I knew it.
Laurelleaf trudged through the forest, and he was partly afraid he made too much noise. However, he erased that thought. It doesn't matter. His spying expedition on Manglethorn went successfully, and that was what mattered. He was going back to camp, and he would figure out the true intentions of the sinister ThunderClan deputy.
Everything seemed to unfurl in his head, one by one, piece by piece, as he padded through the forest. This mangy excuse for a deputy, Manglethorn, have disguised himself as a muddy cat to provoke war between ShadowClan and WindClan. The two Clans have been in peace for as many moons as Laurelleaf could remember, and WindClan never did anything significant to ThunderClan enough for them to provoke war. First they attacked WindClan camp; then they tried to cause war! Laurelleaf only got angrier when he thought about this, and the memory of Silverhawk, hissing and spitting with his fur bushed out, facing WindClan alone with wide eyes, sent fury blazing in his veins. Manglethorn. What more is that fox-breath planning, anyways
However, Laurelleaf didn't realize the problem he was facing now until it was too late. He was lost in the forest, in unfamiliar territory, his WindClan scent spreading everywhere he went and sticking onto thick bushes. Everything was strange to him; the gigantic oaks, the dense canopy, the thick bushes, the endless spread of brambles and thorn bushes, and all the chirping prey. He longed for the wind in his ears and the emptiness of the moor. This place was just too much—wherever he went, it seemed to be a replica of the last place he went to. Leaves among grass among greenery kept rushing up to meet Laurelleaf. He tried backing away, but he knew he was lost in enemy territory, his WindClan scent strong and obvious among the ThunderClan stench.
Laurelleaf have followed Manglethorn the sunrise after he found him with Maggottail, and since the morning he have been spying on the suspicious white deputy. He didn't care how his Clanmates would react —he could say he was spying on ThunderClan, and he brought home important information. It wouldn't be wrong then, would it? Maybe they would even welcome him with open paws and congratulate him for bringing back ThunderClan secrets that would help them in battle next time. Who knows what else the sinister ThunderClan was planning, much more directed to WindClan? However, what he focused on now was how to escape the never-ending forest. Windyfrost used to tell him how the moor was the biggest piece of land of the Clans, but now Laurelleaf felt a twinge of uncertainty. Was Windyfrost saying the truth, or just boasting and being proud of her own Clan? This place might be squashed and crowded with bushes, but it was still huge. ThunderClan territory seemed to stretch on forever.
Brightspirit? He asked, and quickly shook his head. I have to get out myself. He padded past a pile of sticks and swerved past dark, towering oaks. The tall trees loomed over him and seemed to look down in pity at the thin brown tabby. There was so much noise shrieking in the air that Laurelleaf's ears hurt. He remembered how he travelled here so long ago, but now it felt even worse than before. He tried to sense things with his whiskers, but all the plants seemed to cramp in and nullify his senses. He was felt like giving up when the bushes in front of him rustled, and he quickly ran the other way, startled.
He raised his nose high into the air and sniffed several times, hoping he could scent ways to some other place that wasn't covered in lush growth and screeching bugs. Plants, plants, plants.
Prey, bird, grass. Bushes, thorns, brambles. None of the scents seem to carry the sweet smell of home.
The sun was setting, Laurelleaf was sure of that. He could tell by how the forest darkened, and the leaves turned blacker by the outlines. He could also tell by the hooting of owls, when owls appear only at night. In WindClan, owls sometimes wander into their territory, and although some other birds like hawks and eagles sometimes collide with them, they never really bothered the cats unless they were really hungry. He collapsed in the forest floor, resting his jaw on his tired paws. I shouldn't have come at all, he thought. Should I?
He thought about resting, but what if a late ThunderClan patrol catches him? He thought they'd scented him by now already, or he brushed in so many bushes that ThunderClan scent have completely taken over, he still knew that his scent was enough and he must've left a trail behind him. He was so sure of it that his head hurt. He thought of the warm WindClan camp, where cats should be grooming each other and sharing prey by now. He thought of the excited faces of Bearkit and Wingkit. What would they think of when he'd been gone the whole day and came back brimming with ThunderClan stench clinging to every fur on his pelt?
Gorsestar, he thought. Would he kill me? Would all the cats start noticing that I'm gone? He hoped no one did, but that was impossible. His tail drooped. Windyfrost's scolding looks flashed in his mind again. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, but what Brightspirit showed him was important. But how could he ever explain it to his Clanmates? He was sure none of them knew about Brightspirit and the prophecy. If he told them, who knows how they would react? Maybe tell Larkwing all about it and restrict him from going anywhere to leave Larkwing to figure out everything else? And maybe he would be stuck in the elder's den doing Flightfeather, Littlepool, and Brokenscar's ticks every sunrise?
All kinds of troubles came into Laurelleaf's mind. It haunted him as he shifted uncomfortably around, and he hoped, through the slightest chance that nobody would notice his brown pelt among the thick bushes of ThunderClan territory.
The trees tilted, and Laurelleaf fell asleep.
It was a dreamless sleep, but Laurelleaf woke quickly. For some reason the ThunderClan cats still haven't found a WindClan cat lurking in their territory, which was surprising. And then the bushes in front of him thrashed in response.
Laurelleaf was startled by the noise, and he looked around. Is a ThunderClan cat upon me? He backed away, sniffing the air, but he could't really distinguish bush from bush, and the forest was teeming with ThunderClan scent everywhere. The bushes in front of him thrashed wildly again, and before he knew it a velvet-colored creature burst out from the bushes, screeching, and landing on him with extended claws.
