Striking Storms

Chapter 11

Thundersong woke up surrounded by a thick fog. Stormstar. "Stormstar? Are you there?" Thundersong meowed.

"Yes I am here." Stormstar meowed calmly. "I have come to warn you of something."

"What? What is it?" Thundersong asked impatiently.

"The great blue bird will be struck down by the poison in that lurks in the sky." he replied darkly.

"What doe that mean!"

"It is what will come to pass if you should fail to protect the ones you love." Stormstar meowed deeply. "Now go, it's time for you to awake. Your clan needs you."

Thundersong nodded and curled up where she had awoken. She drifted into sleep and every thing went black.

Thundersong awoke back in Willowclan. The early leaf-fall leaves were starting to drift from the trees and the branches on the Great Willow were beginning to bare. She rose to her paws, careful not to awake her sleeping mate. His wound is still paying a toll on him. She thought. She padded quietly out of the den and saw Bearnose and Fallenstar arranging patrols. Fallenstar noticed Thundersong and called her over.

"Yes Fallenstar?" Thundersong asked.

"Now that your a warrior, I would like you to lead a patrol with Heronflight, Lightningpaw, and Wildgaze over to the Amberclan border."

Lightningpaw. Thundersong thought bitterly, but she turned her attention back to Fallenstar.

"Of course Fallenstar! I'd be honored!" she meowed cheerfully. "I just hope we don't run into that fox heart Riverstar again." she growled.

"Riverstar and I came to an agreement. I told him he could have the useless marsh down at the end of our territory if he promised to stay off our territory." Fallenstar meowed.

"Oh." Thundersong meowed. "Why didn't you announce it at the gathering?"

"Riverstar didn't want to anger any of the cats, so he said to tell our clans separately." he answered.

"Oh, ok."

"You may leave now." he meowed.

Thundersong nodded and turned and darted to wake her mate. She pushed her way into the warrior's den and prodded Heronflight gently with her paw.

"Heronflight! Wake up! We had to go on patrol!" she meowed.

"Ok, ok I'm up." Heronflight meowed sleepily as he rose to his paws. "Who's leading it?" he asked.

"Me!"

"Thundersong that's great!" he meowed happily as he licked her cheek. "I'm so proud of you!"

Thundersong blushed and smiled. She turned ad padded out of the den with Heronflight at her side.

When they were outside the den, she spotted Lightingpaw and Wildgaze waiting at the entrance. Lightingpaw had a bitter look across her face and her claws were digging into the ground.

"Everyone ready?" Thundersong asked happily trying to cheer Lightingpaw up.

"Lead the way!" Wildgaze meowed as her stepped aside.

Thundersong dipped her head to the elderly warrior and trotted to the front of the patrol. She quickened her pace so that the patrol was speeding through the the forest. The patrol slowed down as they neared the border.

"Wildgaze, go up to the upper part of the border and scent mark there. Lightingpaw, go down to the lower part of the border. Heronflight and I will take the center. Report back here and come back immediately if you spot any Amberclan cats." Thundersong ordered. Wildgaze nodded and turned upward towards the tip of the border. Lightingpaw padded past her and directed herself to the lower tip of the border.

Thundersong glanced at Heronflight signaling him to follow her. He nodded and padded behind his mate as she followed the path along the border. She stood when they reached the scent marker and they both marked the mound.

Thundersong nodded at Heronflight and they turned back towards where they would meet Wildgaze and Lightingpaw.

Lightingpaw. What happened between us? she wailed silently.

They pushed there way through the undergrowth. She saw Wildgaze sitting patiently in the clearing.

"Anything to report?" She asked.

"Nothing unusual." The tom responded.

"Good."

But where's Lightingpaw?

"I'm going to go look for Lightingpaw." Thundersong meowed. "Stay here." The grey she-cat darted swiftly through the bushes looking for her sister. Where could she have gone? The edge of the border wasn't very far. Thundersong thought.

She froze when she heard rustling up ahead. She instinctively crouched down and crept forward. She got close enough so that she could see what was there.
Thundersong's eyes widened as she saw the brown tom from the gathering. What's he doing here!

She turned her head and spotted Lightingpaw coming towards the tom.  Then her heart nearly stopped. Lightingpaw wasn't approaching defensively, instead, she trotted up to the tom cheerfully and licked his cheek. The tom grinned and batted Lightingpaw playfully. They both tumbled over laughing.

Thundersong threw herself out of the bush. "What are you doing!" she screeched.