Disclaimer: Same old thing…
Update: I won't be updating much because I currently have summatives…
O.o Gee, what a formal sentence
I will get things moving now!!
Sunwhisker: I hope I put enough details….
Mossface: Poor Twistedheart, he's gonna get chewed up by puppies… Actually, that's GOOOOD!! YAH!!!
Chapter 6
Looking around, all Hearth could see was hills, hills and more hills! Wasn't there anything else in this world? All she could feel beneath her paws were grass, and her paws started working harder and harder while getting up the hill. It was a merriment when she raced down the hills, purring and practically yowling in laughter when Scorch tripped on his own paws and tumbled down the hill. Unfortunately, Ribbon happened to be in front of him, so she was tackled and rolled until the bottom.
"Oowch!" Ribbon grunted, licking her ruffled fur.
"Hahaha! That was hilarious!" Hearth sniggered.
"Yeah, because you weren't the one rolling down that darn hill!" Scorch growled, although amusement flickered in his eyes.
They trekked on, up the hill, down the hill, up, down, up down, up, up, up… and no more downs! Finally, a big plain was in front of them. It looked as though it was never going to end. There wasn't a tree in sight, at least, there were none that were alive. One dead looking tree happened to be a few good badger-lengths away.
"Guess we'll have the shelter there tonight," Scorch mewed tiredly.
Hearth looked up at the sky. It was a cloudy night, and she felt an odd sense of foreboding.
"Seems eerie," Ribbon whispered, as though echoing Hearth's thoughts.
Hearth muttered a low, "Yes it really does," though she doubted that her companions were listening. They didn't really have a choice to stay here, unless they traveled all night.
Glancing at each other swiftly, they slowly padded to the dead-looking tree.
The bark really was old, it was a brown colour, and the branches looked limp and lifeless, hanging down and pointing to the ground. It was barely a shelter.
"Smells like other cats have been here before," Scorch muttered.
Hearth sniffed the bark carefully. It did smell a bit like cats… it smelt like nothing she had smelled before…
"There's no moss!" a dismayed Ribbon squealed. Hearth hadn't realized that Ribbon was looking around the territory.
"We'll just sleep on the ground," Hearth mewed, trying to sound happy.
Padding up to the gnarled-looking roots, they gingerly laid their heads on their paws, and pressing themselves together, they fell into an uneasy sleep.
Hearth was deep into sleep, dreaming of being back in Monsterclaw. The huge claws kept on turning around and around and around, making her slightly dizzy. The simple joy of watching it felt good, almost like feeling like a kit again. Suddenly, there was a snarl, and angry threatening snarl, and she turned around, and-
"WHO ARE YE!? GET OUTTA HERE!" screeched an enraged voice.
Jumping to her paws, her eyes widened in fright, and her fur stood on end. Scorch and Ribbon woke up, Ribbon shivering frightfully, and Scorch had his eyes narrowed, claws unsheathed.
"We were here first!" Scorch hissed, "So YOU ought to get out of here!"
"You were here first? Heh, hate to ruin your hallucinations, but we were here for forever! Are ye too stupid to smell the tree?" the other cat sneered, spit coming out of its mouth.
The cat was barely taller than Scorch, and although Hearth couldn't tell what colour his fur was, his narrowed eyes were shining bright yellow. His teeth were bared and he looked like quite an experienced fighter from the muscles rippling from his pelt. He looked as though he could defeat Scorch in a few blows.
"We don't mean any harm!" Ribbon squeaked feebly, her voice shaking.
"Why should I believe you?" the cat spat, "None of us have to believe you?"
"Us?" Hearth gasped, "You're not alone? But-"
"Heh, so your eyesight is that bad as well, eh?" the cat mused harshly. He flicked his tail to reveal four other cats behind him. They all looked angry fierce, except one. One of them looked a bit out of place his eyes weren't narrowed, but wide open. His teeth weren't bared, and he stood there looking a little stupid and awkward.
The cat with the yellow eyes, who was obviously there leader, went on, "Get out. Now. Or we'll make you leave, by force." He sheathed and unsheathed his claws, scraping the ground.
"But we're just passing through! Traveling!" Scorch snapped, his temper overcoming his fear, "We're not here to hurt any cat!"
"You're that bunch of cats that call themselves the Twisted Ones?" the cat mewed, surprise flashing briefly in his eyes before, it went back to the normal emotionless, hard stare. Glancing at Hearth, he mewed, "You have it leader's eyes."
"What do you mean?" Hearth mewed, "I don't understand!"
"Shut up, you impatient fur ball!" one of four cats snapped.
Hearth felt rage bubbling beneath her pelt, and she was about to call that cat a rude name when the leader of his 'band' mewed, "I want to know who you are, and maybe you'll live through the night." He stepped forward, and now Hearth could barely see the colour of his fur, and now she knew why, it was pure black.
Ribbon happened to be the only one to shakily say, "Thank you."
"Tell me, what are your names?" the cat demanded gruffly.
"I'm Ribbon."
"… Scorch."
"My name's Hearth, and I was wondering if-"
"I'm asking the questions not you!" the cat spat angrily.
Glaring at Hearth for moment, he added, "I'm called Thipplo." He flicked his tail to the other four cats to come forward, and they warily introduced themselves.
A thick-built brown tabby tom came up, "Every cat calls me Stomp."
A small golden-brown she-cat, with an angered expression in her green eyes mewed, "Pippa is my name, don't forget it!"
A tom the same size and colour as Pippa but with blue eyes growled, "Elmyur, it's pretty simple." Hearth recognized that voice; he was the one who told her to shut-up!
The normal-sized tom that didn't look fierce at all had a grayish-brown pelt, with odd amber eyes quietly mewed, "I'm Lunaru…"
Pippa let out an ill-tempered growl, "Can we just chase them away now?"
"Yes, I'm getting bored!" Elmyur hissed impatiently.
Thipplo let out a deep growl, "Let's not waste any energy on defeating these cats! We're here for revenge for the Twisted Ones!"
"Who are the Twisted Ones anyways?" Scorch muttered, "How bad can they be?"
"They kill for the pleasure of it. I remember when Stomp, Pippa, Elmyur, Lunaru and I were off hunting and when we came back, dead bodies were everywhere. Some other cats were there, and this big dark ginger tom with a black smudge on his chest and laughing, and yowling with pleasure," Thipplo hesitated for a brief second, "There was blood all over his claws and paws…"
Hearth's eyes widened and she felt her heart thud angrily against her chest. She wanted to wail like a kit, yowl a 'NO! It can't be true!', but she couldn't, and a sense of betrayal overwhelmed her. It just couldn't be Chimney… but who else had dark ginger fur with that unique black smudge on his chest? Thipplo had said that the leader had the same eyes as herself… it was really Chimney, wasn't it? Her own brother, murdering innocent cats… well not exactly innocent but… it was still killing cold-blooded.
"It's Chimney…" Hearth whispered brokenly, "My brother…"
This was pretty much just Hearth's POV the whole time… I'll make it someone else's next chapter.
Whoever reviews gets cookies!! No, wait, a pumpkin in the face!! YEAH a pumpkin!! HAHAHAAHA!! Well, maybe not in the face, but you should get the point. Happy Halloween!! Even if it isn't exactly today…