If someone could give me a review with constructive critique for this chapter, that would be great. Also, could someone give me suggestions for the title of the chapter? I haven’t come up with a name for it yet.

--

Chapter Three:

Beams of sunlight wove through the tree limbs and their leaves, dappling the pale brown hamster with soft spots of light. Cloverbud mumbled inaudibly, her rich green eyes blinking open. She sneezed and lifted her head from Smokey’s fluffy, feathery tail, rolling onto her back. Yawning and holding a paw to her injured shoulder, Cloverbud forced herself into a sitting position, glancing around at the others. Kristen lay curled up not far away, and Smokey snoozed lightly, flanks moving in rhythm with her steady breathing. Cotton sat at the streambed several yards away, soaking her hind feet in the cool, fresh crystal clear water. Gripping Smokey’s tail for support, Cloverbud stood shakily, almost hobbling through the yellowed grass to Cotton’s side.

“Oh, Good Morning, Miss Warsong,” Cotton said in greeting, looking up at the approaching hamster. “I thought I’d heard you wake. Feeling better this morning?”

Cloverbud sighed, plopping down beside the rabbit. “A bit, thank you.”

Cotton grabbed a small pebble, tossing it into the stream. “Once Kristen and Smokey are up, we’ll start heading northeast. We kind of got off track, coming to this small patch of woods. But it’s a good hiding place from the cat’s, at least.”

Cloverbud nodded, tilting back her head to gaze skyward. “The cats are going to return. I can feel it.”

The rabbit shifted her gaze back to her new friend, watching Cloverbud run her paw through the long pale brown fur on the back of her head.

“I should leave,” Cloverbud continued, staring down at her white apron. “It’s me the cats are after, not you. And if I stay, you’ll all be put in danger. It’s been bugging me all night. And I’ve decided that I’ll leave now, and just continue searching for my brother.”

“We want you to stay with us,” Cotton replied in an understanding tone, standing. “We can take care of ourselves. But, if you really must leave to find your brother, we won’t keep you.”

“Thank you, Cotton,” Cloverbud whispered, taking Cotton’s paw, which the rabbit held out for her.

The rabbit tiptoed around Smokey’s sleeping form, bending down over a small pile of bags. She lifted the third one, tossing it to Cloverbud. “Here. If you’re going to travel on your own, you at least need some supplies.”

“Thanks again,” the hamster murmured, strapping the bag over her shoulder. “I hope that we will meet again someday.”

“Me too, Miss Warsong. Please be careful.” Cotton closed her eyes, warmly hugging the hamster. Cloverbud held the rabbit’s embrace for a moment before stepping back.

“I will. No need to worry about me. Goodbye, Cotton. May the Holy Spirit be with you and aid you on your journey.”

“You too,” Cotton murmured softly, watching Cloverbud trek through the wooded area, slowly disappearing from view.

The sun beating down on her back, Cloverbud trudged onwards, constantly snapping twigs under her feet. She grunted and gripped her injured shoulder, heaving a long sigh. After trudging onward for a while, the bag began to weigh her down, and she felt a sharp pain igniting in her shoulder.

Cloverbud, after leaving the trees, squinted and held a paw to her forehead, scanning the horizon. She couldn’t help but give a squeak of desperation, seeing that the land before her was nothing but windswept hills sparsely covered by dry, thick yellowed grass. Inhaling deeply with her rich green eyes narrowed, the hamster braced herself against the cruel, blusterous buffeting winds. Swallowing, Cloverbud started the treacherous climb of the first hill, beginning to regret ever leaving Cotton and the others. Besides, what was done was done, and there was no turning back now.

I’m not sorry for leaving, Cloverbud thought to herself, grunting and shifting the bag strap on her shoulder. If I’d stayed, it would have only put them in danger. They’re much better off without me.

“Curse this hill,” she muttered under her breath, digging the claws on her hind feet into the grass. The hamster halted momentarily to catch her breath, and was bowled over as a gust of wind whirled in her direction. She screeched and rolled onto her stomach, sinking all of her claws into the dirt.

