Gone Rogue | A One-Shot Collection

Direction | WattyClans WC R3

Direction
WattyClans Writing Competition - Round 3

    Late greenleaf had always been Squirrelfoot's favourite season. The way the leaves slowly began to change but clung to the last remnants of green; the breeze, both warm and cool at once; the birds as they chattered all they could before the silence of leaf-bare descended.

    The grey warrior found solace as he padded through FeatherClan, heading for the HollyClan border. His patrol had dispersed throughout the territory, searching for any scent trails of HollyClan intruders. He had offered to patrol the border itself, giving him a reason to stay close to the meeting place.

    That was the other thing that brought him peace after moons of self-doubt – Spottedfern. The HollyClan she-cat could make him feel safe with just a brush of her brown ticked tail, confident with just a soft-spoken word. He had stayed up many nights, lying in his nest and wishing they were of the same Clan.

    He settled by the border near a tall oak, eyes on the opposite side in hopes of spying Spottedfern's green eyes or ticked fur. The sun filtered in through the canopy, trying to trick him as it caught the brown bark of a tree or a particularly emerald leaf.

    Something chattered above him and he turned to see a starling sitting high up in the oak. It regarded him with beady black eyes, almost mockingly, and Squirrelfoot felt his neck fur bristle. Memories came flooding back, a starling in a tree and a brown she-cat carefully sliding towards it – then, a crack, and a whirlwind of colour as she disappeared.

    He shook at the thoughts and pushed them even further away than before. I'm so sorry Rowanpaw.

    "I wasn't aware that FeatherClan allowed its warriors to rest on the border. It must be a new way to patrol."

    Squirrelfoot whipped around, hazel eyes wide. He spotted the fluffy white tom immediately, yellow eyes glowing, on HollyClan's side of the border. oWhitefur, he remembered from Gatherings, the deputy of HollyClan. Belatedly, he realized the tom was waiting for a response.

    "I... FeatherClan... I just got distracted." He stumbled over the words.

    "That was your signal to leave from here before I find your dawdling to be a threat to my Clan's safety," the older tom snorted pointedly. Even from across the border, he was intimidating. However, Squirrelfoot refused to let him think so.

    "Your Clan's safety?" he replied. "HollyClan's the one whose been stealing FeatherClan's prey. Just yesterday I followed a scent trail into our territory and back across your border."

    Whitefur puffed himself up, white fur bushier than normal. "HollyClan has kept to our side of the territory just as we always have. I do recall seeing you for the past few days on this very border loitering. Explain that."

    Squirrelfoot's mind raced to come up with a plausible answer. He could not let the deputy of HollyClan know that he was waiting for Spottedfern – that would spell trouble for both of them. "Snowtail believes that someone is crossing the border," he finally said. I'm here to stop them should they come by." He puffed his chest out proudly.

    The deputy rolled his eyes in response. "Yes, you are a very formidable force and my Clanmates would fear your very presence here. May StarClan save us all from your diligent watch on our actions."

    His own eyes narrowed. "I happen to be one of the most promising young warriors in FeatherClan."

    "You are the best FeatherClan has to offer, huh," Whitefur began. "Tell me, how is Rowanpaw doing? Is she recovering well? That fall must have been so tough for her."