Sorry this is a day late! This update comes to you from North Wales! I'm on holiday in a cottage in the mountains and the WiFi only just started working today, so yeah. Anyway, I'm sure you guys won't mind. Just to let you all know, there's a Blue Moon Contest on at the moment! The prizes include art and getting to design one of Foxleap and Rosepetal's kits. (Oops, spoiler, they have kits. ^^') If you want to enter, check out my deviantart page, my username is Streamwhisker. c:
Disclaimer - I do not own Warriors
~ Review Replies ~
berkswarriors ~ Aha, thank you so much! :D
Willowdream of ForestClan ~ I hope so too! They should be okay though, so long as Dewclaw's around.
WyldClaw ~ Hehe, thank you! :3
Blazerkitty129 ~ Thank you! Yup, a lot of big stuff is coming up, starting from this chapter!
Skystar of the Ancients ~ I know right, drama, BOOM KAPOW. BATTLE. BOOOM...
Silverkitty16 ~ Meepy. That's an amazing word. I love making up words. My favourite made-up word is fabu. It basically means fabulous, but EVEN MORE FABULOUS. Like, the most fabulous. xD Anyway, thank you for the review! Yeah, so much happened, it's hard to keep a track of to be honest. xD
Golden Kiwi Coast ~ Thank you so much! Yes, I especially enjoyed writing about the storm and Redflower's point of view, it was super fun. c:
Alwayssearching2012 ~ Hehe, yeah, same, Fluffykit's an adorable name. Although, I don't think Redflower's that fond of it. xD Yup, there's only a couple of chapters left until Eye of the Storm, I haven't quite decided how many chapters exactly, but something between 15 and 20. c: Ya, I found Onestar came across as a real jerk as soon as he became leader, so I tried to keep it up, but what we don't know is actually he's sorta being blackmailed... That's not a major plot thingy, we don't find it out for a while yet, but yeah...
FrostOfTheWarriorCats ~ Thank you! I was hoping the storm would set it up as rather spooky, I'm glad it worked! Well, I feel kinda bad for Onestar actually, he's been blackmailed, which we don't know yet, but ya...
Cupcaketail of WindClan ~ OH MER GUSH. SO MUCH WHITE ASPARAGUS! ... Interesting predictions, that would definitely be a dramatic way for stuff to happen... We'll have to wait and see how things pan out.. You... You don't like Moley-baby? -deep breaths- How? How do you not like him? He's amazing, I love him so much. I want to marry him. But... But you don't like him Cupcaketail. -sniffles-... Just kidding (or am I?). Just curious, what is it you don't like about him?
Guest ~ Ya, I know. But Ferncloud was Dustpelt's niece. It's quite hard to find two cats in ThunderClan that aren't related unfortunately.
Joltray ~ c: Hehe, yus, lots of drama coming your way!
VolcanicPyroBlaze ~ (Love your new name by the way) I know, Foxleap is so awesome. I love him so much, he's just so... FABULOUS. OH YES. THOSE NAMES ARE AMAZING. Especially FLuffykit, the lord of all things fluffy. Thanks for ze review! c:
Shadewind of WindClan ~ Thank you! Firekit would certainly be a lovely name, but I've already decided their names. Thanks again! :3
Mnaseer2001 ~ I was actually thinking about doing that, but this popped into my mind! Thanks! ^^
Dawnflight ~ Thank you so much for the lovely review! I don't want to reply to your predictions because I might accidentally give stuff away, but thanks! c:
Celtic Silver ~ Ooh, you made an account! I love your name! 3 Thank you, yup a lot of drama, and loads more this chapter too!
Ivyheart ~ Aw, that would be adorable brotherly love. 3
Orangeflight of ShadowClan ~ Thank you! xD Yup, Dewclaw's gonna show his ninja skills!
Clearfeather ~ Hehe, no need to apologise. c: Thank you! Aw, I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother, I really hope she gets better. Stay strong! -huggles-
AngelEnderCat ~ Aha, thank you! 3
Nightfeather ~ I know, I'm a right meanie with all the cliffhangers. Hope I didn't keep you hanging for too long! c:
Raven cries Nevermore ~ Yup, hopefully! Dewclaw's still very indecisive, bless him, he's very bad at making decisions. Thank you! ^^
Without further ado, I present Chapter Thirteen! Tons of drama coming your way! Enjoy!
