Tangletuft's Mistake; (complete)

Chapter forty three

She stood in a foreign landscape, watching as the wind blew tress to a side, and having the leaves pelt off like scaredy cats.
The trees left long shadows, which frightened the she-cat a tad. What could be in those shadows? She would never know.
But the grass tumbled at her paws, they were so long that they covered her paws. The grass distracted her for a moment before she heard another piece of this odd territory.
A rushing river swept past in the edge of the clearing. Roaring as water raced inside it, moving all in one harsh direction.
The cat wanted to run into the trees before exploring the shadows and swimming in the river.

But her dream didn't last long enough.

Hush woke with a thud in the recruiters' shelter. She gazed around herself confused for a moment before her shoulders relaxed. It was just a dream.

"Hush?" Sheep groggily rose his head beside her, blinking a few times as his amber eyes focused to the morning light.

"What?" Hush whispered, watching in content as the half asleep Sheep was trying to form words.

"Why... You awake?" He asked, speaking in a cocky loud voice. Hush cringed at his tone.

As she was about to answer, Sheep let out a long yawn before he curled up again and a slow snore began to edge in his voice.

Hush nodded to herself. She then began trying to fall asleep on her own, but when that couldn't happen, she hauled herself out of her nest, shaking out moss and such from her fur then made her way into camp. Suddenly, a pang of thought entered her mind. What was Sheep doing in the recruiters' shelter? He was a fighter, and also the mentor of Clear, Patch's brother.

She was about to turn on her heels to escort Sheep out of the den when a cat approached her with a cheerful look on her face. Hush thought internally that it had to be Cherry.

During the past few days since Patch's death, Cherry had been cheerful as she tried to cheer up the whole group of cats. Some cats found her annoying for doing so, and Hush was definitely one of them.

"Yes?" Hush asked, groaning inside her head.

The whole group also knew that Cherry had a huge crush on Sheep. That certainly didn't impact Hush's decision on the former kittypet, but it didn't help that this pretty she-cat tried to talk to Sheep whenever she was.

"I want you," Cherry paused as if she was thinking, her tail curled behind her and she stared into Hush's eyes with her bright blue ones. Hush for the first time ever felt the slightest of insecure "To recruit one cat today."

"One cat?" Hush asked, her eyes opening slightly "But it doesn't just happen like that, you need to plan it out and it takes days."

"Well how would you know?" Cherry asked, flashing Hush a stern look with her pretty face "You're barely a recruiter. I'm surprised Waltz didn't make you a train first."

"It isn't my fault Patch chose me to mentor him." Hush shot, this sassy she-cat was on her nerves. Cherry was a hunter, there was no way she could beat Hush in a fight.

"And it's not my fault Patch died." Cherry grimaced, winking her eye cutely afterwards.

"That wasn't my fault," Hush was surprised that this cat had the nerves to bring up Patch, but her surprise transferred quickly into anger "Now get out of my face please."

"You shouldn't talk to your deputy like that." Hush turned to see a cat she recalled as Blur talking to her. Two other cats sat beside Blur. She remembered them as Cinder and Thorny but she couldn't quite remember.
The three were deputies, joined newly by Cherry the day before.

Hush sighed, rolling her eyes internally as she turned to Cherry's smug face "Sorry deputy Cherry." She apologized, bowing her head.

"That's alright but you will have no prey until sundown." Cherry replied, her face looking proud of herself.

Hush narrowed her eyes before quickly regaining her calm form "Of course deputy Cherry."

"Doesn't that seem a bit harsh." Blur commented. He was the oldest of the four deputy's and the one who was trusted with the most group secrets.

"I'm a deputy I make the rules." Cherry began to laugh before making her way around Hush and joining the three other deputies where they began to small-talk.

"Are you okay?" Sheep meowed after he rushed up towards Hush and looked at her deep in the eyes.

Hush kept the gaze for just a moment, before looking down "I'm a deputy I make the rules." She mocked in a high and nasally voice, earning a laugh from Sheep.

"Oh Hush!" Hush turned towards Cherry who sat with a plump mouse in front of her in the other end of camp. Hush's stomach grumbled "Don't forget that one cat you're supposed to recruit. If you don't get one cat to join then you'll have no prey until tomorrow morning."

"Of course deputy Cherry." Hush bowed her head before slowly turning back around and groaning silently.

"How about we get that cat early?" Sheep asked, trying to cheer her up "Maybe if we get a cat early you'll be able to eat."

Hush just nodded before Cherry's obnoxious voice rang across camp for the hundredth time "Sheep come and talk to me please!" She called.

Sheep gave Hush an apologetic look before making his way towards Cherry and she began talking her head off. Sheep just nodded toward Cherry.

Hush groaned, padding out of camp into the forest. Could life get any worse?

•••

Ooooo!!! Looks like Hush got a crush!! omg that rhymed.

Ugh I already hate that stupid Cherry girl like nah go back to your housefolk you kittypet.

but anyways I hope you enjoyed