Hello all! I hope you had a good two weeks?
This chapter is much shorter than the last one, at only about 4k words. The votes in the reviews actually came out exactly even, so I made the executive choice to go with whatever length I could. During these last two weeks I've only managed to get this much written, though perhaps next chapter will be longer!
It seems I've gotten into the habit of posting once every two weeks. I'm going to continue with that, I think, particularly since I'll be completely swamped next week with traveling to a few different colleges.
Now on to one review reply and the chapter~
Eradrin: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Hah, it seems almost too fast sometimes. Next year I'll be at college... -gulp- The musical sounds like fun! Though, at least at my school, doing shows is a HUGE time commitment. Thank you so much!
By the time I'd finally gotten the hang of walking on only three legs, Nova announced it was time to stop. Rat-dung, I growled inwardly, now I can't show off to Rowanpaw. I could finally prove to him who's actually better at the three-legged game. But I didn't complain out loud. Even if my shoulder was okay with going a little farther, my ribs had begun aching every time I sucked down a breath.
Rowanpaw immediately plopped his rear on the ground. "What, tired already?" I teased, padding over to join him.
He shot me a glare. "What, you're not?"
"Nope. I could keep going all day."
"Yeah, right. Who was panting in my ear all the way up the mountain?"
"I was not—!"
"Ravenpaw, a word, please?"
I glanced guiltily over my shoulder, wondering if Nova would punish me for messing around. Then again, if he were to punish me, he'd most definitely punish Rowanpaw, too. This must be something different. Hobbling across the path toward him, my injured leg tucked under my belly and my splint digging into my ribcage, I settled myself beside the Rebellion's leader. "What is it?"
Nova's gaze trailed away into the distance, focused on a point just above the gently rippling stalks of colorless grass and heather stems. Though I tried to follow his line of sight, I could only see the field and, beyond, a steep slope decorated with the odd tree. The temptation to repeat my question, a little louder this time, swelled inside me, but I quashed it immediately; Nova probably wouldn't take kindly to being treated like he was deaf.
Finally, he spoke. "You'll have to go on alone from here. Up that slope, you're likely to find an Avanti hunting or sniffing around for Rebellion intruders. We don't have definite borders, since we're at war, but we do try to stay away from each other's camps if not launching an invasion. It prevents us from weakening ourselves, see."
Nova took a breath. "Anyway," he continued, his voice a little brisker, "since this is where we part, I figured I'd give you a few pointers.
"Firstly, the camp is at the top of the mountain. You'll just need to keep going up and eventually you'll find the camp or run into some cats. I believe Phantom said it would be best to try the latter, as long as it doesn't appear forced.
"Secondly, you'll have to get rid of our scents. Moki's and Rowanpaw's they probably wouldn't recognize, but they will most definitely know mine. To get rid of it, you'll have to roll in the heather around this field. Make sure you cover yourself really well, since the medics will be taking a close look at you right after you arrive, with any luck.
"Thirdly, you need to pretend you know nothing about us, or it will blow your cover. You are Ravenpaw, Phantom's littermate. You have not met the Rebellion and you know nothing of anyone called Nova. You approached from this side of the mountain—the Avanti will be too scared of our influence to check very far. We'll spread out and roam around a bit to dissuade them from trespassing on the lower mountain.
"Got all that?" I nodded smartly. "Very good," Nova smiled. "Now, I'm sure Phantom will mention all this, but you'll be staying up in the medicine den to heal. We want you in and out as quickly as possible and running down to meet me every half-moon will do absolutely nothing to help that shoulder. You will tell Phantom all you know and he'll bring it down for you. What you need to do is remain in the camp and listen to what's going on around there."
"Got it." I forced a smile to hide my disappointment. I'd have to just lie around in the caves for moons? How boring would that be?
"Good." Nova paused, then added, "I think that's everything. Go ahead and say goodbye to your friends, and then you should get going." He paused as if for dramatic effect, then: "I trust the information you gather will be useful to our efforts. May the Yaksha Tribe smile upon you and grant you good fortune on your mission." He raised one forepaw into the air.
Remembering Moki's greeting on the first night, I imitated his gesture with my good leg, balancing myself on my hindquarters and pressing my pad to his. A genuine smile broke through and my chest swelled as I recognized something like respect glimmering in Nova's blue eyes. "I'll do my best," I promised. "May, uh, may the Yaksha Tribe smile upon you and grant you good fortune on your… I mean, in your, er, leadership."
