I’ve gone through all the chapter’s I’ve written so far and changed a few things, so this is the slight redo.

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Chapter One: Cloverbud

A young hamster dashed forward carelessly, sneaking a glance back over her shoulder. The wolf was nowhere to be seen, but six of the cats were still following her trail. One of the wolf’s captains, a black tabby cat, led the patrol, and was gaining on the hamster. Cloverbud Warsong leaped over a large rock, breathing heavily as she searched for somewhere to hide. But the landscape before her was bare, and it would be a while before she reached the Oak Forest. And her only other option was the kingdom of Meadowlark, (the main kingdom in the land of Adria) which was too far away to reach quickly. Cloverbud continued to race over the grassy plains, continuously peering over her shoulder at her pursuers.

“I’ve almost got her, Captain Blacknose!” A Siamese yowled, swatting at Cloverbud with his outstretched paw.

Cloverbud gasped, a sharp pain igniting in her side as she put on an extra burst of speed. “Y-y-y-you c-can’t chase me f-for-forever!”

The tabby, Captain Blacknose, narrowed his eyes. “We most certainly can, and will. In fact, we’ve almost got you now!”

How much longer will this have to go on? Cloverbud thought while gasping for air. It’s been two weeks already, and the cats still haven’t given up.

A scream of pain ripped from her throat as sharp claws plunged into her shoulder. Cloverbud toppled over, placing a paw on the deep, bleeding wound.

“Ha! We’ve got you now, hamster!” Blacknose hissed triumphantly, quickly swiping his bloodied claws in the grass.

This is where it ends…. Cloverbud squeezed her eyes shut, wishing her older brother, Sid, were there. If only they hadn’t been separated a week ago… If only the wolf and his army had never come to destroy her family… Cloverbud laid there with her eyes closed, covered by her rich green cloak and praying for a miracle. That would be the only way she could get out of this….

“Any last words?” the Captain snarled, resting his paw on her back and pinning the hamster to the grass. “For Instance, like telling us where that brother of yours is?”

Cloverbud narrowed her eyes, twisting around to face the cat. “I don’t know where he is, thanks to you lot. And even if I did know, it’s not like I’d tell you anyway.”

“Wretched hamster,” he growled, letting his claws lightly prick her back.

Cloverbud groaned, squeezing the clover medallion around her neck. Her mother, Andrea, had made it for her. She treasured the medallion, now the only thing she had left of her old life, before disaster had struck.

Now, squeezing the medallion, her body tensed, waiting for Blacknose’s claws to sink through her cloak and dress, and into her flesh. One long minute. Nothing. Another long, painstaking minute. Still nothing. Instead, pricking her ears, Cloverbud heard a whoosh in the air, and a yelp from the cat towering over her.

Cloverbud slowly opened her eyes, trying to gaze past Blacknose and the other cats a voice swept through the bitter wind.

“Take that, cat! There’s plenty more where that came from!”

Cloverbud widened her rich green eyes and gasped. A smoky gray cat wearing a sky blue cloak mounted by a chipmunk and rabbit stood on a hill not far away. The chipmunk, who had spoken, strung another arrow and pointed it at Blacknose.

“Let the hamster go!” the rabbit ordered, olive green eyes flashing against her black fur.

“Why should we?” a mottled brown cat wearing a navy blue cloak emblazoned with a flame insignia asked in a meow.

The sky blue cloaked cat hissed, unsheathing her claws. “Listen, scum. We’ve got connections. If you kill that hamster, then Queen Larcia’s army will be right on your tails!”

“I don’t see them anywhere,” Blacknose sneered. “What’s stopping us?”

The chipmunk released her feather tipped arrow, watching it sail through the air. Blacknose ducked his head just in time as it soared over him, burying in the grass next to Cloverbud.

“Dang it!” The chipmunk hissed, hastily brushing off her burgundy dress before reaching for another arrow.

Grunting and stretching out her arm, Cloverbud pulled the arrow from the ground, thrusting it into Blacknose’s paw.

The black tabby yelped, red eyes blazing as he raised his paw from Cloverbud’s chest.

She took advantage of the moment, rolling out of reach and wrenching the medallion from her neck, twirling it in the air. The medallion a blur, Cloverbud narrowed her eyes and stared at the cats. “The rest of you, stay away from me!”

A few of the patrol started to step back cautiously, peeking at Blacknose, who stood a few inches away, his tail bristling angrily.

