Chapter Three
His shoulders moved with strength, grabbing and pulling the dark tom up the tree. The sight made his spine go cold, how much power this tom seemed to expel. It wasn't just him though. The cats around him were still at the sight of the tom. It was like a wave was sent out, one that required quietness, respect, all without being said. It spread out quickly, like how leaf-bare seemed to suddenly be in the forest one day, and be gone the next.
His father always managed to make Dusk afraid.
"Followers!" His father called from the strongest branch in the tree, sitting up to his fullest height, the white patch on his belly showing in the darkness. His face was narrow, long. It was sneaky, fox-like. "We have finally made it to the clans."
A yowl of excitement went up. Dusk even had to let out a breath of relief. The trip had been hard. He thought back on the long days, the tall mountains with the rock cats and the sore paws. It's he had known since kit-hood. Many cats had been hurt, but finally they had found the four clans and could get what they wanted.
"But it is not over yet. Your loyalty has served well but we have much farther to go. Your loyalty will have to be tested with patience." He went on. "We don't know anything about these clans. They could be all that we have heard of from the kittypets, like the fierce lions and tigers of before the sun and moon, or they could be like what the loners say, soft cats who take in any cat they can. We have to stake out these clans. The one they call Thunderclan most importantly, for I think that is where my kin have been taken. You future ruler has been living with these thieves!"
Cats growled, hissing and spitting. Dusk met his father's eyes, and only nodded. The large tom could move crowds unlike any other tom. He saw a flash of ginger fur out of the corner of his eyes. Mother, Ashes. Turning, he gave her a nod too. He remember her words as a kit. Don't show too much emotion when father is talking to their followers. Power is appearance, and that's how they ruled.
"We must spy on these cats. I need cats to learn their weakness, their strengths. Where they live and how their hierarchy is different from ours!" Duck heard his father call from the tree branch.
"Fox!" a she-cat hollered. "We should take one of their cats for questioning." Dusk recognized her calico pelt. It was Chakra, the she-cat who had been following them since Dusk could remember.
Fox seemed to think this over. "Very well, Chakra, I will accept your words. Dusk will lead a patrol out to take one of these cats!"
Oh, dirt. Dusk thought.
-x-
They padded cautiously through the thick brambles, leaves crunching under their paws. For so many different cats from faraway places, they could work together easily. Dusk was up front, ear swiveling wildly to hear for other cats. He didn't know if he could out-run clan cats again, like he had the day before.
"Dusk." a grey she-cat mewed. Lorna. "Do you smell that fresh trail?"
He sniffed. Yes, the scent that faintly surrounded these forests was strong, doing downhill to a small hollow. He moved his tail, giving the signal to stay down. They made their way down to the hollow, where a blue-grey tom was sitting. There was a crack behind him, and Dusk winced, turning to see that Charka had stepped on a small twig.
"Sunshadow?" the tom called out.
"Go!" Dusk called, racing into the hollow, pouncing on the tom., knocking him down. The down was turning faster than he could think, and Dusk's body hit the ground with a thud, this breath leaving him.
But before Dusk had hit the ground Lorna had pounced on the tom. His patrol circled the tom, making it hard to see him in the mass of cats attack. He stood. "Don't hurt him too much! He must be well to be taken to Fox!"
"Fox my fur!" a voice snarled behind him, and once more he pummeled to the ground, the dirt filling his nose. he coughed for air, and turned to see a white and grey tom above him. He gasped, seeing more cats swarming around him. They smell like the forest. The clan cats!
Dusk slashed his claws wildly, getting a few holds on the tom's fur. He kicked his legs and snapped his jaws for the toms neck.
"No you don't!" The tom yowled, pressing him down. "Flyingshadow, Nightmask, get Birchtail!"
Two cats rushed to the heart of the fight, slashing his cats away easily to get to the blue-grey tom they called Birchtail. Dusk twisted his body, arching his back to throw the tom off balance and run to his group. They were outnumbered with these cats.
"Followers! Go back!" he called, running into the forest, hearing the pound of paws behind him. He turned to see his cats all behind him, remotely un-hurt.
They ran back to camp, to face an angry Fox.
-x-
Brightspring threaded a branch through the warriors den, it's thorns poking into her fur. "Remind me again why Aspenstar asked us to fix the dens." Brightspring mumbled around the branches in her mouth.
Mossnose poked her with a branch. "Every other cat was on patrols or sleeping. We could have been put on dawn patrol." she mewed.
Brightspring sighed. "I'd much rather be on the border patrol with Icestrike right now." she mewed.
Mossnose glanced at her. "Why'd you run away yesterday? I was trying to get you to talk to him, mouse-brain!"
"When I try it seems like I have a mouse-brain. I forget to talk!" Brightspring told her, finishing with her branch.
Mossnose bumped her. "Brightspring, look!" she gasped, dropping her branch.
"What?" she asked, following the she-cat's gaze to the camp entrance. Small-leap pushed through first, the top of her nose bleeding. Flyingshadow and Nightmask came in next, a cat balanced between their shoulders, the blue-grey fur covered in more red than fur.
"Birchtail!" a wail rose through the camp. Sunshadow's light fur raced through camp. She buried her face in the tom's fur as he was lowered to the ground.
Kestrelfoot followed her, his jaw full of herbs. He started working on Birchtail.
Aspenstar came out from her den. "What happened here?" She hissed, looking to Icestrike, who had just come through the entrance last.
He glanced around. "That rouge we found yesterday came back. This time he brought more rouges with him, and our patrol came across them attacking Birchtail. We chased them to the end of the border, but who knows where they have gone." He looked at the cat lying on the camp floor. "I don't know why they were attacking. The lead rouge said something about taking him back."
Aspenstar nodded. "They want a cat for something. I will take care of this." she mewed. "Kestrelfoot, how is Birchtail looking?"
The medicine cat raised his head. "He's alive, but he is not awake. I don't know if he will wake up."
Sunshadow let out another wail, and cats started to shuffle around the camp, pretending to do their duties, whispering to each other.
"Go talk to her." Mossnose whispered to Brightspring. Brightspring felt surprise jolt through her. What was Mossnose talking about? Mossnose nodded her head in Sunshadow direction. "Go."
Brightspring gave her friend a look, but padded to the wailing she-cat, placing a tail on her shoulder. Sunshadow jerked in surprise.
"Go away." Sunshadow mewed, giving Birchtail's ear a lick. "I want to be alone with my mate."
"Let's get to the medicine cat den, where you can wait for him." Brightspring said. She looked down at the hurt warrior. His sides were covered in wounds. She felt her legs start to shake. "I'm sorry about Birchtail, but he will get better."
Sunshadow growled. "He better, but those cats will pay for what they have done."
A/N: Kind of long today, sorry about that I got carried away.
But a bit of history about the band of rouges that you have met today. They are cats that follow their leader Fox, and live in the type of hierarchy where leader is passed down through kin, not by votes. Fox is like a king, and Dusk would be the future king with his siblings. The cats that follow him? His loyal servants in a way. They are cats he has helped and in return they have pledged themselves to him. They think very differently from the clan cats. Maybe Fox needs his own story on him he came to be.
Tell me what you think of Dusk and Fox!