Swiftfire's Promise

Chapter 12

Gorsetail

"Run! Run as fast as you can from here and take us with you!" The shadowy figure rasped. From afar, rough meows were interrupting the usually quiet peace of the moors.

"What's going on here?" Lionstar demanded. The shadowy figure stepped up to Lionstar, revealing a brown tabby pelt. Swiftfire gasped in shock, he could recognize those icy eyes and broad shoulders from anywhere, this is was Gorsetail, the WindClan deputy!

Swiftfire scanned the other cats, he couldn't make out the queens and kits and the warrior looked a bit familiar but the ginger and white tabby recognized Ravenpaw, Gorsetail's apprentice.

"Please," Gorsetail begged, "please get us out of here!"

A brown and white tabby warrior stepped up, "please. If you won't do this for us then do it for my mate and kits," desperation clouded the tabby's amber eyes and the light grey queen was licking her two kits desperately. A pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with a rounded belly hung in the back, her eyes at her paws.

Lionstar exchanged a glance with Sorrelheart who only gave a quick nod of her head, "yes," the golden leader meowed, "but you have to tell us what's going on once we get to camp."

Gorsetail nodded eagerly, "yes anything!" He gasped.

"Wait we're taking them to our camp?" Swiftfire whispered to Lionstar. He still didn't trust these cats.

"We'll keep an eye on them," Lionstar whispered back, "come on," he meowed, turning back to the WindClan cats.

The harsh meows across the moor seemed to be getting closer and Lionstar quickly took off in a jog, the other cats ran with the kits in their mouths and Swiftfire stayed back behind Barkfeather to make sure he could keep up.

It was not long before the border was crossed and ThunderClan territory was in sight.

As Lionstar led the ThunderClan and WindClan cats into camp, other cats soon began to surround them.

"Who are they?"

"What are they doing here?"

"Why is WindClan in our camp?!"

"What's going on!"

The failed attempts at whispers rose from the crowd and Lionstar silenced them as a yowl erupted from his mouth.

"Let us hear what WindClan has to say!" He growled.

The brown and white warrior, who Swiftfire thought looked like Mudspalsh, but a skinnier, less fed version of him warily and opened his mouth to speak, though hesitation clouded his eyes. Gorsetail rested his tail on the warriors shoulder and smiled.

"My name is Gorsetail, I am the WindClan deputy," the tabby meowed clearly, ignoring the uncertain gasps rising from the ThunderClan crowd, "this is my apprentice Ravenpaw," Gorsetail motioned to his apprentice who glared at all of ThunderClan cats indignantly.

The blue-eyed deputy flicked his apprentice with his tail before speaking, "this is Mudsplash," the brown and white tabby dipped his head, "and this is Breezefur with Flykit and Ripplekit," the light gray she-cat instinctively wrapped he tail around two frightened looking kits.

"And this is Flowertail," Gorsetail finished. Swiftfire glanced at the pretty young she-cat, noticing that she looked, almost, guilty? Shaking it off, the tabby turned his attention to Gorsetail. The tom was practically legend. He was strong, very strong, he became a warrior early and almost immediately after was given an apprentice just so that he could become deputy. Gorsetail was practically a moon or two older than Swiftfire.