by Erin Hunter
What Happens Next: Not every adventure can end in success, and this one hasn’t. Although they tried hard, the cats failed to solve the problems being caused by the fox in Clan territories. They do not get any Experience rewards for this adventure. The group can, however, play the adventure again, hopefully finding a way to get a better result next time.
18. Making the Trade
Read Aloud: “As you enter the small clearing, you can see the fox perched in her den within a hollow log. She’s looking right at you, as though she has been expecting you.”
Narrator Tips: The fox has the she-cat kit beneath her paws, but luckily the kit is free to call out to you. She says that she is all right, and she is happy to see her brother. Although she struggles to get free and come over to you, the fox maintains her hold.
The fox cub will immediately run to its mother unless the players’ cats stop it, which they can do easily. It will whine and keep trying to go, but there is nothing it can do to overpower the cats.
The fox will not let the kit go until the players’ cats let her cub come back to her. She does not like or trust the cats, and so will not release the kit until it is absolutely clear that they are not trying to trick her. The cats may want to talk to her or try to negotiate a situation where both the cub and kit are released at the same time. However, while the fox is clever, she at best only understands the very basics of what the cats are saying.
This might be a tricky scene for you, as Narrator, to improvise, but try to make the fox’s meaning and intention as plain as possible without actually putting words in her mouth. It is up to the players to figure out how to solve this situation, but if they are having too difficult a time of it, allow their cats to make Ponder Checks (using the Animal Lore Knack, if they wish). If the Skill Check total is higher than 8 (the fox’s Intelligence score), they understand the situation and know what the fox is demanding.
If the cats are not willing to release the cub, nothing will change. The only other option is to start a fight with the fox, though it’s doubtful anyone really wants that to happen.
Once the cub is free and very close to the hollow log, the fox will let the she-cat kit go and move to nuzzle her pup. At that point, the kit will run directly over to her brother.
What Happens Next: If the cub and kit are both back with their families, continue with 19.
If the cats won’t let the cub go, choosing instead to start a fight, continue with 8.
19. The Stare Down
Read Aloud: “The kit dashes across to her brother and they roll about with wild enthusiasm. Meanwhile, the fox nudges her cub into the den with its siblings, then steps out and glares at you angrily.”
Narrator Tips: The fox has gotten just what she wanted, but she’s still not very happy about the situation. The cats know where her den and, more important, her cubs are. Now she will have to take her cubs and go find a new den, preferably far away from the Clan territories. The angry glare is her way of saying “Leave my family alone . . . or else!”
As with the previous scene, there really isn’t any way to have direct communication between the fox and the players’ cats. Through an improvised scene and a few well-placed Ponder Checks, though, you should be able to get the players to understand what’s going on.
The big question is how the players’ cats will respond to such an aggressive stance. The fox doesn’t want to fight; she just wants the cats to know that she will if it’s necessary. If the cats are feeling aggressive, though, that might be enough to get combat started. If they simply acknowledge the fox’s anger and concern, though, she will gladly let the tension ease.
What Happens Next: If the cats accept the fox’s message without escalating to violence, continue with 21.
If the cats decide to take the tension up to the next level and start a fight, continue with 8.
20. Climbing Down
Read Aloud: “The kit is so relieved that the situation with the raccoon is over that he almost leaps off the branch. It’s then that he realizes just how high up he and the cub are. ‘H-how do we get down from here?’ the kit asks.”
Narrator Tips: This scene is all about getting the tom kit and the fox cub out of the tree. They’re both much better at climbing up than they are at coming down. Plus, after such a prolonged and frightening experience, they’re both more than a little tired.
It is up to the players’ cats to figure out how to get the two out of the tree, and it is your job, as the Narrator, to use the game rules and your imagination to improvise a scene that lets the group find a workable solution. If the idea they have seems impractical or unlikely to work, tell them so—or hint at it strongly. If possible, think of an Ability or Skill Check that goes along with the actions they suggest, and an unpleasant result that will happen if they fail at those Checks.
Don’t make it anything too harmful—just inconvenient. After all, they beat the raccoon. This is merely a small inconvenience when compared to the sharp claws and teeth they just avoided. But a few added bruises or embarrassments can certainly be gained if the cats use bad judgment.
In the end, if necessary, help the group find a way to succeed in getting the kit and the cub out of the tree. This scene should be a memorable diversion, not one where the adventure grounds to a halt.
