Chapter 20: Tall Pine
Tall Pine's legs quivered as he crouched on the slim branch of an elm tree. Sunlight streamed through the canopy overhead and dappled the large leaves that concealed him from view. His eyes were trained intently the forest floor as he waited like a hidden predator about to pounce on unsuspecting prey.
Movement between the branches to his left caught Tall Pine's eye. A flash of fur. The plodding of pawsteps coming toward him. Tall Pine gritted his teeth. His unsheathed claws sunk into the rough bark.
"Easy there." Quick Clouds leaned forward to breathe the warning into the young tom's ear. "We can't reveal our presence."
Right. Tall Pine forced his muscles to relax and gingerly pulled his claws out of the tree bark. I can't be the reason that they discover us spying on them. We have to learn if they know anything. He pictured Spotted Owl, first buzzing with anticipation as she left to spy on the summit and then her lying in a dark hole, imprisoned and injured and afraid. Conviction flowed through him. He set his jaw. We don't have much time. We have to rescue our Clanmates.
The other members of the patrol, Duck Flight and Vole Leap, were perched on their own branches higher overhead. Quick Clouds crouched closer to the trunk on the same branch as Tall Pine. He gave Tall Pine a reassuring nod before he turned his attention back on the ground far below them. Tall Pine did the same.
The fronds of a patch of ferns shivered. A group of Band cats appeared. They trekked along the forest floor, coming closer and closer to the elm tree where the Clan cats hid. There were five cats in all, three she-cats and two toms. Their scents drifted to Tall Pine's nose. He recognized it as belonging to the cats from the Sandy Hollow Camp, though it was odd that this patrol was quite far from home. He didn't recognize any of the cats, thought the pale gray she-cat who trotted with her head down at the rear seemed familiar.
"How much further do we have to go?" A ragged gray tom complained. "My paws are sore."
"Quit your whining, Howl." A dusky brown she-cat snapped her head around to glare at the tom. "Now that we're working with the Moor Bands, we have extra territory to patrol. I don't want your whining preventing us from finding any of those Clan-scum that might be lurking about."
"Do you really think they would still stay here, Dusk?" Asked the pale gray she-cat.
"Who knows?" Dusk shrugged. "Those cats are relentless and vicious, but they're stubbornly loyal to one another. But they must have feathers for brains if they didn't leave because they think that they have a chance of rescuing their comrades. They're nothing against the joint forces of all the Bands. It would be suicide."
The fur along Tall Pine's spine lifted at the insults. Beside him, Quick Clouds's gaze hardened.
Howl dodged around a clump of ferns. "We already took five of them as prisoners. It seems foolish to watch for the others since they're most likely gone."
He's talking about Spotted Owl! Tall Pine leaned forward, eagerly for more information.
"We're still looking because there's a chance they could be stupid enough to stay." Dusk's whiskers twitched irritably as she paused to scan the trees around her.
Tall Pine tensed as her gaze swept over the tree he and the other Clan cats were hiding in.
The other tom, a brown and white tabby, stopped as well. He smirked sickeningly. "We may have five healthy prisoners right now, but who's to say how many we'll have after the Supreme Commander is done with them. He'll get what we need out of them, even if it takes their lives. But after that, we might need to capture ourselves some more."
What? Is he talking about killing our Clanmates? How dare he! Red rimmed Tall Pine's vision. His tangled mess of anger and frustration and sorrow rushed to the surface all at once. He was drowning in a massive wave of emotions. Tall Pine leaned forward as his muscles tensed. His paws itched to leap down out of the tree and to tear the tom's throat out for mentioning that they would take cats' lives so casually. Spotted Owl's life.
"Tall Pine!" Quick Clouds hissed in the young tom's ear.
Tall Pine had to blink several times to clear his vision. Fear as cold as a blanket of snow chilled him as he realized that he had been preparing to jump down out of the tree. He had almost revealed them.
Quick Clouds remained beside Tall Pine, his tail draped over the young tom's shoulders as the Band cats' voices faded into the distance. Once the scents grew stale, Quick Clouds rose and slithered down the tree trunk. Duck Flight and Vole Leap followed him down, though slower as they were much more comfortable in the water and underground than in trees.
Tall Pine stayed in his perch for a moment longer. He deep several deep breaths, and tried to calm the shaking in his paws before he clambered down.
"Let's go." Quick Clouds flicked his tail in the direction of the edge of the Bands' territory. The four cats set off at a brisk pace, driven by their urgent need to slip away undiscovered by the Bands. Quick Clouds, Vole Leap, and Duck Flight trotted along with their heads erect, all of their senses on high alert in case they encountered more enemies.
