Grayleg left the promontory as the last one, as he slipped through a bush he scented a familiar scent. One heartbeat later he felt claws, which left a burning trail at his shoulder. Pinned to the ground he opened his eyes again, over him lurked Beechfall. He could fell her ice cold claws at his throat. The amber eyes of the she-cat were narrowed to slits. Behind her Grayleg could also see the familiar tortoiseshell pelt of Sprucefur. Unable to talk, Grayleg looked at the two cats with pleading eyes. Beechfall hissed at him: "Do you really think we are such mousebrains, and wouldn't find out what you've done!?" Grayleg inimitably knew what she was talking about, they had found out that he was the one who killed there mother in the battle. One of the cats who had fought in the battle too, must have told them. The gray, brown she-cat gave Grayleg enough air, so he could talk again. "I swear in the name of StarClan..." he stammered, but got interrupted. Sprucefur now stood next to him. "That doesn't matter now! You did it, and you didn't even talk one word about it!" he almost screamed in Grayleg's ear.
He were unable to answer, as the guilt overwhelmed him. He woke up out of his thoughts, as felt that the weight on his neck suddenly disappeared. Beechfall had already stroke put to a hit. With pleading eyes he looked back to Sprucefur, but he only replied with a blank gaze. In his mind Grayleg already prepared for the pain. But just before the StormClan warrior, who pinned him down, could reach him another cat pounced on her. Quickly he recognized Gorsestripe's golden pelt. The deputy lunged onto Beechfall and quickly pinned her down to the floor, just like she did it with Grayleg. He stood there rooted next to the fighting cats, Sprucefur had interfered too. Grayleg's senses deactivated, everything around him blurred. As he caught himself again Grayleg could only see Gorsestripe standing in front of him.
Quickly the gray warrior shook the thoughts out of his head. Without saying anything more he went back on his way to the camp. "Why have these cats attacked you were on the journey together, weren't you?" Gorsestripe asked as he caught up with Grayleg again. "I, I hid something from them." he told stuttering. "And what?" Gorsestripe chopped after. "At the last battle against the StormClan, a warrior had tried to kill Meadowstar. And I..." he couldn't end his sentence. "You... killed her, haven't you?" even Gorsestripe had to force himself to bring that out. Grayleg only nodded shortly as an answer, understanding was in Gorsestripe's eyes. He tried to fathom further: "And why exactly did they attacked you, they should now that the warrior code itself, dictates that." "It was her mother..., I killed there mother!" Grayleg mewed directly after the deputy had ended. Gorsestripe nodded shortly, but the understanding in his eyes had disappeared. Only Grayleg could not keep the eye contact anymore, with ashamed dragging tail he looked down to his paws. Without talking another word the two cats went back to there camp. In front of the entrance Gorsestripe rapidly stopped him. He mewed: "If you want to talk about anything, I will listen to you. And wont tell anyone about it." Friendly he accepted the offer, and then silently went to the warriors den. Even if he did not eaten anything during the day, he didn't took anything from the rest of the Freshkillpile, He only wanted to sleep. Directly after he curled up in his nest he fell in a deep sleep.
The first sun shine came through the trees, as Grayleg went on a patrol led by Gorsestripe. They already had made half of the way at the StormClan border, as he noticed strange scent. "Perhaps one of their kits had crossed the border again." Iceclaw quipped. Gorsestripe didn't noticed the black and brown tom. He checked the air. "These aren't clan-cats!" he mewed with serious expression. "We've got to tell Meadowstar about that!" Grayleg objected. Gorsestripe agreed.
The warrior's heart started beating wildly. Are they already here? He asked himself. He had to think what Oscar told him, of the army of strays already had arrived in the forest the clans had to do something. Quickly the patrol had arrived back in the camp. Meadowstar seemed like he already noticed the three cats, 'cause he already stood in front of his den. Out of breath Gorsestripe stammered: "At the border... is a cat... that is not from a clan." Meadowstar seemed surprised. He mewed: "Show me." Turned to Grayleg he mewed: "And take Oscar with us." As ordered, Grayleg went to the Elders' den, where the stray sunned. As Oscar noticed the gray warrior, he turned around to him. Without talking a word Grayleg signalized the one-eyed tom to follow him.
At the entrance to the camp Meadowstar and the other cats from the patrol already waited. Led by Gorsestripe, they trudged through the undergrowth, until they've reached the place where they had smelled the strays. Oscar's eye widened: "They are here!" he mewed frightened. "Are these the cats which have attacked you back then?" Meadowstar asked again. With open mouth the stray nodded. Grayleg scrutinized the shaggy brown tom, his stomach clenched at the thought that the cats who have done this to Oscar might be in this forest. He was so lost in his thoughts, that Meadowstar already ordered the retreat. A call from Iceclaw pulled him back in the reality again. Quickly he turned around and followed his clanmates again.
