Warriors: Clockwise

<------ Chapter Fourteen ------>

The buildings on this side of the city were taller, darker than the ones they had already passed. Hero couldn't help but notice the strange silence of the city. Usually the streets bustled with Twolegs moving back and forth going about their business. But today there was nothing, and the lack of movement left everything unsettling and quiet.

"Why don't you ever listen?!"

Well, except for the noise his companions were making.

"I don't have to listen to you. You aren't my mentor," Swiftpaw said flatly.

"A Warrior is supposed to be able to work in a group with their fellow Clanmates. Snowpaw does it! Everyone here does it! What's your problem?" Jayflight hissed.

Hero turned his head towards them, intent on interrupting the conversation, but as he did, he noticed a little flicker of movement in the corner of his eye. He turned around fully, but nothing was there. The air wasn't even disturbed.

Confused, the brown tom turned to face the front, only to startle at another movement seen out of the corner of his eye. He could feel the weight of a stare on his back, pressing into his pelt. He turned completely around, scanning the empty streets. Nothing. His body turned cold.

"Are you alright, Hero?" Lilypool asked. "You've turned your head repeatedly over the last hour to look over your shoulder at nothing."

He flicked his tail decisively. "I feel like something is following us." He kept his eyes moving, scanning constantly behind him.

There!

A white tail disappeared between two buildings. Motioning with his tail for the cats to be silent and follow him, he lead the way as they crept closer to the gap between the buildings. Hero thought he could make out a pelt within the shadows, possibly black or dark brown, then it was gone.

Hero stopped, squinting. How could a cat disappear like that? It was almost as if the cat was made of shadows. Suddenly, a large group of cats leapt out from behind the building. Hero only had time to notice that these cats were definitely tangible, unlike his elusive stalker seemed to be, before they were upon him and his friends.

A powerful white tom with black stripes crashed into Hero, knocking him over and clawing at his stomach. To Hero's relief, the cat didn't seem to be aiming for his throat. Hero kicked upwards, but the cat was too heavy to throw off. Hero raked his claws across his attacker's stomach, causing him to leap away to avoid Hero's claws.

Hero's stomach was covered with blood and it burned as he struggled back to his paws. He caught a glimpse of Lilypool trying desperately to defend against two cats at once before the black-and-white tom was upon him again, and Hero didn't have the strength to resist. He fell over, clawing vainly at his attacker as the cat stepped over him and towards Snowpaw and Swiftpaw.

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The two apprentices fought back-to-back against the enemy cats. Right now they were easily beating a small, brown-and-white patched tom, obviously not much of a fighter. He clawed weakly at Snowpaw, but a particularly vicious swipe from Swiftpaw sent him running away from the battle.

"Take that, fox-heart!" Swiftpaw yelled at the retreating figure.

A sudden screech from Snowpaw made Swiftpaw turn to see him pinned down by a black she-cat who was taking the time to gloat, teasing him softly and lightly tracing a pattern in his chest fur with her claw. Swiftpaw launched herself onto the she-cat's back, caterwauling a battle-cry as she raked her claws across the cat's shoulders.

The she-cat yowled, trying to buck Swiftpaw off, but all this achieved was allowing Snowpaw to roll out from under her paws and start battering her flank. She hissed and tried to bite at Snowpaw, but he danced out of the way, taking his claws down her leg. Swiftpaw leapt off of her back, landing next to Snowpaw as the she-cat went running, her fur torn and matted with blood.