Warriors: Impending Storm (ON PAUSE)

Chapter Five

Quail Feather could feel herself growing weary as she followed the stranger, her paws feeling rough and sore as she ran, dodging between trees, tripping over roots and crawling through thick undergrowth. Shrouded in the shadows of the pine trees, the newcomer's pelt could barely be seen, but Quail Feather noticed that the tomcat's fur might be mottled or spotted, like a yearling fawn's, and his legs were long and supple, his tail whippy and thin like a tree branch. He was obviously young and powerful, and a talented hunter like herself-but he was no Tribe cat. Quail Feather knew of loners and rogues-tough and often disheveled cats from beyond the forest who came from the stone nests of the strange Twolegs the elders often spoke of-but this cat was healthy and his pelt glossy and well-groomed. In her fear and desperation she had trusted his words, but as she came closer and closer to home, she began to feel suspicious of the newcomer. She cursed herself for trusting so blindly in a strange cat, but at the time her life was in danger. Perhaps it still was.

"Who are you?" she called after him, crouching low as she began to crawl her way through another thick thorn bush. Tiny spikes tugged at her pelt, making her hiss in annoyance. "How do you know the way to my camp?"

"I've lived in this forest for many moons." The tom did not glance over his shoulder when he spoke. He continued at a quick pace, showing no signs of fatigue or tiredness, and Quail Feather was finding it harder and harder to keep up. "I know every rock and tree branch and speck of sand here. Do you?"

Quail Feather was not sure what he meant. "I was born here," she mewed, flattening her ears as a low tree branch seemed to swoop down to grab at her. "I've been treading this forest for eight moons."

"You are young." The tom's mew was filled with amusement. "I have lived here longer than you, it seems."

"You are no Tribe cat." Quail Feather meowed accusingly. "How could you possibly know this forest better than I?"

"Not all cats that live in the forest are Tribe cats."

This gave Quail Feather pause. Never did she imagine that other cats lived alongside the Tribe, but she supposed that it was possible. After all, had she not looked to the Starpool for moons, wondering just what sort of life existed beyond the endless waters of the indigo lake? Perhaps I should have looked closer to home...

"Does Cloud Chaser know about you?" she mewed.

The tom did not answer.

"Our Tribe's leader, Cloud Chaser? Have you met him?" Quail Feather pressed, picking up her pace. She began to pant, her skin feeling hot beneath her fur, but she had to know. Did this stranger have any ties to the Tribe at all? Who was he? Where did he come from?

Still, the tom did not answer. Quail Feather broke into a sprint, trying to catch up to him, but he was always several paces ahead, staying far enough away from her that he was still shrouded in shadow. Quail Feather mumbled under her breath. Slow down, for Ancients' sake! She hissed internally.

Suddenly, the stranger disappeared. It was as if he had dropped off of the edge of the earth, and Quail Feather was not prepared for his sudden departure. Startled, she dug her paws into the ground, trying to stop herself as she careened forward, but she could not slow down quickly enough. Within the span of a moment, Quail Feather knew why her guide had disappeared. As she came closer and closer to the place where he had vanished, she could see the edge of a cliff-a drop off. She squealed in fear, tensing her muscles so strongly that she felt as if they might burst. She was going to fall!