Lost Hope: Book 6: Future of Hope

Chapter 19

Two mornings after Vixen had helped rescue Claystream and Lilypetal, the rogues moved into EchoClan camp.

    The announcement was abrupt and vague. Dogtooth had a few of his close advisors, if you could call them that, jostle everyone out of their nests, and soon everyone was walking the pace of a couple hundred snails toward the forest. Vixen walked closer to the head of the pack, behind her parents, and mulled over the morning. Dogtooth had seemed irritated. When Wolf had tactlessly asked him about it, the rogue leader snarled at him, "Open your trap again and you'll lose it."

    Vixen hadn't been able to resist throwing him a nasty grin, which he responded with an unsatisfying small slant of his head and a nonchalant smirk. Oh, how badly she wanted to rub it in his face that two nights ago she had let out Dogtooth's most prized prisoners. But she kept her mouth shut.

    The forest was just up ahead. Vixen could see the leaves swaying in the gentle breeze, and she wondered how the EchoClan cats would react to them coming to their camp. Probably not well, but Violetshadow was leader now, so there wasn't much they could do about it. Maybe she was giving them some big speech now about taking in the rogues and whatever other inspiring things leaders were supposed to say.

    But Vixen was going to use this opportunity to spy for Foxflame. And Lilacsnow. And the others.

    "Halt!" Dogtooth's deep voice echoed around the surrounding tree trunks and Vixen was snapped out of her thoughts. She craned her neck to see what was going on, but whatever had made Dogtooth stop was unclear to her. Maybe he was just getting his bearings. The large tom paced forward, his nose in the air and his ears swiveling from side to side.

    The reason for Dogtooth's abrupt stop soon became clear in the form of several terrified looking cats emerging from the brush. The cat in the lead, a bright ginger she-cat who looked extremely familiar to Vixen, and then she realized that she looked like the female version of Foxflame. She also looked fierce, like Lilacsnow, but somewhere in her eyes she could sense some kind of brokenness.

    "Oh, perfect," Dogtooth said with a wide grin. "Our escorts."

    "Excuse me?" the ginger she-cat spat, her tail lashing back and forth behind her. "The only place we will escort you is off our territory! You've caused quite enough damage as it is."

    Vixen was ready to turn around and head back, but Dogtooth didn't back down. He paced forward until he was almost nose-to-nose with the she-cat. She took a step back herself, her hackles raising. She was terrified, Vixen realized, but she wasn't going to back down without a fight.

    "So you're the she-cat who stole my daughters from me," Dogtooth said quietly. "You'll have to sorely punished for that...." The ginger she-cat swallowed nervously.

    "That won't be necessary, Dogtooth," a new voice said, and Vixen saw Violetshadow materialize next to the ginger she-cat, her dark eyes as unreadable as ever.

    Dogtooth took a step back, a growl still rumbling in his throat. "Violetshadow." His mouth quirked a little as he said her name. "Or should I say Violetstar?"

    Violetshadow narrowed her eyes. "I don't care what you call me. I do care if you threaten my Clanmates though. Your Clanmates, now that you'll be residing in our camp from now on."

    Dogtooth inclined his head with a small sneer. "Of course. We're ever so grateful that you have allowed us to join your Clan."

    "We'll see about that." The new leader of EchoClan said. And without another word, she turned tail and disappeared into the forest again, the rest of the cats throwing each other questioning looks before following her.

***

So far, Vixen hadn't gathered much useful information. Violetshadow spent most of her time in the leader's den, occasionally sending out patrols since she hadn't appointed a deputy to do that. Dogtooth lounged in the sunnier spots of camp with his rogues, asking for someone to bring him prey every now and then, usually, Scarletpetal, the ginger she-cat he had threatened earlier.

    The cat Violetshadow was more interested in was Servalpaw.

    "You're Violetshadow's apprentice, aren't you?" Vixen asked the lithe tan tom as he sat down opposite her to eat his squirrel.

    "You mean Violetstar?" he said evasively. His eyes glimmered with the same unreadability as his mentor's, but Vixen wasn't unnerved in the slightest.

    "Servalpaw, right?"

    He looked at her for a moment, before nodding slowly.

    "I'm Vixen," she introduced herself. She swallowed a mouthful before asking as casually as she could, "Do you train in the Dark Forest often?

    Servalpaw paused, looking at her strangely. He finally said, "You're not with the rogues, are you?"

    Vixen just gave him a pleasant smile. "Are you?"

    Servalpaw looked around him once, as if making sure no one was paying attention. "Who are you with exactly?"

    Vixen grinned. "If you tell me what Violetstar's next move is, then maybe I'll tell you."

***

"WHAT?!"

    "Violetshadow's planning an attack on BrookClan." Vixen repeated her statement. The exclamation had been a unanimous sound from Forestpaw, along with Burrowpelt and Foxflame.

    "But why?" Lilacsnow asked, her eyes narrowing.

    Vixen shrugged. "Servalpaw said that Viperfang plans to make her the ruler of all the Clans, not just EchoClan."

    "So Violetshadow is Viperfang's little puppet." Burrowpelt said, her eyes flashing with something like protectiveness and outrage. Vixen could sympathize; she doubted it was easy watching your daughter grow up to be some kind of psychopath.

    "We have to stop her," Sparrowfeather said. "Or warn BrookClan."

    "I second that," Foxflame said. "Did Servalpaw know when she was planning this attack?"

    Vixen thought for a moment. "I think he said something about before the next half moon."

    Forestpaw's eyes widened in alarm. "That's in like four days!"

    "Oh." Vixen said, setting her jaw uncomfortably. 

    There was a moment of silence between the cats as they looked around thoughtfully. Vixen wondered if it was truly possible to stop Viperfang and Violetshadow now that they've progressed this far. And if they were planning to attack BrookClan, Vixen guessed that FernClan would soon follow.

    They had to stop all of this before it got out of hand.

    "I may have a plan," Forestpaw spoke up, and all the faces turned to look at her. "But it's dangerous."

    Burrowpelt forced a small smile. "What's a good adventure without danger?"

    Vixen had to agree, even if she realized how childish the though was. She listened as Forestpaw told them all her plan, or the beginnings of a plan at least. Her words were met with solemn faces and twitching ears. Lilacsnow looked stoic and serious, whereas her brother flicked his tail nervously, but his eyes glinted with determination.

    "We can do this," Sparrowfeather. "Either that, or we let Viperfang take over." No one missed that he didn't say Violetshadow. "Maybe there's time for her redemption," he added quietly. "But for now, we have to stop a battle before it begins."