Lost Hope: Book 5: Forest of Vipers

Chapter 17

Foxflame tried not to look at Vixen as they were escorted back to the barn. He didn't want to see her smug face. Or at least he thought she'd be smug, she had fooled him after all. She had led them out, just to see if they would run away. And she had had cats in place to catch them if they did. He'd be impressed if he wasn't so hurt.

    He felt stupid. He really did

    He had let foolishness get in the way of a making a good decision. Even when Lilacsnow had warned him. Who knows what would happen to them now? This had obviously been planned, but what purpose did it serve, to trick them into thinking they could escape?

    Foxflame didn't know how Viperfang's brain worked, and he didn't really know if he wanted to, but he might have to find out. For his sake, and the Clans.

    Foxflame and Lilacsnow had been led back into the barn, back to their 'stall' in the far corner, watched by two guards. He'd been half-hoping that one of them was Vixen, just so he could get the chance to talk to her, but he realized that he'd probably never get that chance.

    "Well, I suppose we won't be doing that again," Lilacsnow said with an annoyed huff.

    "But we have to escape somehow, don't we?" Foxflame said. "We can't just give—"

    "I wasn't talking about that part," Lilacsnow hissed. "Yes, we do need to escape. I meant, following pretty she-cats out just because she seems nice."

    Foxflame flinched under his sister's intense blue gaze.

    "Don't forget that she is with the rogues," Lilacsnow said. "The rogues that killed our mother." She looked away.

    Foxflame felt his paws start to shake a little as he realized that she was right. His mother had been murdered. In cold blood. And he'd decided to trust one of the culprits.

    "I won't make the same mistake twice," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

    Lilacsnow looked up at him again, her eyes hardening. "You better not. Second chances are hard to come by this days. Now, we need to come up with a plan."

    Foxflame nodded, glancing out of the stall dark exit, and the faint outlines of the guards outside. "I know, and we'd better come up with one fast."