Chapter 19

Strange scents swamped Viperpaw as she padded into the Twolegsplace. All around her were piles of rubble, from where the former Twoleg nests had stood. In the distance, she could see a fire flickering and some Twolegs walking about.

She sniffed the air, hoping to catch scent of Shadow. Her friend was no where to be found though, which disappointed her. Now what am I supposed to do? She thought, before continuing into the ruins of the Twolegs place.

"Shadow!" she yowled several times.

Suddenly, a piece of rock went whirling at her. Viperpaw ducked just in time, her eyes wide.

A Twoleg then began to shout angrily at her, before tossing a few more rocks.

Viperpaw scurried away, frightened for her life. As she continued deeper into the Twolegs place, her heart beat quickened. This wasn't what she imagined coming becoming a rogue would be like at all!

A strange sound then alerted her. Glancing to her left, she saw an old dog laying in an ally. The dog was gnawing on a bone as it slept, which caused a loud slobbering sound.

Viperpaw could feel her fur fluff up at the sight of the dog. I need to get out of here quick! She realized, before darting down another ally. The she-cat padded all throughout the night in search of her friend, but it was useless. There wasn't a scent of Shadow anywhere!

The young she-cat let out a hiss of annoyance, before crawling into a strange Twoleg object. It was slightly damp from the dew, but it was better than nothing. Within moments of shutting her eyes, Viperpaw drifted into a light sleep.

"You're in my nest!" an angry voice hissed.

Viperpaw's yellow eyes shot open. Looking up, she saw that a gray-and-white she-cat was standing over her. "I'm sorry. I'll leave immediately," she said, before darting out of the strange Twoleg object.

The she-cat eyed her for a few moments. "Have I seen you around here before?" she questioned.

Viperpaw looked over the she-cat. "You're Cory, right?" she asked, remembering the time she encountered she-cat with Shadow.

The gray-and-white she-cat nodded. "Yep. Hey, you're Shadow's little buddy aren't you?"

"Yes," Viperpaw said. "Do you know where Shadow is?" A twinge of hope sparked in her chest as she stared at Cory.

To her disappointment, Cory simply shook her head. "I can take you to his brother, though."

"That would be great," Viperpaw purred.

Cory smirked, before padding into her den.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to take me to Shadow's brother!" she demanded.

"I need some rest," Cory yawned as she curled up.

Viperpaw flicked her tail back and forth irritably. "Well, what am I supposed to do in the mean time?" It was still night, and Viperpaw was exhausted.

To her surprise, Cory moved over just enough for Viperpaw to lay down. "Come share my box with me," she called out.

Viperpaw blinked at she she-cat gratefully, before padding back into the box. There she curled up next to the gray-and-white she-cat. "Thanks," she said.

Cory wrinkled her nose. "You smell like you've been rolling around in every flower bed in town!"

"Is it bad?" Viperpaw sighed.

"No, not bad. Just... very strong!" Cory laughed, before shutting her eyes. Within minutes, the she-cat was snoring, leaving Viperpaw to her thoughts. Luckily, Viperpaw was able to find sleep quickly.

The next morning, Viperpaw and Cory set out in search of Shadow's brother. "What's his name?" she wondered.

"Pepper," Cory answered. "He's a plump brown-and-white tabby with a dark nose who lives on the edge of town."

"Are you sure he'll know where Shadow is?" Viperpaw questioned. "I don't want to talk all the way to his nest if he doesn't know where his brother is."

Cory shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? This is our only option, so we have to try it. If he doesn't know where Shadow is, I'm sure he can figure something out. The two are as close as peas in a pod."

Her pelt prickled with anxiety as she followed after Cory. Soon her paws began to ache from walking on the tough stone underpaw. As she walked, she looked around at all the crumbled Twoleg dens. "What happened to all the Twolegs?"

"Most of them left," Cory muttered darkly. A look of anger crossed the gray-and-white she-cat's face.

"Did your Twolegs abandon you?" Viperpaw wondered softly.

Cory grunted. "Isn't that a little personal?" she hissed.

Viperpaw flattened her ears to her head. I was just asking a question!

The rest of the walk to Pepper's nest was silent. By the time they arrived, Viperpaw's paws were aching. "His Twolegs were lucky," Viperpaw commented when she saw that the structure was still standing.

"Wait here," Cory demanded as she climbed up over the fence. A few moments later, she reappeared with Pepper at her side.

