ColdClan: Sky Of Blood [2]

8. Sunstorm

Getting to the so-called 'Scraps' had taken no time at all with Herb guiding the way, even though it was on the other edge of the Brightplace. The street cat (he'd made sure to firmly correct them every time they'd called him a rogue) had picked out the safest route for the group by keeping to the rooftops, his jet black scarred body always a few fox-lengths ahead of them as he scouted out ahead. As the cats had teetered on the edges of fences and leapt from the gaping canyons between the two-leg dens, they'd begun to catch the scents of more and more cats. It had been strange at first, a metallic smell mixed with the acrid stench of burning rubber, but with every step closer they latched on to the definitive cat scent. 

Upon first glance, the Scraps was nothing more than a maze of strange metal squares compressed together. The group of cats steadily gazed up at the entrance, all bewildered as to what the purpose behind such a place was. Shooting a glance at Mistheart, the pair of she-cats shared a look of confusion, blue eyes matched with Sunstorm's warm green irises. 

Leaping up on one of the squares, Herb threw back a knowing grin, beckoning them with his white-tipped tail. It was only when she was on top of the hunks of metal that it slowly formed in her mind as to what they were stood on, and one look at her clanmates told her they'd begun to figure it out too. ColdClan didn't get many monsters around, but she knew that at the edge of the valley bordering the HeatClan camp there were plenty of thunderpaths. Monsters had been described to her as alive, roaring things that chugged along after swallowing the two-legs whole. Sometimes they would spew their two-legs out, opening its pores for them to escape. It was one thing about two-legs she'd never been able to comprehend -- they seemed to use it as transportation, though why they didn't use their perfectly good legs, she'd never know. But here the monsters were, with the life knocked out of them, their bones crushed into a perfect cube. The morbid nature of it made Sunstorm sway a little as she peered over the edge, nervously expecting one of them to purr to life and attack her ColdClan friends. They had placed their faith in this tom-cat, and under the light of StarClan, Sunstorm momentarily questioned if they'd been wrong to do so. Watching him descend into a nook in the side of the metal castle, Sunstorm took a deep breath before jumping down to join him.

"Wakey wakey, you pieces of dead meat!" Thoughts interrupted by the voice of Herb, the clan cats huddled together as he shouted into the darkness. They were beneath a single light that flickered occasionally, painting black shadows that crept across the ground towards their paws. 

A yowl from the left, and suddenly, Herb was pinned to the floor. Defensively unsheathing their claws, Mudstar and his cats took a step forward ready to protect the black tom. Stagfoot hovered next to him, anxiously waiting for the go ahead to attack. 

Surprisingly, Herb responded by giggling, knocking the flash of ginger and white off him without even taking a breath. "Easy, tiger," he laughed, springing to his feet in a flash. "S'only me."

"Oh!" The squeak of a she-cat's voice rang through the air. "It's okay guys, it's Herb! Aaaaand... some other cats? Ew, you guys don't smell like the city. No offence or anything."

Various glistening eyes revealed themselves in the darkness, emerging as though the dark was birthing them from her womb. One pair turned into three, and they moved towards the pelt of the she-cat warily, clinging to her like burrs. 

"These are ColdClan cats, come to visit from the freelands. New friends, meet my band of brothers. And sister." He added, nudging the female affectionately. "This is Clementine," he gestured to the she-cat that had first attacked. She was young but pretty, and Sunstorm would place her at around 11 or 12 moons old. Unlike Sunstorm's striking ginger, she was much more pale, and had a white belly to match with it. Her fur was long and made her look more bulky than she likely was. Out of them all, she had the friendliest look on her face and seemed to be the least afraid of the newcomers.