Web of Lies

vi

"Alright, everyone!" Robinflight called out, her voice loud and commanding. The rioters turned to look at her, possibly even angrier than before. "We're going to round you up no-"

"Round us up?" One cat, who seemed to have started the riot, sneered. "Like pigs for slaughter?"

"Don't be dramatic," Rowantail added. "We won't hurt any of you as long as you all comply. However, if you fight back, then we will fight back too. Understood?"

Shouting broke out among the crowd, protesting being imprisoned.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Quailfern shouted. "You guys are hurting others. In MossClan, when you hurt others, then you're punished. If you're so proud of MossClan, you'd understand, so let's go."

Robinflight led the crowd while Quailfern and Rowantail herded the sides. Some cats snarled and bit, but they just shoved them back in line.

Of course, though, something went wrong.

"Ngh-!" Quailfern cried as a cat pounced on his neck. He crumpled to the ground, and the entire herd was sent into a frenzy.

"Hey!" Rowantail called out, throwing a cat that tried to pin her down across the herd. More cats jumped on her, scratching and hissing viscously. Rowantail tried to fight back, but the cats came fast.

Robinflight leaped into action, suddenly aware that it was just her against a herd of angry cats. Her run slowed to a stop, and fear flowed through her body. What was she doing?

No, no, she told herself. She had to do the most important thing first.

She spotted Rowantail, the dark gray she-cat screeching and trying to throw the cats off of her. Robinflight ran over to the heap of cats, picking up the smallest one by the scruff and flinging them away. The cat scrambled to get up, but they were injured, and managed to crawl away into the bushes.

Rowantail continued to fight back, hitting Robinflight in the face while doing so.

"Stop fighting!" Robinflight demanded, dodging angry cats and Rowantail's fighting. "You're making my job so much harder than it needs to be!"

To Robinflight's surprise, Rowantail obeyed. She managed to pull Rowantail out of the cats, dragging her behind a nearby boulder. The she-cat was torn up, cuts and scratches all over her. The top half of her ear had almost been torn off completely, hanging on by a sliver. Blood was splattered all over her, and old scars were ripped open. Tufts of gray fur were pulled out crudely, leaving bloody patches where skin had been torn out as well.

"Are you okay?"

"No, do I look okay?" Rowantail hissed.

"Uh, are you good enough to walk?"

"If you can distract the cats then maybe I can get backup," Rowantail answered.

"I need you to get Willowberry and backup, I'll distract the cats, do you think you can do that?"

"I suppose... how're you going to distract them?"

"Let me worry about that." Robinflight glanced at the hoarde of angry cats sniffing around for the two. They didn't have much longer before their hiding place was discovered. "For now, you need to get those cats."

"Alright." Rowantail pulled herself to her paws, groaning in pain as she did. Rowantail gave Robinflight a curt nod, than slinked into the shadows. Robinflight watched until she was safely out of sight, then turned to face her next problem.

The rioters.

Robinflight took a deep breath, preparing herself. She could be killed, other cats sure had been. The cats would tear her apart, leaving her in state worse than mangled prey.