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Cash's call seemed to snap everyone back into action. Zero trotted over the bridge, careful not to slip, Griffin close behind her. The others filed after them, anxious to get away. King waited, going last. Zero had just made it across when she skidded to a stop, staring in devastation at what was before her. A dog was stood there, head cocked to the side, watching them. "We've got a problem! There's a dog!"
"Well it's better than a badger, just GO," King called back, hissing at the approaching badger.
Zero couldn't argue with that. Letting out the fiercest yowl she could, the she cat lunged towards the dog, claws unsheathed. The creature froze, confused by the action, and she used this as her opportunity to strike. In a flash she'd clawed it's nose and darted past it, drawing it's attention. It yelped, eyes locking onto its now attacker as she pelted away, and gave chase.
With the path now clear, Griffin made her way quickly and cautiously over the bridge, followed by Kai and Axel. Cash made it half way across before he stopped, checking on King. The tom was dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, unable to look behind him and see where the bridge was. The badger used this to its advantage, leaning in with snapping jaws before pulling back away from the claws of its prey. But King had a lot of fight left in him.
Risking a glance to his side to check the others were safe, the small tom made his move. When the clumsy creature had pulled it's head back again he leapt forward, front paws grasping its front leg, claws digging in, while the momentum kept him going, rear end sliding under the badger, hind legs kicking out at its back leg. The combined action of him pulling on a front paw and kicking out the back was enough to make the confused animal lose its balance, rolling over. King maneuvered out the way, using this opening to take his claws through its thick fur, before backing off and pelting across the bridge to safety before it could get to its paws.
Five cats set off at a sprint up the grassy top of the cliff, putting as much distance between themselves and the badger as possible. When Zero came trotting back from a little way off, they let out a collective sigh, slowing their pace so she could catch up. Panting, the she cat nodded, taking a place beside King at the back of the group. "You handled a badger?"
The tom nodded, pleased with himself. "It was too big to get some proper wounds on it, but I knocked it over so we could escape. No way that stupid thing was getting over the bridge," he explained. "And you were worried about a dog, I pity you," he added, unable to resist.
"Very funny. It's not easy to fight when you're on a bridge half a tail length wide. I managed to surprise it and lead it away though. I've got speed on my side." The tom didn't respond, unimpressed by her small feat, but Zero had expected that and didn't particularly care what he thought anyway. Sensing that was the end of that conversation, she quickened her pace and weaved through the group until she was beside Cash and Griffin who took the lead.
"It's still a long way off," she meowed. "I think we should find somewhere to sleep. Travelling on cliffs is hard enough in daylight, but in the dark we wouldn't know if we walked right off the edge."
Cash nodded, an irritated look on his face. "I know you're right, but what if we miss whatever StarClan sent us for?"
"We have to trust them." Griffin had a determined look in her eyes, like she was silently begging Cash to understand. "StarClan knows these things. I'm sure they have it all planned out. And besides," she added, "what use is it if one of us trips on a rock and falls to our death?"
"Morbid," the tom mumbled. "But true. Alright everyone! We'll break now, hunt if you need and get some sleep. We leave at sunrise." Axel sighed in relief, flipping down on the spot and grooming his tangled pelt, complaining loudly about sore pads. This caught Kai's attention, and the she cat padded over quickly to inspect.
Leaving the others, Griffin trotted off to look for an area where prey might be. The last rays of sun were sinking and she couldn't deny that she was tired, but she felt it was her duty to provide food for the others, especially those who struggled to hunt for themselves or had spent their energy fighting. Scanning her surroundings, she spotted a large pile of scattered boulders, clumps of brambles and ferns sprouting between them. Checking the sky, her heart skipped a beat when she spotted a young hawk circling.
Perfect!Trying to pinpoint it's prey, she froze when she spotted the white pelt concealed in the dark grass. Moving swiftly she intercepted Zero before she was close enough to alert neither mouse nor bird. "Psst, hold on," she breathed out, voice as quite as possible. She received a confused look in return, and Griffin nodded up to the sky. This just seemed to confuse the other she cat further, so Griffin rolled her eyes and signaled for the other cat to lay down. Careful not to startle her, she lay her fluffy tail over the white cats body, not wanting the bright colour to catch the hawk's eye. Zero opened her mouth as if to question her, but a friendly glare kept her quiet.
Spotting no danger, the bird swooped lower, going in for the kill. Knowing it's eyes were focused on its prey, Griffin shot forward, racing over the grass as stealthily as she could. The bird grabbed the mouse in it's talons, but before it could take off the cat crashed into it, pinning it against the rock. It flapped about in a frenzy, screeching and scratching, but Griffin used a paw to hold its beak down, finishing it off with a nip to the neck. When it stilled, she sat back and smiled at Zero.
