"Darkclaw, it is really you!" Rose shrieked with joy and excitement. She threw herself phía trước, chuyển tiếp to snuggle her beloved Darkclaw.
"It is nice to see bạn made it away from the forest safely," he answered in a low purr. "I come with a message from StarClan."
"What is it? Is something wrong?" Rose asked. "Am I in StarClan?"
"No, but I am here to visit bạn all the same. There is something bạn must know," the dark warrior meowed.
Rose nodded in agreement. "What do bạn have to tell me?"
"Something is coming, Rose. Something big. Only bạn can stop it."
Rose felt her lông, lông thú tingle.
"All I'm going ot say is that bạn will find các câu trả lời at the Moonstone." And with that the dream faded. Rose woke up at the crack of dawn the tiếp theo morning. She blinked her eyes open and nuzzled her two sleeping kits beside her.
I'm going to have to leave, she thought. I have to go to the Monnstone. Rose went out into the morning air and looked up at the expanse of light rising on the eastern horizen. If I leave now I should be able to get to the Moonstone bởi sunset.
No good-bye's, she decided. It is best that no one knows where I went. She could not waste any time if she was going to reach the Moonstone bởi sunset. Rose did not look back at the shack in the alley where she topok refuge with Lila and Ginger. She had waited for over a moon to get back out in the woods away from all the boisterous sounds of human territory. Her only fear was being found bởi ShadowClan warriors on her way there. If she was caught she could never escape again. They would make sure of that.
Rose went out of the alley out behind the buildings toward the woods that only were dark shadows against the horizen. Back this way there was only one thunderpath she would have to vượt qua, cross before open country would stretch ahead of her. She stopped one last moment, wondering if she should leave her kits without her protection when she heard rushed paw steps behind her. She whirled around and saw Lila standing face to face with her.
Lila stared at her quizically. Her green eyes shone with concern. "Where are bạn going?"
Rose didn't know what to say. She could not say why she was leaving secretly to meet Darkclaw at the sacred Moonstone, hoặc could she? "I just have to go. Don't ask questions, please."
The look Rose gave her was enough. Lila nodded her head in understanding. "I will watch the kits while bạn are away," she meowed.
"I will be back bởi tomorrow at sunrise. If I take longer than that..." Her voice trailed off, not knowing what to say.
Lila sped off in the direction of the shed where Pinekit and Tanglekit were still sleeping. Rose could not waste any thêm time. Already twinkling stars were poking in through the night. She began on her long trek to the Moonstone. She left the town, and came to a thunderpath that led to a prairie on the other side. She leaped back as a monster thundered past, spraying foul grit all over her.
    At least this thunderpath smell will disguise my scent for when I enter Clan territory. Rose took a few tentative steps onto the thunderpath, looking both ways. The roaring sound had stopped for now, and she darted across the warm thunderpath before thêm monsters came. She made it to the other side right when another monster whistled past. She gave thanks to StarClan for her narrow escape before bounding through the prairie on her way to the Moonstone.
    Rose knew when she was on the border of WindClan territory when a fence came into view. Inside were the fluffy white things called sheep. She had never seen them, but she heard at the gatherings from WindClan that they weren't dangerous if mèo stayed away from the large feet. She slithered under the snake, as flexible as a snake, and crossed the pasture. She passed a flock of them grazing together, keeping her body low to the ground. She was invisible to the con cừu, cừu who were focused on the grass. She did cause a few con cừu, cừu to lift their heads, but they didn't ake chase to the stealthy she-cat.
Rose slipped out the other fence. It was a tight squeeze, but her time outside her Clan had shown on her, and she was skinny enough to get through. She could pick up WindClan border markers a few fox-leaps from the fence. Every landmark in the grassland was marked with WindClan scent. It smelled recent. She would have to make it across their territory secretly. If WindClan found her on their territory there would be trouble for sure.
    She snuck through the long grass. She kept her senses open for WindClan warriors.    She sank low to the ground when she heard the sounds of paws pushing the grass. She peered through, and saw the patrol she scented earlier. At their lead was the well-known deputy, Dapplewing and her apprentice. Behind her followed a warrior she had never seen before.
    The nhanh, swift tabby apprentice darted from the group over to a scented log near the fence. His lip curled back in a snarl. "ShadowClan."
    Dapplewing came over to inspect. She turned to her team. "Amberpaw is right. There is definately ShadowClan scent here. Fresh too."
    "It leads that way," the strange warrior added. He pointed his nose toward Rose.
    Rose knew she had been spotted. She would be found if she hid here any longer. If they found her she knew she would be severely punished. She took off through the cỏ as fast as a rabbit. The long cỏ scratched at her face, but she was in too much of a hurry to get away that she ignored it.
    Yowls of rage chẻ, phân chia, split the air from the outraged WindClan warriors. She heard pounding pawsteps behind her. She had no time to look back in case they were gaining. Rose ran as fast as she could. The prairie stretched into some hills. She ran where the cỏ was thickest so as to disguise herself. Against the shadows it would make her harder to see.
    Only when Rose was out of breath did she look back. She saw the WindClan patrol outlined against the hill. Dapplewing screeched in anger. "You will regret straying onto WindClan territory! ShadowClan is going to pay for what bạn did!"
    Rose didn't answer, but kept on running until WindClan territory was behind her, and the strange terrain ahead of her to the Moonstone. I'm coming, Darkclaw.