Arc Four: Chapter Four
(AO3 counterpart here.)
It was a lucky thing the Runagate was used to running all over the Territory in a single day. The wind was astir, and cats were on the move.
It was starting in the north â groups of well-muscled cats were spreading out from the leadersâ home and small, fleet messengers and scouts raced ahead of them, darting around like dragonflies over a pond, skidding to a halt in front of traveling cats or nesting families and informing them with wide, intense eyes about this dangerous group of rebels that no one could find or predict.
A fine way to spread panic, the Runagate thought, then, more cynically, not that it will help.
Indeed, a lifetime of easy hunting and dozing days had lulled most of these cats into hardly having the energy to look doubtfully at each other before politely thanking the reporter for the news and sending them away so naptime could resume. The Fleet were taking their jobs seriously; the âciviliansâ, as they always referred to the rest of the Clan, were not.
Still, the Runagate knew this calm before the storm. Certainly not on this scale, but theyâd seen it before. Now was not the time to sit around, confident that things would be fine.
Not that it ever was.
The brothers would have to go without seeing their mother. Four patrollers had been stationed around her, and all of them looked ready for a fight. Even that big white fellow would struggle against them, and the rest of his friends werenât exactly soldiers (though perhaps Redheart could take a swing or two). The resting ground for the Vultures and this Nettlecloud were out of the way anyway, but the Runagate had a feeling that wouldnât have been an issue for the dying mollyâs sons.
The thing they would consider an issue was the search party still following them. They were marching at a steady pace, one that cats of the Fleet would be able to keep up even over a week. It was, after all, their duty to travel.
The Runagate checked in on them much more regularly than they had ever done for anyone else. Redheartâs eagerness had rubbed off on them, and now they didnât just want to run away or warn. They wanted to be active. They wanted to contribute and really observe the world around them. They were awake.
It was a rather nice feeling, really.
And so they watched, and followed, and popped back in to the renegades on the evening after their talk with Redheart. Everyone was awake this time. They really had no choice but to make themselves seen.
The dark grey one noticed them first. Her ear twitched at the whispers of the Runagateâs movement through the grass. When she looked around, she said aloud, âIs someone here?â
The rest of the group raised their heads as well, now alert. All of them stood up, even the blind one, who hardly seemed bothered on a bad day. Redheart and Greyleaf sniffed the air and perked up.
âItâs alright,â Redheart said to the others. âThis is a friend.â She could not see the shade, but she seemed to know where they were anyway, looking in their direction. âCome on out. Youâre safe here.â
A momentâs hesitation, developed from generations of frightening others with their appearance⊠and then, for once, finally, the Runagate stepped into the open.
Their reception was not unanimous â the dark grey one, the white fellow and his little brown friend all bristled and made various noises of alarm. Redheart, Greyleaf and the brother were hardly ruffled, just nodded a greeting. The blind molly sniffed the air and her ears slid back, tail slowly winding back and forth like a snake as her eyes narrowed in concentration.
The apprentice was the interesting one. She gasped and almost leaned back where she stood, eyes wide in shock. âItâs you!â
Your mind is awakened, I sense. The Runagate lowered their head a little in a half-nod. Perhaps Iâve hurt you that way. Iâm sorry.
âIâm not hearing anything,â the blind one said slowly, âbut I am hearing something all the same. Is thisâŠ?â
âThe Runagate.â Greyleaf swept out with a paw in a slightly sardonic gesture of beholding. âMeet the catalyst for all of this, everyone.â
The white and dark grey cats relaxed a little, though their eyes were wary. The brown oneâs back hair still bristled and his mouth was shut tight.
âSâalright, Beetlefoot,â the brother said patiently. âWe got us an ally here.â
âWe do.â Redheart looked to the Runagate, standing tall, all business again. âYouâve got news, I assume?â
Indeed. The Runagate took a moment to feel half a flicker of amusement at the slight shivers of the white cat as they spoke, then continued. It would seem the entirety of the Fleet is after you. News is spreading south that youâre all wanted. If youâre to head north, it'd be wise to go as quickly as possible. Perhaps not through the valley, though. They turned their gaze to the brothers. And I could not get close to your mother to see exactly how sheâs doing. Thereâs a patrol there who I would say are looking to arrest you if you go near her.
The brother and Greyleaf sighed in unison, a shaky, unhappy pair of sighs. The wary and hostile cats simmered down into sympathy and shared worried expressions with each other.
I assume you know thereâs a patrol after you, the Runagate continued, and went on after a round of nods. Theyâre moving a little faster than you all are. Youâre hidden in the grass, but your scent is fresh, and theyâre closing in. I would pick up the pace. Or perhaps go somewhere they cannot follow.
