Beast of the Sea - WARRIOR CATS

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Plans for infiltration begin immediately," I meowed sharply, digging my claws into the sand. "We need to make sure no more cats die."

Ripplepaw was beside me, squirming as though her scars were still throbbing. She had gained a permanent limp, one that would forever hinder how fast she managed to move. The only other injured cat at the moment, Strikeclaw, was still recovering in Spike's healing hut.

"This is dangerous," Stone meowed solemnly. "But if the horrors of what you speak of are true, then we must."

"We stand together!" Minmow pipped up bravely from where she sat beside Dijon and Fang. "I'm so ready to attack those evil kitties!"

"We aren't going to run in and attack," Littlepaw meowed bracingly. "We don't fight fire with fire."

She gave me a rueful smile. I was sure that she was remembering the time where we first met, in the middle of the massive fire. That felt like ancient history.

Now, Ripplepaw, Littlepaw and I were sitting in front of a semicircle of about a dozen and a half rogues. Some were old, some were younger than me, we even had a kit by the name of Ketchup, (which was a strange name that didn't sound at all natural). Several new cats including Fang and Dijon had recently turned up, after their homes had been destroyed by Dewstar's powers and cronies.

The way her powers actually functioned was still a big mystery to the lot of us. So far, we had divulged that all cats with powers from the Shimmersalt, Shimmersea, and Shimmermoor had lost their abilities. Wolfwhisper and I still and ours, perhaps because Dewstar hadn't fully harnessed Night's abilities.

"Maybe we could try to get more OceanClan cats on our side?" Puddle queried.

He looked disconcerted to be talking in such a large gathering, but his mate, Bubble, gave him a reassuring nudge. The white and silver striped tom was the next to speak up.

"I agree. Shadefang and so many others are going crazy under Dewstar's leadership! She's centralised her power to a select group of powerful cats. Fear and confusion is what keeps her in power, but if we were to lead enough cats to our side, most would follow suit."

"There's still the issue of the powers," Stone commented mildly. The older tom went on. "We need to comprehend how to destroy them, and what they actually are."

"And is she actually made of shadow like the scouting groups say?" Minnow asked curiously.

I turned to Ripplepaw and Littlepaw as the speculation continued. Part of me wished that some other cat had decided to lead this discussion, but no cat seemed to be taking charge. My mother, Wolfwhisper, was sitting on the fringes, not speaking even as Corinador haughtily asked for her opinion.

"I don't know what I'm doing. All I know is that we have to do something."

Littlepaw gently flicked her tail across my back as the squabbling voices picked up. Ripplepaw watched me solemnly.

"Infiltration? We're risking our own numbers.. Outright attack? Most likely a slaughter..." My voice trailed away to an indistinct ramble.

"Hey," Littlepaw meowed gently. "It's not easy. But so long as we work together, we can do this. It's not all on you, Ferretpaw," she meowed gently. "I think we need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of our own members and collaborate."

"I just...I'm scared," I admitted, my head drooping. "I'm scared that you're all going to die, like Bubbleburst and Moonpopppy, and whoever else..."

I suddenly realised that the crowd had gone silent. All around me, cats were getting to their paws. For one horrible moment, I thought they were about to turn away, but then I realised that they were all padding forward. Wolfwhisper was at the front.