A Misty Path (A Warrior Cats Fanfiction)

Chapter 28

Palestar's yellow eyes bored into Mistflower's, twin glints of gold staring into orbs of amber and blue. She bristled. She'd never seen much of her Clan's leader. She was loyal to him, as every Clan cat should be, but her respect for him never extended much beyond what he did for RiverClan. Of course, this also meant she never got on her leader's bad side.

"Mistflower." Palestar broke his stare only to sweep his eyes condescendingly over the three cats. Cinder faltered under his intense glare, glancing nervously at Holly, who looked more inconvenienced than scared. "Explain yourself."

"It's my fault," Cinder said quickly. "We - I -"

"We came to visit," Holly interrupted. She stepped forwards, green eyes flitting to Cinder before landing calmly on Palestar. "After the fire?"

Palestar stared at her thoughtfully. "You two are the rogues that helped us and ThunderClan." Holly gave him a curt nod.

"That still doesn't explain why you're here, though!" Mossystone burst in, tail fluffed up in aggression. "Stinking rogues. We have enough troubles without you lot here."

"That's enough, Mossystone," Palestar meowed quietly.

"Uh - we saved you!" The fur along Cinder's spine bristled up. "You would've died in that fire!"

Mossystone let out a low guttural growl, green eyes narrowed into slits. "You? Save me? Useless cowardly selfish rogues, who do you think you are?!"

"Excuse me? Selfish - just because we don't force our children to fight for our land doesn't mean we don't look out for each other!"

"You have nothing to live for, no honour, no Clan, no worth! If all of you filthy stupid rogues went off and died, I think the world would be much better -"

"You think? What've you seen outside of your precious Clan land? Imagine fighting over a rock, cats don't get more stuck-up than you snotty Clan cats -"

"You little -"

"Quiet." Palestar didn't yell or growl. He spoke a single word, and everyone fell silent. His gaze was the coldest it had ever been, but Mistflower couldn't help but notice that the icy glare was directed fully at her. "We're grateful for your help," he meowed. "But you must understand it was dangerous to come here. We don't have the time nor the room for hospitality. We are currently under tougher times than I'd like to admit, and we don't exactly have a thank-you gift. I'd advise you leave while you still can."

Cinder's ears flattened, and he glanced at Holly. "Let's go, then," he murmured.

But the calico didn't budge. "We could get you food," she meowed. "You need all the help you can get, we're willing to help you hunt!"

"Huh -?" Cinder's head whipped around to stare at his friend. "Holly, this is a terrible idea," he hissed.

"Yeah, Holly, we don't want your pity food!" chirped Mossystone, a twisted leer on his dark gray face, earning a warning snarl from the dark rogue.

"Enough. Mossystone, don't you have something better to do than annoy non-Clan cats? Mossystone's head dipped, and he muttered a reluctant apology before padding back into the Twoleg hut, shooting Mistflower one last glare before he left. Palestar closed his eyes for a moment, before finally speaking. "I appreciate the offer, but I must decline."

Holly looked shocked. "But -"

"No. We will not be taking your fresh-kill, and if you are caught in RiverClan land again, ThunderClan and ShadowClan cats will kill you if my warriors do not first." Palestar flicked his tail dismissively. "That is all. Please return home." He dipped his head in farewell, and turned away. "Mistflower." the silver tabby flinched at the harshness of his cold tone. "Come."