Nova chortled a little at my uncertainty. "Thank you. Now, I think Rowanpaw's waiting for a proper farewell." Retrieving his paw, he angled his ears over my shoulder. Sure enough, I turned to see my brother's dark green eyes fixed unblinkingly on me. Hastily nodding once more to Nova, I made my way over to him.
"What was that about?" he asked immediately, staring across at Nova.
"It was just a few last bits of information," I assured him, a little unnerved by his jealousy. I wasn't getting special treatment, was I? I just needed to go get healed, and that happened to mean I needed to become a temporary spy, too. "Are you going out to train with Kiowa again this afternoon?" I asked, hoping to divert his attention away from me and Nova.
"Hmm? Oh, uh, I suppose I'll have to."
I blinked, surprised. "You will? How come? Is Nova making you?"
So much for changing the subject. I mentally kicked myself for my slip-up, but Rowanpaw didn't acknowledge the leader's name. On the contrary, he nudged me, snorting. "Who told me I needed to climb a tree by the time you got back?"
"Oh, right! Yeah, you'd better train every day for that."
We fell silent. I glanced around the small clearing, trying to think of what next to say. My eyes paused on the field as I spotted a slight gap in the trees on the far side. That must be the path to the peak. Staring at it, I found a sickened, quavery feeling growing near the pit of my stomach.
I realized I'd be leaving behind Rowanpaw and Moki in the Rebellion's base. Yes, the facts had been presented to me before, but they hadn't really sunk in, their blows diminished by the excitement of becoming a spy. Now, however, I realized I'd have to go on entirely alone. There would be no mother figure in Moki to show me my options and give me advice. There would be no careful brother holding me back from my most reckless ideas. If I was wrong, there was nothing to stop me from just… falling. And, if Rowanpaw was any sort of judge, I seemed to be wrong most of the time.
Twisting, I buried my muzzle into the loose fur at Rowanpaw's scruff with such force I nearly knocked him onto his back. He gasped in surprise at my sudden movement, but didn't say anything. Instead, he returned the pressure, leaning into me. I felt a couple dots of wet appear near the nape of my neck, but I didn't care.
After several long moments we broke apart, Rowanpaw blinking a couple times to skim the extra dampness from his eyes. To my slight surprise, I found I had to do the same.
"I'll miss you, bud," I muttered, feeling as though a bite of prey had gotten stuck halfway down my throat.
"Yeah. You too." He gave a small smile. "You be careful. I'd prefer you to get back sooner rather than later."
"You be careful, too. No falling out of trees, okay?"
He laughed a little. I tried to memorize the sound, knowing I likely wouldn't hear it again for moons, but before I could get down the specific pattern, it dissipated from my mind. Rat-dung.
Moki padded tentatively forward, as though reluctant to break in. I gave her a swift smile, letting her know we were about finished with our goodbyes.
"Take care of yourself, you hear me?" Moki stared hard into my eyes and I nodded, recalling how Rowanpaw had just instructed me to do the same. Was I really that careless?
She gave me a quick nuzzle, which I returned. "You'll be okay, won't you?" I asked uncertainly. "After… you know."
A quick flash of grief crossed Moki's expression, but she pushed it aside. "He was a hero," she meowed firmly. "It's my duty as his sister to keep fighting for him. I'll be staying here until we win."
A memory crossed my mind—Cordelia's not particularly warm welcome when we'd arrived. Moki had been forced to leave her brother's side by the tribe's hostility. "Are you sure?"
"I owe it to his memory. I'll be fine as long as I stay busy," Moki insisted.
I didn't argue any further. Pressing my cheek briefly against hers one last time, I turned to face the field. "See you all in a couple moons," I meowed, grinning. Then, leaning forward to give myself more momentum, I began the long trek up the mountain.
The walk itself wasn't so bad. It was a little chilly, but after rolling in the heather and lugging myself up steep slope after steep slope, I barely felt it. To keep my mind off my throbbing injuries, I mentally repeated Nova's instructions. First things first, I had to find some cats.
It proved more difficult than I'd hoped. The forest appeared utterly deserted, only populated by songbirds and insects. Perhaps I was heading in the wrong direction? But that couldn't be right; I'd followed the path straight up, just like Nova had said.
