Gaining Height - WARRIOR CATS

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Words were a gift.

Hawkpaw knew that with more conviction than she ever had before when she looked back at FalconClan camp and Dawnclaw. She was in the shadows of a large rocky overhang, so no cat would be able to see her unless they truly looked. She winced as she looked back at the clan she had once been amazed and proud to have joined.

The first thing any cat would notice is how in tatters it was. The neatly woven dens that were above ground and used to shelter the hollows in the earth where the cats slept from drifting snow were falling into tatters. The reek of blood seemed to taint the camp endlessly. That wasn't the most alarming thing, though.

Hawkpaw stared sadly at the FalconClan cats and the rogues. They had lost so much, perhaps most importantly, they had also lost a bit of themselves in the process. FalconClan rules made cats have to conform to their harsh standards and be fierce, strong and loyal to the clan.

Hawkpaw narrowed her eyes at Dawnclaw. She wanted more than just to make cats lose their spirit. She wanted them to become beasts; stripped from the ability to speak and be free. She wanted all the rogues to be the same, submissive and hers.

Hawkpaw winced as she rubbed the fur underneath her neck. Her belly fur was all loose and scattered, a constant reminder of Dawnclaw's rubbing ritual. Her throat felt scratchy when she talked, a reminder of Dawnclaw's cruel commands.

Forcing her gaze away, Hawkpaw suddenly remembered why she had slipped out of camp in the first place... Smokepaw!

She whirled around, eyes wide, fur puffed up against the cold. A quick survey showed that her closest friend was nowhere in sight. As Hawkpaw opened her jaws to taste the air, she thought she scented a whiff of Smokepaw charred on the breeze.

Hawkpaw bunched her muscles and bolted into a full on sprint. Her mind raced as she worried about what Smokepaw was doing and feeling, and how Dawnclaw would react when she realised her pet was missing.

In the swirl of thoughts and emotions, Hawkpaw missed the black fur and narrowed green eyes that glowered at her from under the shade of a bush.

Come on, come on!

Hawkpaw felt desperation dug in her as she searched for Smokepaw. Then, she remembered that she had wings. It was often something Hawkpaw forgot in the thrill of the chase. Smokepaw may have flown!

Flying in the air was a definite risk, since Hawkpaw knew she was close to CometClan land, and those cats had piercing eyes, but she knew she had to, in order to find Smokepaw before something terrible befell her....

Bunching her muscles, Hawkpaw leaped and sprang into the sky. She rose into the air with powerful wing beats, awe filling her as she realised how easy it had become to simply leave the ground.

Almost instantly, she saw Smokepaw.

Being in the sky had given her the ability to see more distance. As Hawkpaw narrowed her eyes, she saw a small scrap of dark grey fur, collapsed in a snowdrift. Panic shot into Hawkpaw, and she spiralled downward.

"Smokepaw?!"

The smoky she-cat looked up and at the exact same moment, Hawkpaw lost control of her downwards descent. The ground suddenly collided with her, and she wooshed into the snowdrift Smokepaw was laying on.

Sudden cold blasted her face and white fluffy snow sprayed up all around her. She choked on it, let out a hiss of surprise as cold encased her pelt.

"Hawkpaw! Are you okay?!"