Beast of the Sea - WARRIOR CATS

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Stop dithering!"

I jerked my head around just in time to see Dewocean sliding out of the leader's den. She smiled at Shadefang as he passed, a vole in his jaws, but her bright expression slipped away as she turned her gaze back to me. Instead, it was replaced with a smug grin.

"Did you patrol the border, dear? Attack any trespassers?" She ran her tail along my spine, then ran an unsheathed claw along my side, grazing the long scratch she'd given me for my disobedience when our training together had first begun.

She scowled as she saw the lack of blood on my paws.

"Come with me," she growled, gesturing to our den. "Let's talk...in private. Or rather, I talk and you listen." Her whiskers twitched with amusement.

I hesitated for several moments, wondering if there was any way I could get out of this, but one piercing look from Dewocean brought me back to the moment a moon and a half ago, where she'd met up with me...and Flowerpaw's corpse.

At that moment, I'd finally realised that she was the cat who had attacked my mother all those moons ago. The dreaded shadowed cat who had tried to kill me. She was ruthless, but she was the only cat I had. The only cat who loved me now.

I don't think I could ever forget padding out of that cave in her shadow, claws stained red with Flowerpaw's blood, shoulders hunched. Usually cats only highlight the most intense bits of action or drama when they tell a story. They rarely say what comes after. I had the same feeling I'd had after the accident and the death of my mother. Every cat moved on, but I was stuck trying to deal with all that had happened.

I vaguely recall that the tunnel collapsed. The next thing I remember was seeing Ripplepaw and Littlepaw staring at me, eyes round as I padded into camp, my claws still dark with blood. Their tails had been entwined. That should have been a sign of what my littermate was about to do next.

Then Dewocean had leaped up to address the clan. She'd told me smugly on the way back that she wouldn't tell my clanmates the truth about what had happened to Flowerpaw so long as I was obedient to her.

That meeting had changed everything.

Firstly, Aquastar had collapsed before it even started. Not exactly a good sign. Ever since then, he had been confined to his den, with Dewocean looking after him like a hawk. In a lot of ways, she had become ShoreClan's leader.

Then, Dewocean had revealed to every cat that Flowerpaw had been killed at the gathering. She'd said that it had been done by CaveClan and GladeClan warriors, but I'd seen the way cats had eyed my bloody paws, especially Strikepaw. Their suspicion towards me had made Dewocean smile.

Next, she'd announced that she was changing around a couple ranks for the clan cats. Bubbleburst had been made a 'regular' clan member. Ripplepaw had risen and vehemently declared that she was going to be a Bottom Feeder, and Dewocean had more than happily obliged.

Then she'd mentioned that we were preparing for war.

Following the meeting was the time where everything truly changed for me, though.

"Ferretpaw!" Dewocean snarled. "Come here."

Then, I was knocked out of my panicked thoughts and back into the real world. Tail lowered, I padded towards the den Ripplepaw and the rest of the Bottom Feeder's had recently constructed for the two of us, and padded inside.

The nest was rather small, only being able to fit six or so cats. Overhead were tightly woven spiky reeds, and vines blocked the entrance. In one corner of the sandy-floored den, there was a luxurious nest, completely dry moss with soft, fluffy stuff and adorned with brightly coloured flowers.