Captain Scar: Yeah.. I might or might not... Guess you'll have to find out when I finally post the next chapter. And can't wait for you to resume writing your stories!
Springflower: She is, isn't she? :3 Hehe, I'm so evil to my cats. XD This isn't the start of my "evil-ness" though, Springy. :3
Enjoy the chapter!
~Frost
Pebblestone's POV:
The grey fur along his spine rose up, bristling as the keening sound went on for another minute before it abruptly stopped, silence sinking its claws into the forest once more.
Feeling a sharp nudge in his side, Pebblestone glanced at the she-cat beside him. "Quick, while the dogs are distracted!" With that, Maplecreek leapt off of the tree branch and onto the forest floor, quickly bolting away into the shadows.
Seeing his Clan members do the same, Pebblestone leaped off of the low hanging branch, his paws making a soft thudding noise on the mossy ground. Glancing behind his now bleeding shoulder, he stretched out his legs and began to run, hearing pawsteps behind him.
Once the warrior was safely in the shadows of the trees, Pebblestone slowed his pace until he was trotting beside Ashtail. Ashtail breathed a sigh of relief, mixed with exhaustion. "That was close there. What do you think made that sound?" she asked suddenly, her gaze flashing to her brother.
Pebblestone frowned thoughtfully. "Could be anything," he shrugged. "But, it's not our problem. Right now, we need to find our way back to our own territory."
The grey she-cat nodded slightly, becoming silent. Pebblestone padded toward Maplecreek who was in the front of the group. She glanced at him, but didn't say anything.
"Are we close to our territory?" he asked, keeping his slow trot as he walked beside the white warrior. Maplecreek nodded, then pointed with her tail, "The trees are getting thicker and growing closer together. I think we'll be arriving at the border soon."
Pretty soon enough, Maplecreek was correct. The scent of both DuskClan and StormClan drifted toward them as the group drew nearer and nearer to their destination.
"Should we tell Stormstar about DuskClan and the dogs?" Speckwind spoke up quietly as the StormClan cats stopped for a little. "We should, after all, we do have to explain why we've been gone for so long," Pebblestone pointed out. Ripplepaw stayed silent, only gazing over at her Clan's territory.
"That is true," Speckwind murmured, frowning.
"Come on, let's get moving," Maplecreek instructed, starting to head across the clearing to StormClan territory. The assembled cats followed behind her wordlessly as they stepped across the border, and onto the soft grass of their home.
Padding in the direction where their camp lay, hidden in the thick undergrowth and canopy of trees, the patrol lapsed into a tense silence. Just then, a black streak of fur shot out of the bushes and stood before them. "Well, where have you been?"
The patrol stopped shocked by the sudden appearance. "Wait, what are you doing here, Blackstone?" Speckwind asked, gaping at the jet black tom.
"Looking for you. Thistlepond is looking, as well, but he's in a different part of the forest. Stormstar and Jaycloud sent us to search for you when you didn't come back," Blackstone explained.
"You found them!" a voice came out of the bushes as a grey tom with a reddish tail stepped out into the open.
Blackstone nodded as Thistlepond came to stand beside his Clanmate. "We need to speak to Stormstar immediately," Pebblestone spoke up, gazing steadily at Blackstone and Thistlepond.
"Alright, Jaycloud and Stormstar have been worried. I'll go back to tell them that you've come back, and that you need to speak to them," Thistlepond assured the exhausted patrol before he bounded off towards camp.
"Come on, everyone's been waiting," Blackstone urged them after Thistlepond had gone.
The bedraggled patrol nodded slightly before they followed the jet black tom back to the camp, weak sunlight pouring down on their backs.
Once they had reached the camp, all of the warriors that were out in the camp clearing looked up, their eyes wide. Stormstar and Jaycloud headed out of Stormstar's den with Thistlepond right behind them.
With one glance at the patrol, Stormstar ordered to Blackstone, "Get Fernripple." Dipping his head slightly, the tom changed his course to Fernripple's den.
"Get your various wounds treated first, then we can talk," Stormstar addressed the patrol, fixing them in his blue-eyed gaze.
