Chapter 17

Faithpaw shuddered as he was dragged into the clearing. He rooted his feet against the ground and tried to hold himself there, but it was to no avail.

The two she-cats carrying him were strong and able, and before long he lay in the center of the circle of cats, the two she-cats still holding him down.

The AirClan leader, Longstar, leaped lightly off a ledge overhanging the camp. She landed on the ground and padded swiftly over.

"Cats of AirClan!" She caterwauled, voice piercing the air, "We have found the one tom left in all the Clans!" She glanced down at Faithpaw. "We have acquired him before MidnightClan! We now have possession over him! We have had victory!"

Faithpaw growled inwardly and flicked his ears. So he was a possession now, was he?

"Still, I have heard word that MidnightClan is going to attack us," Longstar went on, "Soon, they will find out we have the tom, and they will fight hard to take him from us! But, my cats, guess what? By the time they do that, Faithpaw will already have impregnated half out population!"

Faithpaw growled, loudly this time. Nobody paid him a shred of attention.

"Sandpaw shall be the first one to be mated with, for she is young and fresh," Longstar continued, "Then, in this order, Greenflower, Whitestripe, Silvertail and Paperfur. Alright?"

Nods of agreement went through the cats.

Somebody pushed Sandpaw closer to Faithpaw. He jumped back, doing his best to look disgusted. She sneered at him.

"Get on," She leered, wagging her rump in the air.

Faithpaw snarled at her.

Just like the plan had been laid down, Siftpaw rocketed out of the den, knocking the stick-made bars down as she went. She slashed her claws over a guard's eye and sprinted straight at Faithpaw.

"Let's go!" She hollered. Instantly, Faithpaw's legs kicked into action, and he bolted across the ground, right behind Siftpaw.

"NO!" Bellowed Longstar, "GET HIM! HE CANNOT ESCAPE!"

"Go, go, go!" Faithpaw urged Siftpaw as they charged out of camp and up the hills. A glance behind him proved that all of AirClan were following.

"Hurry!" Siftpaw urged. Her paws flew over the ground, moving as fast as hummingbird wings.

They dashed down a hill, neck in neck, AirClan closing in behind them.

"We've got to get out of there sight!" Siftpaw hissed. She glanced around for a moment, then said, "There! Dive under that ridge."

Faithpaw did what she said and they both crept along in darkness.

AirClan thundered over them and continued over the hills. Faithpaw and Siftpaw both sighed in relief. They hadn't been seen.

But suddenly, a little she-cat looked over her shoulder, right at the place where the two cats were hiding.

"RUN!" Siftpaw screamed, and they were off once more. Faithpaw followed the gray and silver she-cat as they scrambled through a long row of scraggly bushes, trying to keep hidden. He glanced over his shoulder, and saw the cats exploring the ridge where they had been hiding carefully.

"Okay," Siftpaw said, "They can't see us. Follow me!"

She burst out of the bushes. Faithpaw sprinted after her, muscles screaming at the strength he was forcing them to use. AirClan still hadn't seen them, so they had another moment where they were safe.

"Here!" Siftpaw hissed. She grabbed his scruff and shoved him into the trunk of a huge, hollow oak tree. Faithpaw felt thick cobweb break as he fell in, and he coughed as foul dust particles tickled his throat.

"Yuck, Siftpaw, this tree is really-," He began, but Siftpaw cut him off, shoving her tail into his mouth.

"Be quiet. They still might find us."

Faithpaw peered out of the tree with her. The AirClan cats were prowling around, combing through their territory as they searched.

"Ugh," Siftpaw groaned, pulling deeper into the tree, "I don't know how long it'll be until they give up. We need to get to WaterClan territory, so I can hook up with Clockpaw, and we can't have AirClan prowling about."

Faithpaw growled. In their cage, back in the AirClan camp, Siftpaw had explained her plan, and so far, it had gone pretty much accordingly. He still didn't like the idea of acquiring help from Clockpaw, though.

"Siftpaw, I'm going to choke," he said, suddenly realizing how bad the air in this stuffy tree-trunk hollow was getting to him, he could almost see the gross little dust bits floating around. Bugs and parasites climbed up the inner walls, and worms crawled through the soil.

"Well, if we get out of here now, we'll be spotted, so just deal with the stench, okay?" She hissed.

They fell silent as a couple of cats walked by, stalking through the dry grass.

"What about the tree?" An apprentice asked. She pointed at the tree where Siftpaw and Faithpaw were hiding with her tail. They both pushed themselves into the darkness. "They could be hiding in there."

"Of course they aren't in there," The other cat responded, "They'd be completely dung-brained if they were."

Faithpaw felt Siftpaw stiffen beside him, and she grew very, very quiet.

"What's the matter?" He asked as the two cats moved on.

She just shook her head, worry rolling off her in waves. "Nothing. Come on, maybe you were right about this tree. Let's get out of here."

Together, they crept out and dashed across the grass without –hopefully- being seen. But as Faithpaw watched Siftpaw, he could tell there was something she wasn't telling him. Something major.

Oops, short chapter, but it seemed like a good place to end it. Lolz. What do you think Siftpaw is not telling him? Oo –dances because I know- XD

See the button? SEE the button? Innit cute? Oooh, look, it says 'go' on it! Isn't that just so wonderful? It likes being clicked, so why not give it a try?

XD