(Book 1) Warriors: Separations - Six Stars

Chapter 10

Cinder followed Taurus excitedly. He had a dark brown pelt and a pale belly and paws. His shoulders were large and broad, and his muscles rippled beneath his pelt with every paw step. She was glad to have someone else to talk to. Admittedly, she often got tired of Cherry's constant nagging. Perhaps this newcomer would take Cherry's mind off of Cinder for a time, at least until Cherry could trust Taurus.

Cinder walked up next to Taurus. "So, why are you a loner?" she queried. Taurus looked at her, confused. "I was born as one." he mewed.

Cinder's eyes widened. "Really? Huh." she responded. Taurus gave Cinder a questioning stare, confused for some reason.

Cherry chimed in. "We were abandoned by our twolegs." she meowed to him. Taurus nodded. "Oh, that's very unfortunate." he lightly dipped his head in sorrow. "Why would they do that?" he asked. Cinder sighed. "They get bored of us. Just because we're apparently not as fun as dogs, and somehow more annoying. You would think dogs are so much worse to live with." she flicked her tail in annoyance. Taurus nodded, amused. "You would think." he conceded. "I think twolegs think that dogs are cuter than us. I don't understand much of their language, but their tones imply that they enjoy being around dogs more than us." he mewed heavily.

Cinder bared her teeth in the beginnings of a snarl. She had just about had it with twolegs.

Cinder noticed Misty trudging along, looking unmotivated and bored. "Hey, Misty?" she asked the gray she-cat. Misty met Cinder's gaze, her hard stare softening into a gentle gaze. "What do you need, Cinder?" Misty replied. "Are you okay? You look really tired." Cinder responded. Misty laughed. "Just a little bored. It hasn't been very exciting recently." she stated with a sigh.

Cinder thought about what Misty said for a second. "Wanna go and talk to Speckledstones? I'm sure he's got some interesting stuff to talk about." Cinder suggested. Misty shook her head. "Nah, I want something like... a battle! Or maybe like... drama or something." she mewed.

The group walked through the barn, set their freshkill down, and began eating.

Cinder kept racking her brain on interesting things the group of loners could do. Then a thought hit her. She'd overheard from some Windclan cats on patrol that Shadowclan was falling into chaos, their leader growing more and more corrupt every single day, even letting off his own deputy. She wondered if maybe that would make for a good little expedition to keep the group excited.She scooted closer to Misty. "Hey, maybe we could travel to other clan territories? I heard some weird stuff was happening in Shadowclan, maybe we could check it out." Misty brightened. "Really? Like what?" she asked.

Cinder began relaying all the stuff she'd heard from passing Windclan patrols about Shadowclan's leader growing increasingly insane, and all the stuff he'd supposedly done to his own clan.

Misty eyes were wide open, and her eyes glittered with curiosity.

"What are you two talking about?" Cherry poked her head around Taurus' muscular body.

Cinder chuckled. "Oh, you know! Just... stuff." she mewed nervously. Cherry narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Cinder's vagueness, but said nothing. Taurus just kept his gaze on Cinder and Misty for a moment longer before finally looking back at Cherry to continue discussing whatever they had already been discussing. Cinder sighed with relief. "It's hard to fool Cherry." she whispered to Misty, her voice low. Misty laughed quietly. "Yes, it really is. I really don't think she'd approve of what we're getting ready to do." she mewed, amused. Cinder nodded. "She's like our mom!"

Misty was actually only a moon or two older thanCinder, and lost her twolegs out on a nature hike they had gone on. Misty had learned to fend for herself since she was unable to find her way back home in the forest and city. Misty had to leave behind her entire family, she'd been born and raised in the twolegplace alongside her brothers and sisters. Thanks to that period of independence and solitude, Misty had become more mature, and eventually met Cherry. Misty, despite her maturity, was still the same age as Cinder, and had a similar childish yearning for adventure.

Misty nodded. "I suppose you could say that's a good thing. She cares for us and everything, and she's the only reason I felt I could survive out in the vast world." she mewed, her eyes gleaming with wistfulness as though she was remembering the good times she'd had with Cherry.

Cinder began eating the mouse she'd caught on her hunting trip. She tore a few pieces out of the mouse, only just then realizing how famished she was. She hadn't eaten all day, since she felt guilty for not having contributed anything to Cherry and Misty, and decided–after she got better–that she would only eat after she'd hunted at least one piece of freshkill.

The sun began dipping below the horizon, and its brilliant golden rays died down to a few pale beams of sunshine through the barn's windows.

Cherry and Taurus were fast asleep, their breathing matching one another's.

Cinder looked at Misty. "Should we go?" she whispered, so as to not accidentally awaken their two sleeping companions.

Misty nodded, and the two she-cats hastily got up and slipped out of the barn unnoticed. They jumped on top of two boxes, one after the other–positioned as though they were stairs–, and hopped over the old white fence.

Cinder and Misty hurried over to a small bush and huddled underneath it. They checked the open moor for any Windclan cats, and once they'd confirmed the coast was clear, they set off across Windclan territory to find Shadowclan.

Cinder came to a sudden halt as she noticed quiet voices somewhere nearby, gradually growing louder.

Misty seemed to notice the voices too, and as she and Cinder exchanged worried glances, the two quickly slid under another bush, waiting for the voices to pass. She strained to hear what they were talking about, however their voices were so low that she couldn't make out what the two cats were saying.

Cinder narrowed her eyes. She couldn't tell exactly who it was, but she thought one of the cat's pelts looked familiar. She strained her eyes to see in the darkness. She saw a she-cat with a tabby pelt and a vine wrapped around her leg, and the other cat seemed to be a pale tom with dark speckles around his body...

It was Speckledstones!