the stars aligned | 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Chapter 7

"I said, what are you doing here?" the calico spoke again, her words harsher this time.

Echo almost flinched away from her hostility. This wasn't how she imaged the Clans — this wasn't how the cat acted in her vision. He was welcoming and kind, not angry at them.

Sylvester gazed at her, amber eyes calm. "Greetings. My name is Sylvester, and these are my companions." he flicked his dark tail at the others. "I am sorry for intruding, but our home has just burnt down. We need somewhere to stay and one of us suggested the Clans."

Echo was thankful he didn't say who.

The grey-brown tabby was staring at Claire curiously. "I know you," he said, the hostility lacing his tone dimming down a little. "You've been here before. Claire, was it?"

Claire dipped her head. "That's right. Carpblossom?"

The tabby tom nodded slowly. "Why have you come back?"

"Like I said, we need a place to stay," Sylvester cut in. He looked at Claire. "You know these cats?"

Claire shrugged. "Just their names, and only two of them. Carpblossom and Dappleshine?" She dipped her head to the grey-brown tabby and then the calico molly.

The calico, Dappleshine, narrowed her eyes but nodded. "Claire. It's been a long time," she meowed, and then turned her amber gaze back to Sylvester. "Very well. Come with us."

Sylvester dipped his head gratefully. He gathered the group with a flick of his tail and stepped over the border. Echo followed after him, taking a deep breath as she stepped over the scent markers. She was in Clan territory. Finally. She tried to squash down her worry, but it was difficult with the blue-grey tom from her visions standing a tail-length away from her.

"Carpblossom, Mistpaw, stay and mark the borders," Dappleshine ordered. "Rainclaw, help me escort these loners to camp."

Carpblossom and the small white molly, Mistpaw,
nodded and turned back to their task.

"Rainclaw?" Claire spoke, looking curiously at the fluffy blue-grey tom. "You were just a kit when I last saw you."

"It's been a long time," Rainclaw meowed plainly.

Dappleshine turned with a flick of her tail and led the cats through the trees. The forest wasn't large — Echo could already see the meadows and marsh on the other side. It was dotted with undergrowth and rivers, just like her vision. It stretched over most of the territory, with the sun beating down on them and the breeze ruffling their fur as they stepped out of the forest.

Echo padded beside Cloudy and Claire, the former whose eyes were wide in exitement and the latter who was looking at the ground and frowning. Claire's body was tense. Echo could tell something was bothering her, but she didn't think much of it, instead keeping half an eye on the dark blue-grey tom, Rainclaw.

She was half scared he was going to lunge at her, claws unsheathed. But she knew that wasn't likely — in her visions, she was killed alone at the edge of a gorge. Plus he didn't look threatening, instead friendly, if a little cautious of them.

Sylvester quickly introduced Aquarius, Cloudy and Echo too the Clan cats, but they appeared to be barely listening. Echo wasn't sure what she thought of these Clan cats — they were not exactly what she had imaged.

"Your territory is huge," Cloudy commented as they padded through the meadow. Puddles dotted the ground, probably from the recent rain.

"It's enough to support us," Dappleshine meowed briskly. "Our camp is just over there." She twitched her ears forward to the more marshy land before them.