Author's Note: Sorry for such a long break between chapters, guys! School has been really hectic, and with the end of the trimester coming up, I'm not sure if it will get any better lol. This chapter is extra long, though, so hopefully that will make up for the wait! Thanks for reading and reviewing, I hope you're all doing well!
-Rosie :)
Chapter Twenty-Six
Briarpaw watched as Lionpaw padded out of camp, Flowerfoot and Mintfur following at a distance. He took a last glance back at the camp, and their eyes met. She gave him a small nod, and then he was gone.
"Hey, Briarpaw!" She turned to see Duskpaw bounding towards her. "Doespring, Spotfur and I are going hunting near the marshes. Wanna come?"
"Sure." She stretched quickly before getting to her paws.
Duskpaw glanced behind her, where the apprentices nests were. Smolderpaw and Daisypaw were still asleep, alongside three freshly disturbed nests.
"Has Lionpaw started his assessment already?"
"He just left a moment ago. Flowerfoot wanted him to get an early start, before it got too hot."
"We should probably get going then, too. I don't want to be out hunting at sunhigh."
"At least we'll be in the marshes," Briarpaw joked as they walked towards their mentors. "You'll be nice and cool standing in all that water."
"We're not going in the marshes, only near them." He paused a moment, his nose wrinkling as uncertainty crossed his face. "I'm not, at least."
She looked ahead levelly. "We'll see."
…
The two apprentices trekked along behind Spotfur and Doespring as they led them towards their hunting spot. The ground was steadily growing more squishy and damp beneath their claws. Duskpaw was beginning to look pretty uncomfortable.
"It's getting awfully wet," she whispered to Duskpaw.
"Shut up," he hissed under his breath, gently shoving her away. She laughed, stumbling back to his side.
"We can't hunt here," he growled, loud enough this time for the rest of the patrol to hear. "It's too soft and wet. RiverClan may be used to it, but we'll just stumble over our own paws. Let's try… this way." He hurried out of the peat and up a small slope. Raising his muzzle, he glanced back at them and gave an eager swish of his tail. "I can smell rabbit."
"Have you forgotten where we are?" Spotfur snapped. "The Horseplace isn't far away. We're under strict instructions not to hunt in that part of the territory."
"But there's rabbit! We're WindClan cats, that's what we eat! Not whatever slimy shrews or frogs we'll find in there."
Doespring fixed him with a stern glare. "A good warrior takes what they can get. Beggars can't be choosers, Duskpaw."
"But we're meant to be running, out on the moor, not stalking and bumbling around in the marshes. We'll never catch anything that way. Besides, we're not that close to the Horseplace, there's still plenty of space to hunt between here and the restricted territory."
Spotfur and Doespring exchanged a glance. Briarpaw's eyes widened. Had Duskpaw actually convinced them?
"Please? We'll be super careful."
Spotfur sighed. "Ok, fine, but I don't like it. We're not getting close. You stay by us at all times, and if we order you to do something, you do it. Is that clear?"
Briarpaw and Duskpaw nodded eagerly.
Doespring glanced at Spotfur. "Are you sure about this?"
The black-and-white she-cat grunted. "No. C'mon, let's just get this over with."
The patrol fanned out, but still kept close together as they scented the air. It only took a moment for Briarpaw to catch the scent of rabbit Duskpaw had caught, but the scent was vague, not coming from anywhere in particular. They would still have to hunt down an individual scent trail, but a big, grassy meadow like this was a perfect place for rabbits to burrow and graze- they likely wouldn't have to wait long.
Or at least that's what she thought. After a while of searching, they still hadn't detected anything. Frowning, she raised her muzzle. The rabbits were definitely there, but they were just being extra elusive today.
"I got something!" Duskpaw said suddenly, abruptly breaking the silence. Startled, the patrol jerked their heads up towards him.
Briarpaw hurried to his side and sniffed the ground near his paws. Sure enough, the grass stems clung with the scent of fresh rabbit.
