Chapter 6: The Growing Unease
The five kits watched warily as the rogues took to exploring the feild.
"What should we do?" Leopardkit let out a frightened whisper, her fur fluffed up to twice it's usual size.
"We should attack them!" Stingkit hissed, glaring feircly at the rogues. He didn't seem afraid at all. Razorkit admired his brothers bravery, while he sat listening to his own heart pounding in fear.
"Go on then" Chaoskit muttered sarcasticly, but with eyes still fixed on the rogues, "Let's see you first swim across the river and then take on two rogues all by yourself"
"Shut up" Stingkit snapped, "I dont see you coming up with any ideas"
"I already have" Chaoskit added dryly, "Stay here and make sure they dont see us"
Razorkit glanced to where Silentkit was huddled behind the reeds. She was afraid - that much was obvious. Like Leopardkit, her fur was fluffed up and her eyes were constantly fixed on the rogue duo in the field.
"We have to tell Cheetahstar" Stingkit announced, carefully backing up the slope to join Razorkit and Chaoskit. Leopardkit followed right behind, and then a wary Silentkit.
"And let her know we snuck out of camp again?" Chaoskit sniffed, "You can if you want to wait an extra few moons for your apprentice ceremony"
Stingkit considered this for a moment, and then shook his head, "Then what?"
"Let's go back to camp" Razorkit suggested. Chaoskit nodded in agreement.
"When we get back, dont mention it" Chaoskit was instructing as they headed back the way they had come, "It's the gathering tomorrow, and then our apprentice ceremony" He explained, "Once we're apprenticed, if the rogues are still around we can tell the Clan then"
Stingkit nodded, casting a glance over his shoulder to make sure there was nothing suspicious behind. Razorkit padded between his brother and his sister as they approched the land where the trees thinned out, near the MountainClan border.
"Are you alright?" Razorkit whispered to Silentkit. The white she-cat was looking nervously at the rocky ground above them, knowing the MountainClan cats would be just over the rise. Her fur was still fluffed up and her tail quivering.
Despite that she nodded, edging away into the cover of the trees and back into the depth of JungleClan territory. Razorkit followed at the back of the group, rejoycing in the cover of the forest once again.
As the kits snuck back through the gap in the barrier, cats were emreging from their dens and gathering at the pool.
Cheetahstar must've called a meeting, Razorkit thought, Good timing.
Cheetahstar sat on the top of the FallRock, perching on the stone just above the waterfall, her golden fur gleaming in the sunlight. Darkheart sat on a crag beside her while they watched the warriors settle down. The five kits shuffled into the clearing and squeezed to the front of the crowd, gazing up at the cats on the rocks.
"Cat's of JungleClan" Cheetahstar started, "It has come to my attention that our borders are being breached" She announced, drawing a confused mutter from the gathered cats, "Wildstripe has reported spotting rogues inside the borders!"
"Mangy rogues!" Skyhawk hissed.
"Should we send a patrol to fight them off?" Lionfrost suggested.
"Well isn't that lucky" Chaoskit nuged Razorkit and whispered into his ear.
Cheetahstar held up her tail for silence, "We'll deal with them after tomorrow's gathering" She insisted, gaze hardening, "But there is something else I wish to discuss" She beckoned Wildstripe onto the FallRock, and the lithe white cat bounded up in only two leaps. Razorkit admired his father's agility and deftness as Wildstripe took Cheetahstar's place on the FallRock.
"It was my patrol that first spotted the rogues on the Flower Feild" Wildstipre started to the gathered cats below, "We saw them as they were leaving - crossing the stepping stones into OceanClan territory"
"We must have seen them first" Razorkit whispered to Chaoskit, and the black tom nodded.
"But there was another cat who joined them on that side of the river" Wildstripe explained, "I'm not sure if it was another rogue, or an OceanClan cat. But they followed the river up into the marshlands"
Mutters broke out in the crowd. Lionfrost and Skyhawk shared a questioning glance, while the apprentices, Flamepaw, Moonpaw, and Rainpaw began a hushed conversation. Cinderpaw sat with her mother Yellowgaze, asking her questions as the warrior tried to speak to Snowpelt and Sparrowflight. Thunderclaw mumbled something to Wolfstreak and Lizardfang, to which they both nodded.
"Why would they go into the marshlands?" Razorkit heard Stingkit ask behind him, "Cheetahstar said there's been more cats who've drowned there than in the river"
"As it stands" Cheetahstar cut in, "We do not know if the rogues are aware of the clan territories or not. But if so, they seem pretty confident that they can go where they like"
"What if they're with OceanClan?" Wildstripe asked, mostly to Cheetahstar but somewhat to the cats gathered below, "It makes sense - They could use the rogues to cross into our territory and get an idea of the layout so they could plan an attack. We'd chase out the rogues, unknowing that they'd just return to OceanClan"
Yowls broke out in the camp, loud enough to make Razorkit jump. Skyhawk and Lizardfang jumped to their paws and called out for action to be taken. Darkheart looked like he was going to join in, but a warning glance from Cheetahstar kept him quiet. Nightraven didn't seem to be listening - he was watching Wildstripe with an unreadable gaze.
"That is a theory, yes" Cheetahstar tried to calm her clan, "But until we know for sure what's going on we wont take any action. We may find out something useful at tomorrows gathering" She informed, stepping back from the FallRock. She beckoned Darkheart and Wildstripe to her den with a flick of her tail, and the cats below dispersed as the three cats disappeared over the FallRock.
"Mangy OceanClan fishbreaths!" Stingkit was hissing next to him, "Working with rogues - how low can you get?"
"That's not certain" Chaoskit reminded him forcefully. Stingkit glared at him.
"Are you mousbrained?" The black and silver tom hissed, ice blue eyes glinting, "They were lead to the Marshlands by another cat. Surley rogues couldn't navigate the marshlands without the help of an OceanClan cat?"
Chaoskit flattened his ears, "I'm just saying, dont jump to conclusions" He sighed, turning his head away.
Razorkit had zoned out from the bickering pair. His thoughts were whirling with pictures of JungleClan being overrun by rogues and OceanClan cats. For all they knew the other clans might be in on it too - they shared borderes wirth all three clans, so it was possible for an attack on all three fronts. They just needed a reason why, a warrant to give them the excuse to invade.
"Razorkit?"
He snapped from his thoughts to a confused looking Leopardkit, who had her head tilted sideways slightly, "You ok?"
"Y-Yeah" He muttered, taking a deep breath and sighing.
If something was going on, then they'd be apprentices by the time any action came. Razorkit couldn't decide if that was a good or a bad thing, but he knew it was inevitable.
He just hoped the battle would be over quickly when it came.
Iceclaw 
Silverstream 
Congratulate them 