Gorsestripe walked next to his leader. "What shall we do now?" he asked. He looked back to Oscar shortly. "The cats who have done this to him, are here..." He was interrupted by Meadowstar: "We don't know that! It could also be just a random Kittypet!" "Bit he could could assign this scent!" the deputy replied. Meadowstar let his head hang, he mewed: "I need to think." As they arrived back in the camp, Meadowstar directly went back in his den. Oscar set at the edge of the clearing, too. He even rejected the apprentice, whom he always liked to tell stories. Grayleg felt a pelt at his side, as he turned around he saw Dawnsun with two mice in her mouth next to him. Both set down. "What happened?" the brown spotted she-cat asked carefully. He leaned over to her and mewed silently: "We have found a scent at the border, and it could be from the strays." as he said that Dawnsun's green eyes widened. But before she could say something about that Grayleg wrapped his tail around her snout. "Don't tell anyone about that, we first need to be sure, alright?" he hissed silently. Dawnsun nodded.
It was after sunhigh, as Grayleg suddenly heard steps at the entrance of the camp. Other cats listened closer, too. One heartbeat later Redstar limped onto the clearing, supported by Beechfall. Blood dripped from a deep wound on the floor. "What do you want here?" a warrior yelled from a corner of the camp. "We were attacked!" Redstar panted. "Bring them to the medicine den!" Meadowstar yelled from the high-rock. Blackwing escorted the StormClan cats to his den. "I bet they wouldn't help us!" another cat mewed. "But we aren't the StormClan, we follow the warrior cat. Even if the aren't cats from our clan." the leader replied. With a contemptuously sight the warrior gave way.
"This might burn a bit now." Blackwing mewed before he pressed a mash out of different herbs onto Redstar's wound. He cried out in pain, Beechfall took a step back. Turned to the gray and brown she-cat Blackwing asked: "Who has done this to you?" She took a deep breath. "I don't really know, honestly. There were tow cats. They didn't smell like the came from one of the clans." she answered after all. "What did they looked like?" "I haven't saw them, they hid in the shadows. After they finished with us, they instantly ran away." the young warrior told. "It were those... rouges you warned us about!" Redstar mewed with his last strength turned to Beechfall. "You have to save your energy!" she mewed back. "I'm reluctant to say that, hes right." Meadowstar's voice switched from the entrance of the medicine cat den. "We have found there scents today on a patrol." the leader spoke. "And you are sure its the scent of the strays?" Beechfall asked restless. Meadowstar nodded. "Oscar could identify them, they have to be here." Meadowstar answered.
"Couldn't you please talk about that outside, could you?" asked Blackwing who already pushed his way out next to Meadowstar. "Redstar needs rest!" he yelled after them. As Meadowstar had left the den too, Blackwing leaned over to him. Silently he mewed: "Redstar has lost too much blood, he will probably lose a life." Meadowstar only nodded shortly and then jumped away. Blackwing locked back to his den, even if Redstar wasn't his leader, he felt guilty for him.
Grayleg came from the warrior's den to the medicine cat. "What have attacked them?" he asked silently. Blackwing answered: "Those strays you warned us about." The gray warrior's eyes widened. "Redstar will probably lose a life." he continued discouraged. "Does Meadowstar know about that?" Grayleg kept asking. Blackwing nodded as an answer. Thereupon, Grayleg turned around and went back to Dawnsun and the other warriors which sun bathed in front of the warrior den.
Strolling with a grinding tail Blackwing went back to his den. There he let himself fall down in his nest, in the hope that he could find some sleep. But while Redstar kicked wildly in his dreams, Blackwing couldn't find any rest. So he started to organize his herbs again, to cleat his thoughts. Completely lost in his thoughts, he didn't even noticed that Beechfall came back in the den. Startled, he flinched as she tapped on his shoulder with her tail.
"How is Redstar doing?" she asked while she looked at the now calmly sleeping Redstar. "If the wounds don't open again you can go home tomorrow." Blackwing answered nervously stepping from one paw to the other. Beechfall nodded shortly, and then curled up next to her Clan's leader. After Blackwing quickly ate a peace of fresh-kill, an apprentice had brought him, he curled up in his nest. Quickly he fell in a deep sleep.
YOU ARE READING
The chosen ones
Fanfiction"Four will save you. Peace will come and war go away." this prophecy was given to four young cats, what does that mean? How are they supposed to reunite their divided clans? And how will they save their forest from an unprecedented danger?
