North Chapter 10, a warriors fanfic

So here is ch.10! Enjoy ;)

Ch.10-Den of Snakes

The oasis was a welcome sight as the four cats approached it. Briarleaf and Skyflower had created a nice den. There were some mice around, and they were easy to catch. The sandstorm had subsided, and the stars were now visible.

Moonstorm looked up, and saw the giant moon, seemingly closer than ever. He felt his fur shimmering in the light, and felt himself relax. Unfortunately, the peace didn't last.

"What do you mean by that? We can't have you wandering around!" Otterclaw's disbelieving voice rang out over the calm.

Blazeslash's voice was angered, and he replied, "No! I refuse to sleep with she-cats from other clans!"

Frostcloud, who had been recently recovered, said, "We all have to band together to succeed at this. I know it's awkward, but we're all warriors now. We sleep with our own clanmates. Why would this be any different?"

His eyes blazed. "I refuse!" And with that, he stalked off.

"Why was he so upset? We don't have to sleep together…" said Moonstorm.

"There was one massive leaf. Except for grass, that was all we could use for bedding. And we're all going to have to share it. And… well, look at how he feels about it." said Skyflower.

Briarleaf sighed. "He's always been a rebel. His father is the clan leader, and he always thought that Blazeslash would take his place. But that's not what he wants. He just wants to be normal. Everyone pressures him to be perfect, and he hates that." She got up, and said, "He may be short-tempered, but he has a good heart. You'll see." And she followed him into the bushes.

Otterclaw looked around, and said, "I do see his point. Few things are more awkward than sleeping with cats from other clans. Still though, I'll do what's necessary." He walked over to the far corner of the leaf, and curled his tail over his nose.

Moonstorm felt the ache of fatigue in his legs, and collapsed onto the leaf with a sigh. "What a day!"

Skyflower nodded to Frostcloud subtly, and Skyflower curled up next to him. The two of them shared tongues for a while, before Skyflower fell into the realm of dreams. Frostcloud was watching with twitching whiskers, and then padded up to Otterclaw, who looked up at her in surprise. She whispered something into his ear, and his ears pricked up in shock. A blush crossed the white she cat's face when he nodded, and moved over so she could lie next to him.

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Voices woke up Moonstorm. It sounded like Blazeslash and Briarleaf. They were talking quietly outside the den. Wonder if they mated or something, thought Moonstorm with a grin. But whether or not they did, they did not mention anything of the sort at all.

"Look, you have to be more accommodating to the others. We all have to get along, or we'll lose for sure. You know that better than anyone."

Blazeslash's eyes darkened with pain. "You don't think? I lost my sister to that shadow. The terror I felt…" He shivered, and Briarleaf rested her tail on his back. "It just seemed to suck any courage, any hope, any will to live I had. It felt like death itself was talking to me." He shook his head.

And Moonstorm knew from the fear in the fiery tom's voice that he wasn't exaggerating.

"He told me something. He said, 'There are six masters of death. Each of us have been promised one of you to kill from our master, and I get you.' That's what he said."

Moonstorm's mind was racing. Marrowclaw said he was destined to beat him. And that must mean the two of us have to fight. He shuddered at the thought of facing the bloody cat. And his dreams of that shadowy blob… he knew what had to be done, but would never remember it in the waking world.

Before he could even think about it too much, he drifted back to sleep.

The six young warriors woke up leisurely. Moonstorm got up when the sun was so bright he couldn't sleep anymore.

Skyflower was still sleeping, and he licked her ear to wake her quickly. She blinked, and said, "Good morning, Moonstorm."

The two young cats looked around, and saw Frostcloud still sleeping, while Otterclaw was outside, looking around a little. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Moonstorm, and walked over to him. "We need to have a guys only chat. Sorry Skyflower."

The pretty blue she cat twitched her tail and walked over to where Briarleaf was drinking water.

Blazeslash came over to them afterwards, and said, "What is it? It had better be important!"

"Oh calm down! We can't keep arguing like this!"

Otterclaw breathed his thanks, then said, "I think… I think I'm in love with Frostcloud! Like, a lot! But I don't know what to do…"

Moonstorm grinned. "Good job! You already slept with her," and when he said that, Blazeslash shot him a suspicious glance. "No, not like that… but you know what I mean. But what's wrong with that?"

"She's in a different clan! What's going to happen? Starclan won't approve! And I really like her!"

Blazeslash spoke up first. "Calm down, calm down. You have to treat her like you want to be more than just friends. We can settle things later, okay?"

"That's a terrible idea! What if they mate or something?" Moonstorm argued.

Blazeslash shrugged. "Not our problem. It's his."

With a sigh, Moonstorm got ready to walk away and eat. "Just don't rush into anything too quickly, Otterclaw."

Moonstorm turned around, and froze immediately. A snake was staring back into his face. It dragged its tail along the sand, creating a half circle, and hissed menacingly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other two toms move toward his sides. There won't be enough time to use our powers... thought Moonstorm. Then the snake lunged at Moonstorm's face.

Moonstorm would have died if Briarleaf hadn't come flying out of nowhere. The snake clamped down onto the she-cat's fur, and she screeched in agony. Moonstorm quickly unsheathed his claws, and in one clean swipe, its head was split in two.

Blazeslash huddled up to her side. Her breathing was shallow, but she seemed okay. Blazeslash, however, did not. "What were you doing? Be more careful! She might die now!"

"Blazeslash, I'm okay…" said Briarleaf timidly.

Now, however, Briarleaf was not looking so good. Her small tortoiseshell body was shivering, even in the desert heat, and Moonstorm though about Mousetail's warnings of snake poison. "The smaller, the deadlier. You heard that, young kits?"

Then the ground started shaking, and the water started vibrating. Moonstorm turned. A large round nut had fallen from one of the trees, and sand started parting to reveal a large hole. Out of some Starclan legend, a massive snake drilled its way out of the hole with a deafening hiss.

It looked them in the eyes, with its blood red eyes shimmering like rubies. "Who daresssss tresssspasss thissss oasisssss? Oh, it you ssssix. Masssster has told me about you all. Your majesssstic powerssss. But they will not affect me at all! Do your worsssst!"

It looked straight at the weakest cat, which would be Briarleaf, and dashed at her with blinding speed. Blazeslash grabbed her scruff and pulled her out of the way. "You will not hurt her!" And with that, a inferno of flames surrounded the red tom. The snake coiled in fear.

"You know… my weaknessssss…. Heat! That's why I stay underground! But I will not back down!"

The other five watched as the tom and snake collided, and the snake screeched as the blazing tom's claws scratched its scales. "The pain! It burnsss!"

"Briarleaf! Moonstorm! All of you! Brace yourselves!"

With only a second to comprehend, Moonstorm pulled together a wall of water, and a wave of very intense heat flew off of the red cat. Moonstorm could feel his fur burn as it subsided.

Blazeslash stood, breathing very heavily, and walked over to them. There was no sign of the serpent.

Briarleaf's breathing was slow, and she was still shaking. "The poison's kicking in," concluded Otterclaw. "We're going to have to hurry to an ally that Oceanclan only knows about." The five cats turned to face Otterclaw. "We are going to have to visit the Tribe of Shadows."

"Who are they?" asked Frostcloud.

"Highly skilled cats who live by the seasons, they are skilled in combat, and very justified. If they believe we have good hearts, then they will use medicine to cure her."

"And if not?" pushed Blazeslash.

"Then they will kill us instantly."

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