The Search for Jetfur

Chapter 43

The early morning chirping of birds awoke Tigerstripe one morning. His eyes slowly fluttered open, revealing the forest's grand scenery. Jetfur still slept soundly beside him, and he watched as he chest slowly fluttered up and down.

Tigerstripe smiled as he watched her and glanced ahead at the path ahead of them. They were getting closer to his home now. Each day he became more familiar with his surroundings. He knew it couldn't be long now.

Tigerstripe couldn't wait to finally settle down either. He'd been traveling so long, and while it was nice to have Jetfur traveling with him again, he couldn't wait to just relax in a place they could call home.

And maybe we could have kits someday, he thought.

All in all, he and Jetfur had been getting along well on their journey, and he was glad to have her back again. He hadn't realized how much he missed her.

Tigerstripe turned and lightly shoved Jetfur until her eyes opened. She smiled warmly at Tigerstripe and let out a large yawn.

"Is it morning already?" she asked tiredly.

"Unfortunately," Tigerstripe replied. "But not too many more days now."

"Good," Jetfur purred. "I'm pooped."

"Me too," he agreed.

Both Tigerstripe and Jetfur rose to their feet and stretched their legs a few moments. Soreness spread through Tigerstripe's body from previous days' travel though he did his best to ignore it. He wanted to get to his birthplace now, not save a day for rest.

"I suppose we should get breakfast then," Jetfur suggested.

Tigerstripe nodded, and they set off together in search of a meal.

It was already hot despite it still being early morning. Green-leaf seemed to bring more and more warmth each day, but it also brought a lot more prey, which was good for traveling conditions.

He and Jetfur padded around the forest with keen ears and eyes. Tigerstripe's mouth watered as he imagined eating a juicy rabbit or a scrumptious mouse. Then, a sudden rustle of movement caught his attention.

Tigerstripe turned but noticed nothing there.

Jetfur shrugged. "Guess it was just a lizard or something."

Tigerstripe nodded and they continued on their way. Finally, he spotted the white fluffy tail of a rabbit up a hill ahead. He quietly tapped Jetfur and pointed to the meal.

Jetfur licked her lips and nodded.

Together, they slowly crept toward the rabbit. Before Tigerstripe could leap, however, Jetfur had already leapt into the air. He watched in amazement as she quickly stabbed the rabbit with her needle-like claws, killing it quickly.

"Wow! Great catch!" Tigerstripe exclaimed.

"Thanks," Jetfur replied. She dropped the rabbit next to him, and they sat underneath the comfy shade of a nearby pine tree, eating their breakfast.

"I can't wait to be not so hungry all the time," Tigerstripe told Jetfur with a mouth full of food.

Jetfur laughed. "Yes. It'll be nice not to have to travel so far."

"Plus, no clan means no duties. We can eat whatever we want, whenever we want, and do whatever we want. It'll be great," Tigerstripe said, envisioning the scene now.

Jetfur nodded. "It'll be nice to have some freedom."

The two continued eating their rabbit until nearly all the meat had been picked off the bones. Tigerstripe grinned, now full and ready to take on the day.

"That was a good rabbit," Jetfur said.

Tigerstripe nodded. "Ready to head out?"

Jetfur nodded.

Just as he said that, another rustle came from the bushes. He turned, but once again, he saw nothing.

Jetfur looked past him and frowned. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Maybe it's just more prey," Tigerstripe suggested. "There's a lot of prey wandering around in green-leaf."

"I...don't think it's that," Jetfur said. She stood up and cautiously approached where the noise had come from.

Suddenly, Tigerstripe was hit with a bunch of unknown scents, and he knew they weren't alone. This realization hit him as Jetfur inched closer and closer to the bush. His heart seized, and he shouted, "Jetfur, look out!"

A large tom leapt out of the bushes and pinned her down, hissing at her. More cats leapt out from all around and surrounded the two.

"Get off her!" Tigerstripe shouted, about to lunge for the tom when a she-cat pinned him to the floor.

"What are you doing?! Leave us alone!" Jetfur hissed.

"Hazelstar said they'd be fighters," the tom spoke up. "Keep close to them," he told the others.

"Hazelwhat?!" Tigerstripe shrieked. "Who are you and what's going on?" He struggled underneath the she-cat's grasp, but she had muscles made of iron.

A ginger she-cat walked past the two. "We were ordered by Hazelstar to bring you to MoonClan."

"You mean Hazelnose? My sister?" Tigerstripe asked.

The she-cat pinning him down slashed him across the face. "Her name is Hazelstar and you will refer to her that way!"

"But MoonClan is gone!" Jetfur argued. "We lost the battle!"

"MoonClan has returned with an even bigger army this time and a new leader," the tom explained. "They intend to get what they want."

"Nonsense! We're not coming with you! We left MoonClan and we're not returning!" Tigerstripe spat.

"Oh, but you are," the she-cat holding him down said. "Hazelstar said if you didn't comply then we would take you as prisoners."

"My sister can rot in the Dark Forest!" Tigerstripe yowled, squirming beneath them. "We're not going!"

The she-cat was becoming more angry with him, and a quiet mew silenced Tigerstripe. Jetfur glanced at him, her eyes widened in fear.

"Just go with them," she whispered quietly.

He didn't want to go down without a fight, but he knew a fight would be useless. He and Jetfur were incredibly outnumbered, and these cats were clearly skilled in fighting. It'd be a suicide battle.

Tigerstripe sighed and finally loosened up.

"Ready to comply?" the tom asked.

"Fine," Tigerstripe grunted. "Let's go see my sister."

As soon as he and Jetfur were let up, they were immediately surrounded by cats to ensure they did not run off. Furious and heartbroken he and Jetfur's travels were for nothing, they silently marched to MoonClan where Tigerstripe expected nothing more than pain and torture.