If the cats have already interacted with the mother fox near her den, they will know just where to go next. If not, have the cub dash off, following its own sense of smell and memory of where the den is, and have the group follow.
What Happens Next: If the players’ cats have fought and knocked out the mother fox, continue with 22.
If the mother fox is still in her den waiting for the return of her missing cub, continue with 18.
21. Farewell Fox
Read Aloud: “The fox seems satisfied that the cats mean her family no harm—at least for the moment. She walks over to the hollow log and climbs in with her cubs. They nuzzle and rub against one another so happily, you almost expect them to purr.”
Narrator Tips: The fox and her cubs are reunited. So are the WindClan kits, who the players’ cats now have to guide back to the Clan’s camp. The brother and sister spend the whole trip apologizing for the trouble they’ve caused and promising they’ll never do it again.
The leaders of all the Clans will be pleased with what a good job the cats did, and everyone will be fascinated with the tale of the fox and her cubs. The cats who know the most about Animal Lore will say that the Clan warriors should probably stay away from the fox’s den for a few days, just so she feels safe. As soon as she doesn’t feel threatened anymore, chances are good that the mother fox will take her cubs and find a new den—they like to keep the location of their homes secret, especially from potential enemies. In fact, it’s most likely that the fox will take her cubs and leave the Clan territories entirely.
If the players’ cats go against this advice and go back to the hollow log within the next day, they will get there just in time to see the fox and her cubs walking up the hill away from the Lake and out of Clan territory. The fox will look back with a warning glare, as if to say “Don’t follow us!”
If the players’ cats wait a few days and then go back, they will find the fox’s den abandoned, and a fading scent trail leading up the hill away from Clan territory. Either way, the foxes are gone and they will not return to this part of the woods.
What Happens Next: The players’ cats should be proud of their accomplishments. Dealing with a fox is never easy, but dealing with an anxious mother fox is even more dangerous. They handled the situation wonderfully, and the leaders and other warriors will tell them so. All the Clans will tell stories of these deeds for many, many moons to come, and the two WindClan kits will grow up thinking of the players’ cats not just as warriors but as heroes!
22. Tending the Cubs
Read Aloud: “The fox lies limp on the ground, out cold. You feel a great rush of success momentarily—then you hear the whines and sniffs of fox cubs as they rush out to see w
hat’s wrong with their mother.”
Narrator Tips: While beating the fox in battle may give the players’ cats a momentary sense of accomplishment, the truth is that it is a bad ending to the adventure. With their mother injured, the cubs’ lives are in jeopardy. While she is hurt, no one will be around to feed them or protect them from other forest animals.
Improvise a scene where other Clan cats arrive, including one or more of the Clan leaders. Have them point out that the warrior code says that all kits must be protected—and it seems reasonable to say that applies to these three fox cubs.
It should be clear that the players’ cats did well by rescuing the kits. But their actions also make them responsible for the fox cubs while the mother fox recovers. They will have to spend a day or two shepherding the cubs around, the way a Clan’s queens do for its kits, and even bringing food to the mother fox (who is too weak to hunt).
What Happens Next: When all is said and done, the fox and her cubs will leave the Clan territories, and the kits will be returned to WindClan. The adventure is a success and the players’ cats should be proud of their accomplishments. A fox is always a wily opponent, but a mother fox who is protecting her cubs is even more dangerous. Beating her in combat shows just how strong the cats have become, and the leaders and other warriors will tell them so. All the Clans will tell stories of these deeds for many, many moons to come, and the two WindClan kits will grow up thinking of the players’ cats not just as warriors but as heroes!
After the Adventure
After the last scene of the adventure has been played, the game itself is not necessarily over. There still are a few things you can do if the players want to keep at it.
Play It Again
Maybe you just want to try the whole thing a second time, starting back at the beginning or perhaps picking up somewhere in the middle where it feels like things went wrong. In either case, your cat would be right back where he or she was and have another chance to try to find a more favorable outcome.
One of the great things about storytelling games is that you can always tell the story again. And, since the actions of the fox are very much dependent on not only what the players’ cats do, but what order they do it in, this adventure could easily have several distinct twists in how the story unfolds.
Plus, however they handled the interaction with the fox the first time through, the cats may want to see what happens if they try a more aggressive tactic—or a less aggressive one. Playing again will let everyone see all the parts of the story and give other players the chance to try their hands at being the Narrator.