Ambersky
Lightning split the blackened sky above, their paws hitting the ground and creating a sound like thunder as they raced onwards, sides heaving and eyes wide. Ambersky's heart was hammering in her chest, adding to the pawsteps and thunder claps in the sky above, the wind and rain buffeting her soft pale grey-and-white pelt. Flanking her left side was Snowfall, racing beside her, his teeth gritted and squinting against the rain.
The rest of the battle patrol were arranged around the pale grey-and-white warrior, running straight into the rain. The droplets stung Ambersky's eyes, but she tried to ignore it and keep going, they had to get to SkyClan and put these twolegplace cats in their place.
They had already entered WindClan territory, but the group of cats, led by Bramblestar, had turned a blind eye to that fact. Ambersky highly doubted any patrols would be out in this weather, particularly as many of them would be fighting anyway.
The ground began to grow soft and boggy under-paw as they grew closer to the horseplace. Sure enough, they reached the SkyClan border without meeting any patrols or company of any sort.
"Ambersky, Snowfall," Bramblestar breathed heavily, skidding to a halt beside the two warriors, "You know SkyClan better than any other cat, can you lead us to their camp?"
Both Snowfall and Ambersky dipped their heads in unison, but neither spoke as they began to race onwards, paving the way for the rest of the patrol. Glancing up and straining through the wind and rain, Ambersky could just make out Dewclaw's dark grey pelt disappearing out of sight. Her brother hadn't stopped running since he'd stormed out of camp, the patrol being unable to catch up with him.
He'd reacted awfully strangely to the news of SkyClan being under attack, or so she had noted. Ambersky just assumed he was worried for the friends he'd made on the journey, namely, Redflower. They had been very close before, almost to the point that Ambersky had wondered if they'd become a couple, but like the lightning piercing the dark sky, their clan boundaries and the warrior code had split them and dashed all hopes of that ever happening. It was sad really, Ambersky thought, she'd never seen Dewclaw so happy and she doubted he'd ever find someone like that in ThunderClan.
Shaking the thoughts from her head, the pale grey-and-white warrior realised they had almost reached SkyClan's camp. Caterwauls and fierce yowls split the air, rising high into the stormy sky and sending shivers down Ambersky's spine. It sounded like a really furious battle. She'd never fought in such a battle before, just a little border skirmish or too, but nothing on this scale. She wasn't sure whether to be excited or terrified.
"It's just this way," Snowfall shouted to the rest of the patrol, ducking round an oak tree and scrambling down a rock pile. Ambersky fell in beside him, weaving in and out of foliage before they at last came to the rock-path that led to SkyClan's camp.
The pale grey-and-white she-cat realised, as she glanced over her shoulder at her clanmates, that many of them had never visited SkyClan's new camp before. The scene unfolding below was a frenzy of tooth and claw, pelts blurred as cats fought viciously, letting out screeches and hisses. Ambersky couldn't pinpoint Dewclaw in the mass of pelts below.
RiverClan seemed to have already arrived on the scene just moments before and had leapt into battle, claws unsheathed and teeth bared, their pelts standing on end. The pale grey-and-white she-cat tried to swallow the fear building in her chest.
Bramblestar took a deep breath, stepping forwards. He turned to his clanmates, "This is it," he murmured, before drinking in another deep breath and letting lose a fierce yowl, "ThunderClan, attack!"
The moment those words parted his jaws, the patrol began to hurl themselves down the rock-path at a fierce pace, launching themselves into battle. The fighting cats glanced up for a brief moment to see what was causing the noise.
Pebbles clattering beneath her paws, Ambersky unsheathed her claws, drawing her lips back in a snarl, before throwing themselves at a bright ginger tom from the twolegplace, who had half an ear missing and had cornered a ginger-and-white she-cat with amber eyes. The tom wasn't prepared for her attack and only spotted her at the last moment, his eyes widening in alarm.
The pale grey-and-white warrior slammed into him, sinking her claws into flesh. The ginger tom writhed beneath her for a moment, letting out a pained hiss, before at last retaliating. Growling threateningly, he threw himself at the ground, giving Ambersky only a heartbeat to remove herself from his back or risk being crushed.
She managed to get away, with only a moment to spare, but she landed unbalanced and exposed to attack. Before she could steady herself, the ginger tom had spotted this and lashed out at her, slicing across her cheek.
