A/N: Hey guys! Oh my gosh, Chapter Twelve has taken FOREVER! But I'm back with Chapter Thirteen! Only Eight chapters left! And then the epilogue, then I'll start with book two: Leaves Falling. Hope you enjoy! 😊
Flameair gazed smugly down at the trio of cats scowling up at him.
"I told you they'd come Pricklestar."
He meowed at the leader, who looked at him with a blank expression.
"Yes, thank you Flameair, you will get the biggest piece of prey tonight, and you will also get high praise, and be moved up in our ranks."
Pricklestar said in a slithery voice, that had a strange hiss to it.
"Wait! Flameair, you're, you're, you're, you're deputy?!"
Glowstorm cried, hurt in her eyes.
"Why of course! I have been extremely, you could say, useful."
He meowed, with a malevolent glint in his eye.
"Yes, Flameair has been a wonderful spy, born in TreeClan, his parents were spies for us too, before we became a true clan. He grew up there, pointed out your weaknesses and vulnerable spots, and of course, your strengths. Have you noticed that only half of our clan is here? Well that's because we're launching an attack on your clan. Right. Now."
"But we didn't see you on our way up the mountain!"
Treelight mewed, looking confused,
"How could you have made it down without us seeing?"
"Oh yes! That. Well as you came here, we left the back way and circled back around, following your tracks right back to your camp."
Pricklestar smiled evilly at the cats, and Glowstorm felt faintly sick.
"And Oakwood?"
She asked bravely, swallowing so she wouldn't cry.
"Oh the big brown cat? He and the patrol of SoulClan cats he took to scout out the area are in our prison, where cats go if they've been very, very bad."
She grinned, an angry, hatred filled grin, showing all her sharp yellowing teeth.
"As you will be going soon. Along with your friends."
She flicked her long tail at Glowstorm, Treelight and Forestclaw.
"Take them away!"
She meowed, and three burly she-cats came and shoved them towards a hole in the ground.
"Oh yes! I forgot to tell you! Our prison! It's an oubliette!"
As the trio were shoved down the oubliette kicking and biting, the leader of DarkClan was smirking.
They'll never escape. Never...
We'll never escape! Never!
Thought Glowstorm as she landed hard on prickly hay and pebbles.
"Glowstorm? Treelight? Forestclaw?"
Mewed the croaky voice of Oakwood nearby.
As Glowstorm swivelled her head towards the voice she saw five other cats behind the hulking brown shape of Oakwood.
"Oakwood?"
Asked Treelight,
"Who are the others?"
"Ah yes! Introductions. SoulClan cats, this is Treelight, Glowstorm, and Forestclaw."
The older warrior said, nodding at each of them in turn.
"Guys, this is;
Snowthorn, Thunderbreeze, Autumnwhisp, Spottedwind and Steeltail. The SoulClan cats that I took with me to scout out DarkClan camp. I thought that we had hidden behind the stone slab pretty well, before we realised that that was their leaders rock. Sheesh was she angry to find some random cats lurking behind her rock. I mean like, take a chill pill lady! Anyway, Flameair is their deputy, but I'm pretty sure you already know that, pretty surprising though. He was always an honourable cat. Sigh. Shame, could've become a good leader some day. How are you?"
Glowstorm could've laughed at her old friend if the circumstances hadn't been so dangerous. She told him and his party about how they had gone to find him and how Brighteyes went back for backup, and how they had followed his trail, met Glowstorm's mother, got stabbed by sharp angry death rocks. Twice, and how they ended up in the oubliette with him and SoulClan cats that they'd never met before.
"Wow, so much has happened. I woke up at midnight and went to SoulClan camp to get the cats I had recruited that night at the battle to go fight DarkClan. I told them that we would scout ahead and come back with information to tell the clans, we were going to go to all the clans in the forest and tell them that we were going to defeat DarkClan once and for all, we were going to tell everyone at the Gathering tomorrow night, but now we're stuck in an oubliette with a bunch of creepy rats. So our plan is basically destroyed."
Oakwood sighed, looking woefully at the cats around him, as if he wished his plan could've worked.
"Maybe not."
Mewed Glowstorm thoughtfully.
"Everyone gather round, I think I have an idea..."