EDGECLAW'S GROUP
Edgeclaw awoke from his short, peaceful nap. Giving a loud yawn, he leaned over to Berrybranch and gently prodding her in the shoulder. "We need to get going again, the rain has stopped."
Standing up, Edgeclaw stared out the massive hole in the barn and saw that even though the rain had stopped it still looked damp and gloomy outside.
Berrybranch then nudged Owlclaw awake. "Come on, time to get up," She meowed.
Saige was already awake and giving her fur rough licks to warm herself up.
It took the cats only a few moments to smooth their fur and wipe the sleep from their eye's before they were ready to continue on and leave the comfort of barn. Standing in a semi-circle near the entrance, the cats turned expectedly as they waited while Splinter padded out from her corner where she had been watching them prepare to leave.
Saige began meowing appreciatively, "Good-bye Splinter and thank you for allowing us to stay here and hunt, we will be continuing on journey now that the storm has let up."
Edgeclaw nodded his head in agreement, "Yes, Thank you for everything."
Splinter's dark blue eye's sparkled mischievously, "Well there ain't no need for good-bye's now you funny young whipper-snapper. I'm coming with you all!"
The cats just stared looking at her with shocked expressions on their faces as she continued, "Now, there's no need to worry about me slowing you all down, I may not be as young as I once was, but I've done my fair share of travelling around and I know a thing or two about other rogues, and from what I've heard you telling these cats here, you're gonna need all the help you can get!"
Saige turned to toward the elderly she-cat as she stammered, "Are- are you sure you want to?"
"Yes, this is going to be a very dangerous mission, there's no guarantee that you'll be safe with us," Edgeclaw added.
Splinter just flicked her tail with mild annoyance. "I'm not some defenseless kit! I know what I'm getting in to. Besides, I've been wandering around for so long without having anything important to do, all I seem to ever do is just feed and find shelter for myself, that's all I've been doing for the past moons. And besides, I don't take kindly to bullies either." Then turning towards Saige she meowed "I'll help make sure your kits can grow up in a safe place where they can grow healthy and strong."
Edgeclaw, taking a glance at Saige, then dipped his head briefly to Splinter, "We'd be happy to have you come along."
Splinter gave a satisfied nod back then replied, "Good. Now are we going to get going or just sit around talking all afternoon?"
LATER THAT DAY
Edgeclaw was leading the group over some hilly terrain, when Saige came up behind him. "Do you think it was a wise idea for her to come along? I mean, I know we'll need all the help we can get but, do you think she'll be able to keep up with the rest of us without slowing us down?"
Looking back, Edgeclaw spotted Splinter walking closely beside Owlclaw as she told him stories from her past.
"Oh you should've seen me take on those three giant toms," Splinter meowed to a wide-eyed Owlclaw, "They thought they had me beat since I was out numbered and they were a ragged lot, but let me tell you, they all was taking off running once I was finished with them!"
Giving a small grin Edgeclaw replied to Saige, "Well her and Owlclaw sure seem to be getting along just fine! Besides, she seems to be keeping up just as good as the rest of us. She also has been around a lot of places and had to take care of herself for seasons, so I'm sure she'll know a lot of stuff we don't that could be helpful to us in the future."
"I guess you have a point." Saige meowed as she looked back at Splinter, "I'm just so anxious to get back home, I don't want anything slowing us down."
They trotted on in silence for a few paces before they climbed over yet another hill and sighted a small white house next to a long black road.
"The Thunderpath," Saige breathed quietly, "We'll have to cross the Thunderpath up here, it's not the busiest one I've ever crossed, but there are quite a few monsters that run on it."
As they stopped a couple tail-lengths from the Thunderpath in the cover of the white house's flower bushes, Berrybranch padded up to Saige and asked, "Are there any two-legs in this house?"
Edgeclaw could smell her fear scent as her eye's darted back and forth.
Keeping her voice low Saige meowed, "I think so, everything looks lived in. But I didn't see any two-legs the last time I crossed."
They slowly creeped up toward the Thunderpath as big monsters zoomed by like lightning bolts.
