A.N: Sorry friends, I'll try not to be so crappy about the updating ^.^' Summer's supposed to be a good time to go writing
It's also supposed to be the time without school or really other responsibilities.
Yet both are ending up being true.
Well, on the upside, I'm taking AP English next year and getting my permit (finally).
Have a chapter now :)
"You will lead the patrol to rescue our Clanmates, Dovewing. We have until Sunhigh."
The rest of the morning was a haze of planning and arguing among the cats. Not only about the attack plan, but Thornclaw also brought up WindClan's idea to protect the queens and kits by hiding them at the Moonpool. Hollystar agreed, but Lionblaze admitted that they did not have the warriors to spare to guard the queens from harm. Sandstorm volunteered and the matter was resolved quickly, as all the cats respected the old widow. Soon after, the ginger cat left and took Sorreltail and Brightheart with her, both herding or carrying young kittens in their mouths, either too tired or too young to comprehend the magnitude of the situation. Lilykit hung limply in her mother's jaws, eyes glazed over and flicking a poultice-covered paw out as if to rid herself of the pain.
When the younger members of the ragtag group had left, the meeting of senior warriors moved back down to include the remaining cats. Hollystar sat back passively as Dovewing discussed the doorways into the other worlds and how they should approach the camp, filled as it was with Dark Forest Cats. As the shadows changed, she noticed her mother weave her way among the gathered cats, and Cloudtail's stunning white fur as well. The older warrior was still matted with blood and now sweat, but his blue eyes were sharp and he caught onto the conversation at hand very quickly.
"We need to draw out their numbers, just like we did long ago." The tom murmured, but the crowd fell silent with the apprehension of his words. He glanced around the circle and sighed, suddenly his years in the forest showing. "Thornclaw. Fern-" He glanced around, spotting the tabby tom and then searching for the gray she-cat before realizing she wasn't present. Thornclaw shook his head and the white tom continued on, a bit less confident now. "When the dogs attacked the old camp- most of you never saw the old forest, and I wish you had- we had to lure them away from the queens and elders. They never reached the camp, we set up a diversion so that they would follow the warriors away, and eventually over a gorge to their deaths." Dovewing nodded, urging the cat on. "Obviously, the Dark Forest cats wouldn't be stupid enough to fall to their deaths... but Onestar said that he would take his Clan to join us; he's not having luck alone on his own territory. There are quite a few dead, including Ashfoot." Some of the Clan gasped quietly, others just looked shocked. The gray WindClan deputy had been a well-loved cat throughout all the Clans, and her loss would be felt everywhere.
"If there are only a few Dark Forest cats we could set up a joint-ambush; take out a few cats while getting our own members out of camp." Thornclaw, the only other cat with experience like the tomcat, also nodded his consent. "It just might work, and it's much more effective than charging in blind."
Dovewing's claws scraped across the rotting wood of the Two-leg nest, splintering it easily. "What about ShadowClan? If WindClan is willing to join us, what about them?" Her gaze fell on her mother, whose blue eyes stared calmly back. "They are waiting to move into RiverClan territory- their elders are all hiding in the Two-leg's barn with the loners. RiverClan is following the same plan, and are waiting for Blackstar to get all of his cats onto their territory. It seems that Tawneypelt had the same idea as we did, and so did Tigerheart; if we want to meet up with al the Clans, either they will move here, or we need to go there." Whitewing stated hesitantly, white fur suddenly struck golden by a stray ray of sunlight. Dovewing looked up, through the ruined ceiling to catch sight of the sun, nearly at it's zenith.
Cloudtail followed her gaze and mewed, "Onestar said he would be right behind me, we should move out toward the Moonpool to help them. Then we can move on the camp from there."
"Then let's move," Dovewing stated, feeling nervous. She would be in charge of her Clanmates, co-working with Onestar with his own Clan of cats. And who would budge first and unite all four Clans? Certainly ThunderClan couldn't be forced to run from their own territory, it wasn't weak like WindClan or as lazy as RiverClan. They were warriors! 'But...' Dovewing was struck by the gravity of the situation. 'More than half the Clan is dead. We've been driven out of our camp. Maybe...' Was it possible that the Clan that she had grown up in would need to flee for its survival? It was already looking like it should.
Some warriors gathered by her flanks, and the rest faded back into the shadows, where Hollystar stood like a forlorn sentry. Her black fur was smooth and glimmering slightly, she had cleaned it after Jayfeather had bound her wounds. The luminescent pair of eyes hung in the dark, and closed once in acceptance as pelts of many colors flashed past her, leaping out into the sunshine. Then they opened again, looking up into the clouds and sent a silent plea to their battling ancestors.
'Let them come home safe.'