A moment of silence before the apprentice turned her head to gaze at the mountain they had been trekking towards. âIs there any way we can lose them up there? Itâs steeper than the hills, it looks likeâŠâ
âThe mountain?â the blind one asked.
âYeah.â
âOh, thatâs perfect.â She smiled and lifted her tail high. âItâs steep and itâs full of tunnels. Very easy to traverse if you know your pathway.â
âWhich none of us do,â the brother said.
âI do, my boy,â the blind one said with a bit of a teasingly condescending tone. âIâve been all over that half of the mountain. I can get us through that part easy.â She paused, then hummed. âThe problem would be when we hit the Braeâs forest. They wonât take a shining to us intruding on their land.â
âI can guide us then,â the brown one said suddenly.
Everyone looked at him with great surprise. His eyes were now on the ground, but he still stood stiff and tall (about as tall as he could get, at least).
âThatâll be useful,â the blind molly remarked after the silence had gone on long enough. âThen we have our path set.â
âOnce weâre on the mountain, weâll be able to see the cats after us better, I think.â The white one now looked nervously to the Runagate. âHow⊠how close are they now?â
Theyâd catch you within half a day, were you to stay still.
âThen we better not waste time.â Redheartâs eyes went round to each cat. âAre you all willing to walk a little more into the night? The sooner we reach the mountain, the sooner we can stop for longer, if we are indeed hidden.â
âWe will be.â The blind cat nodded. âI can promise you that.â
âI say we move, then.â The brother looked to Greyleaf, then to the others, who all voiced their agreement. To Redheart, he said, âBest go now.â
âRight.â Redheart turned her tired-but-awake eyes to the Runagate. âYouâre free to do as you like, but weâd appreciate if you could keep an eye on those chasing us. Or if you see anything we should know about.â
Happy to help. The Runagate bowed their head â then, just to be a little cheeky, they took a step back and vanished into the dark, allowing themselves a little smile when the grey molly swore in shock.
 ---
 No time was wasted. The second the Runagate was gone, Redheart and Darkpelt took the lead, keeping the group going at a brisk trot even into the night. The grass shrank and softened under their feet, then gradually vanished as the ground steeped upwards so suddenly that one could trip and fall if they weren't paying attention. The soil reddened and turned airy, until dust kicked up with even the most gentle of steps.
âNo wonder the Versant cats all smell like dust,â Flyfang grumbled, nose wrinkled as she failed to fight off a sneeze.
âIs it as bad as smelling like mud and fish?â Darkpelt asked cheerily, head almost upside down over her back. âWe all gotta smell like where we live, you know.â
âKeep your voices down,â Beetlefoot hissed. âSomeone might be around.â
âNot at this time of night.â Darkpelt waved her tail, dismissing his worries. âVersant just relaxes at home when it gets dark. And there should be some hollows close ahead we can stop in for the night.â
Beetlefoot didnât respond, but Flyfang could see he wasnât satisfied with that. She tapped his side with her tail, not sure if she was jokingly prodding him or trying to reassure him that it was fine. Either way, he stiffened in his paces, so she withdrew and kept trotting alongside Littlepaw.
âHow are you doing?â she asked her apprentice (her apprentice!) in an undertone.
âTired,â Littlepaw whispered back. âBut I can keep going, I promise.â
âGood thing we donât have far to go.â Flyfang eyed Darkpeltâs strutting form, which almost blended into the shadows. âAt least, she thinks so.â
Darkpelt made a sound that was vaguely amused. âI know so, my friend. Here, actually- the ground just hardened. Weâre a hop away.â
âUmâŠâ Laurelclaw craned his neck forward, peering at the bumpy red dust and rocks they were scaling, pine trees jutting up in their way. âI know itâs dark, but I donât see anything like a den up ahead.â
âThatâs the point!â Darkpelt hopped up onto a cropped-out stone without slowing down. âEveryone follow me.â
One by one, the cats jumped after her, going in a single-file line. Being cats, they had fine balance, but those that had lived in the flatlands, such as the brothers and Flyfang herself, couldnât escape wobbling a bit on the narrowing paths that were littered with oversized pebbles. Flyfang hardly had a chance to complain before Darkpelt turned left immediately after a pine tree and vanished. Redheart, immediately after her, disappeared as well with a noise of surprise â then Greyleaf, then Mistface, then Littlepaw, and then Flyfang, with Laurelclaw and Beetlefoot behind her.
Behind the pine was a hollowed out den that seemed to stretch on forever into the earth. The ceiling and walls were crossed unevenly with zig-zagging tree roots holding the soil in place. It was cool and dry, and when Flyfang looked back outside, she had a perfect view of the valley they had just left. It was too far away to see whoever was following them, but then again, those cats couldnât see the den either, so perhaps it didn't matter.
