Page 24 of Fading Echoes


  A yowl of rage rent the air. Dovepaw ducked out of Toadfoot’s way and spun around. At the edge of the trees, Russetfur was attacking Firestar. She held his throat in her jaws, a stream of drool swinging from her straining cheek. Firestar thrashed desperately but she didn’t let go.

  A golden pelt streaked through the trees.

  Lionblaze!

  Dovepaw blinked as her mentor hurled himself at Russetfur. At first the she-cat didn’t move. Then, claws stretched, eyes wild, Lionblaze caught hold of the ShadowClan deputy and dragged her backward, off her hind paws. As he did, Firestar stumbled and collapsed to the ground, blood pumping from his neck.

  CHAPTER 24

  Lionblaze nosed Dovepaw up the tree trunk and turned to face the ShadowClan attack. Brambleclaw’s idea had to work. The battle in the clearing was going badly, because none of them had figured they wouldn’t be able to hold their footing on the smooth, short grass. They needed to take the fighting to somewhere ThunderClan held the advantage. Maybe Firestar was right to start training the apprentices up in the trees. Hopefully they’d fight better among the pines.

  Blackstar burst out of the brambles. “Can’t you even respect the border you just made?”

  Lionblaze unsheathed his claws.

  “Where are the rest of you?”

  He felt a glimmer of satisfaction at Blackstar’s confusion. Power pulsed through his paws and he braced himself for the attack. ShadowClan warriors streamed through the trees. They were furious, their faces twisted with outrage, their yowls edged with fury as they spun in surprise.

  “Now!”

  On Thornclaw’s signal, ThunderClan warriors swooped like hawks from the branches. Lionblaze relished ShadowClan’s yowls of bewilderment. The battle exploded around him, shrieks echoing through the pines.

  Scorchfur.

  Lionblaze glimpsed the streak of gray pelt a moment before the ShadowClan warrior rammed him. He fell skidding across the needles, slowing himself by digging his claws deep into the earth. Scorchfur has no idea who he’s dealing with. Drawing himself to his paws, Lionblaze faced his attacker.

  Scorchfur’s face was a mask of anger. The gray tom’s eyes were lit with a self-righteous rage, as though he’d been wronged by this battle.

  Maybe he had.

  Lionblaze felt his paws freeze.

  All this because of the dream of one apprentice. An apprentice who’d never before shown any sign of a connection with StarClan.

  He shook the doubt away.

  Ivypaw was Dovepaw’s sister. That was proof enough that they could trust her.

  Scorchfur reared and clawed at his ear. Lionblaze felt only a distant prick of pain. Power was stirring beneath his pelt. Strength rose from his belly, flooding every muscle.

  Around him the battle seemed to slow down.

  The cats fought as if in water, each blow an arcing sweep of paw, each lunge a dragging leap that Lionblaze could watch unfold moment upon moment. Around him, the shrieking seemed to fade, and yet he saw curses billow from snarling jaws.

  He saw Snowbird face Rosepetal, her green eyes betraying every thought as they flitted like butterflies, assessing Rosepetal’s position, moving to fix on her strike point, half closing as she bunched her muscles and prepared to jump.

  This is too easy. Lionblaze strode forward, flipping Owlclaw from his path, knocking Redwillow backward as the warrior attempted to lunge. Lionblaze saw Rowanclaw’s gaze fix on him, heard the breath gasp from his mouth as he crouched for the attack, felt the rush of air as slowly the warrior flew at him, teeth bared. Lionblaze had only to rear up and raise a paw to bat him backward into his Clanmates.

  A yowl, deep and slow, sounded at the edge of the clearing.

  Spinning around, he saw Firestar with Russetfur at his throat. The ShadowClan deputy had sunk her teeth deep into the ThunderClan leader’s neck. Firestar was trying to shake her off, but she allowed her body to be thrashed back and forth, her jaws clamped shut while Firestar staggered, paws slithering in his own blood.