"Come on, it's this way!" He beckoned them with a wave of his tail, taking off through the grass.
Briarpaw began to follow, but Spotfur called them back. "I don't know, Duskpaw. That trail is leading south. Have you already forgotten where we are?"
"Oh, come on, Spotfur, we're still ages away from the Horseplace! We'll catch the rabbit long before we get there."
Doespring shook her head. "Your recklessness will get you into deep trouble someday, Duskpaw."
The dark tom lashed his tail in frustration. "Look, I'm only trying to watch out for the Clan." He lowered his voice, and, as he glanced around, Briarpaw caught a glimpse of the whites of his eyes. She blinked, thinking she had imagined it. But no- that was fear in the bold tom's eyes.
"The kits are getting thin," he continued. "Everyone is. And we're still in Greenleaf! This is supposed to be the most plentiful time of the year. And I don't scent any other prey nearby. Do you really want to go back empty-pawed?"
Spotfur stared at the black tom, and for the first time, Briarpaw saw doubt in her gaze. She guessed her mentor was thinking about her brother's kits back at camp. Briarpaw thought back to when she had seen them playing in camp the previous night. They had been chasing around their Clanmates, eager as ever, but now that she thought about it, something had seemed a little off- their jumps were smaller, their strides shorter, and their mews softer. The kits would be fine for a while, but they certainly were less healthy then they had been a moon ago.
Briarpaw felt the sparrow she had eaten earlier churn guiltily in her stomach. Should she have given it to Flickerflame? As always, the queen had been the first to pick the fresh kill that morning, but she had needed to settle for a couple of plump mice, not nearly as nutritional as a young rabbit- what she should've been eating. Yet it had been days since they had last caught one. Many of the rabbits had been grazing in the fields surrounding the Horseplace, taunting them to come chase them into the forbidden territory. The rabbits were smart, Briarpaw had to give them that. It hadn't taken them long to realize the sheep shielded them from the cats, and the cropped grass made it easier for getting to the clover. Briarpaw had hoped the dogs would drive them away, but the dogs never strayed far from the flock, and the rabbits kept a respectable distance between both groups of predators. Never before had the stretch of land looked so inviting and plentiful.
Spotfur was quiet for a long time, and the other members of the patrol cast her expectant glances. "Fine," she snapped at last. "We can go. But I'm in charge. I say something, you do it. Immediately. No arguing. And you stay close to us at all times, understand?"
Duskpaw shot Briarpaw an eager glance and began to follow the rabbit trail.
"Duskpaw!" The snarl nearly made Briarpaw jump out of her fur. Spotfur was glaring at him. "Is that understood?"
Duskpaw nodded fervently. "Of course, Spotfur. Loud and clear."
Doespring cleared her throat, glaring at the older warrior. "I can discipline my own apprentice, Spotfur. But she's right," she added bashfully. "You do as you're told, you hear?"
Duskpaw nodded, but, perhaps remembering Spotfur's rebuke, he quickly added, "Yes, Doespring."
"Let's just go then," the young warrior sighed, brushing past Duskpaw and into the lead. Briarpaw could practically feel the indignation radiating off of Duskpaw, and was secretly impressed when he remained silent.
They followed the trail in silence, padding gently through the swishing grass. The scent was steadily growing stronger, but it was gradual, taking them further than anyone had expected. Out of the corner of her eye, Briarpaw caught Spotfur's jaw ticking. She obviously was displeased at how close their prey was taking them. At this point, even Briarpaw was starting to feel a little nervous. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before they reached the restricted territory.
Just as she thought Spotfur was about to snap and tell them to turn back, Doespring flicked her tail and the patrol froze. Just ahead of them, three rabbits were grazing in a field.
Briarpaw felt her mouth water. It had been so long since she had tasted the sweet flavor of rabbit- but this wouldn't be for her, she reminded herself. They were here to feed the Clan. Even one of those rabbits would lift their spirits, though. Perhaps they could even get all three.
