Criminal Claws [UnitedWarriors]

Day 9

Finally, her breath came back to her. However, she said nothing. She closed her eyes shut and waited for the kiling bite that would be the end of her.

After a few moments, she tentatively opened one eye. The cat standing above her hissed, and Echolight trembled.

She wriggled around under the cat's grasp, trying her hardest to escape the claws of the traitor. It almost seemed she was going to escape when all of the sudden, two other cats appeared.

The cats padded up and for a moment stood there. Then, the two cats moved the other cat away and held Echolight down.

They didn't attack, however.

Echolight was just about to question them when she felt a shadow over her head. She glanced up, and noticed a tree.

On the branch directly above her was the cat who had pinned her earlier. Along with a large rock.

The rock fell.

                            ~¤~

"Please don't. No. Please!"

Dawnpetal's eyes flashed open, her eyes widening as she pounced out of her nest. Her eyes hardly had time to adjust to the light.

"Whats the matter?" She yelled, blinking fiercely to be able to see. Once her sight was clear, she looked and saw Featherpath trembling in her sleep.

Dawnpetal was slightly relieved- it wasn't a cat who had been killed, instead, it was Featherpath. She sat next to the she-cat and began stroking her back.

"Wake up," she said firmly, but with a kind tone. Featherpath eventually stopped squirming and slowly sat up. Her eyes were wide, however. 

Dawnpetal stroked her back as Featherpath took a few deep breaths. Dawnpetal observed that Featherpath had bags under her eye- meaning the  she-cat had been loosing sleep.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Dawnpetal asked quietly, stretching.

Featherpath nodded, not meeting Dawnpetal's gaze. Dawnpetal could sense that Featherpath did not wish to discuss the details of her dream. 

"You stay here and relax," Dawnpetal instructed, standing up and heading out of the den.

Her tail flicked once as she scanned the camp for other cats, her gaze landing where the guards would normally be.

To her shock and horror, she discovered they were missing.

All three of them, Echolight, Runningstream, and Iriswhisper... Gone? She scrambled up to the guarding spot, wondering if her eyes just hadn't been working right.

"Iriswhisper? Runningstream? Echolight?" She called, looking around worriedly.

Rainsong, who had just exited the warriors den, seemed to have noticed Dawnpetal's anxiety, and walked over to her.

"Hello, Dawnpetal," the she-cat meowed. "Is everything alright?"

However, before Dawnpetal could answer, Rainsong seemed to figure out what she had been worrying about.

"Perhaps they've gone out to the dirtplace," Rainsong suggested, her gaze averting from Dawnpetal to the area where the dirtplace was.

Dawnpetal nodded slowly, telling herself that had to be the reason for their absence. However, an uneasy feeling still clenched her stomach.

"Right," Rainsong nodded, touching Dawnpetal with the tip of her tail. "I'm going to go get on a hunting patrol or something. Perhaps I'll meet them on my way out."