  Lionblaze lunged for the ShadowClan deputy. He swiped at her, raking her flank with claws half-sheathed. He only wanted her to release her grip. But she writhed and lashed out, still holding Firestar’s throat.

  Firestar sank slowly to his belly, rings of white showing around the rims of his wide-stretched eyes.

  Desperate now, Lionblaze flung his paws around Russetfur’s neck and hauled her off. As she let go, he lurched backward, his paws still wrapped tightly around her scrawny body. He landed heavily, sprawling on his back, and Russetfur collapsed on him like a deadweight.

  The noise of battle suddenly flooded his ears; the screeching mayhem crashed into his consciousness like a wave breaking.

  “You killed Russetfur!” Owlclaw’s wail split the air.

  Lionblaze scrambled to his paws. The she-cat flopped, unmoving, onto the ground, her eyes wide-open but clouded with death.

  His breath came in panicked gasps. “I d-didn’t do anything!” He hadn’t even scratched her. Only pulled her loose. How could she be dead?

  Blackstar barged past him and crouched over her limp body. “Russetfur!” He shook his deputy with his heavy black paws, but she didn’t stir. “Russetfur!”

  “Enough!” Thornclaw shook Ratscar from his back and sat up. “The battle is won,” he growled. “The clearing is ours. Do you concede or shall we fight for it again?”

  Blackstar flashed a look of burning hatred over his shoulder. “Take it,” he hissed. “It was never worth the blood that has been spilled here today.”

  Around them the battle stuttered and stumbled. Confusion filled the air as Lionblaze stood, frozen, wrapped in horror until Sorreltail shrieked.

  “Firestar!”

  Turning in a daze, Lionblaze saw blood pool around Firestar’s neck. The ThunderClan leader twitched, his flanks falling still. His tail snaked behind him, dead as prey.

  He’s losing a life!

  The ground lurched beneath Lionblaze. This wasn’t supposed to happen!

  ShadowClan warriors began to gather around Russetfur’s body. They pressed forward to lick her fast-cooling fur.

  Lionblaze backed away.

  Sorreltail leaned over Firestar, her eyes clouding as Sandstorm appeared at the edge of the trees.

  “What’s wrong?” The orange she-cat raced to crouch at her mate’s side.

  “He’s losing a life,” Sorreltail reported grimly.

  Two deaths?

  What kind of battle was this? StarClan would never have sent a dream to lead them into a battle this deadly. A thought flickered in Lionblaze’s mind. His fur, sticky with the blood of other warriors, grew cold. A black, sucking hollow opened like a pit in his belly.

  What if this dream hadn’t come from StarClan? What if it had been sent from beyond StarClan’s hunting grounds? Had Dark Forest warriors sent them on this fatal battle against their rivals? Two senior cats dead—one who would never recover—and many more warriors and apprentices badly wounded? Both Clans would be weak for a long time, right at the beginning of leaf-bare. StarClan would never have wanted this, not over a strip of grass that was useless to either Clan.

  Lionblaze stared at Russetfur’s and Firestar’s unmoving bodies.

  Warriors filed silently past him, gathering, dazed, beside the dead.

  This battle should never have happened!

  KEEP WATCH FOR

  OMEN OF THE STARS #3

  WARRIORS

  NIGHT WHISPERS

  Jayfeather and Lionblaze are convinced that the deadly battle between ThunderClan and ShadowClan should not have happened, and they are determined to uncover the real reason that StarClan may have led them astray. Meanwhile, Dovepaw must face a startling fact and realize that evil is sometimes no more than a whisper’s length away. As tensions between the four Clans grow, one cat will make a stand for what is right—but at what price?

  WARRIORS

  ADVENTURE GAME

  Visit www.warriorcats.com

 
to download game rules, character sheets,

  a practice mission, and more!

  Written by Stan! • Art by James L. Barry

  THE PLAINTIVE HOWLS

  Whichever previous adventure you played, consider that three moons have passed since then. Determine what age that makes all of the cat characters (including the one belonging to the person who will take the first turn as Narrator) and use the information found in the “Improving Your Cat” section of Chapter Four in the game rules to make the necessary changes.

