Blossompaw's Escape

Part Two: The Mission

Early dawn light spilled over the horizon, bathing the group in a golden glow. Blossompaw yawned, her jaws stretching wide. She shook out her rumpled fur and stood up, carefully maneuvering around the tangle of her sleeping friends so she wouldn't wake them. After they fled the city Shane gave up the pursuit. He couldn't leave his own territory for too long without risk of an usurper. Never the less if they weren't careful they would wind up being attacked or killed. Which is why they wouldn't be going back into the twoleg place, they would simply have to look elsewhere for Ashclan.

Blossompaws nose twitched as the scent of rabbit caught her attention. She glanced around, searching for the source of the scent. After determining her friends were safe where they slept she stalked to the east, following the trail of an oblivious rabbit. She spotted it grazing uphill, nibbling away at clovers.

"You'll never catch any prey with that stance," a voice whispered behind her. She glanced over her shoulder at Flint, his green eyes were imploring. She wondered if this was his attempt at making peace.

"This seems a lot like how we first met," she said with a twitch of her whiskers.

"Tell you what, I promise to help you catch that rabbit if this time around your don't chew my ear off with your remarks," he offered.

"Deal."

Flint crept around the other side of the hill. After waiting for the cue Blossompaw charged upward with a caterwaul. The rabbit looked at her in alarm and bounded away, straight into Flint's waiting paws. He nipped the back of the rabbits neck swiftly and the pair trotted back toward the group with the fresh prey. Chance and Shiver were just starting to wake up as they strode into their makeshift camp. It was under the shade of a tree. But the whole clearing was small and definitely not a place to stay for very long, twoleg place was still in view.

"Yum!" Shiver exclaimed when she saw the rabbit. Blossompaw nodded for her to take the first bite. Shiver gratefully tore off a chunk of the rabbit before passing it onto Chance who copied her and passed it down the line. Once it was no more than a pile of bones they moved on, strolling leisurely through the clearing.

"There's a forest up ahead, I'm not sure how extensive it is though. I've never really ventured that far away from the meeting wall before," Shiver said.

"We'll check it out. Remember, don't be hostile towards rogues and loners. We need to ask around for anyone who knows anything about that clans," Blossompaw instructed. It wasn't long before the first cat crossed their path. It was a fertile forest, Blossompaw was certain many cats called it home. Once the small brown she cat caught sight of Chance she sprinted away.

"Wait! Please!" Blossompaw shouted. The brown cat scurried up a pine tree, her head poking through the branches like an owl. "We won't hurt you, we're just a little lost."

"The city is that way," the brown cat said in lifted her face from the direction they came.

"We aren't looking for the city, we are looking for a group of cats. Perhaps you've heard of them...they are called Ashclan," Blossompaw explained hopefully. Ashstar had never emphasized whether or not she was looking for scattered loners of an actual group. If it was the latter it made their whole job a lot easier.

"Sorry I haven't heard anything about an Ash clan," the brown cat shrugged. Blossompaw nodded with a frown and called the group away from the cat, they went deeper into the forest. The more inland they went the less cats they encountered. Every rogue who was willing to talk to them knew nothing about the missing clan.

Then Blossompaw smelled salt. Her nose twitched with recognition. Where there was salt on the breeze it meant the sea was nearby. She felt a pang of longing for Seaclan, the clan neighboring Ravenclan. She picked up the pace, driving the group towards the ocean. The forest was much bigger than she originally predicted, it stretched on for miles all around. If what remained of Ashclan had sequestered themselves here it would take a miracle to find them.

"Flint! Shiver!" a voice called out in the distance. The group was on guard instantly, they formed a close knit circle and scanned the trees around them. Two shapes stood in the distance, and they were moving closer. Blossompaw blinked as she saw the svelte black and white shape of her old friend as well as the stoic figure of Whisper.

"Sylvester and Whisper!" she said urgently to the group. She raced forward to meet the two tom cats, her hurt bursting with happiness. "I thought you were staying at the meeting wall!" she cried as she buried her nose in Sylvester's scruff. Whisper embraced Flint and Shiver who looked at the old medicine cat in stunned silence.

"We would have stayed there too, but word travels fast in twoleg place. We heard you pissed off Shane enough he called up an army of cats to hunt you down. We came to warn you, you weren't hard to find either. No one would forget the ground with a dog wandering through the woods," Whisper laughed with no humor in his voice. This was serious. Shane hadn't given up quite so easily.

"Will you join us?" Blossompaw asked hopefully.

"Of course. Besides its too dangerous to return to the city right now. Niko isn't pleased either about the fiasco. You've made quite the powerful enemies," Sylvester cautioned.

"We'll lay low for awhile. But my main concern right now is not the city bosses. Its finding Ashclan."

Blossompaw once again took the lead with Flint and Sylvester on either side of her. Shiver and Whisper chatted in the middle of the pack and Chance kept a lookout on the rear. They spent the whole day moving through the forest and hadn't reached the ocean yet. If Shane really was coming for them they would have to chase them for quite awhile. And Shane would never leave his half of the city defenseless to Niko for more than a night.

"Let's make camp here. I'll keep the first watch. In the morning we hunt and then keep moving," Blossompaw declared. They settled down around the base of a pine tree, making nests out of nettles. Blossompaw watched diligently but there was no need. She noticed after some time that Whisper was still awake. His gray head was turned back so he could watch the stars.

"What are you doing?" she asked as quietly as possible. He got up and sat next to her, his eyes never leaving the sky.

"I'm reading the stars. They tell the future you know. That past too. But they never reveal everything, the stars like to keep secrets," he said ominously.

"How did you get those abilities in the first place? You aren't a medicine cat, but you know the ways of the clans," Blossompaw pried.

"I'll tell you my story someday. But for now I just can't," he sighed. Blossompaw nodded in understanding. There were some things that just were too hard to relive. Blossompaw wasn't ready to discuss the testing facility with anyone yet, and she doubted she ever would be.

"You get some rest, I'll keep watch."