The large tabby tom ungracefully balanced on the fence for a few moments, before leaping down beside her. "You're looking for Shadow?" he purred, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

Viperpaw nodded.

"Well, I don't know where he is. I haven't seen him in a few days, to be honest. But if you'd like, you can come take a break inside my housefolk's nest? There's plenty of food and water to drink," Pepper offered.

The black she-cat shook her head. "No thanks," she said, trying her best not to grimace.

Pepper shrugged, before bunching his muscles for a leap.

"Wait!" she called out. "Couldn't you at least help us track Shadow down? It's very important." Please don't tell me I came all this way for absolutely nothing!

Pepper was thoughtful for a few moments. "I guess I can spare a few hours." he smiled, before leading the two she-cats down a random ally.

They walked until the sun was starting to set in the sky, and still no sign of the dark tabby tom anywhere. Viperpaw stopped and let out a hiss, "Are you really leading us anywhere, or are you just taking a leisurely stroll? Because this is important!"

Pepper blinked at her a few times. "Sorry," he muttered. Pepper then glanced up at the sky and exclaimed, "I need to return back to my housefolk immediately! They'll be looking for me." Before Viperpaw or Cory could say anything, the tabby-and-white tom trotted off.

Cory flicked her ear. "Well, that was pointless," she grumbled.

"You said he would help!" Viperpaw growled.

The gray-and-white she-cat shrugged. "I thought he would." Then she stood up and headed down the ally.

"Where are you going?" Viperpaw called out, following after Cory.

"I'm going on my way. Good luck, furball. You're going to need a lot of it!" Cory waved her tail in goodbye, before turning the corner out of sight.

Darkness covered the town as Viperpaw looked for a place to sleep. She was irritable, hungry and alone. Where could Shadow be? Surely he wasn't out on the moorlands looking for her?

Suddenly, Viperpaw heard the sound of cats talking. She slowly peered down an ally, where she spotted a group of six cats eating and sharing tongues. Most of them looked ragged and ill, but she didn't care.

Slowly, she headed down the ally. "Greetings," she called out.

The group immediately turned and looked at her. "Get outta 'ere!" a mangy brown tom growled.

Viperpaw's neck fur bristled in alarm. "I don't mean any trouble," she insisted. "I've just come to ask if you've seen my friend around."

A ginger she-cat stood up and padded up to Viperpaw. "I remember you! You're that Clan cat that got beat up by Owl and Gorse. If it hadn't of been for your little friend, they would have turned you into mouse-meat!" The she-cat let out a few laughs.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Viperpaw snarled, trying to hide her injuries. "I'm a rogue just like the rest of you."

The she-cat snorted. "Sure you are. Now scram, or we'll teach you a lesson you won't soon forget!"

Viperpaw glared at the she-cat before turning away. Stupid, mangy fox-hearts! She thought as she stormed down the side of the Thunderpath. When she reached the edge of the Twolegs place, she gazed out at the forest and moorland. By now, everyone would realize that she had run away.

They're probably glad I'm gone, she thought with a snort. Except for Spiderleg, Pantherpaw, Bramblestar and Daisy, Viperpaw couldn't think of a single cat that would miss her company. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that no one cared, deep down inside she knew that wasn't true.

Have I made a mistake? She wondered. Viperpaw let out a deep sigh, before shaking her head. No. Leaving the Clan was the right thing to do. Sure, things are tough right now, but once I find Shadow everything will work out for the best.

"Hey! Are you hungry?"

Viperpaw spun around to see a snowy white she-cat heading towards her. She instantly recognized her from the group of cats earlier.

"Why?" Viperpaw asked, not wanting to seem weak.

"You just look like you could use something to eat," the white she-cat replied, before placing a scrap of Twoleg food down. "I can tell you're not from around here, so I thought you could use this. It won't be as delicious as a piece of fresh-kill, but it will satisfy your hunger for now." The she-cat's green eyes were full of sympathy as she went on, "and I'm sorry about my...friends. They can really be jerks sometimes."

Viperpaw bent her head down and gobbled the piece of food up. It tasted weird in her mouth, but she was too hungry to care. She hadn't eaten since yesterday, and she didn't know when she would get her next meal. "Thank you," she meowed once she was done.

"You're welcome," the she-cat replied. "If you ever need my help, just go around asking for Blizzard. I'll be more than happy to help."

"Blizzard," Viperpaw noted to herself. Looking up she asked, "Do you by any chance know a cat named Shadow? He's a large dark brown tabby tom with green eyes and a fluffy tail."

