Chapter 2! Which is more like Prologue part 2….This chapter is going to be a lot of explanation of the Tribe life as well as other stuff!

Storm followed the leader and healer to a large pile of rocks that led up to a cave entrance on a side of a cliff that ran perpendicular to the beach. She followed the cliff's path with her eyes but they disappeared within the thick leafy trees.

"Up these rocks," said ShiningFeather, gracefully leaping on the first rock. "The cave up there is the camp."

"I'll be right behind you in case you slip," promised HealingWave.

Storm gulped but she did as ShiningFeather told. The rocks were large enough that Storm did not have much trouble staying on them. It was more of the fear that she would fall that held her back.

"Good job," purred ShiningFeather.

Storm blinked and looked around. She was on top! She had made it! She was on a large strip of rock that led to the entrance of the cave. She scented cats and many other things she could not tell coming from inside the cave.

"Do you mind taking her to the nursery?" asked HealingWave, climbing up behind Storm, "I don't want to leave HerbRain with ShadowStripe any longer."

"Go ahead," said ShiningFeather. From the sound of her voice, Storm could tell she was trying not to laugh. Although she could not really tell what was so funny.

The black she-cat dipped her head to ShiningFeather before slipping into the cave.

"You ready to go in?" asked ShiningFeather.

Storm looked up at the leader and nodded.

The long-haired she-cat placed her tail on Storm's shoulder and led the she-cat into the cave. She paused at the entrance to give Storm time to take in the sights. Storm's eyes widen. The inside of the cave was huge! It looked like hundreds of cats could sleep in here comfortably! Storm saw many smaller caves branching off of the main one, making her wonder how big this place really was. Prickly plants seemed to grow out of the walls on either side of the entrance. Weird moss grew off the walls and glowed with a strange light, keeping the place lit. The center of the cave stood a huge rock and next to it was a pile of fish and other seafood.

Cats looked up from their eating to watch ShiningFeather and Storm. Storm shrank from their gaze. They all looked hungry and from the ways their bodies were shaped, they could easily rip her apart.

"Follow me," said ShiningFeather quietly, beginning to walk.

Storm followed ShiningFeather to the back of the cave where a hole for another cave entrance was. In front of the smaller cave, were three she-cats. Kits, about the same age as Storm was playing around.

"Whose this?" asked a small white she-cat with green eyes.

"LittleClaw! Stop trying to claw LittleLight's ears off!" scoffed a young brown she-cat to the kits.

"But she let me!" whined LittleClaw.

ShiningFeather nodded to them. "This is Storm. She washed up on the beach with the storm."

Cries of alarm rang through the she-cats.

"You poor thing," said the other white she-cat.

Storm stared at her. Something was wrong with this she-cat. She suddenly realized that this cat was blind.

"Storm," said ShiningFeather, "These are OceanTide's current kitters. KitWhite, KitFlight and KitFish." ShiningFeather pointed to each she-cat with her tail as she said their name. "Can you watch her until she is old enough to become a learner?"

"Of course," said KitFlight.

"Stay here with them," said ShiningFeather to Storm, "They will take good care of you."

Storm nodded, not knowing what else to say.

"I need to get back to work before CrashingDark starts complaining," said ShiningFeather. This caused the kitters to laugh. It seemed like it was an old joke. "Bye Storm."

Storm watched the long haired she-cat leave, wishing she had asked her to come back.

"Hi!" cried an orange she-cat, almost knocking Storm over. "I'm LittleLight. This is my friend LittleClaw." She gestured to the she-cat next to her.

LittleClaw nodded, "Hi."

"Can…can I ask you something?" asked LittleLight.

"Sure?" Storm wondered what this cat would want.

"Why don't you have the word 'Little' in front of your name? Aren't you a little like we are?"

"What?" asked Storm blankly. The word little in front of her name? Did this have something to do with the fact that they both had "Little" in front of their names?

"Storm is not from around here," said KitFish, "Maybe you could explain everything to her?"

"Let's do that," said LittleClaw. The brown she-cat gestured to a spot away from the other kits, "We won't be disturbed over here."

Storm followed the two "littles". Maybe they would become her friends?

"Where should we start," began LittleLight sitting down, "Oh! Let's start with the ranks and names!"

"Good place," agreed LittleClaw, "Okay Storm. We are littles and that's why we have little in front of our names to show that."

"What are kitters?" asked Storm, remembering that ShiningFeather used that word.

LittleLight gestured to the older she-cats with her tail, "If a she-cat is with kits she is called a kitter. They get the word "Kit" in front of their name to show that they are with kits."

"Or if a she-cat chooses to help other she-cats with their kits they are also referred to kitters," put in LittleClaw, "KitFish is one of those. Her kits are now learners."

"Learners?" asked Storm.

"That's what we become when we reach six moons," said LittleLight, "Learners learn from warriors. They get the word "step" in front of their name to show they are taking a step forward."

"Warriors get the first part of their name chosen by ShiningFeather," said LittleClaw, "Warriors do everything mostly. They hunt and fight against ForestRose, the neighboring tribe if necessary."

