As Greenpaw watched her leader's eyes flicker open, icy blue eyes blinking water away, Greenpaw could hardly believe the impossible. How could she have survived the riptide? No cat was strong enough once the tides had their way…
And it was at that moment that Greenpaw could have chewed her tail off in embarrassment – of course Twilightstar was okay.
Leader's got nine lives.
Twilightstar took a deep breath, slowly rolled off of her her side, and steadily pushed herself up on shakey legs. Greenpaw jumped to her own paws, temporarily forgetting about the myserious silver cat that had saved her leader. There were shocked murmors from the crowd of SaltClan cats behind them, but Greenpaw was hardly paying attention.
"Oh, Twilightstar." Greenpaw couldn't help but murmer, pushing her side to her leaders'. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"My first life," the she-cat rasped, suddenly sounding very old and weak. "Gone."
Greenpaw suddenly remembered the pulp she was supposed to give Twilightstar. She nosed the leaf open, exposing the stringy yellow flesh of some fruity substance. "Here, Twilightstar." She pushed it closer to her leader. "Pearlpelt told you so."
Twilightstar dropped her neck like it was very heavy, and licked up some of the pulp, chewing slowly. All was silent as Twilightstar raised her head and looked to the silver she-cat next to her, who was staring at the cat anxiously. "I thank you for my life." And in the same breath, asked. "Why were you on SaltClan territory?"
The silver cat looked taken aback, but Greenpaw suddenly realized how suspicious the situation was. A stranger she-cat risked her own life to save Twilightstar's? Greenpaw shook her clumpy fur as it began to bristle, sending small drops of water flying. Twilightstar repeated the question. "Why were you on SaltClan territory?"
The silver she-cat collected herself, sitting down and wrapping her tail around her forepaws, her green eyes cool. "I made a mistake." She announced simply.
Well, that was anti-climactic, Greenpaw thought to herself, feeling herself deflate.
"Well, your mistake has done well; you saved the rest of my lives. And that will forever be appreciated. But it is a mistake, nonetheless. You do not belong here." Twilightstar mewed firmly, despite the obvious struggle she had to speak properly. Greenpaw could only imagine how sore the leader's throat was. Saltwater, in small amounts, could be soothing, tasty, even. But having a cat's throat bombarded with roughly a large puddle of the water, as Twilightstar's had been… Greenpaw couldn't imagine it felt well.
"No, not that sort of mistake." The silver she-cat raised her head. "I followed the wrong leader. I belong in SaltClan."
Twilightstar had not mewed a single word as the Clan made their way back to camp. Reedtail and Frogleg each took to one of Twilightstar's flank to help her through the water and back to the other side of the cliff. Sandflame and Stormrush took each flank of the unnamed silver she-cat that saved Twilightstar as they silently waded on, and through the Dunes.
Hollowclaw fell behind with Greenpaw, at the back of the crowd – and Greenpaw didn't fool herself into thinking it was for the sake of her company. He watched over the trios with burning, suspicious amber eyes, his large, muscular body tense as if preparing for an attack. Greenpaw could clearly see the distrust in his hard gaze as he looked over the silver she-cat.
Greenpaw, of course, felt awfully suspicious as well. What if she was a spy? What if she was just testing the tension between SaltClan and the other cats, evaluating their weaknesses and strengths? Greenpaw was certain that most of the other cats, Twilightstar included, held the same suspicions.
But why should she save Twilightstar? If she were truly looking for Clan weaknesses, wouldn't a leaderless SaltClan be the sure-fire way to expose their vulnerabilities? SaltClan simply would not be without Twilightstar. Greenpaw could feel a sense of comraderie among the cats, but without guidance and lessons from a true Clan cat, the glue that held the Clan together would melt away.
Maybe she rescued Twilightstar in order to prove some sort of loyalty and to gain trust. But that didn't settle well with Greenpaw. She was excited for the change of the tides within the Clan dynamic, but horribly apprehensive about the entire ordeal.
It didn't take them very long to make it back to camp, even with Twilightstar's greviously slow disposition. Reedtail and Frogleg helped her back sternly, leading the leader toward Pearlpelt's den with a certain determination. But Twilightstar shrugged them off as they approached Pearlpelt's den. The old she-cat was sticking her head out, sniffing the air as Twilightstar passed.
"Soon," Twilightstar rasped in passing to the medicine cat. She padded over to the Highledge painfully slow, and did not leap atop it. Instead, she huddled at the entrance of her den, her paws tucked under her, her tail wrapped around snuggly her body after beckoning the silver stranger over. Her guards stepped away from the she-cat and allowed her to follow Twiloghtstar's summon.
Hollowclaw suddenly whipped away from Greenpaw after following her through the hollow entrance, darting past Greenpaw in a blur of sandy fur, and skidded to a halt at Twilightstar's side. Greenpaw was too far away to hear whatever he murmured into Twilightstar's ear, his eyes still locked on the silver she-cat approaching them.
Greenpaw sped up to the trio restlessly, but was stopped by the raspy mew of Pealpelt. "Greenpaw, here."