  Unless you are the first Narrator in this adventure, stop reading here. The information beginning in the next paragraph is for the Narrator only.

  The Adventure Begins

  Hello, Narrator! It’s time to begin playing “The Plaintive Howls.” Make sure all the players have their character sheets, the correct number of chips, a piece of paper, and a pencil. Remember that the point of the game is to have fun. Don’t be afraid to go slow, and refer to the rules if you aren’t sure exactly what should happen next.

  When you’re ready, begin with 1 below.

  1. Yowls in the Night

  Special Note: If the players’ cats are not from the same Clan, play out this scene as though a similar string of events is happening in each of the cats’ Clans. The Narrator should let each of the players ask questions and explain that all the Clans have the same worries. In the end, the various leaders decide that it is best to send a group of cats from different Clans to investigate. By the final part of this scene, all the players’ cats should be together to make the important Skill Check.

  Read Aloud: “You wake up in the morning to find the Clan in disarray. The queens are tending to frightened kits, and even the senior warriors seem a little bit unnerved. There were strange sounds in the night—sounds no cat can explain.”

  Narrator Tips: This adventure opens with a Clan meeting, which the Clan leader has called to talk about the alarming sounds in the distance.

  In the middle of the night, the warrior on duty heard a far-off yowling. The commotion awoke other members of the Clan. If any of the players’ cats have a level of 5 or higher in the Listen Skill, they were awakened by the sound, too.

  Some Clan cats thought the sound was indistinct, like an animal howling in pain. Others thought that it sounded distinctly like a cat crying out for help. As the wind picked up, the yowling grew louder and clearer. It soon became apparent that it was more than just a single yowl—several different voices could be heard, some crying in pain or fear, others calling out for help.

  As the Narrator, your job in this scene is to get the players to understand that this is a situation that none of the cats can explain. The answer to many of the players’ questions will be: “No one knows yet…. It’s your job to find out.” Be sure not to rush through the scene. Let the players ask all the questions they want, even if the answers are not reassuring.

  When the players have run out of questions to ask or are anxious to know what happens next, inform them that the Clan leader has chosen them to investigate this mysterious yowling. They are to follow the sounds for as long and far as it takes to find the truth and do whatever they can to help ease the suffering of whoever is crying out.

  Again, allow the players’ cats to ask as many questions as they like (though the answers still won’t seem very helpful). If they ask for any reasonable supplies (for example, traveling herbs), the Clan leader will grant the request.

  As the players’ cats set out on the trip, the sound of the yowling rises and falls. Mostly it is a background noise that is hard to distinguish from the wind. But sometimes it grows loud enough that the cats can all agree that it is the sound of some unknown number of cats calling for help, though none of them are voices they recognize.

  What Happens Next: After they have been on the trail for a while, ask each of the players what his or her cat’s Focus score is (the number they get by adding their levels of Focus to their Spirit score). At this point they cannot use any Knacks or spend any chips to improve their results—this is simply testing their natural ability to concentrate and ignore the distractions around them. Add up the results of all the Focus Checks to get a group total.

  If the group total is equal to 16 or higher, continue with 3.

  If the group total is lower than 16, continue with 2.

  2. Chasing the Wind

  Read Aloud: “The sound is certainly coming from the north. No…wait…perhaps that’s the east.”

  Narrator Tips: The wind is playing tricks on the cats as they try to follow the yowling. Describe their progress as they follow the sounds for a while until the noise disappears. Then a few minutes later the crying sound seems to be coming from a different direction entirely.

  If any of the cats have the Pathfinder Knack, they realize that the sounds are leading the group in circles. If none of the cats has that Knack, tell the cats to each make a Ponder Check. The cat (or cats) with the highest total comes up with the same realization, but not as quickly or as certainly as a cat with the Pathfinder Knack.

