Snowpaw paced.
She knew she really shouldn't waste the energy, but she couldn't sit still.
Heronlegs kept glancing her way, but the grey/blue she-cat's attention was largely on Murkstar. The two were engaged in hushed conversation. Cats were gathering in the middle of camp, while others lingered the fringes nervously. The sun was soon to start dipping behind the hills that had once belonged to Gustclan, bathing the camp and its inhabitants in a golden light. It was almost the perfect leafbare sunset; crisp, clear and beautiful. But now what would normally be a pretty sight to be appreciated filled Fieldclan with apprehension.
It was time.
She had been training with Heronlegs this morning, and she felt as ready as she ever would be.
Murkstar moved away from his deputy and called a meeting from the tall pine stump where the leader addressed the clan. "My fellow cats of Fieldclan… We are about to dive headfirst into the mouth of the biggest threat our clan has seen in living memory. Icestar's mentor and predecessor Boulderstar, who tormented our clan for moons-" Many of the Fieldclan cats spat or hissed curses to both of Gorseclan's former and current leaders. "-was nothing but a mere nuisance compared to what we now face."
Snowpaw had been taught some, but not all of Fieldclan's history. They were a clan that had faced threats from other clans many times, as they were thought of as soft. Boulderstar had constantly tried to take territory from them during his tenure.
"Icestar thinks he can do whatever he pleases… that we are weak, and he is far too strong!" Cats booed and yowled to Murkstar's words. "What he, and many before him fail to realize is that compassion is not weakness! Kindness is not shameful! Is it not a queen's protective, burning love for her kits that causes her to be the most fearsome force in all the land?" He glanced towards the queens den, where his mate; Blueshine, sat listening with their kits. The fondness and worry in his eyes were clear, but he kept going. "It is our bonds of love and blood that make us strong; our bonds more powerful than any other clan! They make us strong because we have the greatest reason to fight; to protect what we love! With Marshclan and Fernclan beside us, Icestar and his fleabitten lot don't stand a chance!"
Snowpaw joined in with the supportive cries; Kiwifeather, Needleclaw and Springpaw, Heronlegs and Waspsting, Possumtail and Batear, and all the others all around her. She may not have been born in this clan, but she had come to love it with all her heart. And she would do what she had to in order to protect it and the new life she had built.
The cats had their orders about who would stay and who would go. Murkstar said a quick word to Hedgewhisker; the senior warrior being left in charge of camp, then gathered up his raiding party.
Murkstar himself, along with Heronlegs, Kiwifeather Waspsting, Batear, Nightcloud, Poppypelt, Spiralfoot and Bushtail were in the party, with Snowpaw as the last member. The rest of the clan would remain to ensure there was someone here to protect those who couldn't fight, just in case.
Murkstar moved them out; the sunlight glowing on their backs as they slipped out of camp single-file. "We'll have to keep and eye out for those twolegs Needlclaw saw earlier. I can't imagine they'll still be around this late, but it wasn't that long ago he saw them with Springpaw." The leader muttered to the group as the moved towards their eastern borders as a quick trot.
Needleclaw, knowing he wasn't joining the fight, had taken Springpaw hunting shortly before the raid was due to start to ensure there was something for the queens and their elder to eat while everyone hunkered down to wait. He'd spotted a pair of twolegs walking around, almost aimlessly and not sticking to the usual path their kind followed when passing through Fieldclan territory. They were out late; the twolegs usually vanished before the sun started to set. Needleclaw had reported them walking up to trees and bushes and looking at them, or peering down rabbit holes, jabbering away at each other. They'd been carrying large, long sticks.
Twolegs were generally harmless and easy to avoid if they didn't have dogs with them, but the oddness of their behavior was obviously enough to give Murkstar pause if he was mentioning them again. Snowpaw thought it was a bit pointless when they had a far bigger issue to worry about, but she wasn't the leader.
The plan was to meet at the point where all three of the territories of Marshclan, Fernclan and Fieldclan, touched with the tip of the Gorseclan border. That was where they would meet up and enter.
The tall grass in the field; green from throughout the last two seasons since the end of the drought, sheltered the Fieldclan cats well as the made good progress towards the border. As they drew closer, they became more cautious and jumpier. A quail pair flying up ahead of them made almost every cat in the patrol startle.
Batear was at the front of the patrol; with Murkstar close behind. Batear's keen hearing made him an excellent scout ahead for possible threats or unusual noises. Kiwifeather crept along next to her, unusually quiet. Even she had the sense to know when to get serious. Snowpaw was positioned in the middle; Heronlegs ahead and Spiralfoot behind.
The senior warrior with the twisted paw was able to keep up well despite his crippled foot and a noticeable limp. The paw was turned right around, so he was walking almost on the completely wrong side. The foot was also not properly formed; it looked like it was missing toes, or paw pads? Snowpaw didn't dare take more than a glance at a time whenever Spiralfoot was around. She'd never asked if he was born with it or if it was an injury. She'd also never seen him fight; but he had to be able to fight well if he'd been chosen for this mission. It would almost be interesting to watch and see how he compensated for it. If she actually had a chance too.
Murkstar's hum from up front announced they were getting close to the border, and the patrol slunk into a creeping stalk.
Another time, perhaps.