Crimson blurred Ambersky's vision for a moment and the wound sting bitterly, but she gritted her teeth, choosing to not let it get to her.
Her mind processing all the battle training lessons she'd ever received and recalling the techniques she'd spent so long trying to perfect, the pale grey-and-white warrior lunged forward, dodging from side to side to try and throw the ginger tom off course before aiming a frontal blow at the top of his head.
But the twolegplace cat seemed almost amused by this. He was an experienced fighter, as evident in the many scars that marked his pelt and the part of his ear that was missing, and dodged her attack. Ambersky's heart sank. This didn't seem like a fight she was going to win.
It happened in less than a heartbeat and suddenly he had her by the scruff of her neck. He shook her with great force from the right to the left before hurling her across the hollow. Ambersky's stomach gave a flip and she prepared herself for impact. She hit the cliff with a crunch, her whole body aching. She was outmatched by this cat, he was far too experienced, far too strong. Blackness seeped into her vision as she attempted to pull herself to her paws.
The ginger tom was striding towards her, giving a sickly grin that made Ambersky's insides go funny, his long claws unsheathed. When he reached her, he paused, his gaze flickering over her, "It's an awful pity I have to kill you, with a lot of work, you could maybe someday make a good member of our ranks?" he tilted his head to one side slightly, blinking, "Or at least, you could mother many kits," he gave a sarcastic sigh, "Such a shame."
He drew back his paw, about to deliver a powerful blow to the back of her neck, when he suddenly reeled backwards.
The ginger-and-white she-cat had appeared from behind him, at her side a pale brown tom. The two of them struck at the ginger tom in unison, matching each other's movements paw for paw. A light brown tabby RiverClan warrior joined them and soon the ginger tom had been knocked to the ground. The pale grey-and-white warrior let out a great sigh of relief.
"Thank you," she murmured gratefully, "You might've just saved my life there."
All three cats dipped their heads. They didn't utter a word, simply leaving the ginger tom where he was, defeated, and splitting off in their own separate directions.
Still feeling slightly dizzy and the rain stinging the scratch across her face, the pale grey-and-white warrior simply stood where she was, letting her gaze drift across the clearing. A dark grey pelt caught her eye and she quickly focused on Dewclaw. He was nothing more than a blur, racing across the clearing to a tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat. Redflower, Ambersky realised.
The dappled warrior was on a ledge in the cliffside, a grey WindClan tom racing after her. She had no means of escape, just a cave lay at the end of the ledge path. She was cornered. Ambersky swallowed, I hope she's okay.
Realising there was no way out, the SkyClan warrior stopped where she was. Though her eyes were wide with fear, she stood defiantly, her claws unsheathed and her tail curled around her belly protectively. Protectively? Ambersky noticed she was carrying a little more weight than when she'd last seen her. Is she… Is she expecting kits?
The pale grey-and-white warrior swallowed, unsheathing her claws and sinking them into the ground, StarClan, I hope her and her kits will be okay. She began to sprint towards her, weaving in and out of the battling cats. It slowly hit her, the obviousness of it all. Wait. Redflower's expecting kits? Who could the father be? Dewclaw's dark grey pelt flashed amongst the array of coloured pelts ahead. Dewclaw? Is that why he keeps disappearing from his nest.
She felt a sickening feeling in her stomach, Redflower's expecting his kits. Great StarClan.
Dewclaw
The fire that burned within his heart was strong and furious as he accelerated himself rapidly towards Redflower. He wasn't usually one for praying, but in this moment, he found himself sharing silent words with his warrior ancestors, StarClan, please have mercy on her. Please, StarClan.
Yet, even in this situation, he couldn't help but admire her. As the WindClan warrior, who he recognised as Emberfoot, approached her, she still stood defiant, with her head held high, her stance strong and proud. He knew she was terrified, he could read it in her eyes, but she was so brave. So brave.
"Don't you dare touch a hair on her pelt," he muttered furiously, his eyes burning into Emberfoot's side. As he grew close to the dappled tortoiseshell-and-white warrior and the WindClan tom, he bunched his muscles and gave a huge leap. Ear-splitting yowls and screeches surrounded him as he hurled himself through the air before he at last landed on the ledge with a heavy thud. Emberfoot's ears flickered, but he didn't turn, continuing to stalk towards Redflower.