His light amber eyes searched the edge of the trees, the cracked, gray stone path before him was overrun by weeds and grasses. All seemed incredibly still, especially under the oppressive heat of sun-high; bees buzzed lazily on clover flowers and far away, outside the fringes of ThunderClan territory in fact, a bird sung into the Greenleaf air. Within the territories, the air was stagnant and heavy with anticipation. The scent of blood seem to grow stronger with every breeze and the hot tang made the tom shiver in his golden fur. When he had been younger, it used to excite him in dreams and in training sessions, pressing him forward to go one more round with Ashfur. Then it clotted his nose, almost making him kill Heathertail, Crowfeather, countless others. Now it was the blood of his brothers, sisters, parents and kin. He had wept solemnly at the absence of Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight after their deaths, and had paused to grieve his leader as well. Now the time for grieving was over.
"Where are they?" Lionblaze growled impatiently, digging his claws into the leaf mold with his tail lashing.
"They should be here soon," Cloudtail promised, hiding his snowy pelt beneath the grasping branches of a bramble bush. It was strewn with leaves and twigs, disguising the blazing fur as much as possible.
Dovewing's ears suddenly pricked forward, and she swung her head like a badger in search of grubs. "Hush." Lionblaze stared at the fluffy she-cat, then back across the old Two-leg road. It was a huge, empty stretch that would be a danger for the cats to cross twice.
In the unnatural silence even Lionblaze could hear a cat splash through the babbling river a ways across the land. A few muted words followed and those were the last noises heard before eyes appeared on the opposing side, filling the relative shadows in the sun. In relation, the pelts of the WindClan cats seemed to blend flawlessly into the dry leaves, and their bright eyes were the only things that gave them away.
Lionblaze looked about at the few cats that were with them- which was pretty much what was left of the Clan. Dovewing and Cinderheart were clumped together, Cloudtail was attempting to blend in as much as he could, and Bumblestripe looked determined to get the rest of their Clan back. But that was all. It was more or less a patrol of cats agaisnt an army. None of these cats seemed ready to step forward and reveal themselves as friends, though Bumblestripe looked as if he were ready to, and Lionblaze stepped out into the sunlight. He rolled his broad shoulders and dislodged a clinging fern from his pelt while gazing over to the other side of the path.
Equally in stature, his blood-father stepped out of the brush, his blue eyes dark as he sized up Lionblaze with hostility. The golden cat didn't bother spending energy to mimic the emotions given off by the other tom, and civilly dipped his head. Onestar followed cautiously, coat obscured by debris and blood and he was being supported by a wiry apprentice that looked like he had seen a bit too much of the battle as well.
"Lionblaze," The leader coughed, "We are glad to see you and your Clan. Hopefully you have faired well?"
The golden tom's ear twitched and so did his tail. "Onestar, I'd like very much not to stay out here in the open. Where anyone can spot us." was his way of answering. The mottled leader inclined his head and cocked his tail; Cats came streaming from the undergrowth, short fur standing on end as they passed through the empty space. Lionblaze blinked as he looked at the number of warriors, and Crowfeather stalked past him, stiff legged, to follow them. With another glance up and down the pathway, the tom also disappeared into the foliage.
Dovewing greeted Onestar with courtesy, and Lionblaze drew up alongside his kin as her equal- the she-cat had approved of the other member of the prophecy as a close companion with his knowledge and experience. The three drew aside to talk while Crowfeather and Bumblestripe assmebled the warriors and informed them of the plan to take back the camp.
Onestar glanced about at the number of cats with heavy battle wounds, then back to the two ThunderClan representatives. "It seems that you have had worst luck than my Clan did." He did not intend to be boasting, just surprised at the number of warriors left.
Both nodded, and Lionblaze stepped forward slightly. "A good eight other warriors, queens, elders and apprentices are trapped within our camp. It would be greatly appreciated if you could help us create a distraction to retrieve them." His eyes glittered with innovation as he explained the plan to Onestar, to draw out the Dark warriors, separating and possibly killing them. It would be more than possible with the warriors that WindClan had brought- in fact it seemed that most of their Clan werewas in fighting shape.
"StarClan has been kind to our Clan," The mottled tom looked onto his cats, mixing with ThunderClan easily- the two Clans had a long mutual relationship together and obviously had not forgotten. "We lost elders, who fought to their last breaths, and own beloved medicine cat and deputy. We were not expecting some of our own to turn against us."
Lionblaze nodded sadly as the old leader's words rose to a soft keen. Dovewing blinked in sympathy, her feathery coat "We have suffered our own as well. As you may have heard from Cloudtail that Firestar fell during the second wave of Dark Forest Cats; Brambleclaw soon afterward. But before his passing, he called upon Hollystar as his deputy and proceeded to lead the attack against the Dark Forest cats to let the rest escape. Hollystar visited the Moonpool- meeting your queens and we sent our own to join them. She returned with a plan, naming Bumblestripe our deputy, and so we are here."