Don't overstep your boundaries, Briarpaw, or we could lose all of them. For now, just take it nice and easy.
There are four of us, though, and I'm confident in this group of hunters. I bet we could at least get two.
Spotfur began to creep out into the grass, taking the outward flank of the prey. She gestured for the apprentices to take the inward ones. Duskpaw muttered under his breath, but he obliged and began to stalk forward as Doespring took the other side. Briarpaw glanced around before following- she caught sight of the Horseplace, but it was barely visible in the distance. As long as we don't take abnormally long to catch up with the rabbits, we should be fine.
Closer they stalked, the grass gently swaying in the wind as the cats prowled closer, step by step, paws slow and gentle against the ground. Time seemed to slow, sounds seemed to blur as Briarpaw honed in on her prey. Her muscles twitched, but she forced them still. Their time would come soon.
A slight shift of the wind was all it took. One of the rabbits raised its head and glanced around warily, and, seeing nothing, slowly lowered its head and began to graze again, its ears twitching back and forth. It hadn't seen them, but it was on high alert now.
But the rabbit closest to them wasn't convinced. Panning its gaze slowly across the moor, it finally fell between the stems of grass where she lurked. Wide, dark eyes met her narrowed, yellow ones, glinting eagerly in the light.
The rabbit let out a high-pitched wail of alarm, and immediately the three rabbits jerked into motion as they bolted across the moor.
Briarpaw felt her spirits soar. Barely waiting a heartbeat, she launched herself out of the grass and after their fleeing prey. Her paws thumped against the earth rhythmically, and the wind whistled in her ears. With every stride, her legs stretched out, shaking away the stiffness from WindClan's uncharacteristic stalking. Now this was real hunting!
She lost track of time as they ran, but she never dared trail her gaze from her target. After a little while, she heard a distant squeak, and out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Doespring veer to the left. She and Duskpaw must've closed in on one of the rabbits.
Then this one's ours. Narrowing her eyes, she pushed herself to run faster, closing the gap between her and her prey.
A sharp hiss from Spotfur broke her concentration, and before she knew what was happening, the black and white she-cat had skidded in front of her, blocking her path.
"This was a mistake," she growled. "I knew we never should have come here. Now come on, let's get out of here."
Briarpaw opened her mouth to protest, but as she glanced over her mentor's shoulder, her heart leaped in her chest. In the eagerness of the hunt, she hadn't realized how close they had gotten to the Horseplace. With a jolt of horror, she realized the dogs were out roaming in the field, heading in their direction.
"Go!" Spotfur cried, giving her a sharp nudge. "Quickly, before they catch our scent trails!"
It might be too late for that, Briarpaw worried. As they hurried to where Doespring and Duskpaw had brought down the rabbit, the strong scent of fresh rabbit blood blossomed into the air.
Even if they don't catch our scent trails, the rabbit blood will lead them right to us!
Their Clanmates greeted them with wide eyes and bristling pelts, showing they must've already caught sight of the dogs.
"Come on, we need to get out of here. Leave the rabbit."
"What? And let those mangy mongrels devour it to bits?" Duskpaw snapped at the black and white she-cat. "No way! We need it way more than they do."
Spotfur snapped her jaws open, but before she could reply, Doespring darted between them. "There's no time to argue! And it doesn't matter anyway if we leave the rabbit or not, the dogs have already scented our trails!"
Glancing over her shoulder, Briarpaw saw that, to her horror, the brown warrior was right. There was no doubt that the two large black and white dogs were heading straight towards them, their eyes glinting with malice.
"Hurry up, let's go!" Snatching up the rabbit, Doespring hared away. Spotfur quickly gestured for the two apprentices to follow, before taking up the rear herself.
The loud, ringing barks of the dogs became sharper as they grew closer.
Oh, why did we risk hunting there? Tawnystar banned it for a reason! Was it really worth all this just for a rabbit?