Greenpaw stopped, looking between Pearlpelt and Twilightstar a few times, before groaning and turning back to Pearlpelt's den. Curse abiding the rules.
"What is it, Pearlpelt?" Greenpaw asked anxiously, kneading the ground as she looked over her shoulder. Twilightstar was nodding to Hollowclaw as the silver she-cat that saved her life sat down before her. Hollowclaw shouldered the stranger gruffly as he passed, and darted to Frogleg's side. He whispered something to the black and brown tabby tom, and Frogleg swiftly exited the camp, his powerful backlegs giving him an extra boost as he hefted out. Greenpaw wondered what he was doing.
"Greenpaw." Pearlpelt mewed loudly, breaking her concentration. Greenpaw looked back at Pearlpelt, perplexed. The old she-cat had obviously mewed something, looking at the apprentice expectantly, but Greenpaw missed it.
"Sorry, come again?" she mewed, trying with all her might to focus on the old she-cat.
Pearlpelt gazed at her, unimpressed. "Did Twilightstar eat her hog plumb."
It wasn't a question. "Yes." Greenpaw answered, abashed. She flattened her ears in embarrassment. "That she-cat saved her. Twilightstar lost a life."
Pearlpelt sighed and nodded, turning away. Greenpaw wondered what had crawled up her fur, but accepted her dismissal with a swivel and a bound over to the Highledge. Twilightstar was on her paws, yowling as loudly as her torn throat would allow her, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting."
Twilightstar obviously didn't have much of her strength back, because she was still sitting below the Highledge herself. But the cats of SaltClan gathered regardless, creating a half-moon around her. Greenpaw tried to slink her way to the first row of cats, carefuly not to shoulder any of the damp cats surrounding her. Usually she wouldn't have cared, but she was feeling rather attached to these cats, at this moment in time. She didn't want to shoulder them.
Alas, she was successful, sitting between Sandflame and Reedtail. The silver stranger was sitting beside Twilightstar, and Hollowclaw was on her other side, where Seaheart should have been.
Seaheart, Greenpaw remembered. She hadn't thought of him, or Sunpaw, or Shellstream amidst the confusing excitement. Were they still out on a patrol?
As if answering her question, Reedtail led the three missing cats scrambling through the camp entrance. The thin brown tabby tom tripped over his own long tail, it seemed, and fell forward into the hollow with a stumble. Under normal circumstance, Greenpaw would have guffawed, but the serious intensity in Seaheart's eyes stopped her.
His gray-blue eyes shone with determination as he strode up to Twilightstar, his white chest puffed out and his tail held high. Hollowclaw dipped his head, and moved from Seaheart's place, instead padding to the other side of Twilightstar add effectively blocking the strange silver she-cat from leaving the hollow. Greenpaw turned to see Shellstream leading Sunpaw through the hollow, their chests rising and falling quickly as they caught their breath. It was clear the cats came very quickly from afar. Shellstream was almost completely out of breath, and Sunpaw was even breathing with her mouth open, her head dropping.
From very far, apparently.
Greenpaw wanted to slide out from the front of the group now, and catch Sunpaw up on what had happened, to make sure she was okay, but it was too late. Twilightstar began.
"There are many issues that need to be addressed. I lost a life at the Coralreefs. Riverpaw warned me of the tides, but I foolishly did not listen to my apprentice. And for that, I paid the ultimate price. One of my nine lives has gone to StarClan."
Greenpaw heard the familiar but distant gasp of Beachflower. Greenpaw realized that, aside from Seaheart, Shellstream and Sunpaw, and the medicine cat, the queens and kits were the only Clan cats not present at Twilighstar's rescue. And that is what Twilightstar addressed next.
"The camp was left completely unguarded. I applaud each and every once of you for your instinctive rescue effort. I appreciate each cat of SaltClan for that. But, with nobody left in the camp, it could have been attacked. Leaving the queens and kits with Pearlpelt, completely exposed…these are the cats we are sworn to protect. This cannot happen again. Please take heed to this. The rescue was a valiant effort, but needs to be corrected should anything outside the Clan hollow happen again."
There was a low murmuring as cats shifted uneasily. Greenpaw was one of them. She didn't even think of that! What if CliffClan, those rocky cave dwellers, hurt Beachflower, or stole Rosekit or Bluekit? The thought made her stomach churn. She didn't even wish Coralclaw harm, especially now that she understood the queen a bit better. How could she and her Clan have been so mouse-brained?
"The last order of business is regarding the she-cat who rescued me. I will allow her to speak to you, and then I shall hear your reactions, one at a time. Silverweb, if you please."
Greenpaw would have been hideously uncomfortable being placed before a group of foreign cats like that, and put on the spot. Greenpaw probably would have faked confidence pretty well, as she always did, but Greenpaw could sense no fakeness of Silverweb's fearlessness and boldness as she sat proudly before the Clan, her head held high. Her white chest sat as confident as Seaheart's. She was silent, meeting the eyes of each and every cat with her own green ones cooly, as if evaluating them, instead of the other way around. Greenpaw's skin prickled uncomfortably as their green eyes met.