Tall Pine plodded along behind Quick Clouds. His head drooped. His fear of discovery by the Bands was overwhelmed by his sinking feeling of disappointment as though he were slowly slipping into a deep dark abyss. This mission was a waste of time just like the others. We haven't found anything to point us to where they're keeping our Clanmates. We're running out of time.
The Clan cats slowed their pace as they crossed the scent line from the dangerous territory to the safety of the unclaimed land. They all seemed to breathe easier. Once they had traveled a while more, Quick Clouds halted by the roots of a majestic oak tree.
"Vole Leap, Duck Flight, you two continue on to camp and report to the leaders." The senior hunter gestured with his head in the direction of their new camp. "I want to speak with my trainee."
Tall Pine sat down as Vole Leap and Duck Fight vanished between the trees. What could Quick Clouds want to talk to me about? He wondered as he wrapped his tail around his paws.
Quick Clouds titled his head as he studied his trainee silently for a moment. "Tall Pine, I know you've been through a lot," he said at last. "It must be hard for you, to find out that your father betrayed us, and to lose him and your sister all at once. After what happened on the patrol today, I want to know, are you okay?"
Tall Pine blinked. This hadn't been what he was expecting to hear from his instructor. He stared at his feet as he scuffed at the dried leaves with one paw. Am I okay? I guess I've been too busy worrying about Spotted Owl to think about myself. "I don't know," he admitted.
Quick Clouds nodded. His face was set with solemnity, but his eyes shone with sympathy. "I understand. Creek's betrayal and the loss of our Clanmates have hit us all hard, but especially Blossom Dust and you. I want you to know that I am here for you with everything you're going through."
Tall Pine swallowed, but it didn't do anything to dislodge the lump of emotion in his throat. He blinked away the tears in the corners of his eyes. "Thank you."
Quick Clouds held the young tom's gaze steadily. "I promise you that we will do our best to rescue our Clanmates. It may seem like we haven't accomplished anything, but today we found out that Rabbit Nose and Spotted Owl and the others are still alive and that all the Bands are working together. This information can help us."
Tall Pine raised his muzzle. His chest was a hollow pit of despair. "But how? We still have no idea of where the Bands are keeping them. We have no chance of rescuing them with our few numbers against all of the Bands. And we only have a few more days to find them or we have to leave!"
Quick Clouds's face was sorrowful. "I don't know. We do have to return home soon to ensure the safety of our Clans." He paused and sighed. "...I suppose there is a possibility that we won't be able to rescue them. But there still is time. We should have faith that the Clan of the Bright Stars will guide us."
The Clan of the Bright Stars, Tall Pine mused. Where are they? Where is my Spirit Guardian? Surely they won't let us leave without our Clanmates.
Quick Clouds stretched out his muzzle and touched it gently to Tall Pine's head. Then he rose to his paws. "Come on. We should get back to camp."
Tall Pine nodded. He stood as well and followed Quick Clouds toward the patrols' new camp. The pair walked for a while in silence through the elm, oak, and maple trees, with an occasional lone evergreen. They crossed a wide stream and traveled on as the ground sloped upward. The deep orange sun was sinking behind the hills as they arrived at a briar thicket. The tangled tendrils of the briars half-concealed the small entrance to an old burrow;the scent of its former inhabitants had long faded away.
Heads turned toward Tall Pine and Quick Clouds as the hunters entered the Clan cats' new temporary camp. Their patrol-mates sat or lay in small groups dispersed around the walls of the cave. Duck Flight and Vole Leap conversed with Yellow Sky, Owl Eye, and Sun Splash at the back of the burrow.
"Tall Pine!" Blossom Dust leaped to her paws and dashed over to her brother. Her eyes glimmered with hope like little stars. "Did you-"
Tall Pine shook his head to cut her off.
"Oh." The light faded from Blossom Dust's eyes. Her shoulders slumped.
I'm sorry, Tall Pine wanted to say as he moved to stand beside his sister. He pressed his muzzle to her head as she leaned into him. I'm so sorry. But there was nothing he could say to make it better that wouldn't be a lie. After a few days of searching, they were no closer to finding their Clanmates. They didn't have long before the patrol leaders had decided they had to leave to return to the Clans. There was little hope.
Oh, Spotted Owl, Tall Pine thought. Where are you?
He let his tears fall.
Wow, chapter 20 already! This books is going so fast! Poor Tall Pine. He's not doing that great. This wasn't a very important chapter, but I thought it was necessary to provide information about how Tall Pine is dealing with things, and what the Clan cats' plan is. We also got to see a little bit of Quick Clouds and Tall Pine! I hope to develop all of the instructors' characters more. We'll see Spotted Owl and Rabbit Nose soon.
Reviews:
The Unnamed Guest - Don't worry! We will see Sharp again at some point. Good guesses!
QOTD: What do you do if you're really upset or stressed?
- A Warrior At Heart