Warriors- The Deadly Rowan

Chapter 7

Vine surveyed his surroundings. "Flor was correct. We managed to make one night-fall of the journey there. We just need to make the second and we'll be there." He meowed.

Rowanfall flexed his claws. "I'm getting closer." He growled quietly. Garra puffed out his chest. "I can scent that we're almost there too!" His eyes glowed with triumph.

"Like Flor said, we need to beware the hardpath." Vine warned, staring at the black surface. A monster roared past them. Rowanfall crouched and eyed the mighty things carefully. Garra blinked slowly. "How Flor handles those things I'll never get it." He meowed.

Vine raced across swiftly and onto the other side. "Come on!" He yowled. Rowanfall confidently bounded onward, but a monster's roar startled him and he scrambled on his paws. Garra yowled something and charged for his body, causing both of them to roll to the other side where Vine was.

"That was fast!" The amber tabby tom gasped. The blue tabby panted shaking leaf bits from his pelt. "And close! Come off rather well if I do say so." He meowed.

"Like hunting a crow." Rowanfall meowed, getting to his paws, slowly making sure he wasn't hurt. The tom sniffed the air. Was that MagnoliaClan scent? Were they really closer than they thought?

"Ugh! Something stinks here!" Vine growled, wrinkling his nose.

"That's because we're in the forest.." Rowanfall mewed, staring up at the trees that seemed to open up in front of him. Garra parted his jaws to taste the air. "More than one cat. We are here.." he murmured.

"What if one of those Clans catch us?" Vine asked cautiously. "You told us how dangerous they are Rowanfall." He looked to the tabby tom.

"I know MagnoliaClan territory. Just stick to me." The tom flicked his tail as a gesture for them to follow his lead. Slowly, as he walked, he could smell the scent of fallen magnolia petals. Despite his nerves, the tom admitted he was exhausted of the two night journey, but thankful that it wasn't longer and concluded that it could have been worse.

Not all seemed right. At least more than usual. Garra's fur stood end, and Vine's eyes stretched wide at the seemingly unfamiliar territory. Rowanfall looked around. A bush rustled. He tensed, as Vine and Garra, arched their backs, looking ready for a fight.

Out of the bushes, tottered a brown tortoiseshell kit. They all calmed down. "It's just a kit." Garra meowed, lying his fur flat. Then, a queen appeared. It was a cinnamon tortoiseshell she-cat.

Rowanfall knew this cat. "Mousedapple?" He asked.

"R-Rowanfall!" She gasped, looking at him. Pawsteps sounded beside him. "You know her?" Vine asked curiously.

"I saw her at gatherings. And she was my friend when I was an apprentice." The tabby tom replied.

The she-cat curled her tail along her back. "I have a mate and kits of my own.. I was just letting them explore, Hopekit wandered off," She explained. "I should get back to HollowClan." The queen huffed ruffling thick her pelt.

"Wait!" Rowanfall meowed as the queen's kits followed after her. "If you see Lilypetal, tell her that I've returned and she can find me, at the flowering tree just of MagnoliaClan?" He pleaded.

"I'll be happy to do that. I don't believe for a moment that you killed Mintfoot by the way. Something about all this has the makings of a trick." Mousedapple meowed before disappearing among the foliage to travel deeper into the forest with her kits.

Garra looked at Rowanfall. "Where to now?" He asked. Before he could answer, Vine suddenly kneaded the earth below. "What if we can't trust her?" Vine broke in.

"She'd never betray me. Mousedapple is a companion." The brown tabby responded, curling his tail.