Legacy: Timeless (Book 2)

Chapter 45: Battle Plan

Chapter 45: Battle Plan

Half of a milky white moon hung high in a tenebrous sky, lost amidst the expanse of countless silver stars. The winter clouds had rolled away on a stiff, cold wind and left the night undisturbed for the first gathering of Clan cats for several seasons.

Scorch sat upon the crossing trunk to the sacred island, her tail hanging down and whisking over the sparkling ice as she watched the horizon of shadows for movement. Herself, Willowwater, Thistlebranch, and Flickertail had arrived just as the sun sank and had waited in nearly perfect silence for the arrival of the WindClan and ThunderClan cats.

"It's too cold to wait all night," Willowwater growled in a low voice to Thistlebranch, who nodded in agreement.

"Patience," Flickertail flicked his tail over his Clan-mate's ear. "They have to sneak away from a heavy guard in their own territory. We shouldn't be so impatient."

Willowwater snorted but stayed quiet as she sat down in the shadow of the exposed roots of the crossing tree. "I just hope those cats don't take this as a chance to cause trouble while we're gone."

Scorch flicked her tail crossly. "Those cats" were undoubtedly Nightshade, Storm, and Storm's two kits- Fling and Swish. The Clan cats hadn't been particularly happy to welcome them into their home but they'd made grudging accommodations for the queen and her kits and ruefully accepted Nightshade's medical help. Scorch had taken the blunt of the scowls and grumbles for them and made it her duty to shield the kits from the discontent about their presence. She was always playing with them and cheerfully making them acquainted with the cats in the camp and had grown quite attached to the three-moon old cats. Fling- the tom- and Swish- the she-kit- had quickly become attached to the warrior-code and Clan pride and through harmless activity endeared themselves to even some of the wary Clan cats.

Scorch had been especially surprised and pleased with Newtlight, who had quickly founded a friendship with Storm in the nursery and, of course, Mira got along well with just about every cat. Possibly an even more surprising friendship had been Nightshade and Painted. The two seemed to have formerly known each other as rogues and were quick to chat together at meal times and on walks that they took on the warmer evenings.

In any case, the cats were settling in and this was the perfect time to strike Pinefur down and free the lake from the remaining tyrants. This will all be over soon! Scorch curled her tail happily at the mere thought. She could already imagine it. Free of oppression just in time for the new season. It would taste even sweeter to be done with both troubles at once.

"I can see some cats," Thistlebranch's mew alerted them to two shadows approaching along the silvery, snowy shore from the direction of the two expected Clans. Tasting the air, Scorch identified the mingled scent of ThunderClan and WindClan- leafy and heathery.

"Good, we can finally get this over with," Willowwater growled, getting to her paws as Scorch leaped down beside her to greet the cats. The two shadow cats were approaching the opposite end of the tree-bridge and Scorch could identify the shorter, stouter shadow cat as Flightfrost from WindClan. But she didn't recognize the ThunderClan cat.

"That's Flightfrost from WindClan. It's good to see he made it through," Thistlebranch mewed. "He was one of WindClan's best. Apprentices were always told to avoid him in a fight back before this happened," the deputy added to Scorch.

Scorch's ears pricked, impressed that she'd been so lucky as to find an outstanding warrior like that to help her. "What about the ThunderClan cat?" she asked, nodding at the shadow following Flightfrost.

"I think it's Wispheart," Willowwater mewed, her eyes flashed with indefinite emotion and then faded back to their usual cool green.

"Who?" Scorch asked, turning to Flickertail.