Warriors Stars of Blood

Chapter 21

"All clear." Chipmunk meowed. He has been assigned as one of the night guards for Blood and leered his partner away. Thunderclaw does not know what kind of tricks he has behind his paws but the brown tabby was thankful. The warrior slipped inside the prisoners den and sawn the red she cat curled up.

"Well well, who do I have here." Blood growled and Thunderclaw almost felt the ground shake. "Isn't this Twilightspeckle's beloved mate."

"The past is done." The brown tabby spat. "I'm here to make things right. And I'm doing this for some cat else."

"I'm doing this for some cat else." Blood copied him with a annoying voice that made Thunderclaw flex his claws. "Always Twilightspeckle your mate."

He shook his head. He allowed his fur to flame down and keep his temper. "I'm doing this for Snakefang, your father."

Blood twitched her ears. She opened her mouth a few times but closed it. "Snakefang? I thought he's dead!"

"He is." Thunderclaw met Chipmunk's gaze that the limited time was almost up. "We don't have time Blood. Come or stay as a prisoner."

The annoying red furred she cat stood up and sneered. Freedom was more important then worrying about the past. If she stayed as the Army's prisoner forever, she would be killed or starve to death. Thunderclaw gave a polite nod and signaled to follow. Chipmunk quickly and silently ran Raindrop at his heals.

They traveled silently until faraway from the Army's temporary territory. The dangers creeped everywhere as all senses of the five cats were cautioned. We did it. We weren't found. Thought Thunderclaw. He finally let his voice hear.

"I met Snakefang in the Dark Forest." The warrior began to explain. Blood listens carefully her pointy ears up.

"Thought you were a loyal MorningClan warrior." Thunderclaw gave a warning growl for the she cat to silence.

"He told me that if I got you to the clans and the clan give you a second chance, he'll help Twilightspeckle get back. She disappeared and according to your father she was brought to StarClan. If Lightpelt has never told you—,"

"Lightpelt told me everything about the annoying black fur ball." Blood interrupted. "And it seems like there was a spy."

Thunderclaw swallowed his gasp and lunged into battle position. He heard the leaves of a bush rustle. His claws unsheathe he waited for the opponent. From the bush, Dazzle appeared her dazzling blue eyes sparkling by the moonlight. For a second the warrior had a flood of relief, but when the bush wiggled again and leaped out of the bush, his relief was gone. It was Lemon and Zen.

Lemon is a cat whom Thunderclaw trusts. But Zen is a difficult cat to identify if he is loyal or disloyal to Vulture. Zen's silver fur gleamed by the white light. Zen mewed, "Thunderclaw take me with you."

The brown tom and the three traveling cats were shocked to hear the fourth commanders words. Zen shuffled his feet closer to his underbelly. Dazzle spoke up breaking the silence. "My father is trustworthy. He is a loyal cat, but he wishes to seek more ways how cats can be. He knows that the Army will still keep together without a fourth commander."

Dazzle's mew was cold to Thunderclaw. This was a different problem from this one. The brown tabby stared at Zen's gaze. He searched for guilt on every corner of the silver fur but found none. "How can I know you are trustworthy?"

Zen meowed with his fur forcefully flattened down. "All I saw the ways to live is the Army. The rest are loners and I do not like the loneliness how they live. I thought the Army was the most magnificent way to live, cats forming a group to take care of each other, having ranks to be respected and dreamed, and hunting parties done by groups. I have never have a thought to she cats. When my daughter told me the way you have lived, I gave a second look at the Army. It did not feel so special and the best anymore. I wanted to look at a new way to live, to the clans."