Dawnstar's Message

Chapter 27

Dang, you guys! I got like 130 reads in a day... (small victory in the eyes of those of you with 100,000+ reads) YAY! Thanks guys! Enjoy!~

CHAPTER 27

Snowy awoke to a paw prodding her side and a whisper. "Snowy, wake up."

It was Harvey. Snowy jolted up when his paw poked her side. She snorted.

Harvey chuckled quietly. "C'mon, it's moonhigh. Cardinal's asleep."

Snowy lifted her fluffy white body off the hay-nest and shook the prickly bits off her pelt. She checked to see that Harvey's troublesome littermates were asleep--- they were, thankfully--- and followed Harvey out from behind the hay bales.

Square holes in the metal roof illuminated patches of moonlight on the hay-covered floor. The barn was in shadows. Had she not known of the many cats that lived here, she would have guessed it abandoned. But she knew better--- Harvey, Snowy, Cardinal and Speck all slept in the darkest corner, shielded by hay bales. The eldest cats slept against the wall, under the loft. The queens and their kits slept opposite them, beside the heater that no longer worked, and the strongest cats slept atop the loft, higher up than every other cat.

Harvey twitched his black tail and let Snowy follow him towards the queen. As discussed, the three EarthClan kits Flamekit, Stormkit and Leafkit were awake and waiting for the them. They slowly, carefully detached themselves from the other two kits, Shadow and Ivy, and tip-toed away from their new companions. Sasha snorted and wiggled her paws as the kits moved, but she went back to sleep.

Snowy looked to Harvey for what to do next. His plan to escape: they would get the kits, and sneak away from the barn in the night. Granted that no cat discovered their absence, they would travel the half-day journey back to EarthClan. Harvey wouldn't let Snowy leave, given that they'd been best friends for a quarter moon and he didn't want to be friend-less again. So, all five of the young cats would trek to the forest Clans again.

They snuck out, tails down and pawsteps silent, into the freezing night forest. The moon gleamed on the snow that was slowly but steadily melting. Snowy sighed; she liked the peace and quiet of night. Harvey looked around excitedly, but turned around. His gaze was wistful. He would miss his brother and sister, even if they caused him stress. Snowy could see it in his grassy green eyes. Harvey looked back at his companion and whispered, "They'll be well off, I am sure of it." Snowy nodded.

They tip-toed off, with Stormkit and Leafkit dangling from Snowy's and Harvey's jaws... unaware that a villainous spy had discovered their plan.

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Cardinal opened one amber eye. He heard scuffling on the hay, and saw Harvey and his little she-cat friend Snowy. They got up, and whispered. Cardinal froze and let his chest rise and fall, imitating sleep, when Snowy looked towards him. When he opened his eyes again, the two were gone.

Yeah right! Cardinal thought to himself. You're not sneaking out on my watch! He decided to get up and scout the suspicious situation.

He got up, stretched his long legs, and padded after them.

The barn was dark, but his eyes adjusted. He just saw a flash of white and heard the slightest pitter-patter of tiny paws. "I got them now," he whispered to no one in particular.

He raced over to the decaying barn doors as quietly as he could without waking anyone. He peered around the doors, squeezed through the brambles, and saw Harvey and Snowy with the kits. Goodness, those mouse-brained traitors! Cardinal scowled.

His single, seemingly heroic thought as he dashed back into the barn: I gotta tell Fire! To protect the kits!! Not as heroic as I thought, he remarked later.