Beast of the Sea - WARRIOR CATS

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Ain't it kind that Aquastar sent the lot of you on peace keeping," Flickershade, the CaveClan deputy, gave Puddle, Bubble and me a toothy grin. It wasn't exactly unfriendly, but the way the deputy talked so casually to us rival clan apprentices reminded me of how different ShoreClan was from the more scruffy CaveClan.

"Er...yes," Puddle meowed.

I hadn't responded, because my eyes were glued to the Shimmersalt. It was a pure white rock settled in the middle of CaveClan camp (which was basically in the middle of a massive cave, with dusty, shrivelling moss for nests). The white rock illuminated a pale glow on all the warriors lounging in camp from where it sat on a pedestal of topaz.

It was easily two tail lengths out of my reach, and stealing it would be difficult, considering it was right in the middle of camp. I eyed the ancient medicine cat, Redshade, wondering if she had a plan, but she was curled up in a tight ball.

"Oh!" Flickershade followed my gaze, clearly seeing my curiousity towards the stone. "That's...nothing too important," she meowed quickly, the tortoiseshell moving to block my view of the relic. "Just give us light. We ain't got natural light underground, you know, eh?"

"Yeah," I muttered under my breath. "Yeah, okay."

The dusty deputy smiled in relief. "Ah, good. Well, Umberstar's off in the caves catching some of the blind fishies, so perhaps you apprentices would like to have a chit-chat with some other apprentices?"

Her eyes glowed similarly to how ShoreClan cats did, and an instant later, three young cats were bundling toward me excitedly.

"Telepathy," Flickershade explained. "Comes in handy as a deputy. Well, see y'all later." And with that, the deputy strode off.

I glanced at Puddle and Bubble. A plan was beginning to form in my head for how we could steal the stone and bring it to Dewocean. A diversion...take all the warriors away...then I can just take it and run...they won't find out until later...

The apprentices were almost within listening distance. I dropped my voice to Puddle and Bubble, explaining the plan. With a sudden jolt, I realised how easily each word flowed out, and how much more comfortable I felt around the two rogues than I did my own clanmates.

"That's good?" I asked, then so that the apprentices who had come up behind us weren't suspicious, I added. "Dewocean will be pleased with this mission. Just think, peace between our clans!"

"Peace would be good," a dark grey and white tom meowed with a smile. In spite of his bright expression, I could tell how wary the heave-set tom was. "I'm Sparkpaw, by the way."

"Yahoo! I ain't been to no battle, but it don't sound too great," a young she-cat announced.

She was distinctly smaller and younger than me. With a start, I realised how much time I'd spent as an apprentice by now. Moonpoppy's kits would start their apprenticeship soon. Maybe a moon, and I would have received my own warrior name in a normal world. But I sort of doubted Dewocean would give me, her pet, that sort of pleasure.

"Yeah," I echoed, flicking my tail at Puddle and Bubble.

"We're off to...uh..." Puddle glanced at me, helplessly.

"They're off to make dirt," I said quickly. "Right, guys?"

They both nodded importantly, and stared at the apprentices as though this was a very serious thing to do. (I wondered if they had another name for 'dirt' at this point), but thankfully Sharkpaw thought little of their seriousness; ShoreClan cats were stereotypically very arrogant and uppity.