The Missing Clan

Chapter 16

❅

Leafwhisker paced around the clearing, worried. "So, what's the plan?" he asked worriedly. Whitestripe rolled her eyes. "I thought my plan was good enough. Go in secretly and rescue Lightpoppy!" 

Leafwhisker shook his head. "I mean, more detailed, not just, for example: What prey are we going to catch? And you say: Prey. Duh. And I say, detailed prey. Like rabbits, that kind of stuff.

"Did you see how frustrating that was?" Leafwhisker inquired. "Ummm, no?" Whitstripe meowed nervously. Leafwhisker groaned, then meowed, "We'll actually plan the rescue, surveying the whole camp, and where the guards stand, and how we can get in without any attention. So. Rabbitflight? Lizardtooth? Any ideas?" "Seems like you care more about Lightpoppy than getting out of there alive," Lizardtooth remarked unhelpfully. 

"Well, I-um," Leafwhiske stammered, not expecting that comment. "Not important! Carry on. Go think. Before anyone notices us missing and raids the camp, and before anyone gets hurt." That comment was extremely unhelpful! Embarrassing! Not the time nor place for this! Focus, Leafwhisker, focus. 

Leafwhisker paced around the clearing, to get his mind in place for what he was supposed to think about. One thing was supposed to be there-how to get Lightpoppy out-and ONLY ONE. 

~ ⋅ ~ 

They had finally made a plan, and was sneaking into the rogue camp now. Leafwhisker did not really think the plan was necessary. It including lots of sneaking around. Which was what they were going to do anyway, plan or no plan. 

But, (sigh), Whitstripe had insisted on it, and no one could object. So, here they were, probably about to die. But we have to do it. Leafwhisker knew. For Lightpoppy! Small cheers rose up in his head. Us against all of the rogues.

But, there were less rogues than he saw in the battle. They were probably going hunting or patrolling, but it was like someone bunched up all the cats and took a big bite of it.

Lightpoppy! Where are you? Please help with all this... confusion. He looked at the other cats. They looked confused, too. Whitestripe brushed against his flank, asking, "Where are the other cats?"

Leafwhisker shrugged, whispering, "Let's eavesdrop to find out. Go tell the others." Silently obeying, Whitestripe stalked to the other dark shapes in the bushes. Leafwhisker couldn't help noticing that lean, sturdy body of hers. 

The white stripes overlapping the orange, although it was darker since they were in the shadows. Oh, please, StarClan, let us find Lightpoppy, Leafwhisker pleaded. Let us all get out alive. Safe, with not a scratch on us. Please. For WaterClan's sake. Suddenly Leafwhisker felt like he shouldn't have brought the cats that were supposed to escort WaterClan home. 

If we die, he realized. then no one can escort WaterClan home. They'll just have to make the journey themselves. And the Clans will have six cats to grieve for when they come back with the news. And yet he felt an urge to go on. 

We have to do this, Leafwhisker convinced himself. A warrior risks his life for his Clan and Clanmates. It's part of the warrior code. Today... Leafwhisker glanced at his team. We are one Clan. Fighting for our safety and Clanmate. Oh-I forgot about Hawk! He can escort them home! Phew. 

Okay, no more mushy talk! Leafwhisker nearly laughed out loud, but stopped himself just in time. He did make a quiet, weird sound, though. Loud enough for his team to glance at him as though he just grew two more heads.

How embarrassing. Especially in front of the other Clans. They would remember this 'till their last breath, Leafwhisker knew. He remembered the time, when he was an apprentice, Rockfall(Rockpaw, then) had made a really weird and embarrassing sound. 

Then he heard a voice. Quiet, at first, but the cats who were talking were walking toward the bush. They were probably carrying prey, too, because their voices were muffled. 

It became louder. He could make out some of the words they were saying: "...don't want to...prisoner...Soot wants...Pea's guarding...heard it was...I'm next...guard schedule..."

"Don't worry..." the second voice replied sweetly. Leafwhisker could hear the whole sentence that they were saying now. "It's not that bad. Just sit there, think about things, toss a piece of prey at the prisoner, go back to sitting. It's only from dawn to nearly sunhigh. Plus, it's tomorrow, so you have this whole day with me!" the voice finished cheerfully. 

"I guess," the first voice answered glumly. Rogues are normal cats, Leafwhisker observed. There are some cheerful cats. Not all rogues are grumpy and stuff. 

Leafwhisker strained his ears to hear more. "Do we have to walk that far just to guard one puny prisoner? Why doesn't Soot move the prisoner here?" Glum cat meowed. "the prisoner, I heard was in another camp. He's being guarded by Lemon, Pea, Turtle, for the day shift, and for the night shift, Aspen is guarding him. Then, dawn, is me. Growl." 

Him? Maybe there's another prisoner. Maybe they separated the prisoners so they wouldn't be able to make a plan and escape together. Lightpoppy must be in this camp, Leafwhisker thought with a twinge of unease. 

"There, there," the other cat meowed. "Kale, you don't need to be so grumpy." Kale purred, "I know, Poppy." Leafwhisker found that he could just barely make out shapes in the small cracks of the bush leaves. He tried not to shuffle the leaves. 

No reason to listen any further, Leafwhisker thought. We got enough information. I think. He beckoned quietly to his teammates, to follow him. 

Creeping quietly, the four cats made their way across the camp, hiding in the bushes. They preceded silently, only pausing to ask where they were going. But that was quick. 

Finally, they came across a spiky-looking den. This should be it, Leafwhisker thought it was it. they are cruel enough to let a cat-no, prisoner sleep or do stuff in a spiky den, where they can be tortured. Weirdly, there was no guard. Maybe they just changed shifts?

Shrugging, Leafwhisker stalked closer to the den. There was no Lightpoppy scent. Only rogue. Perhaps they made her roll in a place where rogue scent is really strong, masking her scent so we can't find her? It seemed like the most smartest, logical thing to do. Rogues probably had some cat who was really smart and came up with that idea. 

There were barely any cracks in it, but Leafwhisker could already smell the hollow den. Alarmed, he sniffed the air again, certain he would pick up the faintest whiff of the IceClan cat. 

Nothing, Leafwhisker knew. No IceClan scent, apart from Lizardtooth. Lightpoppy is not here.