A growl rose in Dewclaw's throat, "Step away from her," he spat threateningly to the grey tom, "Or you'll have me to answer to."
Emberfoot, again, didn't turn his head, but he replied coldly, "Go fight your own battles," with a flick of his tail he leapt at Redflower, his paws outstretched and claws unsheathed.
The dark grey tom's heart was thudding furiously and his eyes narrowed to slits, "Don't you touch her!" he bellowed, propelling himself toward and slamming into the WindClan tom. Emberfoot gave a surprised screech, losing his balance. They both fell from the ledge, falling to the ground with great force. One of Dewclaw's legs had gotten caught on the ledge and as he rose to his paws he realised a long gash stretched across it, crimson with blood. He didn't care.
Emberfoot, who was still totally in shock, tried to heave himself to his paws, but Dewclaw knocked him down again with a powerful blow to the chest, drawing blood. The WindClan warrior reeled backwards, winded and gasping for breath.
Dewclaw smirked, "Serves you right," he muttered, before, ignoring the painful throb in his leg, leaping back up to stand beside Redflower. His gaze picked over her fretfully, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
The dappled tortoiseshell-and-white warrior pulled away from him slightly, "I'm fine, he didn't even touch me," her gaze met his for a moment before she broke the contact, "You didn't need to protect me, I can fight for myself."
The dark grey tom brushed against her lightly, forgetting where they were, "I'm sorry," he murmured apologetically, ducking his head, "I just… You… The kits… I don't want you to be hurt, or the kits," his gaze drifted to her belly, which was slightly rounded with his kits, "I couldn't just leave you."
Redflower's gaze softened, she licked his cheek fondly, "I know," she murmured softly, "I'm not completely incapable though," her eyes fell back to the battle below, her gaze almost longing.
Dewclaw stepped before her, "No," he meowed firmly, "You're not going to fight," his gaze locked with hers, "I know you're perfectly capable, but you've got to think about yourself, about the kits," he touched his tail to her belly, "I don't know what I'd do if either of you were hurt," he motioned to the cave, "You can shelter in here."
Redflower stared at him, "I care about our kits, I care about you, but I refuse to shelter like a coward whilst my clanmates are fighting for their lives," her gaze was pleading, "We can fight together, Dewclaw, side by side. Because I'm not going to just wait out the battle, I am going to fight, and if you won't fight with me, then I'll have to fight against you."
One look at her steely determined expression and the dark grey tom knew there was no convincing her. He gave a sigh, "Okay, fine, we fight together."
A smile briefly flickered upon Redflower's face, but it was shadowed by the concern in her bright green eyes, "Thank you," she mewed softly, briefly touching her muzzle to his, "Now, I'm not spending any longer dithering, let's go."
The warrior leapt from the ledge, springing easily from powerful hind-legs. Dewclaw launched himself after her, landing heavily on his injured leg. He gave an inward wince, but refused to show any pain on the outside, his expression blank and expressionless.
She began racing forwards, darting in and out of the battle, Dewclaw hot on her heels. She came to a stop where a ginger-and-white she-cat and a pale brown tom were battling a black WindClan tom and a dappled pale grey twolegplace cat. Dewclaw recognised the two SkyClan cats as Brightwing and Berrystep.
Both cats glanced up upon Redflower and Dewclaw's arrival. When the ginger-and-white she-cat's eyes fell upon him, her eyes widened slightly, before she blinked, shaking it off. Dewclaw frowned.
The twolegplace she-cat spun round to face the two new cats, her blue eyes narrowed. As she did so, Dewclaw landed a powerful frontal blow on the top of her head, causing her to stumble for a moment. In that heartbeat of weakness, Berrystep grabbed a hold of her tail and, sinking his teeth into it, yanked it furiously. Meanwhile, Redflower lunged forward and swiped at the WindClan tom, leaving a mark across his flank. Her and Brightwing began to attack at the WindClan warrior furiously, their moves in unison.
The twolegplace she-cat, who'd been thrown off balance, had recovered and was quick to leave a mark on Dewclaw, clawing at the dark grey tom's ear. Pain stinging him, Dewclaw failed to move out of the way in time, but he instead dropped to a roll, springing to his paws and giving a powerful back kick. The twolegplace warrior fell backwards, Berrystep moving out of the way just in time.