Blizzard thought for a few moments. "I thought I saw him around earlier. Why?"

"I need to speak with him," she replied.

Blizzard nodded. "I'll keep an eye out for him, and if I see him later tonight I'll be sure to send him your way. Where is your nest at?"

"I don't have one," Viperpaw meowed, not meeting Blizzard's gaze.

"I'm sure you'll find something," Blizzard meowed. "I have to go. Flicker is calling for me!" she said, before bounding away.

Viperpaw watched her go, before continuing on her way. Finally she stumbled across a few standing Twoleg nests. As she scrambled up onto the fence, she saw a few rose bushes sitting in one of the yards. Carefully, Viperpaw scrambled into the yard and made her way under the bush. The thorns scraped at her back, but she was too tired to care.

The next morning, a light drizzle fell from the sky. As Viperpaw crawled out from underneath the rose bush, a few petals fell off and landed on her pelt.

"There you are!" a cheerful voice yowled from the fence.

Viperpaw looked up to see Shadow standing there, his eyes gleaming. "I've been looking for you forever!" she exclaimed, jumping up onto the fence next to him.

"Yeah, that's what Pepper said. Sorry about that," he apologized.

"So now what do we do?" Viperpaw wondered.

"Well, I was thinking we could go on our first hunt together," Shadow meowed. "It will be your first hunt as an official rogue."

Viperpaw purred slightly. "I guess I better chance my name then. From now on, call me Viper!"

"All right, Viper. What are you in the mood for?" Shadow asked as he leaped down from the fence.

"Anything!" she confessed as she followed after him. "I'm starving."

Shadow nodded as he lead her towards the forest.

Viper skidded to a halt. "Wait, where are you going? We can't go so close to the Clans! They'll see me and I'll be forced to go back."

"We're not going to go anywhere near the moorlands," the dark brown tabby tom insisted.

Viper hesitated a few moments, before following after him. The two cats then headed into the forest, which still lay in ruins. Before Viper could even scent the air for prey, Shadow darted forward into a clump of ferns. A few seconds later, he held up a mouse.

"Impressive!" she praised.

"Well, I learned from the best," Shadow meowed, his eyes twinkling.

Viper rolled her eyes. "Stop trying to flatter me." She then turned away from him and leaped up onto a fallen log. From there, she scanned the forest for any signs of life. In the distance, she could see a doe and her fawn as they picked their way through the forest. She then spotted a group of...cats?

Viper immediately leaped down, before diving into the clump of brambles. "We've got to hide!" she hissed to Shadow. "My Clanmates are in the forest searching for me."

Shadow's green eyes widened in alarm. Right as he slid into the clump of ferns behind her, the patrol of cats passed.

"I can't pick up her scent anywhere," Thrushfeather complained.

"Me either," Honeysplash sighed. "I don't think we're ever going to find her!"

"This is useless. We should just report back to the leaders," Jaggedpaw added.

Thrushfeather whimpered. "Poor Spiderleg. He's going to be absolutely devastated when Viperpaw doesn't come back."

"Perhaps another patrol found her?" Honeysplash suggested in a cheery tone.

"Maybe. Let's just head back," Thrushfeather replied, before pushing her way through the undergrowth. Honeysplash and Jaggedpaw followed after her.

Viper and Shadow hesitated in the ferns for a few minutes, before sliding out. "I think they're gone now," she whispered to her friend.

"That was close," Shadow commented. "Perhaps we should just head back, before we do get caught!"

Viper nodded, and picked up his mouse. Together they headed back towards the Twolegs place. "I'll take you to my den," Shadow meowed. They walked in silence, until finally Shadow stopped at an abandoned shed.

"I thought you lived with housefolk?" she asked.

"I-I haven't seen my housefolk since the earthquake," Shadow replied slowly, unable to meet her gaze.

Viper's yellow eyes widened. "Shadow... I had no idea. I'm so sorry." She went to wrap her tail around his shoulders, but he flinched.

"Come on, let's go inside," he muttered, before sliding through a hole in the wall.

I meant to get this chapter up last night, but something came up. Also, I apologize if there are any errors. I was not able to edit this chapter because my laptop is at serious risk of overheating and catching on fire. The fan on the inside is broken, meaning it doesn't keep my laptop a normal temperature. If there are any spelling errors, please feel free to point them out.

Thanks for reading! :)