Warriors Deadly Echoes: Dimming Starlight

Chapter 15

The dawn sun shone just above the hole of the cave. Heronfeather yawned. "Are we going home today?" Rookpaw asked.
"Yes." The white tom replied.
"I can't wait." She purred. Fernstripe purred.
"Thank you Clan cats." Grizzly, a tribe cat meowed.
"Of course." Beetail mewed, her feather soft tail brushing against the cave ground.
Songcloud stood beside Beetail. "We're all ready to go." She meowed.
Beetail nodded. "Is there anyone who wanted to come with us?" She asked. "Rabbit!" Cedarpaw blurted out. Beetail blinked. Rabbit nodded her head.
Cedarpaw nuzzled her purring. Rabbit purred as well, her stubby tail moving. The AshClan deputy's gaze softened. "Very well, it's time we left," Beeail heard a saddening meow. "My daughter!" It was her mother, Willow. "I haven't seen you in moons and we have just found each other.." Her mew was soft and sad.
"Mother. I am not comfortable in the moutians. And you could come with me." Her daughter purred soothingly. "Oh thank the stars." She purred. Rabbit smiled at the fact that her mother was happy. Willow smiled brightly.
Beetail nodded her head. "Come." She lead the way down the mountains. Until they reached the bottom, they padded through the foliage, mossy dirt on their paw pads as they made their way to their home. Rabbit was walking beside Cedarpaw and Willow. Olivepaw looked on as she brung up the rear, slightly frowning.
He wants to tell her but he doesn't know how.
Blossomclaw halted curling her lip. "Scent." She thrusted past Beetail and pressed her nose to the ground.
"Well?" Songcloud pressed, her white pelt starting to spike along her back. Blossomclaw stiffened. "The wolves... They're back in the forest..." She mewed just below a whisper. Songcloud's pelt bristled uncontrollably and her eyes darted around. "What!?" She gasped.
"Th-that's not possible! The wolves have disappeared from our land!" Heronfeather yowled.
Beetail stepped forward. "Blossomclaw are you sure?" fear traced softly in her voice.
Large paw prints tracked through the forest, a crushed bush straight ahead. "Come on! We need to move!" She snapped and blasted forward.
Two cats raced past her.
Beetail knew their pelts. "Spottedheart! Lithefoot!" She yowled.
The calico she-cat whipped her head. "Beasts! Attacking the forest! We were just coming back from patrol!" Spottedheart panted.
"What were you running from?" meowed Blossomclaw. "Was it wolves?" Her green eyes were for the first time filled with worry.
"Yes! They've somehow returned!" Lithefoot replied.
A howl filled the forest. Then another and another! How many were there? Beetail flattened her ears. "We need to go now." she meowed. "They'll be here soon."
"Where's Foxstar?" Rookpaw asked them.
"Foxstar, he should be in camp but if he's not I'll tale a patrol to find him." Beetail meowed gazing around. Blossomclaw sniffed the air. "His scent is at the gathering place!" She meowed. "Well what are we waiting for?!" Olivepaw ran forward.
Beetail nodded and dashed off towards Foxstar's scent. The gathering place was filled with cats. There was a strange thick furred cat that stood up on the rock beside Onestar.
"Who is he?" Rabbit asked.
Beetail looked around. "Where is Foxstar, we have grave news." She meowed raising her voice.
Foxstar raised his tail.
Beetail sighed and looked up at her leader. "Blossomclaw scented wolves and then we hearf howls." she mewed. "Spottedheart and Lithefoot saw their tracks..."
His green eyes darkened. "Oh StarClan no.." He muttered.
"Who's the cat on the rock beside Onestar of WolfClan?" Blossomclaw raised her head to the thick furred tom on the rocks.
A multitude of voices filled the gathering cats.
"Forget the cat, the wolves are back!"
"What do we do?"
"What about our young?!"
Yowls of anger and fear rose louder. "First these cats come walking into our forest," Slatetooth flicked his tail to a band of strange cats. "Then the wolves come back!" He growled.
"Everyone calm down!" A voice boomed.
They looked at Onestar. "We have dealt with the wolves before!" He yowled. "You only say that because the creature's in your Clan's name.." Clawpelt of AshClan rumbled.
"How dare you?!" Feralstorm yowled. Blackflight let his claws slide out. "We all had to face the wolves!! Not just us!" He pointed out.
The strange cat to the returning cats on the rock was looking confused.
"Bravestar. Please speak your thoughts." He meowed.
All eyes were on the tom. Bravestar cleared his throat. "I have faced dogs. If wolves are anything like you say they are, together we should have no problem." He concluded. The cats of the now five Clans of the forest meowed at low anxious but hope filled voices to each other at the daylight gathering.