WARRIORS: THE STORM AHEAD

Chapter 12

Barktail's eyes suddenly opened; he was coughing up mouthfuls of water.
He began churning his paws, trying to feel where he was. His eyes were barely open, and half of his face was drenched in his own coughed up water.

Barktail was able to catch a bit of stray scent from the water clogging his nose. He did not want to be in the stray camp after what happened last night.
Then the tabby's body jerked, turning away from the cough-water. He felt paws on him, and he guessed whoever that cat was had flipped him over so he wouldn't drown.
But who is it?

"P-patch? Autumn?" Barktail hoarsely mewed the first two names that came to his mind.
The tom heard a giggle coming from behind him.
Oh please, don't let it be Valentine! He did not want to look his sister in the eye after their fight.

Barktail heard the cat coming closer into his view. He waited, and was surprised to see bright orange fur in front of him.
"Fox?"

"Yes, it's me." Fox's voice sounded.
"W-where are we?" Barktail murmured.
"I dug us a den beneath the halfbridge with a small window into the water. I want to make sure no Clan cats catch us."
"Wait-are you saying that you ran to me, somehow pulled me out from the water, swam to the halfbridge without any Clan cats seeing you, and built a den for us?" Barktail stuttered, half confused, half terrified.

"Yes. I was awoken by Autumn yowling, and I saw you and Valentine. I saw her claws, straight toward your throat, and I was about to attack her. But there was so many cats-they blocked me. When I saw you escaped, I followed you. B-because-" She paused. "I-i wanted y-you to b-be...be...." She finally pushed the last word out.
"...safe."
Barktail looked up to see Fox's face, which was cherry red with embarrassment.

"Okay. I understand. Now how will we even live out here?" Barktail exclaimed. "How will we get food or moss?"

Fox only went to the edge of the den, where a small window opened to the water. She sat so her shadow stretched back, and looked at the rippling liquid promisingly.
After a while her claw dived in and suddenly a big, scaled body flied into the den.
Fish?
Fox's claws touched the fish's head, and the creature went limp.
The orange she-cat placed it at Barktail's feet.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" the brown tabby protested, batting the fish back.
"You eat it." Fox simply answered. "Remember when we were Barkpaw and Foxpaw, and we spied on the fish-cats? I learned a bit of their hunting from the experiences." she mewed.
Barktail stared. He never thought he could use hunting techniques from Clan cats; he was just watching the cats to have fun.

"Fox, it sounds like you're getting closer to Clan cats." the tabby meowed. "Are you going to change your name like me? There's no one to tell you you can't now."
Fox froze. "Um, I'm not actually going to change my name, but if I really wanted to, I think my suffix thing would be -claw. I remember seeing a cat that was called, like, Crillclaw or something, I think if I had a Clan name, it would be Foxclaw."
Barktail purred. "It suits you well."

Fox's eyes turned away and focused on the window. "The water is orange." she murmured. "The sun is setting."
That sentence made Barktail realize that he could-and maybe would-spend the rest of his life here.
Will I ever see my family again?
The tom pushed away the thought.
Patch and Valentine would never accept me into The Strays after the fight. Fox gave me a shelter here, and I'm not letting that go.

Hearing water lapping at soil, Barktail felt at peace.
I wouldn't mind if I spent my life here.