Warriors: Pebblescar's Reality

Chapter 12

Scar paced back and forth in front of her den, her eyes stretched wide with anxiety. It had only been a sun since Samuel had been murdered, and now her entire pack was looking to her for answers. But she didn't have any. Biting the inside of her cheek, Scar turned to Cotton, who was mindlessly staring into the sky above. "Do you have any suggestions?" she asked, hoping that her pack-mate would come up with something. "We really need to resolve this. . . Clan issue."

Cotton blinked. "Well, I don't want to counter with bloodshed right away, certainly. That'll just mean more death for us, and I don't want to watch anyone else die." Scar noted that her pack-mate's claws were curling into the dirt. She imagined that the pale gray-and-white she-cat was currently picturing the mysterious cat who had killed Samuel. That cat had been haunting Scar's mind, too, but she had to stay strong for her pack-mates, so her grief was much more subtle.

"Right," mused Scar. "No bloodshed. We should figure out who this murderer is before we go any further." 

Their conversation was interrupted as pawsteps sounded from around the corner of the alley. Scar tensed, her fur rising along her spine. Her suspicious were dismissed when a familiar ragged black pelt appeared from around the corner. It was Crystal, the self-appointed leader of the other pack that roamed the streets of the Twolegplace. Cats really only listened to Crystal because his mother had been Gem, one of the most powerful fighters in the packs. Gem had disappeared one day, and Crystal stepped up in her place.

"Hello," Crystal greeted coldly, his mew sharp with tones of grief. Even he had known Samuel's power in the pack, and the deceased tom's atmosphere of joy that he had carried with him had managed to penetrate the ice-cold shields that Crystal had built around himself. "What's the conversation?"

"We're discussing our revenge against the Clans," Cotton meowed, anger flashing in her eyes.

Crystal nodded slightly, sitting down and curling his tail around his paws in one swift motion. "I say we find that murderer and kill him."

Scar sighed. She knew of the tom's violent nature, but even that was a little bold for Crystal. "We can't do that. . . right away. I think we should find out who this cat is in the first place." She lowered her voice. "Maybe they have ties with Gem's disappearance." Gem's scent trail had lead toward the river, and it ended there after a sudden rainstorm had washed all the smells away.

"Makes sense," Crystal muttered, licking a paw and drawing it over his ear. "But, it's a life for a life. He killed one of us, so he dies."

Scar sighed again. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there, Crystal."

Some time later, Scar had gathered a patrol of the ten or so cats that mattered the most to Samuel. They needed to see this redemption more than any of them. An older rogue named Finch had warned her that these cats wold be the most bloodthirsty, but Scar knew that their concerns were the most vital.

They crossed the river without much difficultly, considering that the current's pull was quite strong. It took them only a few moments inside the Clan territory before they were discovered.

"Hey! Trespassers," shouted a young-looking cat with bright ginger fur. A silver-furred she-cat padded up beside the younger one, an expression of curiosity decorating her face. "Minnowfrost, are those the rouges?"

Minnowfrost laughed slightly. "Yes," she told the younger cat. The silver she-cat turned to the group of cats who were currently frozen with terror. "Would you like to speak to our leader? I'm sure you have a lot to say about the. . . borders we have created." Minnowfrost tilted her head sideways.

Scar shouldered her way to the front of the group, nearly running over a few cats. "Yep," she agreed, her voice echoing through the sparse tree. "We'd like to meet your leader." Scar held Minnowfrost's gaze, searching the she-cat eyes. What does she know? An itch of familiarity tingled in the she-cat's pelt as the pair of Clan cats led them in the direction of the camp.

The scent marks grew stronger as they padded away from the river. "Are we there yet?" complained Crystal, but he was quickly shushed. Finally they entered into a small marshy clearing on the banks of a much larger river. Scar avoided letting her eyes wander toward the swirling waters and instead rose her gaze to scan through the bustling cats. The sun was setting, so most of the Clan cats were probably settling in for the night. 

"Troutstar!" called Minnowfrost, padding away from the group. Scar tried to ignore the stares of the tiny cats who peeked out from a den. Whispers rung in her ears as a pale gray tom padded out from the den where Minnowfrost had gone to. 

"What do we have here?" Troutstar mused, his eyes scanning up and down the pawful of cats. "You must be the rogues who are having trouble understanding our border marks." A hint of hostility entered his tone.

Scar swallowed. "Yes. We want you to move your marks back behind the river." The rogues knew of the border's move, of course, but they hadn't really given much thought to it. "The Twolegs might dislike the disappearance of their catmint, and we aren't taking the blame for your theft!" Scar applauded herself silently for the excuse that she had made up out of nowhere. 

Troutstar's whiskers twitched. "Would you rather our innocent kits be killed by disease when you won't let us take a pawful of herbs?" he countered, claws sinking into the dirt. By now, every cat in the clearing was watching. Some were padding out of the dens to catch the drama.

"You complain about killing innocents?" shouted Crystal, but his voice wasn't directed toward the leader. Scar followed his gaze, and she saw the target of his hostility. A dark gray tom had just padded out of a den, and he was captured in the glares of the rogue cats. The murderer. 

Before Scar could stop him, Crystal shot forward and toward the murderer with his claws outstretched.

"No!"

A/N: This was brought to you by Rio, again. I find it ironic that Crystal, being typically a girl's name, is a name that I gave to a tomcat xD ~ ~~Edited by Blaze because reasons~~