She could hear rough panting behind her, and, risking a glance back, she saw that one of the dogs was only a couple fox lengths behind Spotfur.
"They're too close!" Spotfur gasped. "We won't make it!" Looking forward again to meet Briarpaw's gaze, she added, "Keep running. Don't stop for anything." Then, wheeling around, she leaped, claws extended towards the nearest dog's face.
"No!" Briarpaw cried, skidding to a halt. "You can't fight them off all on your own! You'll get yourself killed!" Already the she-cat had a long scratch against one side, her breaths coming in jagged pants as she pranced away from the dogs. She appeared to be trying to distract them, rather than attack them, which made sense- Spotfur could be hot headed, but she wasn't mouse-brained- attacking two large dogs on her own would get her killed in an instant- yet it still was dangerous. The more times she got away, the angrier the dogs got. Each time, their slobbering, pointed jaws snapped down closer and closer to her pelt. It was only a matter of time before they caught her.
Narrowing her eyes, she leapt after the dog whose muzzle was only a mouse-length away from Spotfur's tail. Keeping low to the ground, she nipped its paw and darted out of the way as the dog whipped its head around towards her, yelping like a kit.
"Briarpaw! I told you to keep running!"
"I'm not going to leave you here alone!"
"You're not experienced enough to fight dogs yet," her mentor yelled as she narrowly avoided being thumped by a large, slender white paw.
"I'm not fighting, I'm distracting!" Leaping up, Briarpaw latched her jaws onto a dog's tail, quickly slipping to the ground with a mouthful of long, white fur. Spitting it out, she scurried between the dog's legs, batting its flank, leaving blood welling along the cuts. The dog let out a whine of pain and frustration.
Distracted by her triumph, she was suddenly caught in the chest with a large paw, and skidded to the ground, winded. She heard Spotfur calling her name as the second dog loomed over her.
Squinting her eyes against the harsh glare of the sun gleaming down into her eyes, she struggled to get to her paws, but the dog hit her again, knocking her to the ground.
This is it, she thought despairingly, as hot breath surrounded her. This dog can snap my neck as easily as we can a mouse.
A yowl of outrage was followed by a yelp, and as the dog staggered, Briarpaw quickly slipped away. Glancing back, she saw Spotfur clinging to the dog's back, shredding its fur beneath her claws. The dog let out a cry of desperation, shaking violently in an attempt to get her off. Finally, one of Spotfur's paws slipped, and she went flying and hit the ground with a thud. Craning her neck, Briarpaw could see that her mentor's breaths were still coming in steady pants, but the fall had left her winded. The dog began to limp towards her, but before Briarpaw could come to her mentor's aid, the other dog snapped at her flank, and she only just managed to scramble out of its way.
We're trapped! Oh, StarClan, what do I do?
Her thoughts were interrupted by yowls of outrage, and before she could see what was happening, a blur of tan fur leaped on the dog in front of Briarpaw. She blinked, not sure if her eyes were deceiving her or not. Palefire! Where did she come from?
The warrior was soon followed by three other cats- Doespring, Duskpaw, and Jayclaw, who set upon the other dogs. Soon, the air was filled with the frenzied yelping of battle. Teeth clamped around her ear, and Briarpaw froze, delicately wiggling her way out of the dog's grasp. Rotating her ears, she could feel the sting of the dog's bite, and a trickle of blood, but to her relief, it wasn't torn. With the extra cats that had arrived, this was a much more fair fight- yet they would still be lucky to escape without any serious injuries. Glancing around, she saw Duskpaw desperately trying to wiggle away from a dog's grasp, and Jayclaw clawing at its legs, although it hardly seemed to notice. The second dog had cornered Doespring and Palefire against a patch of prickly undergrowth, the two she-cats desperately clawing at its nose to try and keep it at bay, and Spotfur was only just struggling to her paws.