"Sorry! I thought it could feed us all better than one mouse," she explained, "and your bright pelt would have given you away." There was no scorn in her voice, just a friendly laughter.
"Ah, that makes sense. I'd never have though of that, but how do you kill it without getting your eyes pecked out?"
"Easy! This one is still young and not used to being on its own. If it was an adult I would have needed another cat to help, but I don't hunt with others..." She trailed off, her nervous habit of shuffling her paws kicking in. Zero didn't comment on it, instead bending down to pick up the mouse.
Following suite, Griffin picked up the hawk and padded happily back to their temporary camp, where Kai was attempting to fuss over King, looking for scratches, but got a mouthful of insults in return. Spotting the prey, she gave up on the tom and walked over excitedly. Cash was returning too, his embarrassed look of returning back empty pawed replaced by one of shock.
Placing the bird between the gathered cats, Griffin sat back. "It's for everyone to share, it should be enough."
"Thank you!" Kai dived in without needing to be asked twice, grateful for the food. Axel joined her, eating in more dignified bites, while Cash and King waited, preferring to eat if it was less crowded.
Zero dropped the mouse at Griffin's paws before silently making her way over to the bird and eating her share. The she cat wasn't sure why she hadn't eaten it herself, but shrugged and dug into it anyway, more than happy to eat a little way away from the others.
The sky was completely dark by the time they'd finished, yet with no signs from StarClan the cats deemed it safe to sleep and settled in for the night. It was considerably colder now they were higher up, so the cats shifted closer to each other without acknowledging it, and before long they were in a huddle, pelts brushing as they slept.
* * * * *
No matter how many times she was poked awake at the crack of dawn, Griffin wasn't going to get used to it. She mumbled something unintelligible and swatted away at the paw, curling herself into a tighter ball. When she headed a small chuckle from what sounded like Zero, she sighed and stood up, hoping to not embarrass herself further. "Mornin' Ze-" the she cat paused, letting out a yawn. "Mornin' Zero."
Said she cat chuckled again. "Good morning. Now hurry up, Cash is acting like he slept on an ant's nest."
Griffin glanced over, understanding what she meant. The tom was pacing in circles, ears and tail twitching periodically. His eyes flicked between the cats, clearly impatient. Kai was carefully checking a still sleeping King for any injuries, Axel was grooming his sleep ruffled fur, and Zero was making her way over to the restless tom. Sighing, Griffin shook the lingering sleep from herself and followed.
Once Kai was satisfied the feisty tom wasn't injured she prodded him awake, and they joined the waiting cats. Without voicing his annoyance, Cash set off at a steady pace, glancing back to check the others followed.
They continued along their path, trusting Zero for directions and catching some food as they went. They passed open fields, rocky peaks and a variety of forests, each one left without a second thought. None of the cats knew where they were headed, but there was an unspoken resolve to travel as far away from the old Clan's as possible. Griffin thought back to the cats she'd left behind. Never having felt completely at home there, she hadn't had second thoughts about leaving the corrupt cats behind. StarClan had told her themselves; there was nothing anyone could do for those cats. Any in their right mind would leave. They were right of course, a few cats had already bailed, liking their chances of survival better alone. The ones that hadn't had slowly been destroying themselves and those around them. She didn't regret leaving them.
What about the others? It hit her then that she knew practically nothing about these cats, not even their true names. Had they left someone they cared for behind? Was it hard for them to leave? Are their paws wanting to lead them back home? The she cat shook her head.
Our paws are taking us home, she reminded herself.
We all know that.It was sun high now, and the scenery was the same. Spirits were low and paws ached.
"Let's play truth or dare!"
"What is it with you and that game?"
The tom shrugged, brushing off King's question. "It was my turn anyways, so Kai! Truth or dare?"
"I'm picking truth again," she meowed sweetly, hoping no cat minded her lack of desire for a dare.
Axel seemed to be ready for this, padding closer to the she cat so he could walk beside her. "Which cat do
you think is the best looking?"
Kai laughed, batting the tom playfully on the ear. "I hate to raise your ego, but i admit, your pelt and eyes are captivating," she said honestly, a light blush dusting her cheeks.
"Can you focus on the mission and not each other please?" Cash was glaring back at them, tail lashing in irritation. The she cat rolled her eyes in response, and Axel opened his mouth to argue until Kai nudged him, almost knocking him off his feet. Taking the hint, he stuck his tongue out at the back of Cash's head.