“If only there wasn’t that wind to worry about,” Cloverbud grunted. She forced herself to stand, holding her paws to her eyes to shield them from bits of dead grass blowing in the wind. Squeezing the strap of her bag, she darted forward, nearly tumbling over again from her mad dash up the hill. Growling, she flung out her arms to keep her balance, the wind nipping at her ears.

“I…am…g-going…to get up…this h-hill…and…you…aren’t g-going…to stop me!” she shouted, breathing heavily when she finally made it to the top.

She plopped down where she stood, holding her shoulder as she took stock of her surroundings.

The view from the hill was astounding. Cloverbud could see all across the hilly wastelands to the mass of trees that were the Oak forest, which she wasn’t far from now. The area had a serene feeling to it, and Cloverbud would have been completely at ease if it weren’t for the pain in her shoulder. She exhaled slowly, shifting her gaze from the south to the north. An air of foreboding stirred in her as she spotted a group of creatures as small as ants 

heading towards the hill. Pricking her ears, Cloverbud tried to pick up bits of the conversation the “ants” were having, their voices ascending skyward.

“Do you think it’s the hamster, Hollow?”

“Don’t know. Can’t really tell from here. What about you?”

“I think it’s her. Did you hear it crying out earlier?”

“I think it was her. Sounded like her voice. Don’t you think so, Blacknose?”

“Yes, it’s her! Come on, speed up! We won’t let her get away this time!”

Cloverbud gasped and cradled her face in her paws, tears welling in her eyes. Oh no, not Blacknose, not now. Oh please, not now… Come on, Cloverbud, pull yourself together, she thought to herself, sniffing. I’ve gotta get away from here before they come any closer…

Bright pink skirts swirling as she spun around, the brown furred hamster threw a glance at her younger brother.

“David, are you just going to stand there watching me all day?”

Shaking his head, the younger hamster blinked his light blue eyes. “N-no, I was just—”

“David.” His sister gently laid her paw on his shoulder. “Since you seem to have nothing else to do, why don’t you go out and try to find some herbs? With winter setting in soon, there won’t be many left.”

“Sure Alice,” he mumbled in reply, clearing his throat as his sister returned to the laundry she was gathering in her arms.

David turned away, slowly padding from the underground chamber and along the tunnel passageways. He moved on in silence, averting his eyes to the flickering candles lining the walls. Feeling the glow on his body, he quickened his pace, stirring up the soft, dusty dirt beneath his bare hind feet. Halting, he grasped a metal knob, pushing the wooden door it belonged to open. Sunlight 

filtering through the trees burst into the dark, musty tunnel, causing him to squint and blink violently before his eyes adjusted to the bright lighting of the forest.

Inhaling the fresh air, David climbed from the tunnel, senses alert as he scanned his surroundings. You could never be too careful in the Oak Forest. He cautiously tiptoed through the sunlight speckled grass, hoping he wouldn’t step on dried leaves. That would be far too dangerous, especially since there had been more soldiers about than usual.

Herbs, herbs… Where the heck does Alice expect me to find herbs when there’s not even good grass around? David thought to himself, crossing his arms.

Eyes peeled, the hamster tugged on the hem of his red banyan, feeling agitated. I don’t feel easy being out here like this…I have a feeling some of those cats’ll probably come along soon…

He sighed, lowering his gaze. I wish I wasn’t afraid like this. If only I was stronger… He trekked onward, letting his gaze roam to the oak trees surrounding him, their branches almost completely bare. The least I can do is find the herbs for my sister… You can tell that winter really is coming soon…

The hamster forced herself to stand, grunting and trying to blink back the tears in her eyes. The cats were advancing on the hill; their paws thundering against the ground. She scuffled forward, nearly tripping on her light blue dress as she broke into a full dash. The cats’ menacing snarls drifted to her ears, like lightning in a storm. She swallowed, trying to keep her balance. She descended the hill, the cats not far behind. Cloverbud chanced a peek over her shoulder, gasping with surprise at how close the cats were to her. A sharp, paralyzing pain burst from her shoulder, causing the hamster to stagger.