It was possible, of course, that the Avanti just didn't send out patrols at all. Nova had mentioned the Rebellion contained more cats. Maybe they couldn't spare anyone to watch the borders. But then again, they did have to eat. At the very least, they'd send out hunting parties. So where were they?
"Stop right there, intruder!"
I almost let my face relax into a relieved smile at the sudden bark, before remembering I was a spy now. I had to act surprised, or even a bit fearful. After all, I was no longer Ravenpaw, the Rebellion cat. From the moment I crossed that field, from the moment I left Nova, Moki, and Rowanpaw, I was Ravenpaw, Phantom's sister, who had just journeyed a great distance to be reunited with him.
Faking an alarmed expression, I stopped dead in my tracks, staring around at the surrounding trees. "Wh—Who's there?" I stammered.
The speaker ignored my question. "What is your purpose in the Avanti territory?"
"Avanti? What's that?"
"Don't play dumb, rogue!"
The voice was suddenly cut off. Pricking my ears, I picked up the soft hiss of a whisper. After a moment or two, a second voice spoke.
"Answer the question. What is your purpose in coming here?"
"I…" I swallowed. Was I being too hesitant? "I'm looking for my brother. Do you know of a cat named Phantom?"
There was a short pause, followed by a continuation of the whispering. I kneaded the ground nervously for a couple heartbeats, then added, "He's a dark gray tom, almost black, with black tabby stripes. Um, and dark green eyes."
"How old are you, kit?"
"I'm not a kit! I'm si… even moons old." I bit my tongue, anxiously waiting for a response. Had the Avanti cats noticed my slip? Sky powers, I'd barely started and already I was messing up. Could I really fool them for two or three moons?
After several long moments, I heard the rustle of pawsteps. Two cats slipped into the clearing from around a tree, their ears forward and tails up, evidently trying to intimidate me. Though I didn't particularly want to, I lowered my gaze in a submissive gesture. Perhaps letting them take the dominant stance would increase my chances of getting accepted into the tribe.
The first one was a cream tom with ghost tabby markings. My eyes widened at his pelt coloration; something about it seemed familiar. "Stay where you are," he growled. "Don't even think about running off anywhere."
"What he means to say," the blue-cream tortoiseshell broke in, padding swiftly forward and casting the tom a warning glare, "is: 'We won't harm you. We just want to take you back to our camp and ask you a few questions.' "
"What if I run?" I asked nervously, my eyes still on the tom.
The she-cat snorted. "With that leg and that tail? We'd catch you immediately. Please, it'll be much simpler if you just come willingly."
She had a point. Trying to keep up my façade, I limped slowly forward, though paused at a sudden outburst from the tom.
"What are you doing? She could be a spy! You know the Rebellion has the entire base of the mountain surrounded! Why would they let her through?"
The she-cat glared at him. "That's why we'll be questioning her!" she hissed. "To make sure she's not!"
"But what if she is? We'd be leading her right to our camp!"
"Oh, use your brains for once! Nova already knows where the camp is; he grew up there, just like all of us! He knows all the entrances and everything. She wouldn't learn anything new just by ducking into Kahuna's den for a couple heartbeats!"
"She could learn our numbers. Maybe they're planning another raid and they need to know exactly how many of us are left!"
"They already know that; they can count, can't they? And besides, what else are we supposed to do with her? Send her back down the mountain, right into the Rebellion's clutches? They have Lukan; he could probably heal her well enough. Then she could easily fight against us."
The tom didn't reply, but merely lashed his tail in frustration. The she-cat turned back to me, beckoning again.
I padded forward to stand before the she-cat, who, I now realized, was obviously in charge. Though the tom had initially appeared the more dangerous of the two, she definitely exerted power over him. I figured it'd be better to suck up to her, at least at first.
"All right," I meowed, "I'll come quietly. But where are you taking me?"
The she-cat smiled. "If our suspicions are right, we're taking you to your brother."
I kept quiet throughout the remainder of the journey, worried I'd let something slip again. These cats could realize I was a spy, then start questioning Phantom; I'd already linked his name to mine. If I went down, I'd pull him with me.
It was just starting to sink in how the entire fate of the war could rest with me. A shiver compressed my spine as I thought about the next couple moons, moons during which anything could happen. It would only take one small slip-up to bring my whole story crashing down. Or even half a slip-up. My act had to be absolutely perfect. Was I up for that?