The mewls around them calmed down and eventually the mixture of cats were staring at the three with expectation. WindClan, ThunderClan, and even Onestar turned to Dovewing and Lionblaze; the great golden cat took a deep breath and began to speak. " We all know already that the Dark Forest has invaded the forest; they've killed or taken our Clanmates hostage, and there is not much of ThunderClan left at all. We need your help to rescue them. Hopefully, none of your lives will be in danger at all during this mission, we've taken precautions- striking in full daylight, drawing the cats away, splitting them up. WindClan's cats shouldn't be in danger of dying at all if this plan goes correctly- only the cats that will be going inside the ThunderClan camp. Those cats are myself, Dovewing, Cinderheart, Bumblestripe and Cloudtail. The smaller amount of cats, the faster we can get in and out, and hopefully, a smaller chance to get captured as well. If at all, I mean," He stumbled, and the named ThunderClan cats looked at each other with equal amounts of distress and determination showing on their faces.
"ThunderClan, to me," Lionblaze stated quietly, as all of the tones they had used were nothing more than the volume of the wind. Cats streamed over to the golden tom, eyes glimmering in the sunlight as he led them away with a flick of his tail. Dovewing stayed to help the rest of the cats in order for the ambush, and would catch up when she was done.
His patrol slid next to silently through the warm forest, feeling the hot air pressing down on their skins. As they approached the camp, startled dragonflies leapt into the air with bright hues and buzzed about their ears for a few seconds before scattering. His ears flicked, scattering sunlight as he tried to see ahead, greeted by a sweltering forest devoid of all noises. Whiskers twitching, the tom scanned the undergrowth meticulously before signaling for the rest of the patrol to follow him down. Pelts brushed quietly through the undergrowth after him, the golden tom crouching in a pool of dry grasses where he was virtually invisible, and the rest of the shadowy-pelted patrol lingered in the relative dark. Cloudtail, who's pelt was still covered in blood, mud and leaves, seemed more camouflaged than the rest of the patrol and slithered forward confidently. The bushes at the brink of the hollow were finally in sight, and slowly the patrol approached, on high alert with eyes wide and whiskers twitching. With the stale air, they had a hard time detecting the scent of individual cats over the reek of blood that perforated the air. 'At least they'll have a harder time scenting us'
An obstruction covered Lionblaze's periphoral for a second and the cat turned suddenly, face to face with a set of azure eyes that obviously meant him no harm. "Dovewing!" He choked, surprised as he attempted to keep from making more noise as he stumbled sideways. The she-cat's eyes sparkled with mirth for a second before flashing back to the resolute look of a trained warrior.
"There's at two of them at the entrance, not paying attention of course. Four others that I can hear in the clearing, and our Clanmates are…" the soft gray cat inhaled sharply, ears pricked suddenly. "They're being kept in Firestar's den. Full view of the camp from there and it's harder to get out undetected." Lionblaze could see that Dovewing was holding something back but he didn't push her; instead he signaled for the patrol to lurk forward again, until the feline shapes lined the thorn bushes. They peered around the leaves, down into the hollow that had once been their home. Now they could barely glance at it without revulsion growing in their stomachs, Cinderheart crept over to Lionblaze to lean her shaking frame against his. Even the golden tom could barely comprehend the state of their birthplace.
The dust that normally lined the clearing was thick with blood, turning it dark crimson that could almost be mistaken for the color of mud. It was impressed with signs of combat- hollows where bodies fell, pawmarks and slash marks from battling felines. Blood stained the walls of the quarry, splattered up higher than Lionblaze could've imagined. Bits of gore hung from outcrops and bloody paw prints could be seen trying to climb the sheer rock surfaces. But worse than that were the pelts laid out on the clearing floor, some were half-torn from their owners' pelts and laid like prizes in the mud. Thankfully they were so mutilated and covered in mud that they were unrecognizable by the spies at the lip of the hollow.
Drawing an unsteady breath, the golden tom turned to Dovewing, expecting the she-cat to give the signal to slink around the sides of the hollow. He could see the misty phantom cats restlessly playing about, with the innocence of kits, but the viciousness of mongrels. Claws flashed and even more blood sprayed through the air with the consistency of sludge. At the edge of the clearing there was a quivering, squirming pile of fur- obviously still alive but not for this world much longer. This is what the gray cat was fixated on, her whole body quivering with potential energy that wanted to spring down to rescue the mangy scrap. Lionblaze looked back and forth between the two, then raised his tail as the patrol raced down the slopes to begin the ambush.
A.N: I don't think I'll leave stuff down here anymore, it disrupts the flow very easily. Hasta!