Sharpclaw stopped walking. Nightshade had done the same, and was standing in the creek only a few tail-lengths away, his blue eyes staring into hers. A sharp meow sounded from Katalion, and both cats turned their heads back away from each other, walking across to the other cats. Once she was over there, Sharpclaw turned quickly to see Katalion leading his Pride away, Nightshade at the rear. The dark tabby turned to look over his shoulder, and Sharpclaw met his gaze. The surprise from seeing her had faded, and had been replaced by...anger. He turned his head back and trotted promptly off with the Pride.
Sharpclaw visibly wilted. Why should he be angry at her? A yowl came from behind her, and her thoughts were cut short as she saw Tassayo giving her a meaningful look and flicking her tail for her to follow them. Sharpclaw trotted over to the group as they started moving, and another cat fell back to meet her pace, a golden-tan she-cat with black spots.
"Tassayo told me to gather some information about you and give you a tour when we got to the home base. First off, my name is Kanila. And you?"
"Sharpclaw." She said distractedly. It was just hard to believe that Nightshade was back in her life, so close, after all this time away from her. And that he hated her for no apparent reason. She was hardly listening to what Kanila was saying.
"Well, Sharpclaw, you should know that the Pride of Tassayo is nearly the complete opposite of the Pride of Katalion. Our she-cats and queens are held in the highest respect here, most unlike that other tribe. You can be sure that you will be treated with equal respect for as long as you are with us."
Sharpclaw briefly considered asking why she, a traded prisoner, wouldn't be forced to stay with them forever, but she let the question pass, deciding on a different one.
"What about the toms? What do they do?"
"Our toms are kept in a separate area. We don't associate with them much, though occasionally a few of us do go over to visit with them."
That caught Sharpclaw's attention. The two Prides really were different, if the toms had so much respect here. "Do the Prides really fight so much?" she asked, changing the subject.
Kanila laughed for a moment. "Yes. It's strange, really. It's like we live for fighting. Actually, we're planning a surprise attack on Katalion's Pride in a few nights." She suddenly pricked her ears up and motioned forward with her tail. "Look. We're here."
Sharpclaw looked up ahead of them. She was surprised to see that the camp was right out in the open. There was no kind of wall surrounding it at all. "Aren't you afraid of being attacked? I mean, don't you have any protection?"
Kanila snorted, as if the idea were ridiculous. "And have to rebuild some wall every time we were attacked? Not a chance. We haven't lost a battle yet because we didn't have a wall, so we're not going to start now. Now let's go. I'll show you around."
She showed Sharpclaw Tassayo's den and the elevated stretch of land that she used to talk above the other cats. She introduced the black cat to some of the other she-cats, all of which were mostly one or two colors. There were several calicos, and even a few tabbies, which Sharpclaw asked about.
"They escaped Katalion's Pride. They're faster than most, and handy in confusing our enemy in a battle. They end up thinking someone from their own Pride is attacking them." Kanila stopped walking and motioned Sharpclaw toward an empty den. "That's all of the camp. You get your own den for a while, until we have to stick someone else with you.
Sharpclaw nodded and watched as Kanila walked back over to a den next to Tassayo's. With a start, she realized that the brown cat must have been the deputy, or whatever they called it here. Sharpclaw settled down in her den and her thoughts automatically switched back to Nightshade. She just couldn't understand the look in his eyes. What had she done? And why did she care so much? When she left him behind, she hadn't thought twice about what she was doing. What had changed?
A new resolution forming in her heart, she realized what she could do. She had a den of her own, at least for tonight, so it would be easy enough to sneak out. She recalled one of her conversation with Kal that she'd had one day as they were spying on the tom's side of the camp. She'd watched as they brought in a new tabby, so she knew exactly where Nightshade would be sleeping tonight. With a slight smile on her face, she curled to sleep for the upcoming night.
Lightpelt awoke to find that his fur was wet. He looked around him and saw that the rain hadn't stopped, and the ground was muddy. Standing up and shaking himself, he stepped out of the warrior's den and over to Patchclaw, who looked as if he was thinking about something.
"Did it rain all night?" The calico asked as he approached the deputy.
"So it would seem. And now there's a wind, too." Lightpelt nodded in agreement as the air zoomed around him. "I'm worried, Lightpelt. So is Kinkstar. Things are bad. Most everyone is sick now, and if the rain keeps up, we might have to evacuate the camp. The stream isn't just a stream anymore. It's a full grown river."
Lightpelt nodded again. "How is Kinkstar?"
"Much better. I guess losing one life was enough to rid him of the sickness. But I don't think the rest us of can be so lucky. Redpaw got worse. A lot worse. And Barkface isn't better either. But the rest of them seem to be pulling out of it."
"I guess you've been to see Foxnose, then?" Lightpelt asked. Patchclaw nodded. "Have you seen Talon around?"
Patchclaw sighed. "He's out hunting. I don't know where that dog finds the energy to feed us all, but we're grateful."
The rest of the day passed fairly quickly. The rain let up slightly, but it never really stopped. Lightpelt simply lounged around talking with Talon, but not letting the other cats see, until Kinkstar jumped from his den and called for the cats going the Gathering. Lightpelt nodded farewell to his dog friend and joined the group gathering at the entrance. They headed for the stream that was their border with RiverClan, as the rain and wind had left too much destruction on the other pathway, and this would the next quickest way to the Talltree.