Crack! Boom!

An iron ball whirred by the cats’ ears, crashing into the dirt. The rabbit blew the top of her musket, her eyes shining.

“You heard her. Get lost!”

After a moment of hesitation, the cats flattened their ears, retreating across the plains.

“We’ll be back, hamster!” Blacknose bellowed before disappearing from view, and Cloverbud felt her heart sink.

Cloverbud dropped the medallion, grasping her shoulder. She plopped down onto the grass, chest heaving up and down as she gasped for air.

The gray cat darted down the hill towards Cloverbud, her companions clinging to her cloak.

“Are you alright?” the chipmunk asked, both her and the rabbit leaping from the cat’s back.

Cloverbud moaned in response, half-opening her eyes.

“Oh, you’re injured!” the rabbit exclaimed, examining Cloverbud’s shoulder. “Smokey, are there any bandages?”

“I wouldn’t know, Cotton,” the cat, Smokey, replied. “You and Kristen are the ones with the bags.”

“I don’t have any,” the rabbit, Cotton, replied. “What about you, Kristen?”

Kristen, the chipmunk, opened her bag, peeked inside, and pulled out a cloth. “This is all I’ve got. Use this.”

Cotton caught the cloth, which Kristen tossed her, turning back to Cloverbud’s shoulder. “You poor thing. Those cats, they’re so…” She trailed off, shaking her fists angrily before pressing the cloth against the hamster’s shoulder. “What’s your name, anyway?”

“Cloverbud Warsong,” the hamster murmured. “Thanks for saving me from the cats. They’ve been chasing me and my brother for two weeks now.”

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Warsong. I’m Cotton, the chipmunk is Kristen, and the cat is Smokey.”

Cloverbud winced as Cotton pressed the cloth down harder. “What… What did you mean when you said you had connections, and that Larcia’s army would come?”

“Cotton is Queen Larcia’s sister,” Smokey explained, licking her paw.

“Queen Larcia’s sister?” Cloverbud repeated, looking at Cotton with wide eyes. So she’s the sister of the queen of Meadowlark?

The rabbit nodded. “Yes, in fact, me, Kristen, and Smokey are on our way to Meadowlark right now, to see if my sister has a solution to that wolf. Things are really starting to get out of control.”

“The Whiteshell Cat Tribe has been losing members,” Smokey added, amber eyes hardening. “The cats have been joining that wolf. Same thing with the other tribes. And it has affected the innocent as well.”

“Smokey belonged to the tribe,” Cotton continued, “Until Amethyst kicked her out. She thought that Smokey was in allegiance with the the wolf, Redswish.”

“I knew almost nothing of Redswish until he attacked my family in the valley,” Cloverbud admitted, sadly lowering her gaze. She cleared her throat, blinked, and sighed. “Blacknose said the cats would return. I know they will. They’re intent on capturing me and my brother, Sid. They won’t give up easily.”

“You can come with us if you want,” Kristen offered. “To Meadowlark. We can set off once you get up.”

“That’s very generous of you,” Cloverbud sighed. “But I don’t want you to get mixed into this ordeal as well. I should keep traveling on my own so that I don’t endanger any of you.”

“The cats won’t be a problem for us,” Smokey grinned. “We can take care of them. And you’d be much safer with us than traveling on your own anyway. Do you even know where you’re headed?”

Cloverbud shook her head. “Not really. I haven’t thought of it much. I suppose I should look for Sid, since we were separated last week running from Blacknose’s patrol. I guess I’ll just go to the Oak Forest— that’s the way I’m headed in anyway.”

“Then come with us to Meadowlark.” Cotton smiled warmly, glancing up from the hamster’s shoulder. “The Oak Forest isn’t such a great idea anyway, since Redswish’s camp is just south of it.”

“I… I guess I could come with you,” Cloverbud said slowly.

“Excellent choice.” Kristen gathered her bag, swinging it over her shoulder. “Shall we be going then?”

“You can ride on my back, Miss Warsong,” Smokey meowed, lowering to the ground.

“Thank you, Smokey,” Cloverbud replied. Leaning heavily on Cotton, she stood with a grunt a gripped Smokey’s sky blue cloak, using it to haul herself onto the cat’s back.

“Everyone ready?” Kristen asked, watching as the others nodded. “Okay then, let’s get a move on before Blacknose shows up again.”

With that, the cat, rabbit, hamster, and chipmunk began to travel across the desolate, grassy plains.