sage | a warrior cats fanfiction

chapter eleven

On delicate paws did Adderheart enter SageClan's camp. His tail with the two white stripes flickered lightly behind him as he trotted in, Pantherleap's pawsteps syncing with his own. Though, Pantherleap's stride was much more, well, confident and easy, whereas Adderheart's was quite the opposite.

A meeting with Cougarstar was most definitely not preferred, considering their last interaction, but it was something that couldn't be avoided, so he may as well own up to it. He had been the one to originally offer to speak, after all, and then they'd lead the patrol, found Carmin...

All because they'd spoken up in the first place.

I guess this is where it leads me.

Pantherleap slowed as Adderheart swerved ahead and toward the leader's den did he go, with his ears twitching all the way there. He could hear the somewhat dulled chatter within the den, soft yet powerful despite its tone. Marigoldcry skidded up beside him, head tipping in light curiosity.

"Should we come in, too?" Her tone was questioning.

"Yes," Adderheart replied, pausing at the front of the den in order to address the group. Runningfoot's edged gaze flickered over to the pale-furred tom.

"You should be able to do it on your own, I'd think," he commented pointedly.

"And you were there," Adderheart responded easily. Luckily, his moderate nerves did not cause him to lose his quick and intelligent replies. "We don't want Cougarstar to assume I'm lying, or that the patrol was a failure and that I'm making something up."

Runningfoot went silent though his muzzle wrinkled slightly.

After a momentary silence had fallen upon the group, Pantherleap called into the den, "Cougarstar?"

A broad and tawny shape moved within the leader's den. Shadows fell and shifted at the movement of the leader most clearly there, and a few moments passed in the quiet from before. It had returned to lay itself in a concealing blanket upon the patrol. Yet, a ray of light flitted by, landing in the den. The dusky sky still allowed scraps of light to spread upon the camp and enter dens.

It illuminated the thick-furred leader as he answered somewhat surly, "Yes? Come in. Has your patrol returned?"

Pantherleap stepped off to the side, tail whisking as if to indicate that Adderheart enter the den first. The brother of the leader offered him a simply shiny green gaze, yet in its depths, it sparked brightly at the other senior warrior. The pale-furred warrior offered an equally guarded yet shimmery gaze back to him.

"We have," Adderheart commented, padding in. The pale-furred warrior's ears flickered as he ducked slightly, edging off to the side in order to allow the rest of the patrol to filter in. First entered Marigoldcry, stride confident. Russetpelt sidestepped in, mild and pleasant among the next cat, who happened to be Runningfoot in a slinking motion. Galewind headed in, tail curled over his back.

Cougarstar's gaze seemed to steel over as it flicked up to Adderheart. "So? What'd you find?"

"Rogues," replied the warrior in a simple tone. Instantly, the leader sat up.

"How many?"

"One." The words dropped from his maw with ease.

"Describe it," commanded the leader. His tawny fur was sleek yet shiny as if it was glaring back at Adderheart.

"Carmin was a stocky, russet-furred tom with dark blue eyes," recalled Adderheart. "Likely around forty moons in age, give or take a few. His back leg, when we found him, was mangled and injured, and he appeared weak from blood loss. His fur was dirty. I believe he was either suffering from neglecting his wounds and health or something of the like."