Sabre: The Grasslands Book 1

Chapter 12

The next morning Kypress was able to go on a patrol with Kife. "Are your ribs doing okay?" Kife asked with a concerned expression. "Yeah, they're fine." Kypress said as she stood up taller. "Good." Kife smiled. "Hey, are you and Saria mates? No one ever told me!" Kypress said jokingly. "Well, no we aren't but we grew up together." Kife said as his fangs curved in a smile. 'Interesting.' Kypress thought as she painfully walked along, her ribs stinging. "Everything seems in shape. Dagzer said to watch out for TarClan. He thinks he's seen a sabertooth wandering in the forest." Kife said looking around cautiously. Kypress and Kife trotted along the borders of SwiftClan and occasionally sniffed the air and leaves. "Wait! TarClan! The scent is on this tree." Kypress told him as she clawed the black and gray fur out of the tree. Kife growled. "They've been here. It looks like TarClan's leader, Tarren. His scent is all over this tree. How dare he mark his territory on ours!" Kife snarled. "Let's go back to camp and tell Dagzer. He won't be thrilled." Kife said as he turned around to go back to camp. Kypress narrowed her eyes at the fur and hobbled along. Dark clouds hovered above and the frost from the morning had melted off the flat rocks. It started drizzling. Kypress and Kife burst into the leader's den. "We have found Tarren's fur and markings. He's been on our borders." Kife growled to Dagzer. Dagzer's yellow eyes narrowed and he roared. "I will send out Acre and some other cats out to see if that stupid mammoth is still around. Tarren won't get away with this." Dagzer told them. "Go eat, I will deal with this." Kife and Kypress picked out two voles and laid down on the rock underneath a tree. GrassLily hustled Vice inside the den. Lunea and Renn went inside their den. "Do you think the clans will go to war?" Kypress asked. "Probably not. The clans haven't been in a war in years. Dagzer and Tarren are sworn enemies, even though they're cousins." Kife remarked as he tore into his jumbo vole. "They're cousins!? I didn't even know that." Kypress said as she gulped down her vole and licked the blood off of her claws. Kife nodded. That afternoon, it was cold. There was a cold wind and crisp, cold air. Kypress's nose had become numb. The whole clan had fallen asleep. Afternoon naps, especially for the patrollers was rare. Dagzer had announced that Tarren was in the territory and to keep Cubs close to camp at all times. Acre had proudly sat beside his father. Kypress had stayed out for awhile. Now, the rain came again, it pattered on her head and nose and hit her fur. The drops slapped against the rock. Kypress walked castle to her den. A cozy layer of grasses, leaves and twigs had been freshly laid on the hard rock floor. The resting spot looked very inviting to Kypress. She climbed into the den and soon drifted off into a warm sleep.