Chapter 24: Before the Sun Sets
It was around Sunhigh when Purdy made his return. Despite the length of his scouting, Purdy still looked fresh, or as fresh as an elder can be. The old tom must have bedded down out there at some soint. Either way, he woke all of us up, which we mostly didn't appreciate since we'd just gotten a nocturnal schedule down. "Up, young'ns! Up! Up! Up! I got my scouting done, so we're going. Come along." He ordered before turning to pad off, forcing us all to rush our awakening and chase ofter him without even grooming our pelts. Complaining wasn't even an option since Purdy set a fast pace, a trot of sorts.
I forced myself to speed up to get up beside Purdy. "What's got us going so fast?" I asked.
"Scouting isn't much good for long. The city's comings and goings shift quickly, making any new information quickly bad information. We got to move now before the Twoleg rush. By then, the streets will be too active, and we'll be forced to wait until nightfall, but cats are much less predictable than Twolegs. I should be able to get you cats out of the city before the rush. From there, you just follow the sun, and it'll lead you straight to it." Purdy explained. Brambleclaw, overhearing our conversation, gave an accepting nod.
There was one thing I'd forgotten about moving through the city during the day, and that was just how hot the ground got. I could feel my pads get scorched as we bolted from shade to shade. Purdy assured us that this was the best way to travel right now, but it also was a painful one. Only Crowpaw seemed to be semi-resistant to the heat, likely because Windclan has some stretches of bare dirt and rock. In a strange way, I missed the calluses that Scourge had developed living in a place like this. They made moving in the heat much more bearable. Now, my paws are much more sensitive.
Purdy did have us double back a couple times. There was Twoleg activity in areas Purdy had previously deemed as safe. He blew it off as just the common struggles of living here. It was not a reassuring statement. Regardless, Purdy was correct on his assessment. We broke the edge of the Twoleg Place as the sun hung partway up the horizon. We still had a good while before the sun set.
"Alright young'ns. This is where I leave ya. Just keep heading that way, and you'll get to where you wanted. Just be careful on the cliffs. They're slick and can crumble." Purdy warned before departing.
Brambleclaw decided to take the lead again. "Alright. Purdy said we should be able to reach there before nightfall. We'll push our pace for now, do a bit of scouting for this Midnight cat, and rest if we don't find them. Let's get moving." He ordered.
I personally didn't see Brambleclaw as a cat worthy to lead. He had a propensity to assume that he was the highest authority on any problems, assuming his answers were correct. Now, I wouldn't say I'm much of a leader either, but I at least give context as to why I make decisions so others can choose if my ideas were valid. Of the chosen, I actually trusted Tawnypelt the most to lead. She's calm enough to accept suggestions, and she genuinely cares about the cohesion of the group. Below her, and this is likely because of bias, is Squirrelpaw. Squirrelpaw may be impulsive and pick at some nerves on occasion, but she inherited her father's charisma. Her general excitement and upbeat attitude make you want to follow her into trouble. Regardless of my annoyance at Brambleclaw's insistence of being the leader, I followed behind silently. I briefly considered telling him that I didn't appreciate his attitude, but something in the back of my mind told me that wasn't a good idea. Cats like Brambleclaw are pretty set in their ways. They need to fail to learn.
Thankfully, the ground was mostly flat and even. Crowpaw and Squirrelpaw briefly raced each other, likely because Crowpaw bragged about his speed and Squirrelpaw demanded he prove it. It was nice to see that despite everything, both Crowpaw and Squirrelpaw could accept their kittish instincts to play. I didn't join. The black of my coat left me sweltering. Meanwhile, I could hear Brambleclaw muttering about how those two should take our journey seriously. Feathertail clearly overheard and threw in her opinion.
"Does it really even matter? This is going to be something they remember all their life. They're still apprentices. They deserve a break every once and a while. Even I and Stormfur are tempted to frolic a bit. It's not like it's all that much further. We're well fed, and we're nearing our goal. We're all just excited. It'd be better to get the excitement out now before we meet Midnight." Feathertail mewed before tauntingly slapping Brambleclaw in the face. "Oh. Sorry. Sometimes my tail just has a mind of its own." She playfully mewed.
"We don't have time for this." Brambleclaw grumbled, earning himself another face slap.
"Again, so sorry. It just has a tendency to do that when someone's being a grumpy elder." Feathertail teased.
"Knock it off!" Brambleclaw meowed, getting slapped again. His temper finally burst. "That's it! I'm putting you in the dirt!"
"You'll have to catch me first!" Feathertail laughed breaking into a sprint. Brambleclaw chased after her, his anger quickly subsiding into a slight smile. I knew he'd never admit it, but he likely needed this too.
Brrambleclaw tackled Feathertail, sending them into a roll. He managed to catch her in a pin, his paws pressing down on Feathertail's shoulders. He was slightly panting, but Feathertail had a sly grin. "Oh, Brambleclaw. So forward." She teased, embarrassing Brambleclaw enough for him to step off her.
Brambleclaw sputtered for a moment before Squirrelpaw came sprinting past, jumping over Brambleclaw. Crowpaw either didn't have the sense of mind to jump, or he did it intentionally. Who could tell given Crowpaw's obvious feelings for Feathertail. He plowed into Brambleclaw, sending them both rolling.
"Woops. Sorry Brambleclaw." Crowpaw mewed in a tone that clearly implied there wasn't much behind the apology.
"It's fine. Though, I think it's tome we stop playing around. I can see the cliffs Purdy mentioned from here." Brambleclaw mewed, drawing our attention towards the setting sun. We could finally see it. There was just a point where the land just falls away, and water extended farther than the eye could see. This was the ocean, where the sun drowns in the evening. We were so close. Just a little further.