“I must keep going,” she whispered to herself, her legs like heavy barrels of lead.

“Why don’t you just give up now, hamster? Wouldn’t you rather do that than work yourself to death trying to escape?” Blacknose asked, his head inches away from her body.

Cloverbud’s rich green eyes darkened with determination, and she raced forward, finding a new strength burning within her. “I will not let you catch me! I’ll keep running my whole life if I have to!”

“You really are a fool, hamster,” Blacknose snarled, twitching his tail with agitation as he snapped at her head with his dagger-like teeth. “You won’t make it much longer out here like this!”

I will too! Just wait and see! Cloverbud turned away from the cat, eyes focused on the distance. Her hind feet pounded against the dying yellowed grass sparsely covering the rugged plains. The spiraling rays of the sun beat down upon her back, and she breathed deeply with exhaustion. Even though she felt like she would collapse, the young hamster kept going.

Dew emitted a long hiss, rotating her gaze to the Siamese laboring along beside her. “Come on, Hollow, keep up! What’s wrong with you?”

Hollow sighed, stretching his cream colored legs out farther. “I don’t get why it’s so important that we catch this hamster. How could it be so important that Redswish sent out six cats to capture it?”

Dew flicked her tail, amber eyes narrowing into tiny slits. “It’s important that we catch her because Redswish ordered us to. And you need to learn to stay out of everyone’s business. Redswish has his reasons. Now keep up unless you want to be left behind.”

Hollow quickened his pace, almost outrunning his fellow soldier. Dew snarled with agitation, trying to keep up.

Gasping and spluttering, Cloverbud sprinted through the plains, her legs screaming for her to stop. She threw a glance over her shoulder at the cats, 

which were several yards away. Snagging one of the claws on her hind foot on a random pebble, she squeaked, immediately spinning her head around to face forward. A small, thin smile flitted across her face. She was entering the Oak Forest at last.

The hamster was engulfed by the sounds of urgent, beating wings as startled birds launched from their perches on tree branches as she approached the mighty oaks. Cloverbud blinked rapidly, observing every detail of her surroundings. Her hind paws thrashed about noisily in the undergrowth, treading over a small, prickly bush. She inhaled sharply, keeping herself from squeaking aloud with pain.

Unlike Cloverbud, the cats, skilled to maneuver quickly around the forest, continued to pursue her, stirring up little sound at all. Due to this fact, Cloverbud found that she had to glance over her shoulder almost constantly to keep track of how far behind the cats were. The cats, however, had to move slower in order to keep silent. Cloverbud allowed a sigh of relief to escape her lungs.

David crouched down over a group of dying ferns, staring at them intently. His search for herbs had brought him farther north, though he had mostly been wandering instead of actually paying attention to finding herbs. The hamster exhaled slowly, beginning to stand. Placing a paw above his eyes to shield them from the sun, he gazed upward. All of a sudden, he tensed, pricking his ears. Muffled squeaks of pain and heavy breathing reached his ears. David scanned the trees around him, searching for signs of movement. The branches of the oaks swayed as a burst of wind swept through the forest, distracting the hamster for a moment.

Tiptoeing to the center of the small copse he was in, David nibbled on an acorn he had found amongst the jumble of brightly colored leaves. Despite what he had heard before the wind had picked up, he reassured himself that he was the only creature out in this part of the forest. Inhaling deeply, he took a few nervous steps forward before beginning to walk at a slightly brisk pace.

David trekked further north in the forest, even though the sounds he had earlier only continued to get louder and more distinct. Leaning against one of the oaks, he took several deep, long breaths.

