Bloodflower

Chapter 12

"Get back to camp now," Rosepaw hissed to her sister. "Tell Adderstar that the rogues have intruded on SunClan territory again."

"The rogues?" Dawnpaw squeaked, her eyes wide with horror. "No! I'm not leaving you behind with them nearby!"

"You have to!" Rosepaw replied urgently. "I need to track them so we know where exactly they are. Just go, I'll be fine!"

She gave her sister a shove in the direction of the SunClan camp. Dawnpaw gazed at her a moment longer, her eyes full of fear and despair, and then plunged into the undergrowth.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Rosepaw checked which way the wind was blowing. Good, I'm downwind. Hopefully that will make it easier to track the rogues without being detected.

She stalked through the bracken, following the scent of the rogue cats. It wasn't long before she heard voices up ahead, and pricked her ears to hear what they were saying.

"I don't see why we even live in the neighborhood. There's so much more prey here!"

"Yeah, and there's also foxes and badgers that will eat you alive. The neighborhood is much safer."

Neighborhood? Maybe that's the rogues' word for the Twolegplace. Rosepaw crept closer to the sound of the voices, her heart beating so loud that she was almost certain the cats up ahead could hear it.

"Our group has more than a dozen cats!" the first voice exclaimed. "Foxes and badgers would be no match for us."

"Then what about those wild cats?" the second voice meowed. "Fauna, did you ever think that they might not be the friendliest cats around here? Have you smelled how many of them live around here?"

"No, because I'm too hungry to focus on smelling anything I can't eat," the she-cat called Fauna muttered.

"Then open your nose for once!" the other she-cat snapped. "These wild cats will tear us to pieces if they don't welcome strangers."

"Okay, okay, keep your fur on, Poppy," Fauna hissed. "I'll keep watch for wild cats, and you can do the hunting."

The cats stopped talking, and only the occasional rustling of undergrowth signaled that they were still there.

That, and their disgusting smell, Rosepaw added to herself. Hot anger boiled in her belly that these cats had gotten away with hunting here for so long. She hoped that Dawnpaw was already at the camp, and that Adderstar was organizing a battle patrol. Oh, I can't wait to teach these fox-hearts a lesson!

A pigeon sounded an alarm call, which was abruptly cut off by a flurry of rustling.

"Nice catch," she heard Fauna mew.

"Thanks," Poppy replied. "It's quite plump. Do you want some?"

"Of course I do!" Fauna scoffed.

Rosepaw heard the pattering of pawsteps that signaled Fauna trotting over to Poppy and the pigeon. It can't take that long to get to the camp, she thought impatiently. These cats are much farther into the forest than usual. Get a move on, Dawnpaw!

Almost as if Dawnpaw had heard her, the bracken behind Rosepaw rustled quietly; she almost didn't hear it. SunClan's familiar scent wafted strongly over her, and she stifled a sigh of relief.

Five cats slithered out like shadows: Hazelfrost, Thumpstep, Minnowpaw, Quickstorm, and Cherryfur. Their eyes glinted with fury and thoughts of the fight that was approaching.

Rosepaw swept her tail in the direction of the rogues, who were still quietly hunting just a few tail-lengths away.

Quickstorm—Rosepaw guessed he was the leader of the patrol—nodded briskly at his daughter. He waved his tail slowly from side to side, silently ordering the SunClan cats to spread out. She crept to the left with Minnowpaw followed behind her.