They're too tough! If we stay here, eventually one of them will seriously injure or even kill one of us. Or lure the twolegs to us, she thought with a shudder.
"We need to find a way to escape them!" she called to Spotfur.
Her mentor glanced around despairingly. "But where? Wherever we run, they'll just follow!"
Briarpaw scanned their surroundings and saw she was right. The moorland was too open, there was no place to lose them. For the first time in her life, she found herself wishing that they lived in the forest like ThunderClan.
This is hopeless. How are we ever going to escape?
"Hey, flea brains! Pick on someone your own size!" The unfamiliar voice rang through the air. Briarpaw jerked her head towards the noise, and caught sight of a slight, white, gray, and pale ginger tom. His head was cocked, and as the dogs whirled around to face him, he quickly jerked his head towards a slope in the land that Briarpaw hadn't noticed before, and called, "Hurry! Go that way, into the trees! The dogs won't be able to catch you there!"
One of the dogs let out a low whine and began to circle back towards Briarpaw and her Clanmates.
"Oh, come-on, fleabags! You don't want them! They're not going to back down without a fight, it's not worth it. But look at me! So small and defenseless and alone! Come get me!"
One of the dogs snapped its jaws down only mouse-lengths from his flank, the fur fluttering as the tom leaped away. That one movement was all it took, and the dogs were after him. The tom bolted across the moor with a speed that, despite his small size, could rival that of the fastest of WindClan cats.
Who is that?
Her thoughts were quickly interrupted as Spotfur shoved her forward. "You heard him! Get to the trees!"
The six cats hurried in the direction that the tom had instructed, and soon they came across a small oasis of greenery, which contained several bushes, and three spindly trees.
Glancing back, Briarpaw saw that her mentor had fallen behind. A long gash along her side that one of the dogs had given her was still seeping blood as she hobbled after the rest of them. As Briarpaw turned back to go help her, Spotfur shook her head. "Keep going. I'm fine. And remember what happened the last time I told you to keep going and you disobeyed me?"
Briarpaw wanted to point out to her mentor that she likely would have died if she hadn't come to help, but she thought better of it. Besides, she knew arguing with her mentor would only slacken her pace. Yet she slowed her steps slightly so she was still within a couple fox-lengths of Spotfur.
As they reached the trees, Briarpaw was glad to see that the trees had some low branches- although still high enough to protect them from the dogs- and rough bark that would provide plenty of clawholds. WindClan cats certainly weren't known for their tree-climbing skills- she was fairly certain that Tawnystar was the only one who had ever climbed a tree, at the Gatherings- and they didn't have time to be messing up. Glancing back, she saw that one of the dogs had strayed from the mysterious tom and realized they were getting away- and was heading straight towards them.
Doespring and Smolderpaw were hauling their way up one of the trees, and Palefire and Jayclaw had already made their way into another one. She hurried to the closer one, the one that Palefire and Jayclaw were in, and clawed her way up, gritting her teeth as she nearly slipped a couple of times. As she reached the first branch, Jayclaw grabbed her scruff and helped pull her up.
Glancing up, Briarpaw saw that the dog was getting very close now. "Hurry, Spotfur!"
The black and white she-cat clenched her jaw, and shakily raised up onto her hind paws to hook the bark with her claws. Painfully slowly, she began to haul herself up. Briarpaw saw her wince every time the bark brushed against her wound.
The dog was nearly here now, and his gaze was locked on Spotfur. She's not going to make it in time.
She debated jumping down onto the dog's back. That's probably the worst idea you've ever had, Briarpaw. If the dog doesn't kill you, Spotfur will for being so reckless.
But I need to protect my Clanmates. What else can I do?
