Warriors: The Trail of Centuries

Chapter 29

     Spottedpath sat anxiously with Mirepelt and Greythorn as Nightstream repeated the plan they had devised for their mission. It felt as though an unspoken fear hung in the air—the fear that they would fail this, and that everyone involved would be killed. It was such a daunting possibility that they didn't even have to acknowledge it.

     "So, according to our plan, we go together as far as the Gathering Stones. Once we're there, Mirepelt and Greythorn will remain in the hedges at Tallrock to keep a lookout for patrols. Deadeye has been sending patrols into the newly stolen territory, so we have to be careful. Spottedpath and I will move ahead to retrieve the kits from the camp." Nightstream's voice carried nothing but confidence, and Spottedpath couldn't help the admiration she felt for the grey molly.

     "Why her?" Greythorn asked with a nod in Spottedpath's direction, though her tone was curious more than it was suspicious. 

     Nightstream hesitated for a moment. She sent a glance in Spottedpath's direction, who gave her a soft nod, before responding. "Spottedpath was born in the Gorge, just like me. Plenty of us would recognize her, but some would turn a blind eye or even mistake her for her father from a distance. Deadeye has recently gotten tangled up with some rogues—none of us know where they came from, or how many more there are, but they won't recognize Spottedpath. She knows how to hide from anyone else."

     "Greythorn and I would just stand out," Mirepelt concluded slowly, looking thoughtful. "That makes sense. We've never even seen the camp, so we could draw attention to ourselves by being clumsy."

     With a final, decisive nod to one another, the four of them took off into the night. Nightstream led them through the territories as the moon slowly rose into the sky; though clouds threatened to cover it, it had barely moved since Muddapple and Spottedpath had returned from the Starfalls. Likewise, Spottedpath's mind hadn't rid itself of the thought of Hawkscar. Seeing her mentor had saddened her, but in a soothing kind of way.

     As they raced through the forest, the four of them merely shadows in the night, white specks of snow began to fall from the sky. It was the first time Spottedpath had ever seen snow, and under different circumstances, she might have been enthralled by the mystical, fluffy flecks. She hardly paid attention to it, however, as she caught scent of a Gorge patrol just as they approached the Gathering Stones.

     Spottedpath exchanged a dark glance with her three companions and together they ducked into the hedges that bordered the clearing. While the other three stayed as far away as possible, Spottedpath crept to the very edge of the undergrowth and peered around the branches.

     "I'm just saying this is a terrible time to have kits!" Redflight spoke, his tail twitching in agitation. "Days after Thornheart moves into the nursery, Deadeye brings some cutthroat rogues into our camp?"

     ". . . You do remember that we've kidnapped the children of the Clans, right?" Fernspring murmured after a moment. The tone she took nearly broke Spottedpath's heart—she'd never heard her sister sound so distraught.

     "I never said I was okay with that, either," Redflight muttered quickly. "And I trust Thornheart to look after them, but . . . I don't know."

     "I didn't raise you to be so soft," Rocksplash spat at him. She was visibly furious with Redflight's conflicted feelings, but at the end of her sentence, Spottedpath swore she heard the molly's voice falter. She perked her ears and craned her head forward, desperate to hear their interaction more clearly.

     "His concerns are valid, Rocksplash," Coldstep muttered. For once, she sounded unsure of herself—much unlike her brothers, Frostheart and Snowface. "Ever since Hawkscar's death, things have felt off within the camp, and now we have strangers living in our home? Welcomed there by our own leader?"