âWowâŠâ Laurelclaw had to crouch a little and duck his head to fit through the entrance, but he was able to straighten up as the den widened out. âThis is perfect. Why isnât anyone here?â
âThereâre dens and tunnels all over here,â Darkpelt said. âEnough to house half the Clan. Itâs called âthe Rootlandsâ by natives. The pines made the ground stable enough to be dug up wherever one pleases.â
Mistface tilted his head. âYou travel here a lot to know all this?â
âI was born here, actually.â Darkpelt gave a self-satisfied nod. âLet me tell you what, nothing gets you prepped for walking blind like living on a slope like this.â
âThat explains a lot about you,â Beetlefoot muttered.
Darkpelt laughed and gestured with her paw in a sweeping motion. âSettle down, everyone. Weâll have to go without hunting for tonight â thereâs nothing around here.â
âThat sucks.â Greyleaf stretched one side of his mouth back in a half-grimace. âWell, I can wait.â
âI can too.â Flyfang pawed at a spot ahead of her and sat down on it, a little put off by how stiff the ground was. âWeâll hunt as soon as we can.â
Various murmurs of unhappy resignation echoed in the den. Everyone gradually found a place to rest, settled down and fell into silence. Littlepaw rested against Flyfang, paws tucked tightly under her body and eyes unfocused.
Flyfang gently nosed her shoulder. âWhatâs on your mind, kiddo?â
Littlepaw didnât answer at first. When she did, her voice was so quiet the den didnât carry it around the walls. âJust thinking aboutâŠâ She shuffled. âEverything. All these lies we get told.â She frowned. âOr maybe they werenât lies. But I donât know, and it bothers me.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âLike, StarClanâs a lie, and we all believed it, right?â Littlepaw looked up at her mentor, eyes glimmering with distress. âBut then the Runagateâs real, but theyâre good. And I got thinking while we walked â if the aspects were real, wouldnât they have stopped this monster for us? Aileronâs whole thing is fighting off evil beings. Why couldnât she do anything?â
No one spoke, but Flyfang could see they were all listening.
âAnd the rest of the stories!â Littlepawâs curly-furred tail puffed out. âAll these spirits and ghosts and beasts, I donât even know if theyâre real. Does anyone? Were they ever real? Were they just fables to scare kits? Are any of the predators the patrollers talk about⊠do they even exist? Whatâs real and what isnât? How can we tell?â
Silence. Littlepaw stared into Flyfangâs eyes desperately, like she had the answers. She took in a soft breath and let it out slowly.
âWell,â she said quietly, âI suppose the only way weâre going to find out is when we take out the biggest factor in the equation. Whatever itâs created, maybe thatâll go away with it.â
âWe canât assume much on the part of the aspects, anyway,â Redheart said, voice between firm and soothing. âItâs possible that StarClan is too strong even for them.â
âAnd if theyâre just a story too?â Littlepawâs voice hitched and she looked at the deputy now, ears pinned back.
âWeâll cross that trail when we get to it.â Redheartâs usually weary and hard face was soft and a little melancholy. âRight now, I wouldnât worry about it. We have much bigger prey to catch. Whatever comes next will come next.â
âCanât promise nothinâ,â Mistface said on the tail-end of a yawn. âBut if it helps, lilâun, Iâd like to think them beinâ part of our tales and communities makes them real enough. Theyâve been inspirinâ and entertaininâ all this time, drivinâ cats to be better or happier with the world around them. Ainât that more important than if theyâre actually causinâ the rain and snow?â
There was no answer again, but the air in the den warmed and relaxed. Laurelclaw sighed like he had been holding his breath. Greyleaf nodded approvingly to his brother. Flyfang felt Littlepaw lose the tension in her body, and her tail-fur smoothed out again.
âThat does help,â she murmured. âThank you.â
Mistfaceâs lazy smile on his face seemed more genuine than it usually was. âOur deputy hereâs right, anyway. No purpose in worryinâ now. Letâs focus on what we got right in front of us.â His eyes slid over to Greyleaf. âNot that itâs much more soothinâ of a topic.â
Greyleaf huffed a chuckle. âItâll just be a bad dream soon enough.â
Flyfang looked down at Littlepaw as she shifted to lean against her mentor, eyes shutting. Flyfang helped her along with a purr, and soon Littlepawâs breaths slowed. Everyone else fell asleep soon after her, but Flyfang was awake for just a bit longer. She studied their faces, how some twitched their lips or ears, how Greyleaf and Redheartâs expressions were tight and troubled. Were they seeing it still?
Flyfang gradually lowered her chin onto her paws, staring ahead at nothing. She didnât want to admit that Littlepawâs worries were gently digging their dirty little talons into the back of her head as well.
It was a good question she asked: If StarClan wasnât real⊠was anything?










