FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 4

Scarlet leapt from boulder to boulder, all the time the rocks were shrinking. The trees getting closer, the snow sinking behind them, and the sun sinking in the distance, the very edge of a lake could be seen. Almost there, she thought happily.

"We're finally leaving the mountains!" Archer sighed with relief.

"We weren't there long." Scarlet replied, glancing back at the crags disappearing into the distance, confusion pricked her voice.

"You weren't there long, I trekked from where you collapsed to that cave you awoke in." Archer meowed, "Then waited the three days till you awoke again."

"Oh." Scarlet replied, as the sky disappeared above the treetops, "well there's a lake up ahead, that's our destination." She glanced back, realizing he wasn't following anymore. "Something wrong?" She asked.

"I'm hungry." Archer replied, dropping into a hunting crouch. Scarlet's belly growled, me too, she thought dropping into a hunter's crouch as well. Scarlet opened her mouth to drink in the scents of the forest, picking out prey. Stale, stale, to far away, stale, not prey, mouse, She pulled the mouse scent to the front and followed it. Scarlet stalked silently through the forest, the scent of mouse getting ever stronger, suddenly, Scarlet spotted it, sitting on a root nibbling on a seed. Scarlet crouched, wiggled her haunches then leaped. The mouse darted, too late, Scarlet landed scooping up the mouse and killed with one swift bite to its spine.

Scarlet carried the mouse back to the spot they'd settled, Archer was already there, finishing a vole. Scarlet sat down and dug into her mouse, it was delicious, I haven't had fresh-kill in forever, she thought.

"We should spend the night here." Archer meowed, settling down to wash, he pulled a tuft of grass out from between his claws. Scarlet looked at him, then suddenly realized how tired she was, collapsing she agreed, "Rest sounds great!" She laid her head on her paws and before long she'd fallen asleep

Scarlet awoke in the Dark Forest, the starless sky was suddenly really unnerving, the dark, slimy trunks closing in on her. Hawkfrost padded out into the open, he looked down at her, eyes blazed an icy blue.

"You're almost there, Scourge will die soon, Tigerstar will be avenged." Scarlet felt something touch her paws, she looked down and yowled with alarm. She was standing in blood, lots of blood!

"You'll bathe in the blood of your enemies!" Hawkfrost meowed, eyes blazing icy cold, his voice a icy calm. He was starting to scare her, he noticed this, his eyes dimmed and he steadied her trembling body with his tail.

"Sorry if I scared you, I can get carried away and this forest likes to play around." He meowed soothingly, his lies weaving into his truths like he'd been doing it for moons. Scarlet believed him without trouble, her fear melted like the ice in his eyes.

"Don't worry." She meowed, darkly, "he won't survive another moon."

"Good." Hawkfrost replied, smiling menacingly.

Scarlet awoke, Archer was still fast asleep, the whole forest glittered like ice, dew sparkled the leaves, mixed with the rain that must've fell during the night. She padded over to Archer and shook him awake.

"What?" Archer mumbled, stirring as he awoke.

"Time to get moving again." Scarlet told him, beginning to pad away "I want to make it to the lake as soon as possible." Archer scrambled after him, tail high.

"I've got high hopes for this journey." Archer meowed, as he followed Scarlet through the forest. I'm beginning to dread this journey, Scarlet thought.

Chapter 5

Scarlet stopped at the top of a hill, the sun reflected in a large lake directly ahead, moorland to the left, forest to the right, and the land directly ahead was split between pine and a river fed forest.

"The clan territories." Scourge whispered, "Finally." she looked back as Archer padded up, he gasped in amazement as he looked around. Scarlet quickly got over the breathtaking view and began to bound down the hill.

"No, this way." Scarlet called as Archer began to pad across the moorland, staring up into the clear blue sky, he turned and bounded after her. Scarlet dashed through the trees, She passed a clearing with a giant, ancient oak tree and continued into the forest beyond, Scarlet slowed, only when the scent of cats began to grow to a overpowering stench. She dodged the obvious Thunderclan camp and padded deeper into Thunderclan territory. Suddenly she padded into a clearing, a lean, mottled, pale gray tabby tom was picking leaves from a bush, he leaped to his paws and spun to face them.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in Thunderclan territory?" The tom meowed, Scarlet was speechless, the tom's blind, pale blue eyes had surprised her.

"You're blind!" She meowed, suddenly feeling guilty for startling the cat.

"Maybe but I can feel you just fine." The tom replied, hostility radiated from his pelt, "Why are you here?" He dropped the leaves he'd been collecting and padded closer, no fear came from him, he was confident for a blind cat.

"My name's Scarlet." She replied, not meeting his eyes, "This is Archer."

"Jayfeather." The tom meowed, turning to pick up the leaves. "Thunderclan medicine cat." He pushed past them, "My job is not to chase intruders out, it's to heal those who do. I'd recommend you leave, before someone comes that will chase you out." He then disappeared into the undergrowth.

"Well, looks like we found thunderclan." Archer meowed, cheerfully "Let's go say hi." Scarlet began to pad deeper into the forest.

"No, not yet." She meowed, glancing at him over her shoulder, "I'd like to do some observations first."

Scarlet awoke, they'd taken shelter at the edge of Thunderclan territory. She scrambled to her paws and began to groom the grass and dew out of her pelt.

"More observing today?" Archer meowed, he had just returned carrying a mouse and a vole, "Hungry?"

"Yes, please." Scarlet replied, and Archer dropped the vole at her paws. She nodded her head in thanks and crouched down to eat, digging into the mouse.

"Mmm delicious." Scarlet meowed, finishing the vole and licking the scraps from her lips. She glanced into the forest, Thunderclan's forest, then she got to her paws and stalked into the trees. Keeping low and quiet Scarlet made her way cautiously towards the Thunderclan camp. Scourge was scheduled to patrol today, She'd take him then, kill him on his little patrol and disappear.

It's the perfect plan, she thought as she came up on the stone hollow. She could see Scourge following three other cats out of the camp, She'd drag him into the undergrowth and kill him, then disappear before anyone knew what happened!