[WARNING: Includes bl00d, injury, and d3ath. Please do not proceed unless you are comfortable] This was it. No more giving in. It was time to stand up. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Mossstar," Echoheart stood in the entrance to the leader's den. Mossstar lay there, asleep in his nest. At the sound of his name, he slowly blinked his eyes open. "Hmm?" He stared up at Echoheart, blinking slowly. He gave a little yawn. "Oh. It's you. What's going on, Echoheart?" Echoheart strode into his den. "There's no time for pleasantries, Mossstar. Did you hear about what happened to the patrol?" Mossstar tilted his head, then nodded. "Oh. Yes. Poor Spotclaw. I suppose we'll have to hold a vigil tomorrow night. Hmm... we can't recover his body..." Mossstar trailed off, talking to himself. Echoheart narrowed her eyes. "No. Well, yes, but did you hear about my son?" Mossstar raised his eyebrows. "Oh - right. My deepest apologies for the loss of your son, Echoheart." "No - he's not dead! Not yet!" Echoheart lashed her tail. "He's just injured and-" "You need horsetail, yes, I know, Fallowfur told me that." Mossstar replied. "That's why I'm giving you my apologies. The other clans refuse to negotiate, those stubborn fox-hearts, so we don't have horsetail. So, Storkstrike is going to die." "Storkshadow," Echoheart growled softly. "What?" "His name is Storkshadow. Not Storkstrike." 'You literally named him, you fuzz brain!' Echostar thought angrily. "Oh right," Mossstar curled back up. "Anyways, my apologies Echoheart, and good night." Echoheart stared at him in disbelief. "That's it?" she shouted. "You're not even going to try? We can get horsetail from the Toad Pond - give me permission to take a patrol to retrieve it!" Mossstar sighed. "And in case you've forgotten, Echoheart, there's a crocodile in the Toad Pond. I'm not letting any warriors, let alone you, go. Good night." He closed his eyes and turned away from Echoheart. Echoheart stared at him, and her raised fur slowly deflated. She turned away and started walking towards the exit. Then she paused. No. Mossstar was not going to bully her this time. She was going to get him to give her permission - she just needed to try a different strategy. Alright, Mossstar, Echoheart thought. Let's see how well you handle your own games. "Are you afraid?" Echoheart asked. Her voice rung clear and true, but she didn't turn around. Didn't face him. She would not let him see her fear and doubts. "What?" Mossstar shifted in his nest. Echoheart thought that he had sat up. "Are you afraid?" Echoheart turned slightly. "Does a big, bad crocodile have more power than Mossstar, the powerful leader of Cloverclan?" Mossstar shifted again and flicked his tail. "If you surrender to the crocodile, to the fear, how are the other clans going to react?" Echoheart had fully turned around now. She took slow, steady steps towards Mossstar. "Do you think Daisystar is going to bow down? Do you think Oatstar is going to give in?" Echoheart quickened her advance. "No. Not in a million moons." Echoheart stopped right in front of Mossstar, and towered above him, lashing her tail angrily. "Face it, Mossstar. You're being a coward. You've commanded me to not be afraid. You've sent every cat in Cloverclan into the outstretched talons of a brutal massacre. And you're going to stop here?" Echoheart leaned in to him, and whispered her last few words in his ear. "You've forced me to serve for you. It's time you repay what you owe. Give me permission, or let the whole world think you're a coward." She backed up, and stared him straight in the eye. "It's your choice." Echoheart whirled around and stalked away, but right before she was about to exit, Mossstar's words rang through the air. "Fine. You can have what you want. But I'm leading the patrol, and we leave at dawn. Understood?" Echheart gave a curt nod. "Go round up the others who are coming. And, Echoheart?" Mossstar's voice suddenly dripped with hatred and anger. "Don't think there won't be any consequences for the stunt you just pulled." Echoheart looked away, and stalked out of the den. Mossstar thought he could threaten her. He knew her family was what she valued the most - but in that moment, Echoheart didn't care what Mossstar knew or could do. She was going to save Storkshadow. That was all that mattered. The next morning, Echoheart stood by the entrance to camp as the patrol assembled. It was a small patrol - consisting of her, Mossstar, Briarrose (who had insisted on returning), and Sorrelclaw. Mossstar kept shooting Echoheart angry and frustrated glares, but that was the least of her worries. Storkshadow hadn't gotten any better overnight. They needed that horsetail. "All right," Mossstar looked over the two cats. "This is it? Then let's go." ++
++ Thankfully, the Bushclan border wasn't too far from camp, so the patrol made good time. As they ran through Cloverclan's flower-covered hills, Echoheart took the time to describe horsetail to the others. "It's green, and has a tall stem," Echoheart panted. "There are branches that branch off and have leaves that look like needles. It doesn't have any flowers, so don't look for that! Also,-" "We get it!" Mossstar interrupted. "Get in, Grab the plant, and get out. We need to be fast. And do NOT attract the crocodile." Echoheart rolled her eyes. Like they could control whether the crocodile came or not. Finally, the patrol arrived at the Toad Pond. Mist hung low over the bog, and the early morning sun made it appear eerie. The pond seemed to radiate danger - Echoheart was bristling just looking at it. "Alright, let's go," Mossstar commanded, leading the way forward into the bog. The mud stuck to Echoheart's fur as she squelched her way forwards. "Don't go too far in," she warned as the group began to split up. "It's less muddy and more of a pond farther in." The cats nodded their agreement, and continued. Walking took a great effort - Echoheart's paws sunk deep in the mud, and she had to yank them out with a big squelch. She looked, but she didn't see any horsetail yet. She kept walking, but her fur was standing on edge. The bog seemed too quiet, and the thick mist wasn't helping her wariness. Just keep going, Echoheart told herself. Storkshadow needs you. And yet, as she searched, Echoheart just felt more and more uneasy. She couldn't shake off the feeling that someone - or something - was watching her. "Hey!" Mossstar's voice cut through the dead silent swamp. "I think I found it - Echoheart, get your tail over to me so we can get out of here." Echoheart turned, and moved as fast as she could toward the direction where Mossstar's voice had come from. She passed Sorrelclaw on the way, who then began heading with her too. Finally, Echoheart thought she could make out Mossstar's outline through the mist. "Mossstar!" She called out as she trudged forwards with Sorrelclaw. Echoheart squinted her eyes at the silhouette. Unless her mind was playing tricks on her, it seemed to be growing larger. "Echoheart, is this the-" Mossstar's voice was cut off as, with a loud snap, the crocodile that had risen behind him swallowed him whole. ----------------------------------------------------------------- to be continued this is part 2 of 4 next part here: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1186501016
