Spirit

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Ivory, Sand, and Cloudburst," Feather announced. "I heard you are part of a certain prophecy."

Ivory grinned at Sand. I told you I wasn't trying to find a loophole; she's part of it.

Sand looked back at her with a disturbed expression, and her face rested to the same state. "What is—"

He nudged her to keep quiet.

"And how do we fulfill this?" Cloudburst asked from nearby. "You haven't even told us what it is yet!"

"I don't need to," the black and white leader growled in reply. "Singe has to die."

"How would we kill Singe?" the beige and ginger she-cat blurted. "I bet she has an entire army of Rogues just waiting to kill the special cats."

Feather narrowed her eyes. "But you won't let them." She smiled. "Scrawny or not, I think you're quite brave."

"Are you going to help us?" Sand asked.

"Probab—" The leader was cut off by a darker, older tom.

"Yes." There was a cough as the Singeless looked at him. "We can't trust them to fight all those cats waiting, on top of killing Singe." His sightless green eyes suddenly shined. "And I have planned a. . . sabotage. . . to help with the three."

"Could you tell us?" Sand yelped excitedly.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell anyone who isn't against Singe," the tom replied.

"No no no no I am! You see, I still have my—" He brushed his ear only to find fur, the blank tangled space where his robin feathers used to be. "They're not supposed to fall off; how did they. . .?" He trailed off in his shock.

"How could you not trust him?" It was Cloudburst. Ivory was surprised that she was genuinely defending him, not only so he could stay, but so that the prophecy could be fulfilled with everyone knowing as much information as they need. "He's one of the three, and you're worried about a betrayal? Right now?"

Feather lifted her tail for silence, but Cloudburst still hissed, making a rise out of the other Rogues.

Ivory still recognised a few words from the fluffy white she-cat's yells through the clamor of snarls and hisses of the other cats, noticing that she was boiling beneath her pelt. "He only became a Rogue to protect someone he loved; does that sound like betrayal to you? The only thing he could tell the Rogues is lies to help with your plan!" she spat. "Or is your sabotage fake?"

There was a gasp, then the alley fell quiet except for murmurs and whispers.

"Please trust him," Ivory pleaded. She took a deep breath and added, "Put a little trust in your veins, will you? For the prophecy?"

"Put a little trust in your veins," Feather mused, "where have I heard that from?"

"Singe," the blind black tom—who Ivory assumed might be Feather's deputy or mate—growled. "Why would you quote that heartless villain?"

"New Moon," Feather snapped. "That was said by Singe often, but that doesn't mean every cat who says it is working with her."

"Soon that will be a mistake," New Moon growled. He turned his back. "We'll all be dead because of you, Feather." He started down the strange hill. "WE'LL ALL DIE!" he bellowed before disappearing, his voice echoing through the Loud-Place and Ivory's mind.

Feather waited for all the noise to die down before saying, "We will ambush the Rogues tonight," she turned her gaze towards Ivory, Sand, and Cloudburst, " and you have no time to lose."

The Singeless scattered, leaving only the three and Feather in their dust.

"As for you," the leader said, "you will get ready to attack Singe during the scatter."

"All three of us?" Sand asked.

"Do you want to get stuck under loyal cats?"

Loyal. Ivory's pelt burned the more the Singeless didn't trust her friend. What doesn't make him loyal? She tried to speak, but Cloudburst interrupted her.

"I, for one, have no idea what you're building up to."

The black and white she-cat wrinkled her snout, amber eyes darkening. "Maybe if you'd listen, things would be different."

"How about we share our ideas for the saba—err, ambush?" the golden tom asked.

"And what is it?" Feather snarled. Ivory could tell she was getting impatient. "What idea could be so important we'd need to share it with the entire group?"

"They also live in an alley, right?" Ivory asked, bracing herself for the worst.

"Indeed."

"What if we sent small groups to distract them, and the three would sneak in through that and kill—"

"If that's what you want," the leader interrupted her. "But I am not calling another meeting." She turned her back, adding over her shoulder, "Tomorrow; at dawn. I hope you'll be alive and awake by then."