For generations, four clans have shared the forest. But ThunderClan is in severe peril, and the other three Clans grow stronger every day. In the midst of this turmoil, appears two house-cat's named Rusty and Star... who both may turn out to be the...
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⊰᯽⊱┈──╌❊❊╌──┈⊰᯽⊱
THEY HEADED BACK the way they had come. The moon had disappeared behind a bank of clouds. It was dark, but at least the Thunderpath was quieter now. The only monster they heard was far off in the distance. The cats crossed the path together and pushed their way through the hedge on the other side.
Whitepaw could feel her muscles grow stiff with tiredness as they hurried on, she noticed that the others felt the same, but Bluestar kept a swift pace with her nose thrust forward and her tail high. Tigerclaw loped beside the blue leader. Firepaw followed a few paces behind with Graypaw, but Ravenpaw was flagging and Whitepaw was stuck in the middle.
"Keep up, Ravenpaw!" Tigerclaw growled over his shoulder.
Ravenpaw flinched and bounded forward until he caught up with Whitepaw.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yes," Ravenpaw panted, not meeting her green eyes. "Just a bit tired."
They scrambled down a deep ditch and up the other side. Ravenpaw fell back to speak with Graypaw and Firepaw, while Whitepaw enjoyed the sounds of the night; but still keeping up with Bluestar and Tigerclaw.
After some time, they all slipped under a hedge into a cornfield that glowed silver in the moonlight and followed the ditch that ran around its edge. They then leaped through a fence, out of the cornfield and made it to the path that led past the Twoleg nest and the dogs. Whitepaw looked up and noticed the sky was tinged with red. The sun will be rising soon.
"Look!" Firepaw called and Whitepaw looked to see an unfamiliar cat jump out in front of the two warriors.
"A loner!" Graypaw hissed. The three apprentices behind Whitepaw hurried beside her.
The stranger was a stout black-and-white tom, shorter than the warriors, but well-muscled.
"This is Barley," Bluestar explained to the apprentices as they caught up. "He lives near this Twoleg nest."
"Hi!" meowed the cat. "I haven't seen any of your Clan for some moons. How are you, Bluestar?"
"I'm well, thank you," replied the leader. "And you, Barley? How's the prey been running since we last past this way?"
"Not so bad," Barley replied, with an amiable gleam in his eye. "One good thing about Twolegs—you'll always find plenty of rats nearby." The black-and-white tom went on: "You seem in more of a hurry than usual. Is everything alright?" Tigerclaw looked at Barley. A growl rumbled deep in his chest. Whitepaw could sense her mentor was suspicious of the loner's curiosity.
"I don't like to be away from my Clan too long," Bluestar answered smoothly.
"As always, Bluestar, you are tied to your Clan like a queen to her kits," observed Barley, not unkindly.
