Kits of a murderer part two: Foxclaw speaks (again)

Foxclaw: Every cat was shocked that Baypaw was murdered. I regretted it a lot, feeling sick to my stomach.

"It was Snakestar, wasn't it?" Stormstar was saying. The medicine cats, along with Thornpaw and Moonlight, had dragged her back to the camp.

"Snakestar is golden. This is red fur between her claws.." Winter said, his voice trembling with grief.

"It must have been her!" Came Frozenwater's voice from the nursery. To my horror, her tail flicked towards my sister, Redpool.

"No." Rainy Day said, "She has been helping me with gathering cobwebs for Honeydrop."

"Then who could it have been? There isn't another red cat in the forest." She wrapped her tail around Bunnykit, who was sleeping quietly.

"Except for your mate, you mouse-brain!" Flowerspark growled.

"Foxclaw would never hurt anyone!" Frozenwater hissed. She stood up, waking Bunnykit, and stormed over to the gold she-cat.

"Calm down!" Stormstar growled. "Not a single cat in this cave is guilty of Baypaw's murder. They couldn't be!"

"Foxclaw.." Flowerspark muttered. "Should've been Foxheart."

"Quiet! It was most likely one of Snakestar's rogues. I will come with you to bury Baypaw, Winter. Then I will talk to Dragonstar, and we will organize a battle patrol to head to twolegplace and get rid of Snakestar altogether. When they are done, they will be nothing but a story to tell kits that wondered too far from the nursery."

The cats left, and when they returned, Dragonstar was with them. Winter Skies, Red Eyes, Olivefur, and Eagletail followed.

"We will be sending a patrol to kill Snakestar." Stormstar announced to all of the clan members who hadn't heard before. "It will leave our camp quite unguarded, so Fallenflight will guard the nursery. Frozenwater, you cannot leave except to make dirt. Foxclaw, Redpool, and Rainy day will go on the patrol." He said.

"I will lead." Thornpaw announced. "I'm only an apprentice, but I am much stronger than most warriors. I fight with the power of StarClan." I admired Frozenwater's brother. I did not know him well, but I believed that he would make a wonderful messenger for StarClan.

Like he said, Thornpaw led Redpool, Rainy, Winter, Red Eyes, Olivefur, and Eagletail, and I out of the camp. In order to get to twolegplace, we had to travel through the mountainous terrain of MudClan territory.

Suddenly, Thornpaw froze and sniffed the air. "We're being followed. A kit!" He spun around and crashed into the bushes. A second later he appeared with Jaykit dangling from his mouth.

"Mouse dung!" The kit swore as Thornpaw dropped him at my feet.

"Return your kit to the nursery." He told me. Then, he lowered his voice so that the others couldn't hear. "I know what you've done to Baypaw. I won't tell the others, but you are in trouble with StarClan."

I gulped, but before I could reply, Red Eyes spoke. "It's too late to turn back. We need every warrior on this journey. If we keep going, we should arrive before dawn, giving us the advantage of attacking by night. The kit comes with us." Before waiting for a reply, he turned and hopped away from the forests and crossed the river using the stepping stones.

"Let me carry him." Olivefur offered, picking up the silver kit. I sighed and followed as the patrol disappeared into the night.

Twolegplace was unnerving. It was lit by twoleg lights, casting odd silvery light over the hard surface of the thunderpath. The patrol walked slowly beside it, careful not to get to close.

Soon, we came to a twoleg nest with a cat sitting on the fence. I immediately recognized my old friend. "Sophie! It's me, Foxclaw!"

The black she-cat flattened her ears. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"It's Fox!" I remembered that she did not know my warrior name. "I used to be a kittypet, remember?"

Sophie nodded slowly. "Can I help you?"

"Have you seen Snakestar?" Eagletail asked.

"Who?"

"He's a big golden tom." Rainy explained.

"A rogue!" Jaykit added from where Olivefur had briefly set him down.

"I saw a golden tom near Hailey's nest." She said, her eyes wide.

"Thank you!" I said. "I'll tell red that we saw you."

Her eyes lit up as the cats walked away. "It's a good thing Stormstar sent you, kittypet." Red Eyes said. "You know the other kittypets."

I growled a bit but did not reply. Hailey's nest was right next to my old one, which made me more homesick than ever. "I know Hailey." Olivefur said. Nobody replied.

When we got to Hailey's nest, a horrible smell of death filled the air. "Yuck! What's that?" Jaykit whined.

"Fox? Oliver? Is that really you?" Came a voice from inside the fence.

"Yes, Hailey, it's us!" Olivefur called. "What is that smell?"

"Some strays came here and were fighting just a couple hours ago."

"Which way did they go?"

"That way." I could just make out the shape of her flicking her tail towards a forest that stretched past twolegplace."

"Let's go!" Redpool said, bounding off into the woods. The others followed more slowly.

"I can smell them. This way!" Thornpaw announced, turning to the left. We all bounded forward, and after running several fox-lengths I saw them; a gathering of what seemed like hundreds of rogues were spread out along the forest.

Hundreds of eyes turned to stare at the newcomers. Snakestar, in the center of the cats, slowly rose to his paws. His eyes glittered with fury as he recognized the clan cats. "If you have come to join me, you are not invited. If you have come to fight me, then.. Run." He flicked his tail, and at once, the rogues rose to their paws.