Casting a brief glance out across the red-stone hollow, Dewclaw realised that similar scenes were mirrored elsewhere. Though the WindClan and Twolegplace cats were clearly experienced fighters and very skilled, they were simply outnumbered in this circumstance. The dark grey tom wondered how much longer this battle would last.
Clearly, he'd let his mind wander too long. Although scarred, the dappled grey twolegplace she-cat had risen back to her paws and swiped at Berrystep before delivering a painful bite to Dewclaw's already injured leg. This time he couldn't hide the pain. Hissing furiously, he took his weight off the injured leg, gritting his teeth at the searing pain that was suddenly rippling through him.
However, this battle was too far gone to be won by the opposite side. Within moments, a cry rose above the screeches of battle, "WindClan, Watchers, retreat! We may not have won, but we've left our mark!"
Dewclaw recognised the voice as Onestar's.
Around him, the screeches and howls began to melt away as the two sides peeled apart from another. The twolegplace cats and WindClan warriors streamed out of camp, a blur of pelts. Dewclaw couldn't help but notice, with satisfaction, that many of their pelts were stained with blood and marked with wounds. We are victorious, he thought with a grin.
The WindClan tom who he'd knocked off the ledge ran past the dark grey tom, eyes wide and pelt standing on end. Dewclaw couldn't help but smirk, "Yeah, you'd better run!" he called out after him, laughing.
His laughs trailed off when his gaze fell to the edge of the red-stone hollow. The brown-and-cream tabby body of Leafstar lay limp and motionless, not a breath stirring the SkyClan leader's pelt. Dewclaw swallowed, is Leafstar dead? Is she on her last life?
Billystorm was nosing her body hopefully, but his gaze was hollow, his head bowed. The cats of SkyClan began to gather around their fallen leader, eyes wide with shock.
Dewclaw stayed where he was, watching as the cats formed a cocoon around the brown-and-cream tabby leader.
"Was she on her last life?" Greywhisper whispered.
"She can't have been," Shadewillow sniffed dismissively.
"Is she… Is she dead?" Sootpaw's mew was tiny and soft-spoken as he stepped forward tentatively.
Billystorm gave his mate one last nuzzle, in the hope her eyelids would flutter open and she would rise to her paws once more. But she remained motionless and still. The ginger-and-white tom let out a wail.
Around Dewclaw, the RiverClan and ThunderClan warriors bowed their heads out of respect. The rain continued to fall as they stood there, thunder rumbling in the skies above and lightning flickering and illuminating the darkened sky.
The SkyClan deputy moved through the crowds, making his way over to where his leader had fallen. Complete and utter shock was displayed in his amber gaze. As he passed, cats glanced up and dipped their heads.
They may have won this battle, but it had claimed the life of their leader, truly leaving a lasting mark on SkyClan. Rabbitleap, though he had only been deputy for a couple of moons, was their new leader now.
The pale brown tom swallowed, bowing his head to Leafstar's body and pressing his muzzle to the brown-and-cream she-cat's pelt, before climbing a rock-pile and calling out, his voice slightly cracked, "SkyClan are indebted to the support of RiverClan and ThunderClan in this battle. We may have been victorious, but our leader has paid the price," his gaze drifted to the brown-and-tabby leader, "Thank you. But now we must mourn the loss of our leader alone."
"It is time we must leave, then," Bramblestar meowed softly, "Though I didn't know Leafstar for long, I knew her long enough to know she was a wise and noble leader, she walks among the stars now," his gaze drifted to the dark sky above. He motioned with a flick of his dark tabby-striped tail for his warriors to come together, "Let's go."
Dewclaw didn't get the chance to say goodbye to Redflower before the battle-weary patrol began to make their way up the rock-path, but as they climbed, he sought out her dappled tortoiseshell pelt amongst those gathered below. She didn't look up as the group of cats disappeared from sight, leaving behind the SkyClan. As the cats began to return home, Dewclaw couldn't help but feel a pang of longing deep inside him to turn tail and run back to SkyClan. He felt like something of a hopeless wanderer, torn between the two paths, SkyClan and ThunderClan.
The cats around him seemed glad to be returning home to the Stone Hollow, to dry their pelts and lick their wounds clean, but, to Dewclaw, it just didn't feel like home any more.
Molespots
The rain clung to the spotted brown-and-cream tom's pelt, weighing him down, the wet fur clinging to his stocky frame. He'd never liked the rain and today was no excuse as himself and Foxleap trudged half-heartily, every couple of seconds the lightning lighting the sky above. Night was falling upon the forest, but Foxleap, who was leading the way, gave no sign of stopping.
