Facing A Forest of Shadows

Chapter Thirteen {Edited}

Frostfeather scanned the leafy branches that hung behind her brother. She tried to set her eyes on what Brokensong had seen. Who's watching us?

Elkleap stepped towards Pineheart and Smallfire, his attention fixed on the bush just beyond their haunches. "Whoever you are, come out now!" he growled. The monsters on the path beside them screeched and thundered on their journey passed, oblivious to what occurred on the thin strip of grass.

After several long heartbeats, a lithe shape leaped from the cover of the shadows. She landed in front of the toms to come and stand before Elkleap.

Brokensong gasped in astonishment as she sauntered closer. "You're... you're Dewdrop, aren't you?" she stammered. Her whiskers twitched in amazement, her eyes darted all over the silver pelted stranger.

"Yes, but I have not been called that name in some moons," she purred, "I have lived on my own since BreezeClan was defeated."

"Why didn't you want to come live with your Clanmates in IceClan?" Elkleap pondered, "they had assumed you were dead."

Dewdrop's eyes sparkled with fury as she retorted, "and I had thought they'd been killed by IceClan scum!"

She cast her attention over their small group. "It doesn't look like any of them are with you. How am I to know that IceClan didn't kill them all?" Frostfeather gasped in surprise, how could she think that?

"Your Clanmates lived peaceful lives in IceClan before a sickness spread over the forest. Right before we left, wolves attacked the camp and left many dead. We are all that are left," Elkleap meowed gently, "I'm sorry we could not have been blessed with more BreezeClan survivors."

Frostfeather could see sadness flash across the features of the old BreezeClan medicine cat. Her shoulders hunched as she let out a small, strangled sigh. "I see..." she murmured.

Brokensong rested her tail tip lightly against Dewdrop's side. "But we do have some descendants of your old Clanmates. Smallfire is Foxstreak's son. And I'm sure you remember Frostkit and Pinekit. They've grown up, and are also fortunate to be traveling with us."

Dewdrop's interest instantly turned towards Frostfeather. She thought she saw malice in her expression but it disappeared in the blink of an eye. "So, Blizzardstar is not with you?" she asked slowly.

"No, Blizzardstar gave his life to allow us all to escape," Pineheart spoke as he stood and started to guide Smallfire closer to the rest of the patrol.

A smirk spread across Dewdrop's face. Frostfeather opened her mouth to confront her, but Elkleap had already began to reply, "if you'd like to travel with us, we wouldn't mind. We are trying to find a new territory, away from this sickness."

"Yes, I think I'd like that," Dewdrop confessed, "it'll be nice to be in the company of Clan cats once more." Her reply sounded sincere but everything about this situation sent a wave of doubt over Frostfeather's fur.

"Now, we just need to figure out how to cross this," Elkleap commented as he swung around to stare across the black river once more.

"Oh, that? I've crossed this Thunderpath dozens of times," Dewdrop chimed, "you just have to wait until the thundering stops and then race across as quick as you can!"

Sootsplash grumbled from his place beside the others, "that sounds dangerous." Frostfeather agreed, those monsters were big enough to flatten even the largest badger.

Dewdrop took a couple of pawsteps closer to the edge of the Thunderpath. She let her paws graze the edge of the bumpy, black surface. "It's not very dangerous, really. You can feel the vibrations in your paws. If the rumbling stops, there's plenty of time to cross."