Warriors: A New Life ~Series 2 Book 1~

Chapter 5

Stormstar's POV:

"Did you find Nutwhisker?" Stormstar asked frantically as Dapplegrey's search patrol returned.

Dapplegrey shook her head, "Not a trace of scent. He's disappeared completely."

"Let's hope that Starclan brings him home safely." Sunpatch meowed from behind Dapplegrey, his thin ginger fur spiked up from the wind that had picked up as the sun began to set.

Where must he be? Stormstar wondered, worry pricking at his pelt. Nutwhisker can't have gone far. He's not a mouse-brain.

"Did you find him?" Watersplash's demanding voice sounded behind Stormstar and he spun around to see the grey she cat scampering towards them, a fearful look on her face. "Any scents?"

"No." Stormstar shook his head sadly. He saw Watersplash's eyes well up with tears and her ears flattened against her head.

"No! He must be somewhere!" She cried. "I need to find him!" She went to race out of camp but Stormstar stopped her with his shoulder.

"No, it's already sundown. We'll search again at dawn tomorrow." Stormstar meowed, his ice blue eyes staring into Watersplash's to make sure she understood.

Watersplash opened her jaws to argue but then she paused and closed her mouth. She took a small step back. "Fine." Her shaky voice was nearly inaudible.

Stormstar lowered his head slightly and sighed. Wherever you are, Nutwhisker, you better return home soon...

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Nutwhisker's POV:

"Wake up sleepy slug." Someone prodded Nutwhisker's hind-quarters and he grunted, shuffling away.

"Watersplash let me sleep..." he mumbled sleepily.

"Watersplash? Oh, you're a clan cat. You don't smell like Smallclan though.."

Nutwhisker realised with a jolt that the cat speaking to him was a tom and he jerked his head up, his eyes wide open. The unfamiliar scents around him made his head dizzy as he tried to make his gaze focus and see the cat in front of him. "What's going on..?" He muttered, his voice hazy from sleep.

"One of our warriors saw you yowling your head off by the water. So she brought you back to our camp after knocking you out." The tom meowed just as Nutwhisker's vision cleared. He studied the cat in front of him. It was a cream furred tabby tom with sea blue eyes. The scent of herbs clung to the cat and Nutwhisker realised he was in the presence of a fellow medicine cat. But where was he? What clan was this?

"What clan are you?" Nutwhisker asked, rising to his paws, his limbs trembling at the effort.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down." The cat pushed Nutwhisker down with a firm paw. "Skypetal gave you a pretty nasty bang on your head so you might want to lay down for a bit. At least until Jaggedstar wants to see you."

"But.. But we don't border any clans.. How far away from Lightclan am I?" Nutwhisker meowed, resisting against the medicine cat even though his attempts were feeble and weak.

"Lightclan? Never heard of it." The cat shrugged and sat back to face Nutwhisker. He studied him with a friendly gaze. At last he meowed, "I'm Vixentooth by the way. What's your name?"

"Nutwhisker." He replied, his tail flicking nervously.

"Nutwhisker. Nice." Vixentooth nodded. "So you're part of Lightclan then? Where does your clan live?"

"By the sea." Nutwhisker answered.

"Oh, then you aren't that far away." Vixentooth smiled softly. "Ravenclan's camp is on the beach as well."

"Ravenclan?" Nutwhisker asked. "Why haven't we seen your borders?"

"I don't know." Vixentooth shrugged. "Anyway, you're a warrior I take it?"

"No." Nutwhisker shook his head. "I'm a medicine cat."

"Oh!" Vixentooth's smile grew wider. "As you might be able to tell, I'm a medicine cat as well. Maybe if you are close enough, you could join me and the other medicine cats in the next half moon gathering."

"There are other clans?"

"Yes, Smallclan and Echoclan."

"Vixentooth!" A sharp voice sounded by the entrance to the den and Nutwhisker saw a massive dark furred tom emerged. The tom's muscles rippled under his well groomed fur and his piercing amber gaze bore into Nutwhisker's. "I see the prisoner has risen. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't need to." Vixentooth dipped his head respectfully toward the large tom. Nutwhisker gulped when he realised that this must be Jaggedstar.

"What if the prisoner attacked you?" Jaggedstar queried with twitching whiskers.

"I'm a medicine cat." Nutwhisker meowed, finally finding his voice.

Jaggedstar's gaze darted to Nutwhisker's, "A medicine cat, you say? Of what clan?" His broad shoulders shifted slightly as he stepped closer to Nutwhisker.

"L-Lightclan. We're new.." Nutwhisker meowed shakily.

"Where is Lightclan?" Jaggedstar hissed, his ears flicking and tail twitching as he processed Nutwhisker's words.

"Um, close to your territory according to Vixentooth."

Jaggedstar whipped around to face Vixentooth. "You told the intruder where we are?" He snarled at his medicine cat.

Memories of Rabbitstar and Magiclan flashed through Nutwhisker's mind. Was Jaggedstar going to chase Lightclan out?

Lightclan won't survive another moon without a stable home.

Nutwhisker shook away his thoughts and looked up to see Jaggedstar arguing with Vixentooth. Nutwhisker knew he was the cause of this and he flashed Vixentooth an apologetic look. The fellow medicine cat didn't seem to see Nutwhisker or he chose not to acknowledge him.

After a short while, Jaggedstar turned back to Nutwhisker.

"So, Lightclan medicine cat, would you like to show us where your camp is?"

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