They'd lost the trail a while before, when the storm had first set in, and now they were trudging onwards blindly, hoping to stumble across the twolegplace cats' camp. They'd decided not to risk entering ShadowClan territory as the scent trail had seemed to indicate an area outside of clan territory, so travelled through neutral territory, the ShadowClan border just a few tail-lengths to their left and to their right, the great unknown.
They mostly travelled in silence now as it was impossible to get a word in edgeways, above the thunder and pattering of rain on the canopy.
Molespots had counted the fourteenth strike of lightning before he at last meowed to his companion, "Foxleap, there's no use. Let's just get some sleep and pick up where we left off in the morning, when the storm's passed."
The reddish tabby tom stopped, giving a sigh, "I suppose you're right," his amber gaze flickered to the path ahead, "I was sure if we kept going we might be able to find the scent again, I guess not."
"I'm sure we'll be able to find it in the morning," Molespots meowed, but he wasn't so sure. He let his gaze sweep across their surroundings, "Now, where to set up camp?"
"Perhaps if we head deeper into the woods we can find a bramble thicket to shelter under?" Foxleap suggested, motioning towards the territory to their right, neutral territory that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Molespots blinked, "We can take a look."
Normally he'd be excited to be venturing beyond clan territory, the brown-and-cream tom had always loved the idea of exploring the world, but in this situation, he just wanted to find somewhere warm and dry and sleep.
Foxleap gave a small smile, dipping his head before taking the first step into the thick forest. Molespots fell in beside him, his gaze fixed on the trees ahead. The undergrowth here was sparse and not at all thick like in ThunderClan's territory. The trees were also different to ThunderClan, consisting of mostly silver birches and the occasional fir or pine. The ground was soft under-paw and moist from the rain, but the canopy provided shelter from the worst of the rainfall, which Molespots was thankful for.
The spotted brown-and-cream tom's gaze was constantly shifting and wandering, searching for a shelter. He wasn't at all picky, he just wanted to find somewhere for them fast.
But it Foxleap who spotted their shelter for the night, "Hey, look at this."
The reddish tabby tom had stopped by an elder tree which looked to have snapped in the strong wind. It bent over, forming an archway, its leaves providing protection from the rain.
"Seems good enough to me."
Neither of the cats decided it was worth spending time looking for moss for bedding, they didn't want to spend any longer getting drenched than necessary. They settled themselves beneath the shelter of the snapped elder, finding just enough space for the both of them.
Once comfortable, Molespots began to groom his pelt in an attempt to dry himself off. Rasping his tongue over his paw before drawing it behind his ear, the brown-and-cream tom began his grooming ritual as he always did; starting with behind his ears, then his face, then his paws and the rest of his body. It was soothing to be sheltered and warm whilst listening to the constant falling of rain outside.
"It'll make a change to not have any snoring denmates, won't it?" Foxleap commented, a spark of humour in his amber gaze.
Molespots gave a soft chuckle, moving to his face, wetting his paw and rubbing it on his cheek, "Definitely," he mewed, pausing for a brief moment to reply, "I'm quite a deep sleeper, so I usually sleep through it, but it's impossible to get back to sleep if you awaken in the middle of the night."
Foxleap nodded, a gleam in his amber eyes.
When the spotted brown-and-cream tom's pelt was a little drier, he could at last settle into a slumber. Stretching out his weary limbs, Molespots rested his head on his paws. But when he closed his eyes, he didn't find sleep greeting him as swiftly as usual.
After several moments, the tom dared to open his eyes, glancing over at Foxleap. The reddish tabby tom looked to already be sound asleep, his pelt rising and falling gently as he explored the world of dreams. Molespots sighed, closing his eyes again.
He let his mind drift a little, he let it drift back to the Stone Hollow, back to ThunderClan. I wonder what ThunderClan are doing right now? It took him a moment to realise what a silly question that was. They would be sleeping, of course, just like he should be now. But he couldn't help but wonder what events had occurred back in his clan in the absence of Foxleap and himself. Probably nothing of interest, he decided dismissively, just ordinary clan life. He just hoped everyone was alright.
