Warriors: High Tides

Chapter 13

He was walking through a deep woodland. He'd never seen thick forests before, only long stretches of rocks and small clusters of bushes and grass. He felt the thick grass and mud under his paws and he lifted one in confusion. What's this place? He wondered fearfully.

Suddenly he felt something jab into his side, and he jumped awake. There was a small cream-colored she-cat standing over him, sides plastered with mud. Hunting patrol already?

He sat up and stretched. "Hey there, Raven." He meowed. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, Ice." She purred softly. "Shadow and River are already at the waterfall. We should go soon, unless you want to snack first."

Ice shook his head. "No, but I want to tell you something before we go." He meowed, sitting down and licking his dark brown paws.

"Sure, what's up?" She meowed, smiling sweetly. Ice was reminded immediately of why he'd chosen her as a partner, and smiled.

"I had this strange dream last night." He meowed, flicking his tail slowly. "I was walking through a strange land. It was filled with tall trees, the ground was flat and soft, and there was grass stretching in every direction."

"That's so strange," Raven meowed softly. "What a weird dream. Maybe it's from the Tribe of Endless Hunting..." She meowed curiously.

"Come on, you two!" A gruff voice snarled from the opening to the Cave. "We have to hunt or we'll never feed the Tribe."

Ice huffed and stood out of his nest, a small divit in the cave floor. He rubbed against Raven as he passed her, and she followed him to the waterfall.

River, a slim gray tabby, had called out. His long legs complimented his lifestyle, and his tail was kinked at the tail. Shadow was a speckled silver tabby with slightly shorter legs and long claws. Ice stepped among them, flicking his tail.

"Let's go," River meowed gruffly before stepping outside by way of a small trail next to the waterfall. Ice followed behind Shadow, with Raven close behind. They walked out into the Mountains, the Tribe of Rushing Water's home.

He smiled at the familiarity of the mountains as compared to his dreamscape. The rocks were familiar, the smells were homely. He felt good. I'm never going to the strange tree-place.

He followed River down a well-worn path, and he got the feeling of a nice ancestral memory: of walking, for generations, down here. Of his ancestors traversing this very trail, living behind the Waterfall where the Ancestors watched over them.

Shadow raised his tail and flicked it. Ice nudged Raven and walked over, being very quiet; the Cave Guard had seen some prey.

Indeed, there was a rabbit nibbling at the rare tufts of grass on the mountains. He started walking around it, using the familiar rocks as cover. Raven followed him and stopped halfway, while Ice traveled all the way to the space opposite of Shadow. River stood opposite to Raven.

Suddenly a shadow passed over them as an eagle swept over them. He shuffled eagerly. Calm, he told himself. Don't move. It's so close.

Suddenly a shape flew out from the corner of their little hunting 'box'. It was pale brown, with a long tail and a lithe posture - a cat!

"Wait-!" River called out, but it was too late. The rabbit was dead in the thin cat's jowls, and the eagle was zooming down toward the pieces of potential prey.

Shadow jumped out and landed on the raptor's wing, throwing it to the ground. The foolish tomcat jumped to the side as the other three Tribe cats raced forward and compiled on the bird, ripping at feathers and using their weight to keep it from flying away. Raven went for the killing movement, putting the beak of the beast into her mouth entirely. The bird wheezed and shuddered, its chest heaving in vain, before it passed out and fell still. She then removed the beak from her throat and chomped into its vulnerable windpipe, killing it.

River turned on the strange tom and snarled. "What is wrong with you?" He howled. "You could have gotten yourself killed, and cost us two pieces of prey!"

"River," Raven meowed, "I don't think he's from the Tribe."

A cat from outside the Tribe? On closer inspection, Ice realized she was probably right. This was no Tribe cat: he was skinny, his pelt was clean, and his pads were soft and squishy; he could see that even from here.

It seemed River caught on as well. "Who are you?" He demanded.

The strange tom dropped the rabbit. "My name doesn't matter until I know yours." The stranger's voice was raspy and low with threat.

Before a conflict could arise, Ice trotted forward. "My name is Ice That Cracks Under Paws." He lifted a paw in customary greeting.

The stranger backed up at the gesture, and Ice found himself feeling threatened. Does he think he's better than us?

Raven walked over next. "My name is Raven That Steals Mouse." She carefully rose her foreleg as well. The tom stared blankly.

"Shadow That Passes Under Eagle," Shadow huffed.

"I'm River That Floods In Spring." River growled. "Now, who are y-"

"Gorsewhisker!" A feminine voice called over the rocks as a brown tabby came into view. "Where have y-" The she-cat's eyes landed on the Tribe cats, and she flicked her tail. "Who are these guys?"

"They say they're from the Tribe," the tom called Gorsewhisker growled. "But they've been threatening me."

The brown tabby blinked and hopped down, approaching Ice, who was closest. "What's your name?"

"Ice That Cracks Under Paws." Nervously, he lifted a paw again, hoping she had better reception.

He did. She blinked up at him and mewed, "Is that your greeting?"

Ice flicked his tail and nodded. "Yes, it is." He meowed. "We hook our paws together."

The brown molly lifted a paw and gently did as he said. Ice sighed in relief, as did the other cats. The stranger turned to Gorsewhisker and smiled. "It wasn't a threat, it was a greeting, silly."

Gorsewhisker lashed his tail. Ice looked up as more cats appeared from the crevices: a small blue-gray molly; a dirty gold queen, holding a tiny brown kitten; a black tom; a white and silver tabby. He felt himself growing anxious, realizing they were outnumbered.

"Who are you?" Shadow growled, flicking his fluffy tail. "Why are you here?"

"We were lead to your borders by two cats," the black tom meowed, "named Leaf and Eagle."

For a moment Ice remembered those names: Leaf That Falls On Morning, and Eagle That Dives At Dawn. Twin brothers. Betrayers.

"We don't know those two," Ice meowed. "But you look absolutely starved." He looked over the five strangers, little more than skin and bones.

"We're doing just fine," Gorsewhisker growled angrily. "We were just passing through."

The brown tabby spoke up. "If you could give us some shelter for the night and a few directions, that'd be very nice of you," She meowed pursuasively.

River grunted a few coyote-lengths away and turned, nodding. "Fine. But that rabbit belongs to us, rightfully; Gorse Whisker stole it and almost got himself killed for it."

"That's Gorsewhisker," The brown tom growled, "Not Gorse Whisker. It's all one word."

Nonetheless, the strangers followed them.