With nods of acknowledgement, Stormstar turned around, heading into his den with Jaycloud following behind, mouth set in a grim line.
A rustle from the ferns that blocked the entrance to the medicine den alerted Pebblestone's group that Fernripple was coming. A minute later, the said medicine cat padded out from the depths of her quiet den, jaws full with bundled herbs.
Dropping the assorted herbs at her delicate white paws, Fernripple examined the group silently before calling Pebblestone to go to her den. "I'll come and treat your wounds after I'm done with this lot."
Dipping his head, the grey warrior limped to Fernripple's den with her amber-eyed stare on his retreating back. After Pebblestone had disappeared into the depths of her den, Fernripple turned back to the group. "Right, for those of you who aren't injured, go and get some rest before you talk to Stormstar."
Maplecreek, Ripplepaw, and Ashtail nodded before departing to the warriors' and apprentices' dens. The only cat left standing before Fernripple was Speckwind, who kept shifting her paws.
"Are there any major wounds on you?" Fernripple asked, glancing at the white she-cat.
"No. Just some scratches here and there."
Fernripple nodded, bending her head down to pick up some marigold in her jaws, moving to chew them into a poultice. Speckwind turned slightly to show Fernripple some scratches on her flank.
Applying the poultice gently on the claw marks, Fernripple asked, "Any more?"
With a brief wince at her now stinging wounds, Speckwind shook her head. "Go and get some rest, then," the tortoiseshell medicine cat ordered.
"Thanks, Fernripple." Speckwind turned away to pad over to the warriors' den, wincing slightly.
Fernripple sighed, then picked up the remainder of the herbs before she proceeded to her sanctuary. Ducking under the curtain of ferns and ivy that covered the entrance, Fernripple moved to where Pebblestone laid on one of the moss nests.
"Will he be alright?" a voice spoke up from beside the medicine cat. Fernripple glanced over at the cat. "He'll be fine, Fleetpaw," she assured the young she-cat.
"He better be, I want to do some training now," she muttered, stretching lightly in her nest. Fernripple purred with amusement before she started pressing some cobwebs to the bleeding wounds.
"When can I go out again, Fernripple?" Fleetpaw abruptly asked, frowning.
"Hold on a moment, Fleetpaw. Let me finish treating Pebblestone, then I can see how well your wounds are healing."
Pressing a poultice of horsetail onto Pebblestone's wounds, who stiffened up at this, Fernripple nodded to herself as she finished, glancing at the tom once more. "Alright, you can go speak with Stormstar now, Pebblestone."
Pebblestone rose to his paws slowly, wincing at his stinging wounds. He nodded to Fernripple before heading out, flinching once in a while, leaving the medicine cat to examine Fleetpaw's wounds, dealt by a fox, once again.
At the same moment that Pebblestone emerged from the medicine cat den, a thudding of pawsteps outside the camp entrance could be heard as who or whatever it is, drew nearer.
Jaycloud and Stormstar both emerged from a den beside the Highrock, gazing at the camp entrance curiously. In a time span of seconds, a she-cat appeared at the entrance, blinking at the sight of Clan cats lying around the main clearing.
Curiosity and tension both filled the air as some warriors stood up, lashing their tails and baring their fangs at the intruder while others remained in their positions, staring openly at the new cat.
The intruder turned out to be a dark brown she-cat with a tan underbelly. Along her back and flanks were dark grey markings while the tip of her tail was a light brown color. Her pale green gaze sweeped over the Clan camp, meeting the hostile gazes coldly yet indifferently.
"Who are you?" Stormstar stepped forward, the weak sunlight striking his stormy-grey fur and highlighting his splashes of white while he gazed distrustfully at the she-cat with his blue eyes narrowed faintly.
The she-cat spoke, her tone expressionless as she introduced herself reluctantly. The edge underneath it was barely noticeable, though Stormstar took notice of the she-cat's cold demeanor.
"I am Allira."
A/N: Yay, new cat :D Um, nothing much to say here, so review, I guess..
~Frost