  As they follow the yowling sounds, one by one the voices fade out until there is just a single cat’s voice crying on the wind—sad, mournful, and weak. This makes it easier to track. Now one cat must take the lead and use his or her Listen Skill to try to follow the sound. Have the players decide which cat that will be. Once the decision is made, tell them that their cats can help, too. Any cat that wants to help can attempt a single Listen Check. In this case, they can use Knacks and spend chips if they wish. Make a note of how many cats get a Listen Check total of 7 or higher.

  Then have the lead cat make a Listen Check, using Knacks or spending chips if the player wants to. Increase this Listen Check result by +1 for every assisting cat who got a total of 7 or higher. Increase it by an additional +1 for every cat in the group who has the Pathfinder Knack.

  What Happens Next: If the final Listen Check total, including all bonuses, is 12 or higher, continue with 3.

  If the final Listen Check, including all bonuses, is between 6 and 11, continue with 4.

  If the final Listen Check total, including all bonuses, is less than 6, continue with 5.

  3. The Culprit

  Read Aloud: “The sound of the yowling is getting clearer, but it’s also getting weaker. It seems you’ve found the source just as it is fading away.”

  Narrator Tips: The cats have found the source of the yowling—Burr, a cat trapped in a Twoleg cage. The difficult thing for you, as the Narrator, is that the cats don’t really have words for things like “cage” so describing the scene may be tough. They will probably think of the cage as a “den” that is hard and cold to the touch. For your sake, here are the details in plain English.

  Burr is a rogue who was traveling in the area to the north of the Lake. He smelled food and followed it to an area where humans from a regional animal shelter had set up some “capture and carry” traps. Burr wandered into one of the cages and became trapped. He’s been here for almost a full day now and has been crying for help practically the whole time. As he did, he could hear other cats begin to do the same thing. He guesses they must be trapped in similar cages, but he can’t see any of them.

  At this point, Burr is weak from exhaustion. It is only pure luck and a strong wind that let his and the other cats’ cries be carried as far away as the Lake. Or perhaps it was the desperation in their voices and intervention from StarClan. Let the players’ cats talk to Burr for a while and consult among themselves about what to do. The cage is built out of steel and it is attached to the ground. In other words, nothing the cats do will damage or move it.

  Burr will be as helpful as he can be, but he doesn’t really understand what’s going on. Also, he’s stuck in a cage and cannot see what the cats are doing once they walk too far away. He’ll still shout out whatever seems helpful, and you can use that as a way to give hints to the players’ cats in any other scenes as long as they are relatively near Burr’s cage.

  There are two other bits of info
rmation that will become clear to the cats as they investigate the situation. First, there’s a smell of food in the air—not good fresh-kill but definitely food. Second, there’s a new sound on the wind—the sound of Twolegs as they chatter away somewhere nearby.

  What Happens Next: If the cats decide to investigate the smell of food, this is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 6.

  If the cats decide to investigate the sounds of Twoleg activity, this is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 7.

  4. The Fading Voice

  Read Aloud: “As darkness draws near, the sound of the yowling fades away completely. You’ll have to find somewhere warm to spend the night and continue searching in the morning.”

  Narrator Tips: The cats were unable to find the source of the sounds, though they’ve come close. Still, with the light fading, they will have to camp for the night. Take this as an opportunity to let them do some more talking among themselves or perhaps a bit of hunting for fresh-kill to eat; then have them get what sleep they can.

  If they want to set up a watch during the night, have each cat attempt a Listen Check during his or her turn. They do not hear any more of the yowling. However, if you as the Narrator want to improvise some excitement during the night, perhaps one of the cats can hear an owl or encounter a skunk or a raccoon. While such an encounter can be fun, make sure the players and their cats remember that the focus of the adventure is finding the source of the yowling.

  In the morning, the cats smell a bitter, meaty scent on the wind. It’s not fresh-kill, but it’s definitely food. What’s more, they hear a new sound—the sound of Twolegs chattering away in their strange voices.

  What Happens Next: If the cats decide to investigate the smell of food, continue with 6.