The marsh-like ground made their journey slower, but not non-progressive. However, when they came to the stream, it was indeed a river like Patchclaw had said. The water was rushing madly, and it looked as if certain death awaited them if they stepped into it. It had filled up to overflow from the ledges on either side of it, so the ground they were standing on was cold and murky.
Kinkstar looked to be deep in conversation with Patchclaw at the edge of the rushing water, and the two of them kept sliding further and further down the bank, until Kinkstar stood up and came back to the group.
"Moonfur," he said, "you're the fastest here. I need you to go fetch Talon for me. Run fast, and try to get him to understand that it's urgent."
Moonfur looked slightly confused, but she nodded and ran off back toward the camp and came a few minutes later, Talon running beside her. Kinkstar bobbed his head at the dog, and then motioned to Lightpelt.
"I know you're the one who can communicate with him, so I need you to try to tell him this. What I'm planning to do is have him stand in the water over there and brace himself against the rocks under the water. He's big enough so that he won't be swept away, and Patchclaw and I can proceed to the Gathering by walking right next to him. I don't want to take all of you, as it would be dangerous to try and get all of us over, not just to us but to Talon, also. Oh, and he'll have to wait here until we get back."
Lightpelt smirked slightly and took Talon off toward the far end of the river where the underwater rocks were, where the other cats couldn't hear them. There, he made enlarged gestures toward the water and the rocks, pretending to be trying to explain it all to the dog, but all the while he was whispering through the side of his mouth. When he'd finished, Talon, without hesitation, jumped forward and into the water. Kinkstar had been right; the water didn't seem to move him at all.
The Clan leader must have been watching the two of them, as he and Patchclaw walked right over. The other cats must have been told of the plan, because they made no move. Kinkstar and his deputy made it across the river with no problems, though they had to swim in the extra strong current. The makeshift wall held fast. Once the two cats made it across to the other side, Talon backed out of the water and back onto the somewhat dry land. Kinkstar and Patchclaw bounded off toward the Talltree.
Lightpelt settled down next to Talon to wait for them to return while the other cats found the driest places they could. Lightpelt found he could shelter himself somewhat underneath Talon; the dog didn't seem to mind the rain at all. The two of them had whispered conversations when the other cats weren't looking. The sound of the falling rain prevented their voices from carrying.
At moonhigh, Kinkstar and Patchclaw returned, looking soaked in the rain. Apparently, RiverClan's camp had nearly flooded in the rain, as they lived so close to the water, but they had found a safe and temporary place to relocate to. And, more interestingly, a cat from ThunderClan had gone missing, also, nearly a moon ago. Kinkstar looked confused as he stated this, also saying the Spotstar had seemed angry somehow, but he let it pass, also wondering why Spotstar hadn't said anything at the last Gathering.
The group of cats steadily made their way back from the river to find the cats of the Clan looking despaired. A pang of anxiety struck Lightpelt and looked wildly around to find the source of the problem. Foxnose was conversing quickly and quietly with Kinkstar and Patchclaw. At a nod from Kinkstar, the deputy trotted off with a solemn look on his face toward the group of cats coming back from the river.
"Foxnose just told us. Barkface just died."
Surprised gasps came from the cats. Lightpelt looked down solemnly. He hadn't really known Barkface as much as he had the other cats, but the light brown tom had always been nice. Patchclaw was continuing.
"Foxnose said that nobody besides him and Tallpaw should go near his body, as it might still be contagious. We can pay our respects once he's sure it's alright."
With that, Patchclaw headed off for the warriors, followed by several of the other cats. Lightpelt looked around and saw Kinkstar had already retired to his den. He sighed and sorrowfully walked off to get some sleep, but then he spotted Tallpaw. The black and white she-cat was staring dejectedly up at the moon. Lightpelt walked over to her.
"The moon's bright tonight, don't you think?"
Tallpaw didn't say anything. Lightpelt looked over and saw that her eyes were filled with sorrow and despair. He simply sat there next to her, looking up at the bright orb hanging in the sky. Tallpaw then spoke suddenly.
"I didn't do anything. It's my fault. He died because I didn't do my job."
"Tallpaw, it wasn't your fault. Sometimes these things just happen. It's nobody's fault. Especially not yours."
"But if I'd paid more attention to Foxnose, then this wouldn't have happened. I would've known what to do. And he would still be alive."
Lightpelt sighed. He would have to leave her in the capable paws of Foxnose. There was nothing he could if she was so far gone in believing it was her fault. He looked back up. A shooting star was making its way across the night sky. He grew apprehensive, not knowing why, as it barreled straight for the moon. Tallpaw went rigid beside him. The star continued onward, and Lightpelt had to stifle a sigh as it went past the moon, not into it. He had been about to walk away when Tallpaw's voice stopped him.
"Lightpelt. I think StarClan just sent me a vision. I could hear them speaking to me."
Lightpelt hesitated, looking at her. "Are you sure you should be telling this to me? Maybe you should tell Foxnose…"
She shook her head. "It's a medicine cat's choice, who they want to share their dreams with. StarClan said that bad times would seem to come for us, very bad indeed, but that in the end, it won't turn out so harsh. And that something very dear will be returned to us."
Lightpelt only stood there beside her, not knowing what to say, until she shook her head.
"But I don't know what it means. Excuse me, but I have to talk to Foxnose."
Lightpelt nodded as she ran off. He didn't know if her vision was good or bad, but it seemed to have gotten her mind off of Barkface.
Things are finally starting to get wrapped up! Which is good, of course. I'm thinking that this is going to be either 17 or 18 chapters, so keep those reviews coming!