Every breath Cloverbud took was filled with pain and exhaustion. She gazed back over her shoulder, checking up on the cats’ progress. They were still farther behind, but they were bound to catch up to her at some point. Feeling as though her heart and lungs were about to burst, Cloverbud gritted her teeth, storming through the forest. She barely managed to avoid running into trees, her eyes glazing over with pain. As she raced onward, she almost thought she spotted another animal up ahead, staring at her blankly. She kept going anyway; too tired to slow down and have to gain speed all over again.

All of a sudden, she felt a blinding pain in her shoulder as she struck something solid and toppled forward onto the ground. She caught a startled squeak from whomever she had hit, and heard another thud beside her.

David quickly sat up and rubbed his head, glaring at the animal who had practically come flying from out of nowhere.

“What’d you have to do that for?!” he spat, eyes blazing.

After a few minutes, the other animal raised its head, eyes half open. David realized that it was another hamster, a girl. She was gasping for air and moaning with pain.

The female hamster pushed herself into a halfway sitting position with her arms, grunting. She blinked and stared up at him with wide, semi-terrified rich green eyes.

“I-I-I’m s-s-so-sorry,” she spluttered, her voice dripping nervousness as she tried to catch her breath.

David instantly regretted ever yelling at her. He could tell from her bedraggled appearance that she had been through a lot. The female hamster 

closed her eyes, sliding back down into the dusty dirt of the undergrowth. Clearing his throat, David stood and dusted off his navy blue breeches.

“Why were you running?”

Cloverbud looked up at him, pushing herself back up again. “I was running from the cats in Redswish’s army. There’s a patrol of six hot on my trail.”

David bit his lip. That meant that the cats were out in the forest somewhere, and would be arriving soon. He bent over, offering his paw to the other hamster. “Here. You need to get up unless you want to get caught.”

Cloverbud gazed up at him and snatched his paw with her right one, letting him pull her to her feet.

“My name’s David Weldsparr, by the way. What’s your name?”

“Cloverbud Warsong,” she murmured, tearing her paw from his grip and resting it on her wounded shoulder.

David glanced up at her, noticing how rugged Cloverbud’s light blue dress and muddied white shawl and apron looked. He narrowed his eye, lightly placing his paw on her arm.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt or something?”

Cloverbud squinted with pain and nodded, lifting her paw from her shoulder. Blood oozed from the wound, which had reopened when she had fallen a few minutes ago.

David opened his mouth and was about to say something, but cut off instead and pricked his ears. Snarls and hisses echoed around the trees, causing a chill to dart down his spine. Before he could comment on it, however, Cloverbud beat him to it, and was prying his paw from her arm.

“They’ll be here in a minute. You should run on home. I’ll be fine.”

David glared at her, his icy blue eyes flashing. She’s treating me like I’m a little kid! And she appears to be around the same age as me! And it’s not like she’d make it long out here on her own with such a bad injury!

Narrowing his eyes, David tightly grabbed her upper arm. “We should be going then. Come on.” The hamster quickly glanced back into the trees behind them before starting to walk at a brisk pace, dragging Cloverbud forward with him.

She gasped slightly and tried to wrench herself from his grasp, squeaking as a sharp pain zapped through her shoulder. “W-what are you doing?” she managed to shriek, eyes blazing. “Let me go! They’re only after me, not you! Get away now while you’ve got a chance!”

“I’m not going to just go off and leave you here by yourself, Miss Warsong,” he grunted, squeezing her arm tighter. “Are you able to walk with that injury?”

“Of course I am!” Cloverbud spat, taking a few steps before she was blinded by pain and stumbled forward with a cry. David reached out, catching the hamster by her shoulder before she could fall to the ground.

“I’m taking that as a no,” he mumbled, resuming his brisk walking pace, bringing Cloverbud along with him through the forest.

Cloverbud sighed angrily, but allowed him to assist her. The two hamster trekked through the undergrowth; Cloverbud often tripping on pebbles and twigs. Dead leaves snapped and crumbled under their fleeing paws; the hamsters hoped that the cats were too far behind to notice their noisy escape.

