Warriors: The Legend of Four: The Hidden Enemy

Chapter Two

   As the two cats watched, many pelts followed the brown-grey tabby pelt. Twigpaw kneaded the branch with his paws.

   "Who are they?" Whispered Twigpaw.

   "I don't know," Wildstar replied. "But we must be quiet. Just because they aren't warriors doesn't mean they're deaf!"

   "Should we follow them?" Twigpaw asked anxiously.

   "Yes. If we stay quiet, we should be able to get an idea of their intentions." Meowed Wildstar. He climbed down the tree trunk without making a noise, Twigpaw following.

   They followed the scents of the rogue cats, who were gathered in a clump of ferns.

   "Clan territory is this way," meowed a voice. "I can smell it."

   "You're right. It smells disgusting." Another voice muttered.

   "Now, we better be on our way." The first voice said, and the rustling of ferns filled the air.

   Twigpaw swished his tail nervously. "They're going to attack the camp!" He meowed with despair. "We have to get there before them!"

   "Don't worry. If we take a different route we should be able to run to camp without being heard," Wildstar reassured the young apprentice.

   The cats ran back to camp, taking a different route than the rogues. By the time they reached the berry bush tunnel, the sounds of battle erupted throughout the camp. Wildstar ran through the tunnel, Twigpaw at his paws.

   Jayfur barricaded the nursery, spitting and swatting any cat who came close. Thornleaf was pinned down by a dark grey tabby. The tabby was biting down on his throat and pummeling his stomach.

   Wildstar leaped at the dark tabby. He grabbed the tom's shoulders with his claws and bit his ear. The tabby yowled and bucked Wildstar off.

   Wildstar landed heavily, a piece of the tabby's ear in his mouth. He spit it out and looked around the clearing.

   He spotted a black rogue trying to get into the nursery. Jayfur tried to hold him off, but she was having trouble. Wildstar bounded toward her, but a cat pounded into him.

   The grey-brown tabby tom was pinning him down. Wildstar prepared his hind legs, ready to throw the tom off him. But, before he could, a cat dragged the tom off of him. He scrambled up and saw Tigertail with the tom's scruff in his jaws. Tigertail had a nasty scratch above his eye, and blood dripped down into the eye.

   Tigertail let go of the rogue and began pummeling his face with his paws, his claws unsheathed. Wildstar raked his claws down the rogue's flank. The rogue yowled and turned to face Wildstar, his green eyes burning with hatred. He leaped at the CherryClan leader. Wildstar leaped aside, but the rogue managed to catch his tail.

   The rogue kneaded his foreclaws into Wildstar's tail. Wildstar swiped at the rogue's face and his claw ripped into the rogue's eye. The tom yowled.

   Blood dripped from his eye and stained the dusty ground. "You fool!"
He leaped onto Wildstar's back and dug his claws into the flesh. Wildstar hissed. He tried bucking the tom off, but it was no use.

   The rogue sank his teeth into Wildstar's neck. Wildstar screeched as the bramble-like teeth stabbed him. The tom started shredding the fur on the leader's back, drawing blood as well as rip out fur.

   Just when Wildstar thought it was too late, the rogue's weight was lifted off his back. Thornleaf had his jaws clamped on the rogue tom's throat. Thornleaf's pelt was matted with blood, and his fur was patchy. Nonetheless, he was still fighting strong.

   The half blind rogue tom yowled. All his fellow rogues ran toward the camp entrance. When they disappeared through the bush tunnel, Thornleaf let go of the rogue, and the rogue also left the camp.

   As Wildstar looked around, he saw a bloodstained clearing and cats with bloodied fur. Jayfur lay in front of the nursery, a gash in her side.

   Trouttail and Berryfrost, the medicine cat apprentice, rushed to each of the cats. They had cobweb wrapped around their paws and herbs clamped in their jaws.

   As the medicine cats tended to each and every cat, Thornleaf hared off towards the nursery. He ran past Jayfur and disappeared inside.

   "Wildstar," Trouttail meowed. "Want me to treat your wounds?"

   Wildstar shook his head. "Treat the others first." He replied.

   Trouttail hurried off to treat one of the more injured cats.

   Wildstar saw Jayfur and Thornleaf running up to him. Wildstar stood up to greet them. "What is it?" He asked.

   "Roselight has started kitting!" Thornleaf exclaimed.

   Wildstar flicked his tail. "Already? She's half a moon early!"

   Jayfur ran back to the nursery, Thornleaf following. Wildstar pelted after them, praying to StarClan that the kits and Roselight would be okay.

   When they arrived, and earsplitting shriek resonated from inside. Thornleaf pushed through the entrance and made his way to the back of the nursery, where Berryfrost was standing at Roselight's head.

   "How is she?" Wildstar asked, dreading the answer as he smelled blood.

   "Not too well, I'm afraid," Berryfrost answered. "She's losing a lot of blood."

   Roselight let loose another yowl. Berryfrost looked up at Wildstar. "Fetch the strongest stick you can find."

   As soon as Wildstar turned to leave, Trouttail hurried in with herbs in his jaws. Wildstar squeezed through the small entrance, and searched for a stick in the oak forest.

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   By the time he returned, Roselight had already kitted. She had two healthy kits; a brown tabby she-kit and a grey tom.

   Wildstar stared proudly at his kits.

   "What did you name them?" Wildstar asked.

   Roselight looked up at her mate. "I was hoping you would name them."

   Wildstar sat down. He thought for a moment.

   "I think the she-kit should be Bumblekit, and the tom could be Tigerkit," Wildstar meowed.

   Roselight meowed with amusement. "But the tom isn't a tabby!"

   Wildstar licked his chest fur. "True, but I think he will be as fierce and strong as a tiger."

   Roselight purred, and fell asleep.