MoonClan's Return

Chapter 9

            Another few sunrises had come and gone, and so far, MoonClan had been going smoothly. The rogues had been doing well, as well as the members, and Hazelstar knew it was only a matter of time before they went and captured the FoxClan cats. Doing so would take a fair amount of cats though.

            Hazelstar opened her eyes and rose to her feet, padding outside of the den. Cats padded by, performing their duties.

            "You there!" Hazelstar hissed at Bloodfur.

            Bloodfur froze. "What is it, Hazelstar?"

            "Go take some prey to the rogues, and take your sister with you. I'm afraid they're running out," she told her.

            "Yes, Hazelstar," Bloodfur said, bowing to her.

            Hazelstar had to admit, it was a bit odd, but she seemed to like the idea of being in power. She knew for certain that her mother was especially skilled at it though.

            Hazelstar watched Bloodfur go off, only to be stopped in her tracks by Fire.

            "Have you heard the news, Hazelstar?"

            Hazelstar rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, you and Crystal are mates," she growled.

            "Well, yes," Fire told her.

            Hazelstar began to walk away, uninterested in the tom's problems.

            "But that's not all!" he argued. "We have more rogues coming!"

            Hazelstar froze, turning around. "More rogues coming, you say? How did you ever sort that out, Fire?"

            "It was actually Crystal," he explained. "I mean, I helped and all. She passed the word around to other cats as she went by, and the other day, we found the leader of a rogue pack who was willing to join. He's bringing nearly fifty cats!"

            "Fifty?" Hazelstar thought, pausing. She then purred. "Perfect," she said. "Very good, Fire. Congratulate Crystal for me, will you? I hate speaking to that she-cat."

            "Yes, of course, Hazelstar," Fire spoke, running off.

            Fifty members. My, wouldn't it be grand to have fifty extra members in MoonClan. Maybe Hazelstar had not lost hope. Perhaps, MoonClan could win this battle. Maybe the forest would be theirs!

            Excitement filled Hazelstar, causing her paws to tingle. Surely they would be able to capture the rest of the cats in no time. Oh, the plan was going smoothly. It was definitely going smoothly.

            She raced to her den, curling up in her nest. Secretly, she wished Moonstar would visit her to congratulate her. All Hazelstar really wanted was for her mother to be proud of her. That's what every cat wanted, right?

            She closed her eyes, her thoughts drifting away. Slowly, she fell asleep.

"Hazelstar," Moonstar's yowl caused her to open her eyes. She shuddered, looking around at the thick swamp and dark trees. She was again in the Dark Forest.

            "Mother, how are you?" Hazelstar asked.

            "I only am here to give you advice," Moonstar growled. She didn't seem at all happy with Hazelstar.