Cloverbud squinted and moaned with pain, chancing a peek over her shoulder. Shining amber eyes met hers, and squeaked with surprise. “M-M-Mis…Mister Weldsparr! Th-there’s a c-cat!”

“What?” David snapped his gaze from the trees ahead to Cloverbud. “How far behind?”

“R-right be…behind us,” Cloverbud spluttered before crying out loudly, a stream of blood spilling from her shoulder.

“You’re right. Crap. Why now?” His eyes darkened with fury, and he sped up his pace to a dash, forcing her to do the same.

“P-p-please just leave me! I-I’m the one they want! Please, I’m begging you, just let me go. I can’t go any further. I’m only getting in your way!”

“I’m not going to leave you, Miss Warsong. Don’t worry; you can rest soon. We should be there soon…”

Cloverbud glanced up into his eyes, and he noticed how weary and pained they appeared. “Where… Where’s ‘there’?”

“My home,” David replied, his eyes set straight ahead. “Where did you think I was taking you, some random place further out in the woods?”

Cloverbud glared up at him indignantly, but quickly snapped her eyes shut and grunted.

“We’ll be there in a few minutes,” he murmured, quickening their speed until they were nearly sprinting.

Why won’t this idiot listen to me and just let those cats take me? Cloverbud thought, her legs almost giving out under her. She imagined how it would feel to lay in the soft, sweet grass, inhaling its fresh fragrance. Her thoughts drifted to blood oozing from her shoulder, the warm, sticky liquid covering her back and arm. And then the cats, flexing their claws and plunging them into her body, feelings of pain and fear flashing through her…

Cloverbud shook her head, trying to clear the mental images from her mind. All of a sudden, she felt herself being jerked down, sprawling in the undergrowth. She gazed up at David, surprise sparkling in her rich green stare.

David tugged at a dusty wooden door, trying to wrench it open.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her arms trembling as she tried to sit up. Cloverbud forced herself to take deep breaths, her lungs aching.

David hissed angrily and fell backwards; the door flying open. He snatched her paw and started to climb into the tunnel that loomed before him. “Come on, aren’t you gonna come in?”

Cloverbud curiously crawled towards the tunnel entrance, staring down into the dark depths. “Is… Is this where you live?”

David nodded. “Yes, it is. What are you waiting for? It’s not dangerous down here or anything.”

Shaking uncontrollably from blood loss, Cloverbud swung herself into the tunnel, placing her paws on the walls to steady herself. She blinked, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. The hamster started trembling violently, and lurched forward as a sharp cry tore from her throat. David reached out, grabbing her arms to keep her from falling.

“I think you should let me help you get around for now on,” he murmured, guiding her forward through the tunnel. She kept her eyes closed; eyebrows furrowed in pain. David tensed for a moment; pattering footsteps echoing around the tunnel. He widened his eyes, trying to see more in the candlelit passageway. A minute later he sighed with relief and moved on, realizing that it must have been Alice. She had probably heard Cloverbud’s cry earlier.

“David! David, was that you? What’s the matter?” Alice cried, skidding to a halt a few feet away. Inhaling deeply, she took in the scene before her, her eyes flying wide open once seeing the mangled creature next to her brother. “Who is that?” she asked, her eyes flickering up to meet David’s.

“This is Cloverbud Warsong,” he replied, gesturing towards her with his head. “Would you mind helping me get her to a room so her wound can be treated? She’s bleeding pretty badly.”

Cloverbud moaned as David gently brushed aside her bloodstained paw and revealed her wounded shoulder, blood streaming from the wound like a waterfall.

Alice gasped, raising a paw to her lower lip. “What on earth happened to her?”

“I’m not sure,” David murmured in response, tugging Cloverbud forward. “But the cats were chasing after us.” She kept telling me they were after her. I hope they didn’t see us come here.”

“Poor thing,” Alice commented, turning on her heels and darting down the passageway. David followed at a slower pace, Cloverbud staggering along beside him. Cloverbud snapped her eyes open, gazing around the lighted passageway. The flickering torches caused huge shadows to be displayed on the tunnel walls. The tunnel gave way to a large chamber, and Cloverbud squinted in the bright candlelight.

