Shiver and Linger
word limit - 1000
points earned - 10

Muggy fog choked the cobalt sky, the moor seemed to fall into an eerie silence. Long stalks slowly swayed in the gentle zephyr, their methodical dance hypnotizing anyone who dared to watch. While the claw-moon could not provide sufficient light, small fireflies offered enough for the feline eye. If it wasn't for a group of cats, gathered in a small dip sheltered in the moor's hold, and the whimpers echoing throughout the meadow, the scene would almost look magical, something from an elder's tale. The sharp glint of the moonlight lit up a she-cat's eyes. Her sable-and-white tortoiseshell fur was flattened from the breeze. It was her to first speak.

"It's good that all of you made it on time. Cloverbloom, I assume you brought the captive?" Her rough voice rang in the gathered cat's ears. A lithe Bengal tom-cat stood forwards, in front of him was a shivering lump of striped fur. "I did, Puddlestalk. He was surprisingly easy to bring. A muted sob erupted from the prisoner. "Pathetic," a red marbled tabby spoke this time, her yellow eyes flashed with contempt. "truly pathetic. But why is he here?! We are cats living by the warrior code, not some mongrels or rogues. We live with honour." She turned her anger onto the tortoiseshell. Out of the four cats that had not spoken, two of them shuffled their paws, a passive reminder that they agreed with the tabby.

The bi-colour she-cat snorted at her words. Scanning the dusty earth in the dip, her blue slits spotted a crumpled dandelion only a few steps from her. Standing up, Puddestalk walked over to the flower with a regal bounce to her step and scooped up the dandelion. "We are cats of the Warrior Code, yes, but it is up to us to rid the clans of poison. Don't you understand that? This precious flower is the exact shade of the flower that the poisoned clan is named after. And look at the sky! No cloud covers the moon. The sky does not object, they've even given us fog to hide under." Her voice was smooth this time, like honey. The marbled she-cat snorted, but the apprehension died out of her eyes. "If we have no more objections, let's hear what the prisoner has to say."

The Bengal tom but his beefy paw on the captive's neck and unsheathed his claws. "Speak! Tell us information." He commanded, the force of his voice plunging the prisoner into silence. "W-what do-do you w-want to know?" His eyes became slits as the claws of Cloverbloom pierced his neck. "A-ah yes, s-sorry. You want-t to know ab-bout the territory?" While his sentence was phrased as more of a question, no cat spoke to answer.

"B-bordering this territory is o-of course the White Oak Forest. O-of course you guys knew th-that, you found me there, but the forest is huge! White O-oaks dominate the forest with occasional spruce tr-trees. A-as you know, the on-only thing that separates you from the Oak Forest i-is the Cerulean Stream." The tabby looked at the blubbering cat with pity but did not say a word as he continued. "W-what you d-don't know about this stream is t-that it run-n deeper into the forest. Follow it and y-you'll reach the Water Hole! Yes, the Water Hole! I-its a large water source. Poison it and the Clan would have to rely on the stream for their drink-" He had said too much. The prisoner gasped at his words, surprised that it tumbled out of his mouth. Without saying a word, Puddlestalk flicked her paw, a gesture to go on. The cat's shoulders jumped in relief, as his mess-up was not questioned further.

"W-when you get t-to the water hole, you have two choices, l-left or r-right. Left will take you to a sm-small canopy of red-redwood trees. This is the o-only flame-proof part of the t-territory. Ever s-since The Great Fire, the Clan has t-taken refuge there, a-as their old camp burned down. U-under camp, there are tunnels that l-lead all over the territory." Satisfied that his prisoner was spewing vital information, Cloverbloom retracted his claws and smirked. "Tunnels. What's to the right?" The prisoner wept even more. As the soft draft picked up to a stronger gust, his rambling became even more hysterical. "P-please d-don't kill me!" He pleaded with despair. "I-I'll tell you everything! To th-the right is the mountain range! W-we travel over it, and some tunnels l-lead to their as w-well. R-right in the middle o-of the range I-is a valley with w-water, h-herbs and loads of prey. T-thats where we get out h-herbs."

This statement raised Puddlestalk's eyebrow. "Anything else?"

"O-only one more thing! The t-tunnels! I'm not t-that mouse brained, I know you w-would of asked me about them. They lead everywhere! But t-they don't lead t-to one place. There is a-a massive gorge towards t-the edge of the territory. Looks l-like a giant claw. There is on-only one way to get d-down, but I was never told how! The Star-Filled Pool is in one of the caves of the gorge, b-but I don't know where!" He started screeching now, his nerves getting the better of him. "P-please don't kill me! I want to see my sister again! I want to go-" curved claws dug into his back, instantly quieting him.

"What's your name, son?" The tortoiseshell she-cat spoke with a motherly tone. The sudden change of tone surprised the gathered cats. "Beepaw..." the tom spluttered out. His words were hardly heard, as the wind had turned into a harsh gale. "Well, Beepaw, there's something that you must be aware of. Your Clan is choked by darkness, shadowy vines have trapped cats in their own minds. My cats have decided to choose you out of all cats to help us with our duty." Beepaw saw through her facade. He saw her manipulations, yet he also understood what she was saying.

"Beepaw, I need you to help me..."