Edgeclaw could feel his hair rising as fear tickled along his spine, he sniffed in the awful smell the monsters shot from the back of them in a black cloud and began coughing spastically.
Saige crouched close to the Thunderpath "Alright, I think we should go across in pairs, Splinter, would you and Kickleg like to go across first?"
Splinter looked the most calm of all the cats.
I guess she's done this plenty of time before, Edgeclaw thought.
She nodded her head toward Saige."I guess."
"Alright then, I'll stay here and signal as soon as there's a gap." Saige put her ear to the ground and stood listening for monsters.
"Okay… Now."
The two of them scurried across quickly, their claws scraping along the Thunderpath's hard surface, as they made it safely to the other side. Kickleg let out a huge sigh of relief, while Splinter waved a paw at them to show they had made it across fine.
"Edgeclaw, can you and Berrybranch go across next?" Saige asked.
"Sure," Edgeclaw meowed for the both of them.
"Good. Owlclaw and I will go last." She put her ear to the earth again.
Suddenly a loud barking came from the other side of the house followed by a huge cream-colored dog. Its jaws were open, revealing both rows of its massive teeth as it barked loudly, charging toward the remaining cats.
"Run!" Saige yelled! "Get to the other side!"
Saige ran swiftly across the Thunderpath with Berrybranch closely following behind her.
They made it to over just in time as another monster rushed past them unexpectedly.
Edgeclaw stared dumbfounded for a moment at the sight of the raging dog, and was about to cross when he saw Owlclaw frozen with fear not far from him.
Oh no! "Owlclaw! Come on!" Edgeclaw barged into his side.
Owlclaw staggered, then quickly blinked, shaking his head as his surroundings came back to him from the force of Edgeclaw's shove. The dog was only a few tail-lengths away from them now as the charged toward the Thunderpath trying to escape its closing jaws.
Seeing that Owlclaw was following him, Edgeclaw took the lead, he didn't stop to look for monsters, and just plunged across the Thunderpath toward the others on the other side. He felt his pads burn as they hit the black surface, then the comforting touch of grass as he made it across. He looked back and felt his stomach drop to his paws. Owlclaw was still in the middle of the road and a monster was heading straight toward him!
The monster seemed to lose its track as it swerved barely nicking Owlclaw's tail.
Spinter rushed out the remaining distance onto the Thunderpath and pulled Owlclaw the last tail-length toward the ditch.
Owlclaw and Splinter panted deeply, staring at the others.
Edgeclaw was breathing heavily when he sighted the dog had stopped right on the other end of the Thunderpath.
Nudging Owlclaw with his nose he yowled, "We can rest later! Keep running! Before the monsters stop charging by and the dog makes it across!"
They all didn't wait to be told again and tore off toward the forest where they would have some covering from the trees.
Thankfully the dog just stared form the other side of the Thunderpath barking as the other cats made their way toward the forest.
"That was too close." Berrybranch heaved, catching her breath.
Shakily, Owlclaw meowed, "I don't know what happened. I just froze up and couldn't move! It was like my paws were stuck in the ground like roots!"
The fear which had ignited Splinter's eyes when seeing Owlclaw on the Thunderpath had now faded, to be replaced with a look of sorrow. "I've seen it happen before." She meowed, "I lost a good friend to the terror of the Thunderpath… You must never stop running once your paws hit the track, never." She meowed mournfully.
They continued on through the forest without any conversation, each badly shaken from the whole incident. Despite their terrifying scare they made good time and kept going until the sun made its setting and it was too dark to continue. They then settled down tiredly under the trees with Kickleg taking first watch.
"If we keep this pace up, we should make it home by late tomorrow." Saige meowed lying down wrapping her tail around her dark pelt.
Edgeclaw lied awake, listening to the gentle sounds of his clanmates sleeping. He couldn't help wondering to his self what other dangerous times would await them tomorrow and if they would be well and safe enough to return to Thunderclan when this was all over.
Author note/ I'd like to give a BIG shout-out to Brownfurfics for following, reviewing and favoriting my story! Also another BIG shout-out to Theocentric Thulcandrian, for following, reviewing and favoriting my story as well! Thank you both!:)
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