“Thomas! Thomas, come help me please,” Alice called, softly grabbing Cloverbud’s other arm. A male golden hamster dashed into the chamber, eyes wide open.

“What happened here?” he asked in a high-pitched squeak, hurrying over to Cloverbud. “Who’s the hamster?”

“Please just help me get her to a room so I can bathe her and treat her injuries,” Alice grunted, navy blue eyes flashing.

“Of course,” Thomas muttered, blinking glints of surprise from his eyes before he scampered from the chamber in search of medical supplies.

David and Alice gently pulled Cloverbud forward, dragging her from the large chamber and into a hallway, towards a smaller room on the left. David let his eyes roam to Cloverbud’s shoulder, blood gushing from the wound and dripping onto his and Alice’s paws. It was obvious that she needed serious help, and fast.

Cloverbud moaned softly as the two hamsters carefully deposited her onto a bed, her shoulder hitting the mattress. A few seconds later, Thomas darted through the doorway, tossing a small bag to Alice before placing his paw on David’s arm.

“Come on; Alice will take care of her,” Thomas murmured, leading David through the open door.

David followed the older hamster, throwing a glance back over his shoulder at his sister and Cloverbud. Alice had settled Cloverbud into a sitting position where she was leaning against a pillow, and was beginning to tear off her shawl, apron, and mob cap.

“Miss Warsong, would you mind telling me why your shoulder is so badly wounded?”

“It’s…It’s a long story,” Cloverbud murmured, painfully raising her arms so Alice could tug her light blue dress over her head.

“Redswish’s cats were chasing you, weren’t they?” Alice started dabbing at Cloverbud’s shoulder with a damp cloth while unlacing her stay.

Wincing and sighing, Cloverbud nodded, closing her eyes. Alice put down the cloth and grabbed a bowl in which she had poured several herbs and liquids. She stirred the contents inside, then used the wooden spoon she was holding to apply some of the sticky, stinging mixture onto Cloverbud’s shoulder before rubbing it in with her paw.

“Here, this will keep it from getting any more infected than it already is,” Alice explained, reaching into her linen bag for a bar of soap and several more cloths. Pushing up her sleeves, Alice dipped one of the cloths into a bowl of water and rubbed it against the soap. She carefully scrubbed the fur around Cloverbud’s wound, washing away the dirt and dried blood that was caked around her shoulder. She continued to clean the rest of the younger hamster’s body until she had scraped all the dirt and blood away, grabbing a towel that was just lying around to dry her off with.

Cloverbud held a paw up to her chest to reach for her medallion, realizing that it wasn’t there. Her eyes widening with worry, she twisted her head around to face Alice. “My medallion… where’s my medallion?”

“Medallion?” Alice repeated, blinking several times. “Oh, you mean this?” She reached into the pile on the ground of Cloverbud’s clothing, pulling out the sparkling golden medallion with a green clover painted on it. “It’s alright, it’s right here, see? It won’t get lost.”

“I need to put it back on,” Cloverbud mumbled, stretching her paw towards Alice. “My Mother made it for me. I can’t risk even the possibility of losing it.”

Alice narrowed her eyes, laid the medallion down on the nightstand next to the bed, and reached for a wad of bandages. “You can’t put it on until I finish 

with your shoulder. The chain’ll get in the way. I’m sure it’ll be alright sitting on the table for a few more minutes.”

Cloverbud sighed as Alice tugged on her arm so that she sat up straight, and the older hamster wrapped the roll of bandages over her shoulder and diagonally around her torso before tying it into a knot. Alice helped Cloverbud lay back down and pulled the covers over her body. She grabbed the medallion from the table, fastening it around Cloverbud’s neck. “Here you go. I’ll find you something to put on so that I can wash your clothes. But for now, try to get some rest; you’ll feel much better if you do. Because we expect to hear your story when you wake up.”