King wasn't one with self control though, and had to say his part. "Who put brambles in your nest?"
"No one. StarClan gave us a mission, and if those two want to flirt, they can do it afterwards."
"Hey! I'm just playing the game," Kai interjected, mild hurt laced into her voice. "And even if I did want to get to know Axel better, what's that got to do with you?!"
Cash sighed, stopping and turning to face the cats glaring at him. "Okay, you're right, that was uncalled for, and I apologize. I'm just stressed and didn't sleep well, I shouldn't have taken it out on you." The tom looked genuinely regretful, and his eyes were dark with lack of sleep.
"I think he's jealous that you said I'm the best looking," Axel fake whispered in to Kai's ear, but the she cat gave him a disapproving glare and walked up to Cash.
"Don't worry, I forgive you. I can give you some herbs to help you fall asleep tonight, and if there's anything bothering you, you're welcome to come and speak to me, I'm not just here for your physical health." Her voice was quiet and open, relaxing Cash. He nodded, mumbled a thanks, and continued walking without another word.
"One last thing Cash." The tom paused. "Truth or dare?"
"Dare."
"I dare you to eat that plant there," she meowed devilishly, tail pointing towards an orange flowered plant.
The tabby gave her a suspicious look before he trotted over the the plant, sniffing it. "This one?" The she cat nodded, so Cash bent his head and bit off the entire flower, chewing it. It can't have been in his mouth for more than a heartbeat before he'd spat it back out, eyes streaming. "You fox heart! My mouth burns!"
Kai let out a laugh, gasping for breath. The other cats looked between a breathless she cat and a tom shovelling grass into his mouth like it was water, clueless. Finally, Kai managed to stifle her laughter enough to explain. "I call them fire flowers. They grow in cold places like my old clan, and if you eat them it's like a fire lights inside you. You could eat one to keep you warm, but you'd never have more than a petal!"
"You're evil," Cash spat with fake venom, whiskers twitching in amusement. "Pure evil. I had to eat mud to to cool it down." This was enough to set the rest of the cats off laughing with Kai, spirits high once again. "I'll get you back for this," he warned them. "Griffin! Truth or dare?"
"If that's the kind of dares we're doing, I'm going safe this time. Truth!"
"How in earth did you figure out how to ride a horse? That just sounds impossible."
Griffin's eyes lit up in excitement. "I can show you! What if we rode a horse some of the way? It would give our paws a rest and speed us up!" Her enthusiasm was met by five doubtful and concerned pairs of eyes. "I promise it's safe. I reckon we could fit three of us on a horse, and you never find a horse on its own, so it'll work!" When no cat offered any kind of agreement, the she cat rolled her eyes. "Okay, well I'll communicate with the horse and show you it's safe, then you can make your minds up."
Not waiting for a response, she ran off, eyes flicking in all directions, looking for a horse. She rounded one of the grey peaks jutting out the grass and, lo and behold, a small herd of horses were grazing. Signalling excitedly to the others, she sat and waited for them to catch up, needing them to see how friendly the large creatures were.
Once they had reached her and sat down to watch, Griffin had a sudden rush of nerves. "Umm, I've never done this with other cats around before, and I tend to mess up when I'm under pressure, so if it goes-"
"We're not going to judge you," Zero assured her. "Go do your thing, be proud of your skill." Stuttering out an agreement and practically tripping over her paws, Griffin made her way towards the horses, keeping low and hidden.
She paused when she was half way there, taking deep breaths to calm herself.
Just pretend they're not there. Focus on the horse. Puffing her chest out half heartedly, she continued on her way, making sure not to be seen. The basic idea was like how she'd gotten on to the deer's back, just with a different approach and a different ending. Simple!
Now only a few tail lengths away from a large black horse with a long white mane, Griffin tensed her muscles. With a powerful kick off the ground, she wrapped her paws in the creature's mane, clinging on with sheathed claws. The animal below her let out a neigh, kicking its back legs out in surprise. However, unlike the deer, once it realized this attacker wasn't hurting them, it went still, turning it's head curiously. When it's eyes were on her, the cat let out a happy
prrow and blinked her eyes slowly at it, a sign she'd discovered was peace.
Blinking back, the large creature tilted it's head, unsure of that it's new companion was doing. Settling down on its back, she tapped it with both her paws, and the friendly giant started to move. She then tapped just her left paw down on its shoulder a couple times, and the horse offered it's course so that it was walking left, towards the onlooking cats. However, before it had got to far, she jumped off its back with a thankful meow, and made her way back to the others, leaving the horse to go back to grazing.
"You guys ready to try?"