For a moment, all Laurelleaf could see is fur. Claws raked down his side, and he opened his jaws to screech in pain. Instead, the creature slashed his muzzle and pinned him down with thorn-sharp claws. The creature hissed in his face, and Laurelleaf quickly tried to roll away. He kicked up with all four paws, claws unsheathed, until he could feel the fresh feeling of fur ripping beneath the tips. The creature on top of him screamed, and he threw his entire weight to his side, throwing off the creature. It slammed on the nearest tree, writhing in pain.
However, it recovered quickly and rolled around to face him again. Laurelleaf darted around the creature, using his speed as an advantage, and occasionally swiped at the creature when he was close enough. The creature hissed hard and reared up, landing down on Laurelleaf's tail. It pulled with its sharp teeth, and Laurelleaf's vision blacked for a second. Then the creature swiped hard and strong, straight at his face, and the warm smell of blood splattered the air. Laurelleaf fell, choking darkness wrapping its cold pelt around his. He struggled blindly under strong paws, grasping for the last thread of hope. Jaws neared his neck, and he lurched forward all of a sudden. This took his attacker by surprise, and he quickly reared up, swerving past his attacker's head and landing straight on its body. He scored deep gashes on his opponent's side, and as fast as a snake he continued slashing until fur was flying everywhere at once. His eyes blazed with the light of battle as he slashed with the power of burning stars. It wasn't long before the body beneath him soon relaxed into a heap of thick fur. Laurelleaf landed, staring at the unmoving heap in front of him.
Grass was flattened as Laurelleaf dragged the body farther and farther into the forest. If ThunderClan cats spotted all the mess, how could he ever explain anything? His heart weighed down when he thought of how much more trouble he could've been in now. Scars on his face betrayed the battle he just fought. But it was so sudden, and the first sight of the creature made Laurelleaf think it was a fox. But from its shape and nimbleness, he was sure it was a cat. And not a ThunderClan cat, by the smell of it.
A rogue in ThunderClan territory? How come those mange-pelts never seem to find out that there were both a rogue and a WindClan cat in their territory?
Windyfrost is right. ThunderClan cats got bad noses.
The night was only slightly quieter than the morning, but the crickets ruined the forest for Laurelleaf. Their endless clicking! Laurelleaf tried to block out all the sounds of the noisy night, but they kept swarming in like a pack of bees. They screeched in his ears and added on to the stress as he pulled the creature. For a while he wanted to scream into the air and call for StarClan, but he kept his jaws shut around the creature's scruff and continued pulling. Its weight became heavier and heavier as he trudged like a badger. He eventually gave up as his head grew tired from carrying the weight. He crashed onto the floor, gasping. I'm going to be dead when I get back for sure.
I'll leave that to tomorrow, Laurelleaf thought, still gasping. I hope I could find my way out sometime later, because this place isn't endless… but for now, I got to rest...
The sound of choking snapped his attention back, and he nearly leaped out of his fur as the creature next to him coughed hard. He jumped up, his fur bristling, as the heap started twitching and moving. At last the creature's head lifted into a gasp, and Laurelleaf nearly screeched when he realized it was a cat after all. He quickly unsheathed his claws and prepared to shred if the rogue dared to fight him again.
I'm coming, WindClan, he thought shakily. Well, after this fight…
He then realized... it was a she-cat.
"What do you want with me this time?" He threw her the insult, heart beating hard. If anything, he would need to talk for a moment with this rogue. She might be able to tell him what was going on, but by the look in her eyes he could guess that she's far from doing that.
The velvet she-cat looked up and screeched. "It's you again!" She yowled, her fur bristling. She tried to stand up, but she collapsed again, gasping in pain. "Too bad!" Laurelleaf spat, the last thread of mercy snapping off in his heart. "Weak lump of fur!"
"You're WindClan!" The she-cat hissed and tried to retreat further, but the gashes on her sides slowed her down. She fell, again, huffing and tried to reach her wounds. She screeched in rage as she saw how deep her wounds were, all here and there in her tattered pelt.
"WindClan!" She looked up again with burning eyes repeated. Fury bristled in every hair on her pelt. "WindClan!"
Laurelleaf stared at the cat. How did a rogue know about... WindClan? He tried to flatten his neck fur as he took a step closer to the bristling she-cat. He needed to talk very much now. "Okay, maybe I'm not going to hurt you if you tell me everything," Laurelleaf meowed. "But how do you know WindClan when you're a rogue? Why did you attack me? And who are you?"
"Rogue!" The she-cat spat out that very word with such ferocity it nearly unnerved Laurelleaf. "I'm a loner. And you're WindClan." "Yes, yes," Laurelleaf said, irritated. "Why do you keep bringing that up? And can you explain why you attacked me? You came out of nowhere and nearly clawed my pelt off!" He was slightly afraid that she screeched extra loud just to attract ThunderClan cats to him so they could deal with him, but why would she do that when they didn't even know each other? He couldn't find any reason she attacked him, and he was only getting more confused by thinking too much.
The she-cat was still glaring at him. This she-cat was a tough one, and she was probably going to claw his ears off any sooner if they stood there like foxes in fits. "I was RiverClan long ago," she finally growled. "And WindClan cats were the ones who took me away and destroyed me."