Experience
If the cats completed the adventure successfully, then they all get Experience rewards. It is important to note, though, that each cat can only get experience from this adventure once. If you play through and successfully finish the adventure several times, your cat only gains the rewards listed below after the first time he or she completes the adventure.
If you use different cats each time, though, each one can get the Experience rewards. The rule is not that a player can only get experience once, it’s that a cat can.
There is more than one way to successfully conclude this adventure. The players’ cats could have solved the situation by being diplomatic or by defeating the mother fox in a fight. As long as the fox and all her cubs were able to find a new den and carry on with their lives, it counted as a victory for the cats. However, the two resolutions have slightly different Experience rewards, as described in the Knack section below.
Age: Although the action in this adventure clearly happens over the course of a handful of days, the presumption is that this is the most interesting and exciting thing that happens to your cat during the whole of that moon. Increase your cat’s age by 1 moon and make any appropriate improvements described in Chapter Four of the game rules.
Skill: On top of the improvements your cat gets from aging, he or she also gains 1 level in the Smell Skill and 1 level in the Ponder Skill.
Knack: Dealing with a mother fox and her cubs certainly gave the players’ cats some lessons they would never have learned any other way. As a result, they each get a Knack based on what approach they used to resolve the situation.
If the players’ cats finished the adventure without having to fight and knock out the mother fox, they each gain 1 level of the Animal Lore Knack from interacting so closely with the mother fox and correctly interpreting her moods and intentions.
If the players’ cats finished the adventure by fighting the mother fox and knocking her out, they improved their fighting skills by facing down a very fast and dangerous foe. Each cat learned a few new sneaky combat moves and gains 1 level in the Feint Knack. If a cat already has 3 levels in Feint, then there wasn’t anything new for him or her to learn from this encounter.
Also by Erin Hunter
Book One: The Quest Begins
Book Two: Great Bear Lake
Book Three: Smoke Mountain
Book Four: The Last Wilderness
Book Five: Fire in the Sky
MANGA
Toklo’s Story
Book One: Into the Wild
Book Two: Fire and Ice
Book Three: Forest of Secrets
Book Four: Rising Storm
Book Five: A Dangerous Path
Book Six: The Darkest Hour
THE NEW PROPHECY
Book One: Midnight
Book Two: Moonrise
Book Three: Dawn
Book Four: Starlight
Book Five: Twilight
Book Six: Sunset
POWER OF THREE
Book One: The Sight
Book Two: Dark River
Book Three: Outcast
Book Four: Eclipse
Book Five: Long Shadows
Book Six: Sunrise
OMEN OF THE STARS
Book One: The Fourth Apprentice
Book Two: Fading Echoes
Warriors Super Edition: Firestar’s Quest
Warriors Super Edition: Bluestar’s Prophecy
Warriors Super Edition: SkyClan’s Destiny
Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the Clans
Warriors: Cats of the Clans
Warriors: Code of the Clans
Warriors: Battles of the Clans
MANGA
The Lost Warrior
Warrior’s Refuge
Warrior’s Return
The Rise of Scourge
Tigerstar and Sasha #1: Into the Woods
Tigerstar and Sasha #2: Escape from the Forest
Tigerstar and Sasha #3: Return to the Clans
Ravenpaw’s Path #1: Shattered Peace
Ravenpaw’s Path #2: A Clan in Need
Ravenpaw’s Path #3: The Heart of a Warrior
Copyright
Night Whispers
Copyright © 2010 by Working Partners Limited
Warriors Adventure Game © 2009 by Working Partners Limited
“Uninvited Guests” © 2010 by Working Partners Limited
Series created by Working Partners Limited
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
* * *
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hunter, Erin.
Night whispers / by Erin Hunter. — 1st ed.
p. cm. — (Warriors, omen of the stars ; bk. 3)
Summary: As Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovepaw continue to seek answers to the mysterious prophecy that binds them, they learn that another cat may play an essential role in defea
ting the Dark Forest.
ISBN 978-0-06-155515-2 (trade bdg.) — ISBN 978-0-06-155516-9 (lib. bdg.)
[1. Cats—Fiction. 2. Prophecies—Fiction. 3. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. 4. Fantasy.] I. Title.
PZ7.H916625Ni 2012
[Fic]—dc22
2010015313
CIP
AC
* * *
First Edition
EPub Edition © 2010 ISBN: 9780062025173
10 11 12 13 14 LP/RRDB 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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