Erin Hunter - The Last Hope

The players’ cats make up one of those hunting parties. They are being sent to the woods beyond the Moonpool. Have one of the Clan leaders speak to the players’ cats to express how important this mission is. The cats aren’t starving yet, but the kits and the elders have grown thin and dangerously weak. It won’t be long before some of them join StarClan.

The plan is for the players’ cats to catch as much fresh-kill as they can, eating enough to keep themselves going, but storing most of it under the snow as they continue to hunt. (Burying the fresh-kill will help it stay fresh for a longer period of time.) When they’ve gathered all they can carry—or all there is to find—the players’ cats are to bring the rest of it back as quickly as possible.

As a secondary assignment, the Clan leader asks the players’ cats to keep an eye out for signs that newleaf is coming. If they can bring back proof that things will change soon, it will improve everyone’s spirit.

Let the players ask any questions they like, and answer from the Clan leader’s perspective. No cat knows much—sometimes leaf-bare lasts longer than usual, and StarClan has not sent dreams to any of the medicine cats to explain the situation or offer a solution.

When that’s done, briefly describe the first two days of the trip as the cats go through familiar territory that is almost unrecognizable because of all the snow. The scenes are beautiful, but desolate—there are no birds or squirrels or rabbits—and no tracks in the snow, other than those belonging to the players’ cats.

On the morning of the third day, the players’ cats must choose whether they are going to follow a path up to the highlands or one down to the valley. Both seem equally covered in snow and equally lacking in potential prey. If the players are having a difficult time making up their minds, ask them whether they think that it’s more likely that prey animals (squirrels, rabbits, voles, etc.) would live in the valley or on the hillside. (There isn’t a right answer, but that opinion is probably the best way for them to choose a course.)

What Happens Next:If the players’ cats want to begin by looking for prey in the valley, continue with 4.

If the players’ cats want to begin by looking for prey in the highlands, continue with 7.

2. Whiteout

Read Aloud:“The wind suddenly rises, sounding like a howling dog. The air around you is thick with snow. Before long, it’s impossible to see anything but a solid wall of white blowing snow.”

Narrator Tips:This is a whiteout. There’s so much wind and snow that you can’t see more than a few inches in front of your face. It’s a real weather condition, and it’s extremely dangerous—even more so for cats.

Describe the situation for the players and ask what their cats are going to do about it. Right now they cannot even see one another. If they want to move together and gather as a group, each cat must remember EXACTLY where the others were. To do that, each cat must make a Focus Check (it is possible to use the Alertness Knack with this Check) and get a total of 8 or higher. If any of the players’ cats fail the Check, that cat has lost its way.

If all of the cats manage to gather together, they have two options: Huddle where they are and wait for the storm to end, or try to move to the shelter of the trees in the highlands.

Huddling where they are is a sure way for the group to stay together, but it means they will spend the whole time in dangerously cold weather. All of the cats suffer 2 chips’ worth of damage from the experience. But when the whiteout ends, they have kept their bearings.

Trying to move to the trees (or any other location) is risky because the cats can no longer see anything through the blowing snow. If they want to move, they must pick one member of the group to lead the way. That cat must make a Ponder Check. If the total is 10 or higher, the group keeps their bearings and arrives at the place they were headed. If not, the group has lost its way.

What Happens Next:If any of the cats lost their way in the whiteout, continue with 5.

If the cats were on the hilltop and they kept their bearings, this is the end of the chapter. Hand the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 8.

If the cats were in the valley and they kept their bearings, this is the end of the chapter. Hand the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 13.

3. Fresh Tracks

Read Aloud:“The trail seems to go cold momentarily. You can’t see the tracks at all. But just when you’re about to give up hope, you come across another collection of tracks—and they’re still fresh!”

Narrator Tips:The players’ cats have found a collection of tracks that seem to have been made today. Improvise a scene that lets the cats investigate these tracks, using Skills like Ponder, See, and Smell (and Knacks like Track, Animal Lore, and Alertness) to figure out which tracks to follow.

Tell them that there are tracks from lots of different animals, but only the rabbits are prey—the others are foxes, raccoons, and maybe even a bear (if you want to give the players a bit of a scare as they worry that their cats might have to fight such a huge animal). The problem is that the rabbits seem to have been chased out of this location and run in several directions at once. There’s no easy way to tell where they might be now. It’s also unclear which of the other animals might have been chasing them.

Have the players’ cats all make Ponder or See Checks. (The Track Knack can be used with this attempt.) Then add their totals together to get a group total, which will determine the set of tracks they actually follow.

What Happens Next:If the group total is 20 or higher, continue with 10.

If the group total is 19 or lower, continue with 13.

4. Down in the Valley

Read Aloud:“In greenleaf this valley is full of grass and small streams—just the kind of place where prey can be found. It only makes sense that they would have their burrows here, too.”

Narrator Tips:Tell the players that there are no immediate signs of prey—no tracks in the snow or obvious locations for burrows. Then ask them what their cats want to do next. How will they go about hunting for their prey? Based on their answer, decide what Skill (and perhaps an associated Knack) would be most appropriate for that activity. (It’s likely that the See Skill and the Track Knack will be helpful, or perhaps Ponder and the Animal Lore Knack.) Tell the players that only one of them may attempt the Check—too many cats fussing about will scare away potential prey.

The result of the Check will determine the next scene of this adventure.

What Happens Next:If the Check had a total of 20 or higher, the cat has found many tracks to follow—continue with 13.

If the Check had a total of between 15 and 19, the cat has found a few tracks to follow—continue with 11.

If the Check had a total of between 10 and 15, the cat found no tracks. The cats must replay this scene again.

If the Check had a total of 9 or lower, continue with 2.

5. Lost in the Snow

Read Aloud:“You wander through the blowing snow for a very long time. When the weather finally clears, you have no idea where you are.”