The Search for Jetfur

Chapter 24

Tigerstripe slowly opened his eyes and let out a large yawn, finding another sunny day. He had been traveling with Krait, Dusty, and the two RiverClan apprentices—now known as Flamepaw and Barkpaw—for a few days now, and the few days' journey had exhausted him.

He hadn't been exactly sure where they were heading to, but he hoped Dusty was leading him to Jetfur or was hopefully leading him to some clue of where Jetfur might be. Krait seemed ecstatic to find her kits though, and Tigerstripe, not wanting to be rude, didn't bring up Jetfur that often.

All around him, the other cats began to rise, and after a quick breakfast, it was time to start up on the journey again. As Tigerstripe began walking (he stayed behind Krait and Dusty and in front of Flamepaw and Barkpaw) he prayed silently to StarClan that he'd have some hope in finding Jetfur.

The group padded on for awhile that morning, and Tigerstripe watched as clouds slowly began covering the blue sky, eventually the sun, shielding them in a gray atmosphere. Tigerstripe expected the rain to come down soon, but the sky only remained cloudy for quite some time.

The temperature began to cool some, and the wind began to pick up. Tigerstripe tensed slightly as wind ruffled against his pelt as he was reminded of the fateful storm so long ago that had separated him from Jetfur. Perhaps he would rediscover her in this coming storm?

They came to the top of a hill now, Dusty leading the way. As Tigerstripe hiked to the top, however, he watched as Dusty froze and pricked his ears. Tigerstripe was about to ask why he had paused when he heard the faint sound of barking in the distance.

"What was that?" Dusty asked.

Behind Tigerstripe, Barkpaw pricked his ears and replied, "I'm not sure."

Tigerstripe knew the barking could only come from one source—dogs. He had rarely ever run into wild dogs, but he knew they could be vicious and kill them quickly. The barking soon grew louder, and Tigerstripe was surprised that he was able to discern some words being spoken.

"POSSIBILITY! BUT, UM, VERY SLIM! YEAH!" came large shouts mixed with barking.

"What is that?" Tigerstripe asked, annoyed by the tone of whatever dog or animal was making noise. He had begun to become nervous and was hoping that they would leave shortly and find a safer place to wander.

The voices seemed to be growing louder and coming closer, and Tigerstripe watched as Flamepaw jumped as they all heard, "Come on!"

"Should we check it out?" Dusty asked curiously, pointing his tail to where the sound had been coming from.

"Of course!" Krait answered quickly.

Tigerstripe rolled his eyes, knowing Krait always wanted to get involved in some sort of situation. But perhaps these dogs had information about Jetfur. It was a slim chance and risky, but maybe Tigerstripe's prayers had been answered after all.

"Yes, dear," Dusty muttered quietly, following Krait toward the sound. Tigerstripe followed behind with Barkpaw and Flamepaw, who, unlike Krait, did not seem very excited to check out what the strange noise was.

They came closer to some bushes, and Tigerstripe could now notice four canine figures peeking over the bushes. They were all speaking each other and seemed to be oblivious to the fact that the cats were nearby. Krait pulled Dusty inside some bushes, and Tigerstripe slowly followed behind with the two apprentices.

"We need to get away from these dogs," Tigerstripe told the others, knowing that they were in a dangerous situation. Sure, the dogs had not noticed them yet, but sooner or other, they would detect a new scent nearby.