Finally, Silverweb began. Her mew was high-pitched but level, assured and bold. "Cats of SaltClan. At the first Gathering, I made a grave mistake that has costed me dearly. I heed you to listen to my words carefully before accepting or disregarding me."
"Get on with it," Hollowclaw growled. Greenpaw could see his unsheathed claws gripping the ground, and Greenpaw felt her heart speed up and pound against her chest. But if Silverweb took any notice to Hollowclaw's aggression, she didn't acknowledge it. She continued as if the tom hadn't spoke.
"After listening intently to Midnightstar's speech, I was mesmerized by his cool confidence. When it came time to disperse into our new Clans, my instant reaction was to follow his poise. I did so thoughtlessly, and as we led away from the beach, I thought nothing of it. But after spending almost a quarter-moon with RootClan, I've come to realize that I've made the worst decision I could have. I grew up on the beach, and made it my home since I was a young kit. I miss the waves, the sand, the Dunes. The seagulls, the shrimp…I miss the beach. I miss my home. And I implore you allow me to be a part of your Clan. I shall not let you down."
The SaltClan cats instantly broke out in chatter. Hollowclaw snorted, and tore at the ground with a large, unsheathed claw. Sandflame turned to Stormrush, who was sitting at her other side, and murmured, "I don't know about this." Stormrush mewed nothing, but nodded her head in uneasy agreement.
Greenpaw absolutely did not like Silverweb. She was much too confident. Greenpaw didn't even think that as possible, but the she-cat carried a sense of arrogance about herself that made it difficult to discern her genuinity. She carried the same sort of coolness that Midnightstar had, Greenpaw recalled, the same kind that Silverweb was referring to. But he was much quieter, much more observant. Maybe 'humble' was too strong of a word to describe their difference, because Midnightstar didn't seem like much of that, either. But there was something about Silverweb that just rubbed Greenpaw's fur the wrong way…
Twilightstar allowed the chattering to subside naturally until Hollowclaw spat, "I smell a spy. A spy who's seen the inside of our Clan."
Stormrush yowled in approval, but she was the only one to declare her support outright. But there was still a definite sense of unease. Twilightstar rasped, "What does the rest of the Clan believe? Shellstream?"
Shellstream had finally regained her breath. Greenpaw turned her head and saw Shellstream standing around the outside edge of the cats, Sunpaw sitting near her. Shellstream's light green eyes gazed overtop of the other cats, meeting Silverweb's eyes thoughtfully.
"I grew up on the beach as well. As unfriendly as we all were, I don't recall ever seeing Silverweb. Where did you make you nest?"
Silverweb still met her eyes evenly as she answered. "Near the Coralreefs." Silverweb paused, and her eyes flickered to Twilightstar. "Where I saved your leader, actually."
Hollowclaw snorted in contempt. He was very obviously not pleased with Silverweb's boldness. Greenpaw wondered where the obvious distaste for Silverweb had come from.
Twilightstar flicked her tail, and silenced the growing restlessness of the cats. "Seaheart?"
The old tom was sitting calmly, though very close to Twilightstar. Greenpaw could see unease in his eyes as well, though Greenpaw didn't think it was directed toward Silverweb. His eyes were for Twilightstar. Greenpaw assumed he was probably worried about his leader, having not been here, out on a patrol while she was endangered. But he still answered. "I shan't turn a lass away from her home." He mewed surely. "An' if she was able to pull ye from the tides, Twilightstar, I needn't doubt her beach roots."
Twilightstar nodded, and the Clan fell silent. She could hear the anticipation. Some sort of trial this was, Greenpaw thought to herself. She was expecting something much more extravagant, something much more drawn out. But Twilightstar had already made up her mind.
"Silverweb is welcome to join us." She mewed, much to the shock and disdain of Hollowclaw. Sandflame kneaded the ground anxiously. "Under certain conditions."
Silverweb blinked. Twilightstar continued. "First, you shall not be allowed outside of the Clan without another warrior escort for the time of one moon, to make sure you do not change your mind. I shall make this very clear. Should you decide you have made another 'mistake' and wish to go back to RootClan, you will find escaping us very difficult. I do not take pity on traitors. I am apprehensive about your ability to leave RootClan so easily, and I wonder about how strong your Clan loyalty would be here.
"Though, as it may be, you are clearly a cat born of saltwater, and you have saved me. I also empathize with missing your true home. For these reasons, and these alone, you shall be invited to SaltClan. You shall not attend the next Gathering. That is the last condition. Do you accept these terms?"
Silverweb lifted her head higher, if that was possible. "I do."
"Then before the eyes of StarClan, I welcome you as a warrior to SaltClan. May StarClan light your path, and may you keep to the one laid out before you."
Silverweb dipped her head, and Twilightstar flicked her tail, dismissing the cats. They broke out in a fan, and Twilightstar limped up to her paws, Seaheart supporting her slow stride to Pearlpelt's den. Silverweb sat in place, Hollowclaw gazing at her in furious disbelief. Silverweb almost seemed to smile, her eyes gleaming.
Greenpaw was uneasy. Very, very uneasy.