Before she could make a decision, Palefire quickly scrambled past her and grabbed Spotfur's scruff in her jaws. Jayclaw joined her a moment later, and the two hauled Spotfur up onto a branch just as the dog's jaws snapped down around the spot where Spotfur's tail had been only a moment before. Scrambling back up onto the branches, they all watched nervously as the dog went ballistic, leaping and yelping and snapping furiously as it tried to reach the cats. A few times, it got a little too close for comfort as Briarpaw felt the woosh of air as it leaped up towards her, but she was just out of the dog's reach. Still, she tucked her tail tighter around her paws every time it got close.
Briarpaw scanned the distance for the other dog. It was still chasing the loner- they had veered back towards the Horseplace, and a few of the sheep scattered as the dog raced past.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang as the flap on the front of the Horseplace swung open, and a pair of twolegs came running out, waving their hands in the air and shrieking. One spotted the loner and threw the object it was holding in its paws at him, and he quickly darted away and around the corner of one of the twoleg structures. The other twoleg lunged forward and grabbed the collar of the dog, yelping firmly.
The twoleg that had chased away the loner held a hand up to its eyes, scanning the moor. Catching sight of the other dog, it raised a small object to its mouth and suddenly a high-pitched whistling sound rang through the air. The dog faltered and glanced back towards the twolegs, then back at the cats again. With a frustrated growl, it finally turned around and sprinted back to the twolegs, its tail tucked between its legs.
The cats waited several moments, barely daring to breathe, until the twolegs were long gone and the dogs were tethered on the ends of ropes.
"It looks like they're gone," Doespring breathed. "Let's get out of here."
As the cats began to hurry away, Palefire snapped, "What were you thinking? Tawnystar gave us all strict instructions to stay away from there!"
"We were hunting rabbits," Spotfur growled, "well outside the restricted territory, mind you. But we chased them towards there, and I realized and told Briarpaw to stop chasing it. But we were already too close, and Duskpaw and Doespring had already killed a rabbit, which led them straight to us."
"You need to be more cautious next time!" Jayclaw retorted. "That could've ended disastrously! It almost did!"
Doespring flicked her tail "We didn't try to go there, did we?" Most young cats wouldn't dare speak like that to senior warriors, but the dappled brown tabby could often be impulsive. "We were being plenty cautious!" In a softer, more fragile voice, she added, "Their lands are growing. Every day the dogs roam further and further."
Palefire shook her head. "The twolegs will go to extreme extents to make sure not a single hair on their precious sheep's pelts is harmed. I don't want to test exactly where those boundaries are."
"Which is exactly why we need to stay away from there."
Palefire sighed. "That's enough, Jayclaw." Turning to the others, she added, "We don't mean to accuse anyone. You were only trying to hunt for the Clan. Yet hunting there is dangerous, and we're only trying to look out for our Clanmates and honor Tawnystar's wishes. What… what happened to Thistlevine was devastating for the whole Clan. We wouldn't want anything like that to happen again."
Jayclaw shook his head sadly. "You were lucky that we were nearby and Duskpaw and Doespring were able to get to us in time. Imagine what would've happened if you had been forced to fight those dogs alone!"
"We didn't fight them, though," Briarpaw pointed out. "Even after Duskpaw and Doespring showed up with backup, it wasn't enough. It was that loner that saved us."
Palefire frowned. "I wonder what ever happened to him. I hope he didn't get hurt."
Jayclaw snorted. "I'm much more concerned about who he is and what he was doing in our territory."
"To be fair, I did kind of save your lives."
Jayclaw yowled, and Briarpaw nearly jumped out of her fur. Whipping towards where Jayclaw was facing, she saw the tom that had saved them, striding out of the grass. She got a better look at him now, up close- wide, greenish-yellow eyes framed a round muzzle and a small, pink nose. He had large ears, petite paws, and fur that spiked along his face and tail.
"What are you doing here?" Jayclaw snapped.
"I just wanted to make sure you guys were all right. Those dogs can be pretty fierce."
"Why were you even in our territory in the first place?" Doespring asked.
The loner frowned. "I'm sorry, I was only trying to help. I didn't know I was trespassing in your territory, honest."