He gave a sigh, relaxing into a more comfortable position. Closing his eyes, he pushed his worries and thoughts aside, letting inky blackness carry him away to a world of sub-consciousness.
The next morning dawned cool and bright. The rain had since passed, but the air was still heavy with moisture. However, sunlight had broken through the thick covering of clouds that hung above the clans. Molespots awoke just after dawn to find that Foxleap was no longer asleep beside him.
The spotted brown tom frowned, slipping into a stretch and rising to his paws. Where's Foxleap gone? The reddish tabby tom's scent was stale.
His concern growing, Molespots squeezed out under the snapped elder tree, emerging into the small clearing that hosted their shelter for the night. The clearing was empty.
The spotted brown-and-cream tom took a deep breath, he probably just decided to go hunting, he decided, forcing himself to relax. Giving another deliciously refreshing stretch, the brown-and-cream tom padded forwards and settled himself in the pale sunlight.
If Foxleap was out hunting, then he should just wait for him to return before going hunting himself. Sitting comfortably, he'd just begun to smooth down his dappled brown-and-cream pelt when the rustling of undergrowth greeted his ears.
Molespots glanced up to spot fern fronds parting to reveal Foxleap, his jaws laden with prey. The ThunderClan warrior smiled at his companion before crossing the clearing to greet him. He dropped the squirrel and the dove at Molespots' paws before meowing, grinning, "I've found scents left by the twolegplace cats."
The dappled warrior blinked, "You… You did?" he echoed, "Great!"
The reddish tabby warrior sat beside the brown-and-cream tom, "I know, I thought once we'd had breakfast we could try and follow it and see if it leads to their camp," he motioned with a tip of his head to the lifeless prey, "I caught a dove for you, by the way, if you want it?"
The brown-and-cream tom took the dove gratefully, "Thank you," he mewed, dipping his head to the reddish tom. Foxleap blinked in response.
Feeling a pang of hunger in his stomach, Molespots quickly made a start on the dove. It was still warm, the meat deliciously tender. It quickly soothed the brown-and-cream tom's hunger.
It didn't take long for him to finish the bird. He swiped his tongue around his jaws, feeling his strength growing. Rain droplets from last night's storm clung to the leaves, occasionally falling to the forest floor below. Molespots shook a droplet from his whiskers, suppressing a purr.
Glancing over at Foxleap, he was glad to see the reddish tabby tom had already finished his squirrel. The day awaited them and the brown-and-cream tom would rather get moving sooner than later.
"That was delicious," he commented, amber eyes glowing.
Foxleap smiled, "Well, should we get going then? We don't want to lose the scent again."
"Of course."
The older warrior rose to his paws, giving a sharp flick of his tail, "Just follow me, I'll lead the way," he motioned for the brown-and-cream tabby to follow before melting into the undergrowth.
Molespots fell in behind him, easily keeping up the fast pace that Foxleap had set, he'd always been rather fast on his paws. The reddish tabby tom led the way, weaving in and out of towering silver birches and scrambling down ditches, back towards the ShadowClan border, where they'd come from yesterday.
"It was a really fresh scent," Foxleap told him, glancing over his shoulder, "I think it was a group of cats. They must've only just passed by recently."
"So it should be easy to track then?"
"Hopefully."
They emerged from the cover of trees into a clearing that bordered ShadowClan's territory. Foxleap carried on confidently, splitting off to the right. After a little way, he at last came to a stop, turning to Molespots, "Here, just here," he motioned with a flourish of his tail towards a small tree-stump.
The dappled brown-and-cream tom stopped, hesitating before drawing in a deep breath. The scent of twolegplace and cats immediately overwhelmed him and he wrinkled up his nose in disgust, "Eugh, that's definitely them."
Foxleap was growing in excitement, "Let's follow it then, we're bound to find them."
Molespots knew how much Icecloud's death had pained Foxleap, so being able to get back at the twolegplace cats had energised him. He wanted to inflict that same suffering upon the cats who had caused it, to get revenge.
When the reddish tabby tom started bounding ahead, Molespots stopped him though, "Wait, if we seem to eager, they might suspect something," he murmured, "We don't want to seem any more suspicious than we already are."
Foxleap frowned, then sighed when he realised the brown-and-cream tom, "Of course. I'm sorry, I was just getting a bit excited," he shook his head, "We'll just walk."
Molespots nodded.