"Is HealingWave one of those?"

LittleLight shook her head, "HealingWave is the healer. She heals sick cats. Healer learners take on the name Herb in the first part of their name. The deputy keeps the same name they had as a warrior and the leader gets the name "Shining" in front of their name along with nine lives."

"What?" asked Storm, her mouth dropping in shock. Was it really possible for a cat to have nine lives?

LittleClaw nodded, "It's true! The leader always has nine lives!"

"What are you doing LittleClaw? And is this the new cat I've heard about?"

Storm flinched and turned her head to see a brown tom approach. His blue eyes seemed to see everything at once. In fact it looked like nothing could escape him.

"I was telling Storm about the different positions," said LittleClaw.

"Oh really? Did you tell her about mine?"

LittleClaw's eyes widen, "Oh. I forgot!" She turned to Storm, "This is my brother SpiritCave. He is the Spiriter for the tribe! That's why he has the word "Spirit" in front of his name."

Storm cocked her head to the side, "Spiriter?"

"My duty is to listen to the signs of the Spirit Wind and warn the tribe of upcoming danger as well as well as care for the Sprit Flame."

"Spirit Wind? Spirit Flame?"

"The Spirit Wind is the wind that carries the dead cats," explained LittleLight, "The Spirit Flame is…uhh…"

"A fire that the dead cats are burned in," put in LittleClaw, "Right SpiritCave?"

SpiritCave nodded, "That's correct. The Spirit Flame has been burning for many moons now and I must see to it, along with the ForestRose spiriter that it never goes out." He purred and looked down at his sister, "Maybe, you would like to become my learner?"

"No way!" cried LittleClaw jumping away from her brother, like touching him would make her a spiriter learner. "I am going to be a warrior! The strongest one! I'm going to kill sharks!"

SpiritCave and LittleLight laughed. Storm knew what sharks looked like. She had seen them from the boat. They were huge beasts with large fangs! There was no way LittleClaw could kill one.

"I will kill one!" snarled LittleClaw, "And I'll collect the teeth of the shark I kill!"

"I can't believe you still think you can kill a shark!" laughed LittleLight. Her laughing stopped as LittleClaw wacked her hard on the head. "Ow." Tears filled LittleLight's eyes and she blinked them away, "That's mean…"

"Don't start fighting you two," said SpiritCave, "Why don't you show Storm around the camp? Then maybe give her something to eat?"

"Okay!" said both she-cats.

SpiritCave chuckled before walking over to KitFlight and quietly talked to her.

"Follow us!" said LittleLight, the smack on the back of her head forgotten, "We'll show you everything in camp!"

"What about them?" asked Storm, noticing the other two kits were watching them.

"That's my brother and sister! LittlePalm is the russet tom and LittleRiver is the grey she-cat," said LittleLight, "Don't worry about them! Come on!"

"I seriously have no idea where she gets her energy from," sighed LittleClaw, "Anyway. Follow us Storm."

The she-cats took Storm to the small branching off cave next to the nursery cave. That one was the healer den. Then they walked against the curve of the cave wall. The small cave next to the healer one was the spiriter one. LittleClaw explained that cats were not allowed in there without the spiriter's position. Storm learned that spiriters were mysterious and most of the things they did was not known to the rest of the tribe. They then stopped near one of the prickly things growing out of the cave walls. With a jolt Storm realized the prickly branches were actually put there on purpose to make the warriors den.

The warriors den was placed near the entrance in case an attack took place. On the other side of the warriors den, also near the entrance was the learner den. The two OceanTide she-cats lingered near it. Both would be moving into the den soon. Next to the apprentice den was another small cave, the leader's cave. Next to the leader's cave was the deputy's cave. LittleClaw and LittleLight had never been inside so they could not tell anything about the inside. The last stop was the elder's den, which, like the warriorand learner dens were made from prickly plants. The elders meowed greeting to the passing cats but Storm was too nervous to say anything.

"That's the camp," said LittleClaw as they walked back to the nursery cave which was right next to the elders den.

"I'll go get some fresh-kill!" offered LittleLight, running over to the pile.

"It's really big," said Storm.

"Our territory is really big too!" said LittleClaw, "There's a reef off shore! I really want to see what it looks like!"

"A reef?" Storm heard about them from her mother. They were places where huge groups of fish and other animals lived.

LittleClaw nodded, "Yup. After some swimming training we get to go to the reef!"

Storm didn't know how these cats would be able to get to the reef. Even if they swam they would have to hold their breath for a long time.

LittleLight ran back carrying two small fish in her jaw as well as balancing one on her head. She lowered her head and the fish on it slid off. "Whoops," she said, putting down the other fish, "Anyway. Here you are Storm! Welcome to OceanTide."

"Thanks," said Storm, beginning to eat the fish.

Finally! Explaining stuff can be annoying sometime and a bit boring but I thought it would be best to get this part done early. There are still secrets of OceanTide cats to be learned(that will be found out when the kitties start training) Allegiances will be up soon.