**OLD** Valley Cats: Of Sky and Stone 2- Poison Clouds

Chapter Five

 Gold and orange streaked across the sky, all the way from horizon to horizon. Palepaw couldn't get enough of the view -she could see ConiferClan from here! The sight was amazing, the sunset from the top of the mountains. All nine territories were stretched out before her, ranging from the familiar rocks to fields and islands, with swamp and forests on the far side of the lake.

 "How much further?" Graypaw panted, finally catching up to where Palepaw stood proudly on the ridge, her tail held high.

 "I don't know, but this is where Shardclaw said they were attacked. It shouldn't be much farther." she explained, flicking her ear at the Moonstream that they had followed up the mountain.

 Graypaw turned his gaze north, to the other side of the mountain. Instead of the rugged cliffs of his Clan, this side of the mountain was a smooth decline, all the way to a muddy, winding canyon where a river flowed slowly. The smooth stone of the plane seemed empty and lifeless, save for a few scraggly bushes here and there.

 The young tom took his time observing the landscape, but then shook his head in defeat. "How are we supposed to find their camp like this!" he groaned. "It's so flat! They'd see us coming from mountain-lengths away!"

 "It may not be a clean stealth mission, but we should at least keep a low profile and follow the Stream downhill. That way, if the rogues catch us, we can just say we were taking an evening walk along the Moonstream." Palepaw proposed.

 Graypaw shook his head once again, irritated. "I was thinking, if they attacked the moonlight patrol here, then we could wait and see if they return to this spot. If they do, we can talk to them and ask questions." he muttered. "But that seems like a mouse-brained idea now. They'd obviously be in the mindset to chase us off."

 For once in his life, he looked at his sister with consideration. "Following the Stream downhill could be a good idea, though." he finally admitted. 

 "Sounds like a plan." Palepaw nodded vigorously, not waiting for his approval. She charged ahead into the sunset, her tail still standing tall as she trotted downhill.

 The land rolled gently beneath her paws as the apprentice merrily strolled along, admiring her reflection in the Moonstream. Her intensely yellow eyes seemed to be glowing, and the light shone through the edges of her white fur so that it looked as if she had a golden aura. 

 Suddenly she remembered Cyclonepaw, and his predicament. Palepaw turned around suddenly to ask her brother about the healer's apprentice, immediately spotting his thick gray pelt as the tom slowly crawled over the smooth stone. She was just about to call out to his when she felt the hairs on her spine bristle. She was being watched.

 Palepaw slowly turned around again, but couldn't find the cat who was watching her. After a few tense heartbeats, something shifted at the edge of her vision and she spotted a pale tabby crouching on the stone, their pelt blending perfectly with the sunset.

 "What's the holdup?" Graypaw panted, now only a moose-length away. "Are we there yet?"

 Before Palepaw could say anything to the tom, she had looked away for too long. The sound of claws on rock had barely registered when she felt paws slamming down on her back, pinning her to the ground in an instant. The she-cat didn't try resisting- she knew that even if she tried every battle move Shattersweep had to offer, it wouldn't end well if she rebelled against the stranger. 

 "Wha-" Graypaw shied back, his green eyes widening at the fierce cat, who growled hotly at the two.

 "Who are you!" the tabby demanded, digging her claws even deeper into Palepaw's fur.

 "We come in peace!" the she-cat promised. The pale tabby sniffed the air for a moment, her orange eyes scanning the area for any more cats.

 "Why are you here?" she asked accusingly. "Are there any more CliffClan cats with you?"