drove away WindClan."

The old queen stood up, and her gaze was one of the few things that had ever made Firepaw shiver, "No more of my kits will die. I'd rather kill my leader." Firepaw had no trouble believing her.

"I don't doubt your skills," Whitestorm sounded very doubtful, "But are there enough of you? What will we face in the ShadowClan camp?"

Ashfur stepped forward, "Our old and sick are starving. We have more kit deaths than we can cope with."

Darkstripe mewed for the first time, "But if ShadowClan is such a mess, how have you shown so much strength lately? Why is Brokenstar still leader?" The warrior's tone was smooth, but he was clearly implying that maybe these cats weren't as trustworthy as they might look.

Ashfur, however, had a ready answer, "Brokenstar isn't stupid. He's surrounded himself with a group of his elite. All of the Clan's best fighters and hunters. They would die for him without question. The other warriors only obey out of fear. Once we start to win, they will fight against him."

"What a example of ShadowClan loyalty."

Yellowfang glared at Darkstripe, "Our Clan was not always like this. When Raggedstar led ShadowClan, we were feared for our strength. But in those days our strength came from the Warrior Code and Clan loyalty, not from fear and bloodlust."

Whitestorm nodded knowingly, "How did Raggedstar really die?"

Yellowfang's eyes clouded with sorrow,"He was killed by an enemy patrol."

Mousefur's eyes were sad, "These are dark times indeed if leaders are picked off in the dark."

Firepaw's mind was racing, "Is there any way to take the kits without alerting the whole Clan?"

Dawncloud shook her head, "They are very closely guarded. Brokenstar will be expecting an attack like this."

"We must concentrate our attack on Brokenstar himself and the inner guard," Whitestorm mewed.

Suddenly, Yellowfang perked up, "The ShadowClan warriors could lead me right into the camp. They could say they captured me. The cats will undoubtedly gather, and then I'll give you a signal when they're all out in the open, and you can attack!"

Whitestorm seemed happy with that solution, "All right, Yellowfang. Please lead us to the ShadowClan camp."

Tigerclaw

Thoughts darted through Tigerclaw's head like mice through tunnels. Something was wrong with Bluestar. He could sense it. It wasn't something he could explain, and he had no proof, but something was wrong. He paced the ravine, staring up at the large, unnaturally straight walls that hemmed in the pit. It was definitely an ideal defensive position. With only one entrance, it could be easily defended by one well placed warrior. And that's me. His mind refused to stay on one subject, as if attempting to outpace the boredom threatening to set in like a flock of vultures. The moon was high in the sky, the rain now gone. The damp sand under his paws was annoyingly sticky. He decided to round the camp yet again. There wasn't even anycat to talk to! He paused to fix some brambles. A few more pawsteps. Another pause to fix some camouflage foliage. Theoretically, the enemy warriors wouldn't know there was a drop off until they fell over it and broke their scrawny necks. As Tigerclaw stopped to fix another defense. By the time tonight's over, this'll be the most well maintained camp in history! Had the patrol found Yellowfang? Why were they taking so long? Tigerclaw stopped working with a sigh. He wished Darkstripe would be back. Then he could share his newfound suspicions. His friend would probably have a few ideas too. He always did.

The time inched by, and Tigerclaw's heart didn't seem to grow tired from its pounding. The patrol would be back any time now. With the kits. Then they could all go back to sleep. He glanced at Bluestar's den. She had looked very tired when she had returned to camp. He made a mental note to send her some prey in the morning. He would make her rest for as long as he could. She deserved it. He bitterly regretted his sharp words with her earlier. He had probably just added to her burdens. What kind of deputy would do that?

Bluestar

Snow. Cold. Cold enough to kill a kit. The white flakes whipped through the air at a blinding pace, and Bluestar wailed with fear. She knew what would come next. Suddenly she was lying on something brittle. She was dry. And silence reigned. Bluestar opened her eyes. What met her eyes made her heart sink. The dark, twisted trees and matte black sky. She quickly scanned the surrounding forest for Redtail. He was nowhere in sight.

"You looking for someone?" Bluestar spun around, her claws unsheathed. The cat standing behind her was a small, mottled she cat. Her eyes glinted with an almost humorous light.

Bluestar wouldn't be caugh unprepared again, "I know this is only a dream. You can't hurt me. But I, on the other hand, can hurt you very badly. So just leave me alone!" The small cat just purred and sat down on the dead grass, curling her tail over her paws. Bluestar's mind raced, "Are you the cat Redtail was talking about? Are you… "her"?"

The she cat licked her paws, "No, that's not me. Good thinking though." They sat in silence for a while.

Then Bluestar leaped to her feet, "Are you just trying to waste my sleep?! Why are we here? I mean, I can understand how Redtail would scare me, but how is sitting on a bunch of dead grass like a bunch of mousebrains helping your sick, twisted cause?!"

The she cat purred, "It's always the same, isn't it? Just because you've got it all you think you're better than the rest of us."

Bluestar suddenly felt self conscious, "Well… I actually don't have "it all"!"

The other cat purred even more silkily, "Oh, is that so? Does being leader of a Clan count for nothing? Does being favored and successful count for nothing? Does being cared about count for nothing?" her eyes were suddenly alight with a disturbing mixture of sorrow and delight, "That's what they all think. They don't know what it feels like to be the outcast." Bluestar wanted to comfort this obviously neglected cat, but she stopped herself. She's probably not even alive. It's all part of their plan.

So, she decided to try for some information, "Is that what it was like for you? You can tell me about it."

All emotion on the strange cat's face was erased and replaced with a kind of detached humor, "Oh, Bluestar, I thought you would know better than to try sticking your muzzle into other cats' business. And I should mention, my name is Sparrowfeather." Sparrowfeather flicked her tail carefully at a stray bramble, "I think it's high time we got time to business. I was sent here to send you this message. You've got rough times ahead, Bluestar. If you ever need our help, just ask."

Bluestar slowly paced forward until she was standing nose to nose with Sparrowfeather, "Look, cat, I've made a few bad decisions in my time, but joining you is not going to be one of them."

Sparrowfeather purred, but her eyes were glinting dangerously, "I think you're going to find our offer harder to refuse than you think."

It's getting exciting! Or, as Sherlock Holmes would say, "The game's afoot!"

Anyways, I appreciate the fact that you're all still reading this story, it's really encouraging!