Well, you've got to be, I told myself determinedly, because there's no backing out now. You'll be a good spy. Just remember the skills you learned in the city and you'll be fine.
Hopefully those would be enough.
They will be enough. Shut up.
Beneath my paws, I felt the ground beginning to level out. Eyes widening in relief, I stared ahead, trying to make out the camp's entrance. From what Phantom and Lukan had said, the tribe made its home in some sort of cave. It probably wouldn't be too obvious from aboveground. Smart move, Avanti ancestors. I'd just have to follow the blue-cream tortoiseshell closely.
I kept my eyes fixed on her perfectly still tail. After about three blinks, she paused, glanced quickly around, then ducked under a tangle of ferns and vanished.
"Hurry up, prisoner," the tom behind me growled.
"I'm not a prisoner," I muttered into my fur, but did as he said. It probably wouldn't be good to draw too much unfriendly attention, at least before I was accepted.
The ferns were still coated with that morning's layer of frost. I shivered as it brushed past my shoulders, bending my spine towards the ground in an effort to avoid the chill.
The she-cat had disappeared, but her scent still lingered, revealing her descent into a wide, earthy tunnel. Feeling the cream tom's whiskers brush against my tail-tip, I hastened forward, shadows descending like spiderwebs onto my white fur.
It was cooler underground. My fur fluffed up to ward off the chill as I continued, whiskers brushing the wall. Ahead, I heard the tortoiseshell padding steadily along, her pawsteps thumping against the packed dirt.
The tunnel continued for some time, sloping gently downward. After several long moments, just when I'd started nervously wondering if this tunnel was ever going to end, I heard the she-cat's footsteps halt. Speeding up, I rounded a last corner (almost running into the tunnel's side in the process) and emerged beside her in a huge cavern. My jaws gaped in astonishment as I stared around, taking in my new surroundings.
Before, when I'd imagined a cave, a cramped underground hideout came to mind, hung with spiderwebs and covered in dirt. This, however, immediately shattered that notion into about a thousand fragments.
The ceiling arched high overhead, opening near the top to allow in shafts of sunlight. The ground was relatively flat, broken in places like jagged teeth. Around the cave's edges, several darker holes indicated the presence of other tunnels, possibly leading to dens or other exit tunnels.
A couple cats milled about around the cavern, laying together on elevated rocks or chewing on squirrels. Several cast their gazes in my direction, no doubt wary at the presence of an unfamiliar face. After my time in the Rebellion base, I couldn't blame them. Wars were no time to blindly trust a stranger. I quickly scanned the figures, remembering Phantom's plan, but couldn't spot him. My tongue found its way between my teeth and I bit down uncertainly.
The she-cat glanced over her shoulder. "Caspian, go find Phantom. I don't believe he went out this morning." A sudden jolt went through my body at the name. Of course! The tom must be Lukan's son, the one who stayed here. No wonder his pelt looked familiar—it was the same as his mother's. I recalled how Lukan had bounded across the base's clearing to join a cream she-cat after treating my injuries.
Caspian nodded once and departed, circling around the cave's edge and disappearing into another tunnel. My eyes remained fixed on him until the she-cat continued, "You and me, we'll go talk to Kahuna."
My heart thudded painfully. I'd have to put up a good show for the guru. If she suspected anything, anything at all…
The she-cat bounded forward, across the cavern, her paws confident on the uneven ground. I followed at a slower pace, still staring around, my eyes darting from the Avanti to the dark tunnels to the opening far overhead. Did cats ever fall through that?
"Hurry up!" the tortoiseshell called, her tail flicking impatiently as she waited beside an adjoined cave. Tearing my eyes from the cavern, I pushed myself to walk faster. Just as I joined the she-cat at the entrance, however, a voice rang out from the main area.
"Saffron! She isn't there."
The she-cat paused, glancing around through slightly narrowed eyes. "What?"
A long-legged silver Bengal tom trotted toward us, his tail held high in the air. "Kahuna isn't there right now," he insisted. "She went to go check on some suspicious scents by the border."
