Warriors: Shadows Incoming ~Series 2 Book 5~

Chapter 10

Flamefur's POV:

Weak morning sunlight filtered down the tunnel and into the shadowy nursery cave. Flamefur rolled in her mossy nest, her kits mewling as they were disturbed by her movement. "Shh.." Flamefur murmured, brushing her tail slowly against the little bundles sleeping beside her. "Go back to sleep."

Easing herself to her paws, Flamefur carefully made her way out of the nursery cave and into the main clearing. Her amber eyes narrowed when she saw that most of the warriors were awake and flitting hurriedly around camp, searching every nook and cranny for something.

Flamefur saw Silvershy sitting by the warriors den. As she crept closer, she saw the silver she cat's eyes were staring blankly ahead as if she were in a world of her own. "Silvershy?"

The tabby warrior flinched noticeably and looked up at her. "Uh.." Her usually alert green gaze had a distant look in it and her mouth hung open, trying to say something.

"What's going on?" Flamefur asked, a slight worry blossoming in the pit of her stomach.

"Oh.. Stormstar's missing.. I think.." Silvershy shrugged and turned away, as if she had better things to be doing.

"Alright then..." Flamefur sighed and turned, looking for someone else who would give her a little more information about what was going on. She spotted Autumnpool and trotted up to the deputy, who was anxiously sniffing around Stormstar's den. "Hey, Autumnpool?" The deputy was muttering things under her breath as she sniffed the den wall and Flamefur had to raise her voice for the golden she cat to hear her. "Autumnpool!"

Autumnpool glanced up at Flamefur, pausing her vigorous sniffing. "Yes, Flamefur?" Her voice was tight with impatience, as if she had a lot to do.

"What is going on?" Flamefur asked, giving the cats who were milling around camp a pointed glance. "Silvershy says that Stormstar is missing."

"He disappeared before dawn, with no scent trail." Autumnpool fretted with a timid flick of her tail. "The search patrol has found no traces of him in the forest or the beach. He's vanished."

Flamefur looked into the deputy's wide amber eyes. She really was being serious about Stormstar being missing. For a heartbeat, Flamefur wondered if Stormstar had been kidnapped by the Telekinesis Tom. He had threatened to get her to rejoin the Dark Forest, but would he really kidnap a leader for it? If he thought by taking Stormstar hostage that Flamefur would immediately give in, he was greatly mistaken.

"I was just checking out the scents around the back of the den," Autumnpool continued as she glanced back at the den wall, "and I picked up an odd smell. It wasn't a Lightclan scent- nor was it the scent of any of our neighbours. But it most certainly wasn't rogue."

Autumnpool's words slowly sunk into Flamefur's thoughts and she felt her fur lift along her back. Was the Lightclan deputy smelling a Dark Forest scent? Had Stormstat really been kidnapped by them?

With an apprehensive glance over her shoulder, Flamefur glanced back at the den wall where Autumnpool was looking. She stepped closer, stooping her head down to sniff the leaves and twigs. An odd smell hit the back of her mouth and a small pang of relief washed through her. That wasn't Dark Forest smell. The tang of rabbits and the moorland stuck to the smell, along with the faint scent of damp fur. Had the cat tried to swim in water to wash off their scent? Flamefur took another, deep breath and a long forgotten memory stirred within her.

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The flame coloured she cat swiped, ducked and twisted away from her attacker with ease. With a simple glance at the tom's wide grey eyes, Flamepaw knew that she was going to win the fight against the Magiclan warrior who was twice her size.

Oh, thank you Metalclaw.

She grinned and lunged again for the warrior, snapping at his forelegs before nimbly slipping behind him to sink her teeth into his haunches. Her fangs pierced through his fur and skin and she nearly gagged as the strong Magiclan scent filled her mouth; rabbits and the moorland.

She released her squealing enemy and let him retreat out of Lightclan's camp, quickly turning to see a Monsterclan apprentice, Viperpaw, attack Silverkit...

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"Magiclan!"

Flamefur's exclamation sent the clan into hushed murmurs as they approached her. Autumnpool narrowed her eyes from beside her. "Flamefur, Magiclan are too far away to come here."

The flame coloured she cat shook her head. "If we made it here- so can they. Magiclan have returned to finish what they started." Her voice was strong with certainty. She knew Magiclan scent, she remembered the taste of that warrior's fur as if it had happened only yesterday. She would never forget the scent. Never.

The cats around her were shaking their heads. They didn't believe her. They thought she was imagining it. I'm not a mouse-brain! She wanted to scream at her clan mates for doubting her, but she stopped herself. It wouldn't help anything if she started a fight.

Autumnpool's voice raised above the loud murmuring. "It's okay everyone, Flamefur must be confused. There is no way Magiclan could come here. We are safe from them."

Flamefur bit back a gasp of anger, a low growl rumbling in her throat. How dare she? She started through the crowd to return to the nursery, but Autumnpool stopped her with a flick of a tail. "Wait, I want to speak with you in Stormstar's den."

Flamefur let out a loud sigh but obeyed. Was she about to be lectured about making mouse-brained assumptions? She didn't need a lecture. She was right about the scent. Magiclan was back and had kidnapped Stormstar. She knew it.

The two she cats left the muttering crowd and into the peace and quiet of Stormstar's den. Flamefur opened her jaws first to tell Autumnpool that she didn't need to be told off, but the deputy flicked her tail and meowed. "Flamefur, I think you're right."

"But- wait what?" Flamefur narrowed her eyes.

"I'm sure that was Magiclan scent as well. They must've come here to finish us, and they started by taking Stormstar." Autumnpool sighed and scraped her claws across the ground. "The reason I denied it in front of the clan was because I don't want a widespread panic to occur. The clan can't know that they are in this much danger. They are already paranoid about the Dark Forest, if we add Magiclan to that list then we'll have cats leaving us out of fear."

Flamefur let Autumnpool's words sink in. Then she meowed softly. "What do we do?"

"I'm going out to look for Stormstar. I'll check outside the border, so I'll be gone all day. While I am gone, you are in charge. Do not let the clan know about this, do you understand?" Autumnpool fixed Flamefur with a hard stare.

"I understand, but why put me in charge?" Flamefur asked.

"Because I think you're the next best cat to take temporary leadership for the day." Autumnpool flashed her a slight smile and Flamefur felt her whiskers twitch with pride.

"I won't let you down." Flamefur dipped her head as Autumnpool headed out of the den.

"See you tonight." The deputy nodded and trotted out of camp, her tail whisking through the entrance and out of sight.

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A long Flamefur's POV :D