Dawnstar's Legacy

Chapter 3: Realization

Awakening, Dawnstar padded out of the den and into the drenched camp. Slowey entering the warriors den, she creeped over to Thornpetal.

“Thornpetal?”

Thornpetal opened her eyes sleepily and looked at Dawnstar.

“Yes?”

“I am going to meet with Glider. I will trade myself for Amberpaw and ‘obey’ her wishes…”

Thornpetal only started at Dawnstar in disbelief.

“I can’t believe you, you’re willing to trade yourself away and may never get the chance to come back?!”

Dawnstar’s fur rose in irritation.

“Yes, for Amberpaw! Please tell the clans I was kidnapped by them and will be coming home soon by escaping. If possible, I will return in the morning. Don’t tell anyone the truth, not even Feircefang.”

Thornpetal nodded sadly and looked down at her nest.

“Okay, I won’t tell anyone, but you better come back, and fast. Chaos will consume the clans if you don’t fix things.”

Dawnstar nodded and rushed off into the forest, heading off to save her kit.

* * * * *

Dawnstar slowed down as she neared the Rogue’s camp. It reeked of blood, causing Dawnstar to choke slightly.

Almost as soon as she stopped coughing, a voice sounded in front of her.

“Hello, and what might you be doing here.”

Dawnstar snarled at the voice as the grey tom appeared.

“Relax, I’ll take you to Glider, I can tell you’re a tame kitty.”

Dawnstar hissed and unsheathed her claws.

“YOU'RE ASKING FOR ANOTHER SCRATCH! THIS TIME I’LL CLAW YOUR EYE OUT!”

The grey tom smirked and headed off to find Glider. Dawnstar grudgingly followed and calmed down.

After a few moments of standing around, Glider along with some of the other members of the Rogues appeared.

“Hello Dawnstar, I didn’t know that you would be joining us tonight.”

“I only came for Amberpaw, not to join you!”

Glider smiled and flicked her tail. Amberpaw stumbled past her and fell to the ground.

“Mom, is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me Amberpaw, go home.”

Amberpaw nodded and ran back to clan territory. Glider flattened her ears and looked around at the surrounding cats.

“Now, I guess I should introduce you to the group. This is Trots, Dasker, Kilo, Winter, Ruby, Tauriel, Smaug, and Ray. Oh, I guess you’ve already met Flare and Midna.”

Dawnstar looked at the cats around her and noticed that the scent from the tree or the white cat from before didn’t match any of the nearby cats.

“Where is the white cat, and the one that hid in the tree?!”

Glider flicked her ear then tail, signaling the two cats.

“The white cat before you is known as Huata, she is our medicine cat and shares a similar childhood with Frostfang and Shadow. This is Strider, our best tracker.”

Dawnstar cocked her head.

“Why are you telling me all this when I could return and explain everything that’s happened?”

“Because, if you do that, I’ll kill you and the rest of the clans before you could even react!”

Dawnstar shook her head and leaped backwards, trying to get away from the crazed cat.

Turning around, she pelted back to Fireclan territory and collapsed not far from inside the border.

* * * * *

Dawnstar awoke to see Amberpaw, Thornpetal, Nova, Snowstorm, Foxtail, Feircefang, and Waspheart standing around her.

“Are you okay?!”

Dawnstar nodded and grunted as she stood up. Snowstorm walked around Dawnstar’s side and sat down.

“When we found you, you had passed out from exhaustion and were injured.”

Dawnstar, in confusion, looked down at her flank to see cobwebs plastered to her side.

“You had thorns in your flank and were bleeding badly. If we had found you later, you could have developed an infection.”

Dawnstar nodded thankfully and began walking forward. Foxtail stepped forward and blocked her.

“Where do you think you’re off to, you’re injured and need to rest. Also, you need to tell us where to find Glider and the Rogues so I can kill that foxheart!”

Dawnstar shook her head and looked at Thornpetal and Frostfang.

“I need you two to speak with the other leaders and convince them to help Fireclan fight. We will need as many warriors as they can spare. When I was with them, Glider showed me her main members, which included Flare and Midna.”

Waspheart snarled at the mention of one his brother’s killers.

“I’ll kill that mange-pelt myself!”

Dawnstar flicked her ear, amused.

“Well you’ll be at the front of the patrol then. There are many more members and it will be hard to defeat them all. Thornpetal, you and Feircefang need to go to Darkclan. Frostfang and Waspheart, I need you two to go to Treeclan. Foxtail, Amberpaw, come with me. We’re going to Lightningclan. The Rogues have declared war with us and I will not allow them to destroy us!”