Stay neutral, stay neutral, I thought as shock pulsed through my body. Stay neutral, stay neutral, stay neutral. Suspicious scents? Would she smell my scents with Nova's, Rowanpaw's, and Moki's? Would she discover my real identity? Or, perhaps, had she discovered Phantom's scent from our meeting last night? Was my job as a spy doomed to fail before it had even begun?
"I see. Well, thank you for telling me. We can just wait inside for her, then." Saffron turned to enter the den.
"No, you can wait out here. Kahuna wouldn't appreciate returning from a long morning trekking through the territory to find yet another pressing task. You'll wait out here and when she returns, she can decide whether to admit you into her den or not."
Saffron blew out an irritated sigh. "Oh, for the love of Yaksha…" she muttered, but quietly enough that I was sure the Bengal hadn't heard. Facing him yet again, this time bearing a scowl, she said, "Kahuna is a fully grown cat, Peter. She can handle herself without you padding after her."
Flames immediately shot up within Peter's green eyes. He opened his mouth furiously to retort, but before he could get a full sentence out, a second voice called out.
"Rae!"
An almost black tabby tom had bounded into sight around a rock formation. My heart leaped at the sight and a wide, relieved grin formed on my face. He was here!
Phantom hurtled into me, knocking me over and sprawling onto the ground beside me. "It's really you," he panted, his smile mirroring my own. "I… I can't believe it!"
"Yeah, me neither." Under the pretense of giving his ear an affectionate lick, I whispered, "Rae?"
He didn't answer directly. "Did you tell them your name?" Phantom muttered, his muzzle turned carefully away from the older cats.
"Not yet."
"So I'm guessing this really is your sister, huh?" Saffron asked, her previous frustration fragmenting as she watched our "reunion."
"Yeah. This is Rae." Phantom nuzzled me happily. "Yaksha, it's good to see you again. I thought you were staying in the city?"
I scooted away a couple pawsteps, a little uneasy at the over-the-top displays of affection. Then I remembered I should probably return them if I didn't want to appear suspicious, so forced myself to give him a quick nuzzle back. During the meeting yesterday, I hadn't realized he was capable of such expressiveness—he'd seemed so down-to-earth and mature. But, then again, I supposed he was probably just acting now. In that case, he was an incredible actor.
"Nah. I missed you so much, I couldn't stay." That was a good, generic answer, right?
"Yeah. It must've been pretty lonely there, all by yourself."
Okay, so we didn't have any other family. Or, at least, our family had all died. "Like I said," I repeated, purring, "I missed you too much."
Phantom's paw brushed against my foreleg splint and he paused, glancing downward. "Oh, you're hurt! We've got to get that looked at immediately!" He turned to Saffron. "Could you take her to the medic's cave? Or maybe if Cephas is there already, I could take her?"
"We still need to speak with Kahuna," Saffron reminded him. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Remember, even if she's your sister, she still is a stranger to the tribe."
"But I can vouch for her that she's not a threat," Phantom insisted. "Can't we get her taken care of now and she can meet with Kahuna afterward? She might not be back for ages and we'd just have to sit here watching her until then. This way, it doesn't waste as much time and we could all go out hunting or something immediately after Kahuna returns."
Saffron considered his words. "Hmm. I suppose you do have a point." She glanced at Peter, who puffed out his chest.
"I think we should wait for Kahuna," he said pompously. "She should decide what to do with Rae."
"Yeah, yeah," Saffron muttered, turning away. "Why do I even bother asking your opinion?
"Okay, Rae, let's head on over to the medic's cave and get those injuries checked out. Peter, would you mind coming to get us when Kahuna returns?"
Peter glared at Saffron, obviously displeased at the prospect of being treated like a mere messenger, but shrugged anyway and stalked huffily away.
"Great," Saffron breathed. "Now that he's gone… come on, you two. Let's not waste any more time."
She headed off along the cavern wall. With a quick glance at Phantom, who nodded encouragingly, I limped off after her.
Not a lot of plot in this chapter, unfortunately. Though, unless something extra comes up I want to add in, the drama llama will resurface during the next couple chapters!
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention: I made some art to accompany this chapter. You can find it on my Deviantart. ^^ My username there is the exact same as the one on here-Snowfall16.
QOTD: So, Ravenpaw (or Rae, as Phantom has been calling her) left the Rebellion to become a spy. What do you think the Rebellion cats will do while Ravenpaw's gone? How do you think Ravenpaw will do as a spy?