Forgotten Memories/Chapter Six

~☆ Chapter Six☆~

“Hey, Cloud,” a whisper came. “Sorry about what happened earlier. Ciara can get a little...cranky, sometimes.”

The white she-cat, awakened by the voice, looked up to see Ciana and simply nodded. “There’s one thing that we haven’t told you yet, and we all agree that we shouldn’t keep it a secret no longer. You’ve only been in this group for a lil’ over a day, but we think that you’re trustworthy enough for us to tell you.”

“The truth is, this isn’t all of us,” Ciana murmured. Then, she pointed her tail tip to the distant hills which Cloud could barely make out, especially with her fuzzled vision from the incident. “There’s a ton more cats in our group over south that way.”

“And the reason why we’re telling you this is—” Zapper began, but was interrupted.

“No, Zapper, don’t tell her! Not yet,” snapped Ciara.

“Why not?” Zapper asked with a mocking whiny tone. “She’s gonna have to know eventually.” He turned to Ciana. “Well, what do you think?”

Ciana stepped forward and simply dipped her head in agreement. “Two against one,” she murmured. Ciara glared at them, as if dismayed at the outcome, but her mouth remained closed.

Ciana sighed, and turned back towards Cloud. “There’s this huge group of cats—well, actually four, but they are commonly thought of as one because of their similarities—that have been our worst enemies for generations upon generations. Rotten mange-pelts, they are. And what makes it even worse, they think we’re all evil and dirty and whatnot.

“It’s time to prove them wrong. It’s time to make them see just how arrogant they are,” she spat. She flicked her tail, beckoning Cloud to follow. “Come. Let us show you the rest of camp.”

Although remaining silent, Cloud was full of jumbled up thoughts in her head. Ciana’s descriptions on their enemies seemed so familiar to her, yet she just couldn’t quite put her paw on it. She urged herself to think, think about what about it that was sparking that feeling.

However, this was interrupted when Ciana continued to introduce more about their plans to her. “These cats call themselves the ‘Clans,’ she said with a sneer. “What a petty name.”

Cloud remained silent, wanting to drop the thought about why the description was so familiar, but the new but small information Ciana added had sent her mind swirling. ''I swear I've heard of the “Clans” before…she shook her head. It's just because Ciara knocked me out earlier. I'm sure that after a while the feeling will go away. ''

As they reached the camp, Ciara took the lead with confidence. ''She must be some kind of leader, Cloud thought to herself. If she isn't, I'd be surprised. She seems like great material for the role.''

She stared as Ciara strided onto a tall stone in the center of the clearing. “May cats of all age join now for a very important group meeting!”

All the surrounding cats walked in unison to the stone. So she is a leader. Curious murmurs passed through the crowd. “All-age meetings are very rare,” Zapper explained. “Usually it's just for the middle-aged. They know something serious is up when Ciara calls something like this.”

“Me and my fellow second-in-commands have come to a decision about those horrid Clans,” the leader declared. Loud, bold cheers immediately shot through the forest.

Cloud turned to Ciana and Zapper. “Yeah, we’re both her second-in-commands. She has another one, too, but he stayed behind to take care of the group while we were away,” whispered Ciana.

Ciara raised her voice even higher and continued, “Within the next week, we shall launch a surprise attack on the Clans. The weakest of our chosen cats will charge first, and we will send reinforcements with the stronger after, to ensure that the best do not get worn out at the start of battle.

“More information on the procedures will be given in due time. Now, time for another big announcement. While we were on our patrol, we met and recruited one more member to our team.” Ciara turned to the white she-cat on the edge of the camp, nodding her head. “Introduce yourself.”

Cloud took a deep breath in and began to speak. “My name is Cloud, and I met Ciara, Ciana, and Zapper when I was out hunting. I started out as a loner, but that will end now. I am happy to help you guys, if you will let me.”