Forgive

Chapter 11 - Sneak Attack

         The air was tense. The forest emit no sounds other than the soft crunches of the felines padding through. As they reached the moors, the anxiety grew. They just had to get past the border patrol, and all would be easy.

         Aldertwig flicked his tail for the groups to halt as he examined the scents nearby. He frowned and whispered, "A patrol just went so they must be near, keep quiet."

         With those words mingled with fear, they had successfully managed to arrive at camp undetected.Aldertwig signaled for them to wait until the right moment.

         "We don't have time for this," bristled Cherrybee. "It won't be long before they pick up our scent."

         The other council member scowled, "Do you want this mission to fail."

         "I don't remember you being the head of my patrol. Come on, let's go," she flicked her ears for her patrol to attack. Minnowbloom, Cloudfrost, and Hopetuft glanced at each other uncertainly before following. "Three. Two. One."

         Aldertwig's tail lashed angrily, "That little dung-headed piece of-"

         "Language," gritted Sunnystep, giving a glare towards Ferret which she returned with an eye roll.

          Yowls rang from inside of camp. She could hear the panicked cries and angry curses being thrown about. But most of all, she could feel their fear which boosted her confidence. The more unsure your enemy, the stronger you are.

         The brown tabby tom muttered something and commanded, "Let's go. Ferret, Sunnystep guard the entrance and fight of the healers. Don't kill them though." 

         Like shadows the small group circled around camp to where the stench of herbs was strongest. Blending in with the battle at first, they entered the healer's den where no cat seemed to be present. 

         Filled with rage, Ferret instantly began scrapping the precious healing supplies. Shredding them with her claws and knocking them from their designated placements. Noticing the dame, Glade Colony began to focus the battle at the healer's den.

         Ferret shifted her anger onto the cats now opposing them, picking through the crowd in hopes of finding Heatherglide. But to her dismay, Cherrybee and Aldertwig called off the attack. Forest Colony could easily win the battle, but reinforcement could be arriving at any moment and the damage was done. They could relish their victory at camp with a feast than being stuck with injuries for half a moon.

         The two patrols broke free from the fight and sprinted back to Forestclan territory. As they approached camp, Ferret groaned in exhaustion and relief, tumbling into camp. Quietfang ushered Minnowbloom, Cloudfrost, and Goldenbird to his den to treat their injuries which seemed worse than the others. In about two hours everyone seemed to have some sort of aid for their cuts and scrapes and pain.

        The ginger trainee limped towards Daffodil, "That will keep Glade Colony away for quite some time."

         "Ya, I guess..." Daffodil trailed off.

        "Tsk. Tsk. I know that voice, what is it?"

        Her friend seemed hesitant, "Well, beating them in fair battle is one thing but we attacked their camp. That's dishonest."

         Ferret sighed, "They killed Softwing, now that's dishonest."

         "But Softwing knew the risks, he put himself in battle. But there could be veterans and younglings in the camp."

         "We didn't attack them though."

         "They could need that medicine! Cats can die without it!" the cream molly protested.

         She lashed her tail in annoyance but gritted her teeth not to yell, she made that mistake before and it didn't end well, "They never should have pushed the border in the first place."

       "Who knows, maybe their land isn't faring too well. Have we even tried to talk to them?"

       Ivysting's voice called for a clan meeting, the two she-cats gave each other bitter glances and headed to the stump.

        The empress neatly sat down, ears flicking impatiently. Once everyone had gathered she began, "I'm sure you all know that we won the raid against Glade Colony and most of their herbs are destroyed. I am hoping that they won't unleash any counterattack in worry of the depleted healing supplies. To celebrate this occasion, we'll be having a feast. The cats at home have been working hard to hunt the prey of our bountiful forest and the cats from the patrols will have the first picks." She paused for the cheering and continued, "Before that, I would like to address some more serious information. With the exile of Snowbriar, I am concerned for the loyalty of our cats. I've heard news that some are unhappy with our attacks and decisions. If any of you find any hints of treachery, please inform me directly. We wouldn't want any felines being hurt of course since the safety of our members always comes first." The last sentence ended with a threatening note. "Anyways, let the feast begin!"

       After a moment of silence, Forest Colony yowled in excitement. Some voices strong and proud while others uncertain and skeptical.

       Would Daffodil be a traitor? No! Of course not! She's my friend and as loyal as ever. She would never betray me or the clan. But I should probably inform Ivysting, just in case. But Daffodil could be exile, or worse. No, just speaking isn't an act of treachery. I won't be a snitch. Unless...

Picture above is Quietfang.

Updates have been slow, but don't worry, they'll be back up since I'm hoping to finish this book by the end of summer... Big goals XD

Thoughts about Daffodil, she seem hesitant?

And what about Ivysting's announcement?

I feel like I'm adding too many secrets, well I have three books to explain them so wish me luck!!