"The borders are clearly marked."
"Don't be mouse-brained, Jayclaw, loners don't know the difference between the different Clan scents," Palefire sighed.
"You're those Clan cats?" The loner asked. "I've heard stories about you. The ones who live in huge groups and fight over territory and look at the stars?"
Look at the stars? Oh, does he mean StarClan? It felt odd to her that there were cats out there who had never heard of StarClan.
"Well, you can't stay here," the gray and white tabby tom sniffed. "This is our land."
The loner swished his tail. "I had heard that you lot were aggressive, but I expected you to be a little more grateful that I lured away those dogs."
"Of course we're grateful," Palefire added hurriedly. "That's not what Jayclaw meant. It's just that we need all this territory to feed our Clan, and we can't have you hunting here."
"That's fine, I'm not planning on moving in or anything. I have more than enough mice in the barn."
"The barn?"
The loner flicked his tail towards the Horseplace. "You see that red building, behind the Horseplace? I live there. The place is crawling with mice, I have no need to hunt on your land."
"Wait," Doespring growled. "You live with the twolegs? You're a kittypet?"
"I'm not sure what a kittypet is," the loner meowed, "but I don't live with the twolegs. I merely live alongside them, in their barn. I sleep in their hay, hunt mice in their rafters. The twolegs only come in there occasionally, and I make myself scarce in those times. Honestly, I don't think they know I'm there- they can't scent me with their poor noses- and I'm not sure they'd welcome me if they did."
Briarpaw remembered how the twolegs had thrown an object at the tom, and realized that much was true, at least.
"Fine," Jayclaw snapped as he glared at the loner. "But I'm keeping an eye out, and I'm warning the Clan about you. Don't try anything." With that, he stalked away, and Duskpaw and his mentor followed, Doespring casting a suspicious glance at the loner as she passed. Spotfur limped more slowly after them, and Briarpaw hurried to her mentor's side and helped support her as she walked. Behind her, she caught Palefire speaking to the loner.
"Sorry about them… Jayclaw and Doespring can be… tough. Many of the Clan cats can. But we have our reasons. Life in the wild is harsh. They're good cats, once you get to know them."
"Thanks. I have a lot to learn about you Clans. I guess rule number one is staying out of your way."
"Yeah, that's probably best, for now at least. Tensions are…. especially high at the moment. The twolegs bringing their sheep here has really taken up a huge chunk of our territory. It's hard to get enough food."
"I have plenty of mice in my barn. It's not enough to feed whole Clans, but if you need it I have some to spare."
"That's very kind of you, but I doubt the Clans would accept it."
"They'd pass up free food? I thought you said life was hard."
"It is, but… Clan cats are very prideful. And I'm sorry to say that many of them look down on cats outside of the Clans. Taking food from a loner… it wouldn't be received well."
The tom's gaze was unreadable. "I see."
"Thank you really, for saving us. We probably could've fought them off on our own, but not without severe injuries. Your help will save us unneeded suffering."
"Of course." He dipped his head to her. "I hardly would've left you to the mercy of the dogs."
"Oh, and… be careful, hanging around those twolegs, alright? We know firsthand how dangerous they can be. They have weapons, these loudsticks…" She cast her gaze downward. "They killed our deputy with them."
The loner's gaze was somber. "The guns. Very deadly. The twolegs use them to protect the flock from predators- they mostly use them on coyotes- large, fierce, wild dogs, but I've seen them use them on foxes as well. It's not out of the realm of possibility for them to shoot cats too, I suppose. They don't pay much attention at what it is they're shooting, just blindly defending the flock. You'd think they'd be less reckless with those things."
"Why do twolegs do anything," Palefire sighed.
"Come on, Palefire!" Jayclaw called. "We need to get back to camp!"
"Coming!" Turning to the loner, she said, "Anyway, thanks again-" she paused. "I never caught your name."
"Pepper. My name's Pepper." And with that, he was gone.