Warriors An Awaiting Dawn: A Doused Star

Chapter 9

Viper Strike and Rue kept side by side. Magnolia was looking around. She padded to a bramble bush, with a gap covered by leaves. "Well? You weren't followed were you?" A voice hissed.
"Spare me of your dumb worries." Magnolia grumbled.
"Bitter of the deed you're doing for us? You know what Alpine wants Magnolia." Meowed a gray she-cat with black paws.
"I know Cove. Unfortunately." She rumbled. The she-cat she had named flicked her tail. "After that last raid on that one camp, there seemed to be fewer lot than usual. But now we know." Cove meowed, her voice silky. A mostly white and tabby splotched she-cat drew near her as the other cats retreated to lie in random spots on the grass.
"You don't want to do this. You don't have to." She mewed, rested her tail on Magnolia's. "I know Moth, but if they hurt you again.."
"I'm tough you know. I can make it just fine, but when they sent you away to do this... when I'm not lying beside you.." Moth bowed her head.
"Everything will work out. Just as I promised you then, and I'm promising now." Magnolia purred, touching her nose to her chin. "We'll talk again. I got to go now." She bounded off. Viper Strike and Rue looked at each other then hid deeper into the brambles. The she-cat didn't even notice their scent as she headed back to Wolf Fur, Violet Leaf, Grass Shadow, and Speckle Leap. The two she-cats made their way back for the camp, trying be ahead of her but silently. Carefully, Rue saw their home in sight, no sign of Magnolia. They got there before she did. They got in their positions, pretending to be asleep hearing a body press itself on the ground. Magnolia yawned and she went to sleep as crickets sang in the night.

The following day, Violet Leaf and Wolf Fur came back from hunting. They were both carrying squirrels together. Magnolia padded beside Speckle Leaf with a scrap of meat in her jaws. Viper Strike walked back with a snake. She nodded pleased with herself. "That thing nearly gave me a nasty bite." She meowed.
"You and those snakes. Pretty soon you'll start turning into one if you're not careful." Grass Shadow purred. The she-cat bared her two front teeth in amusement. "That'll be the day when blue squirrels exist." She meowed. Magnolia bit into her mouse. Viper Strike eyed her oddly while no cat was looking. Wolf Fur padded up. "Do you like the mouse?" He asked. "Better than Running Fern's fish I suppose." She purred in amusememt and the two shared mrows of laughter together.
"I'm going to go on a solitary patrol." Wolf Fur mewed.
"Be careful. Don't have any run ins with anything strange." She mewed. Her brother rolled his eyes. "You're sounding like dad." He muttered.
"Now I know another reason I left that stuffy old camp.." The ginger tabby paced in a tight circle. Wolf Fur padded away and faded from the underbrush. He padded away from the whisker straight pines to more open woodland. Something rustled and got his attention. A russet colored creature exploded from the bush and pinned him down. Fox!
The tom gasped and kicked it in the belly with his hindlegs and tore off the fox drew away. "Over here hairy face!" Yowled a voice and hissing and screeching sounded as the tom hid in a bush, feeling as much of a frightened kit as ever. White and ginger fur flashed and the tom hissed at the fox as it ran away, blood streaking its fur.
"Are you okay?" The tom asked Wolf Fur. It looked like a kittypet. The young cat crawled out of the bush and blinked up at him. "I think so. That thing could have killed me!" He panted.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" The kittypet asked. "No. I don't think so. Thanks for saving me." Wolf Fur meowed.
"Not a problem. My name's Fou. I'm more of an adventurous kittypet. Certainly more adventurous than Malise ever was that bother." The tom purred to himself. "Oh! Where are my manners! Your name?"
"It's Wolf Fur." The tom responded, curling his tail tightly around his paws.
"Peculiar name. I like peculiar. I think I've heard of your type of cat from a friend of mine." Fou mewed.
"I'm a forest cat. Some of us aren't that bad." Wolf Fur meowed making his way for home. Fou followed after him. "Interesting. Tell me more." He sounded intrigued.