The Battle of the Grove Part 5
by Audrey Smith
(Columbus, OH)
Earlier parts: Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 — these open in new windows so you stay on this page….
Robinpad has agreed to help the StarClan cats.
“You will? You will!” Swiftpaw bounced around Robinpad’s feet.
“Thank goodness,” sighed Nettlestar. Robinpad puffed out her chest. She would do her best.
“Blacknose and Fallowmint would like to give you some advice. They remember some of their time with the controllers, but they say it is extremely clouded,” Tawnyfoot announced over her shoulder as she turned away. “Follow me.”
Robinpad padded after Tawnyfoot’s clean white and light tan tail. She wound through ferns, around a holly bush, and through a neatly hidden tunnel into a thick gorse bush. Inside a very sheltered clearing, sitting on petite daisy flowers and jade green moss, were two cats.
Robinpad was struck by their appearances. The one on the right, a black tom, had bright orange eyes, and ears with two almost symmetrical tears down the middles. A pale light brown tabby she-cat on the left, had the same wounds. The she-cat noticed what Robinpad was staring at.
“They do this to all of the controlled to make sure that no cat is pretending to be controlled. they do nothing to the controllers. That is probably why Fernwhisker was shrieking earlier. Poor dear. By the way, I’m Fallowmint, and this is Blacknose.
“Hello. Tawnyfoot said you wanted to tell me something,” Robinpad replied, trying to sound as polite as she cold to make up for having stared at their ears.
“Yes,” Blacknose said, his voice deep and throaty. “We wanted to tell you about their watch system. As Nettlestar has probally told you, only the truly black of heart can enter their forest. Well, they send patrols out into StarClan territory, something they couldn’t do before. We believe that the controller’s powers creates a temperary hole in the barrier, so you will be able to get through. They send patrols out twice a day. Once at sun-high, and once at sun-set. You should trail behind the sun-set patrol, as it will be darkest.” He paused, out of breath.
Fallowmint took over. “The controlled are in a stupor, so they won’t notice you, and there is only one controller in a patrol. Once you get into their forest, say your name is Sparrowfoot. Act stuck up, like a controller.”
Robinpad tried to process this new information. “Got it. But when?”
Nettlestar entered the clearing, slipping out of the gorse tunnel. “Tomorrow.” (to be continued in “The Battle of the Grove Part 6…..)
