Chapter 14
"Where's Dogpa- I mean Shadowpelt?" Rainfall hissed, Hailstorm blinked. "Oh, I forgot, you can't talk…Nod if you know where she is." Hailstorm nodded. The evening sun gave the white tom a fiery glint; his eyes were cold and emotionless.
"So you do know where she is? Take me to her!" Rainfall mewed, Hailstorm shook his head and looked away.
"Shadowpelt has gone. I knew we could not trust her." Rainfall jumped, Fell had come up from behind him.
"Are you going to go after her?" He asked. Fell shook her head.
"She is doomed anyway, I sense great danger will befall her on her journey." The black she-cat had a look of concern. Rainfall was shocked.
"I have to go after her!" He growled. Fell nodded.
"If you wish, Rainfall, but not yet, in a moment, we will announce our existence to the Clans, after that, you may go after her." Rainfall gave a bitter glance to the ground.
"Okay." He said reluctantly. Fell's ears then twitched,
"The others are here." She murmured, and sure enough, Bluewish, Sandheart and Leafpaw crashed into the clearing, panting.
"Sorry we're late. Leafpaw decided to chat with some of the ShadowClan survivors." Sandheart chuckled.
"That is okay. We are ready to go now." Fell meowed, and led the way out of the clearing, brushing past trees and bushes yet making no sound. Quickclaw hurried after her, followed by the rest of the cats. Rainfall watched them all leave, before following himself.
As they hurried through the forest, Sandheart fell back to walk beside Rainfall.
"Do you have any clue about where the rest of RiverClan is? That she-cat didn't give anything away about their whereabouts did she?" Sandheart inquired.
"No. She was very persistent about not telling us anything. I should hope she'll be killed, she's useless." He mewed, indicating Voleclaw, he had tried questioning her, but she gave no answers.
"You could always try torture." Joked Sandheart.
"Maybe." Mewed Rainfall, before falling behind and letting the orange tom overtake him.
Dogpaw ran fast, dodging trees and rocks, until she saw a building in the distance. A twolegplace, and if I'm not mistaken, that's the Horseplace. She thought, she hastened her pace, hoping to get there quickly, and maybe shelter there for the night.
When she reached it, she was hit by the scent of smoke, it got stronger and stronger as she got closer. Finally she reached a barn, she peered inside, and was shocked.
The outside of it was fine, but the inside seemed to have been burnt black, hay was streamed everywhere, all of it crisp and dark, there was only empty space inside the barn. Yet she could still smell cat.
"And what do you think you're doing here, Clan cat?" A husky voice asked, Dogpaw turned around quickly and saw an old looking, brown she-cat glaring at her, a tiny mouse at her feet.
"I-I can explain." Dogpaw mewed quickly, the she-cat chuckled, not a nice chuckle, but a pitiful and domineering one.
"As if I need explanations, just be on your way." She hissed.
"But I need help!" Dogpaw blurted out, and regretted it, the she-cat grimaced at her.
"Why would I help you?"
"I don't know." Dogpaw wailed, the she-cat suddenly burst out laughing.
"You're amusing, really. Now young one, what is your name?" She asked, Dogpaw looked up in surprise.
"Um, Dogpaw." She said.
"My name is Gravel." The she-cat said, she then shoved the mouse towards Dogpaw.
"You seem to be in distress, and perhaps you are hungry?" Gravel asked, Dogpaw nodded.
"Allow me to show you my home then." Gravel mewed, picking up the mouse and steering away from the barn, Dogpaw followed quickly, pleased to see a sane cat around for once.
Gravel led her to a small twoleg den, it had a strong scent of wood, Dogpaw gasped as Gravel squeezed herself through a hole in the den, then followed suit.
The den was small, yet cosy, there was moss and plants lining a nest, and a small heap of food in the centre. Almost like a camp! Dogpaw thought.
"If there is something troubling the Clans, I'd be the first cat interested. I'm an ex Clan cat myself." Said Gravel, from her seat on what looked like an orange rock, but it was too oddly shaped to be a normal forest rock.
"Which Clan were you from?" Asked Dogpaw, Gravel chuckled,
"WindClan, but that's hardly the point. Tell me, what is troubling you?"
So Dogpaw told Gravel about Fell, and her group of medicine cats, and how they'd nearly killed the RiverClan she-cat, and how they'd been killing other cats and destroying Clans. She somehow trusted Gravel, the old she-cat had a wise and welcoming aura about her.
"Well," Said Gravel finally, "I have no idea what to do about the Clans, but you're welcome to stay here, as long as you like, until we can figure something out." Dogpaw blinked.
"Thank you!" She cried, relieved she had found somewhere welcoming and safe to stay. So the two she-cats spoke for a while of things they could do, Gravel seeming to become more interested in the problem the more they spoke about it, until they drifted off to sleep.
Author's Note : Sorry for the long wait. Hopefully I'll be able to update sooner in the future!