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

Chapter Thirteen

 RockClan scent seemed to be everywhere along the Moonstream. The five cats patrolling the border frequently stopped to wrinkle their nose at the marks as they ambled onwards. Red sun and orange sky glared down angrily at the five cats, who eventually picked their way over the rocks and uphill towards the Moonpond. Shattersweep and Lightningstripe were far ahead, with Stormroar and Tempestwhistle only a few tail-lengths behind. Palespeckle, who had fallen out of practice ever since she became a warrior, was fighting for breath as she hobbled through the rugged terrain.

 The dusk patrol had marked the southern border already, but then had detected the fierce RockClan scent by the Stream between the two. They were at the StoneClan meeting place when Shattersweep suddenly whirled around and yelped something at his companions. "There's RockClan warriors up ahead! On our territory!"

 "What are they doing?" Lightningstripe asked, sounding almost nervous, but not quite. "Maybe they're on the way to a meeting here?"

 The senior warrior responded with a growl. "They're meeting someone, all right. But they're on our territory!" he sprang into a run, leaving the cautious Lightningstripe in the dust while he and Tempestwhistle charged ahead.

 "What's going on? Are they invading?" Stormroar demanded, straining to see uphill.

 "Nearly all of the StoneClan meetings are at night. Why come here when the sun is just now setting?" Palespeckle wondered.

 "Maybe they're lost?" Lightningstripe suggested, although all of their ideas were disproved when they reached the hollow where the Moonpond resided. Shattersweep and Tempestwhistle where deep in conversation with a patrol of RockClan warriors- and one healer. Even as Palespeckle was standing within a moose-length of the dusky cat, she couldn't decide if it was Cinnamonsweep or Fernflutter.

 "What's going on here?" Lightningstripe asked timidly as he stepped into the hollow. Tempestwhistle barely turned her head to explain.

 "CloudClan cats have been taking RockClan territory, too! And now they just attacked Cinnamonsweep and her friends when they tried to visit the Moonpond!"

 "Isn't that against the Valley Cat Code?" Stormroar snorted as he trotted up to the cats.

 "Of all times, just when the Bloodfever has spread to RockClan through those beastly rogues!" the healer spat angrily.

 "You're Fernflutter, right?" Palespeckle guessed. The cat turned around to face her, revealing a deep scratch on her chin.

 "Yes, that would be me." she grunted primitively. "Are we gonna get back at them, or what?"

 "They must be gathering their forces!" Stormroar hissed accusingly, tilting up his head theatrically to glare at the sunset. "When I find those cats who killed Galesong, I'll rip their eyes out and give 'em a good washing!"

 "Nah, they're probably out looking for deez." Fernflutter rolled her eyes.

 "What's deez?" Palespeckle tilted her head, pondering the strange word she had once heard the former kittypet Blizzardblur mention. But before the RockClan healer could give a sarcastic reply, all the cats in the hollow seemed to tense as a stony scraping sound echoed from uphill.

 "I see you've brought some CliffClan friends, Cricketridge." it was Crowpelt who stepped into the vermillion glow. He cast his dark gaze around at the ten cats bristling on the other side of the Pond. Behind him, a few warriors slinked over the rocks. Some looked as if they had been, moments ago, in a vicious brawl with Fernflutter and the RockClan cats. Now the spotted she-cat glared around at the CloudClan warriors, who were outnumbered but looked as if it would take a panther to deter them.