CHAPTER 9
ON The Way Home
Mistyfoot Pov:
I woke up with a small scrap of fur sleeping soundly next to me. All that happened the night before flashed back to my mind: stealing a Skyclan kit and trying to go back to Riverclan. I gently picked up the kit and padded back to the river only pausing to catch a fish. I gulped it down quickly and continued on. It was almost sunhigh and the kit was waking up. It mewled with hunger so I laid it down on a pile of ferns and bolted to the river for another fish. This one was small and I chewed it up really small for the kit. I realized the kit was a male and he needed a name. Hmmmm…. Ah Ha! Tigerkit, to give him all the strength he needs and to make Leopardstar jealous! I gave the fish to Tigerkit and wondered what Leopardstar was doing. Tigerkit was a russet- furred cat with black tabby stripes; like a tiger. He finished eating so I picked him up and went on. I couldn't stop even though his mewls of protest were hurting my ears. I flattened them against my head and loosened the grip on Tigerkit's scruff. He quieted down and I realized I was tired, I found a moss bed that smelled very faintly of Leopardstar! I curled up in it with Tigerkit and looked behind us to only find mist and fog; the gorge must be far away. The fog quickly cleared away and I realized I was wrong; the gorge towered above us like a pile of monsters. I looked away and fell asleep with Tigerkit on my flank. 'Snore'
Leopardstar Pov:
I woke up thinking I was in my den back at camp. I saw dawn light flittering through the hole's entrance and heard Russetkit hissing and spitting at Nettlewhisker for caring for her like a loving mother. Blackstar himself brought me a fat rabbit and dipped his head to me at the entrance. The whole clan acted as if I was a Starclan warrior! I could get used to this. I dragged the rabbit towards me and invited Blackstar to share. He nodded and entered the hole with me. We shared the rabbit and as he was washing his paws I fell asleep in a corner. I wasn't really sleeping and saw Blackstar pad over to me and sniff my paws. He swiftly licked my ears and lay down in a ball next to me. I almost purred with amusement but stopped myself. I slept deeply for about an hour and woke up to see blackstar leaving the hole with a smile on his face. The second he left I decided to escape that night and get back to Riverclan. I sat by the hole's entrance and watched the warriors and apprentices doing their duties. It was almost dawn and the warrior Mintfur rushed to me saying Blackstar wanted to see me. I went to his den and there was a large squirrel at his paws. "I caught it myself, let's share it." I nodded and crouched down next to the squirrel to take a bite. I let Blackstar take second bite and the squirrel was quickly finished. He escorted me to the hole and meowed: "Leopardstar, you will be staying here for a while." I backed away with him advancing towards me. I crouched at the back of the hole and growled. Blackstar backed away with fear in his eyes. I watched him go and forgetting to escape during the night, fell asleep. I woke up before dawn with blackstar cleaning himself, and me! He didn't notice me being awake so I wanted it to stay that way. I closed my eyes until he left and checked for guards, there weren't any so I bolted to the camp entrance and back to the river. I leaped in and swam to Riverclan. I was too tired to go any further so I slumped down and slept right there.
Mistyfoot Pov:
The first thing I did when I woke up was catching two fish for me and Tigerkit. He looked like he was 5 moons old and almost ready to be an apprentice. I fed him and scooped him up to rush back to Riverclan as fast as possible. I knew that if all I did was run until dusk I would almost be at Riverclan. I ran way past dusk and saw Riverclan's river! I leapt in struggling to keep Tigerkit above water and scented Leopardstar nearby. I found her sleeping on some of Dawnflower's herbs. I crushed the rest of them as I curled up next to Leopardstar. She smelled faintly of Blackstar so I thought he captured her. He probably did so I stopped worrying and fell asleep.