The two cats began to pad onwards, keeping up a slow but steady pace. As the sun rose higher in the sky, spreading its warmth across the forest, the canopy cast a blanket of dappled shadows on their pelts. To keep in a positive frame of mind, they shared words about their families and the ones they'd loved.
It wasn't long before Foxleap had turned the conversation to Molespots and Ambersky, "You know, the whole camp are talking about you and Ambersky," he mewed playfully, humour dancing in his amber gaze.
Molespots rolled his eyes, "Wonderful," he meowed sarcastically, "Don't you have anything better to talk about other than Ambersky and I, we're hardly that interesting."
Foxleap ignored him, persistent with the subject, "Are you ever going to ask her though? After all, you're always talking about making the most of every moment and all that."
"You know, I could be making much better use of this moment rather than talking to you about my love life," he heaved a sigh, his gaze flickering to the path ahead, "Although, if you really must know, I have been thinking of asking her to be my mate soon."
Foxleap chuckled, "Well, ThunderClan will be pleased to hear that," he purred, "Rosepetal especially, she's constantly gossiping, although, I think all she-cats are like that," he gave a little purr of amusement, "We just need to get through this, then we can return to ThunderClan and you can ask her."
"I honestly don't know why everyone's so fascinated by us though? Haven't you got better stuff to do?"
"Well, perhaps because it has been so blatantly obvious how you feel about each other for moons," Foxleap offered, "Especially Ambersky. She's been mooning over you since she was an apprentice, surely you noticed it?"
"Do we really have to talk about this?"
Foxleap's gaze flickered over Molespots for a moment, and he was about to respond when suddenly he froze. He took in a deep breath, concern pooling in his amber gaze before he gave a curt nod, "I think we're getting close to the twolegplace cats' camp," he muttered, letting his gaze sweep up the path ahead, "There's lots of their scent here, it's really strong."
Foxleap was certainly right about it being stronger. Molespots wished he could somehow cover his nose, it just smelt so strongly of twolegs, it was foul.
They only needed to travel a little further until they rounded a silver birch sapling. An old twoleg nest crept into view, concealed by a circle of tall oak trees, its walls covered thickly in ivy and greenery. Judging from its state, it had been many moons since a twoleg had last set paw here. For now, its purpose was the twolegplace cats' camp.
On the corner of each of the crumbling walls a cat was posted, simply watching the forest for any unwanted visitors. Almost immediately, their presence was noticed.
A cat sitting atop of the closest wall, a small white tom with amber eyes, was quick to call to the cats within the camp, "Two clan cats approaching!"
Cats soon began to appear, their pelts bristling and their claws unsheathed, their eyes narrowed to slits. Molespots' eyes widened slightly, but Foxleap muttered to him softly, "Don't show any fear or hostility."
The brown-and-cream tom swallowed his fear, taking a deep breath before striding forward confidently.
"And you are?"
A scarred reddish tabby tom had launched himself from the wall and was powering towards them, his green gaze narrowed and hostile.
Foxleap breathed calmly, "My name is Foxleap, this is my companion, Molespots," he motioned to the brown-and-cream tom beside him. Molespots dipped his head.
The brown-and-cream tom also spoke, "We wish to join your group."
The reddish tabby tom snorted, "You wish to join?" he glanced behind him, "I thought your silly, little clans had no wish to join us. They made that very clear yesterday," he motioned to the fresh wounds that marked his pelt.
There was a battle? He tried to express no large surprise, keeping his jaws shut.
"We weren't involved in any battle," Foxleap spoke with calm confidence, "Our clans were wrong to underestimate you. They were mistaken when they chose to fight you. We no longer have any alliance with them, we've left them behind, along with our past."
The reddish tabby tom stared them down, "I suppose there's no harm in letting you speak with Night," he took a deep breath, "Very well," he gave a sharp flick of his tail, "Follow me."
BOOM. DRAMA.
What did you guys think? Notice the look Brightwing gave Dewclaw when he turned up to fight alongside Redflower? :O And Leafstar's dead. Long live Rabbitleap! Any thoughts on deputy? And Molespots had met the twolegplace cats and is going to meet Night? What do you think will happen?
Next Chapter:
~ Redflower point of view, with the aftermath of Leafstar's death
~ The aftermath of the battle in the Stone Hollow
~ We see what happens to Molespots and Foxleap!
Live, love, read and review! First four reviews get a preview!
Love Leafy x