Warriors: High Tides

Chapter 17

Gorsewhisker couldn't sleep all night. He kept dozing off for a few minutes, and in those hellish minutes he would relive the discovery of Thriftflower's dead body all over again. His claws scored hatefully into the metal floor before he woke up with a start, growling to himself.

He looked at Waspwhisker, then at Harekit snoozing silently on her belly, his mouth clamped on a teat. His claws unsheathed as a lump formed in his throat. He should be comfortable at Thriftflower's belly, next to Tigerkit and Grousekit, with the eyes of StarClan keeping them safe. He imagined the scene: Thriftflower on her side just as Waspwhisker was now, her three kits nursing happily while Gorsewhisker slept in the Warriors' den nearby.

But instead, he thought angrily, He's being nursed in Twolegplace at the belly of a ShadowClanner!

Suddenly he turned and gently took Harekit off the queen's belly, making sure he didn't wake his precious son. He turned and stepped carefully around the sleeping bodies of his travel comrades. He wished they were all WindClanners, that this was the Warriors' den, and that he was home.

As he walked out, he was reminded how far away he was from home.

He stepped silently out of the alleyway, heart pounding. He peered down the thunderpath, flicking his tail nervously. He was alone, now. Not that I ever needed them, he reminded himself. I need nothing but WindClan.

He walked down the road the same way they'd been walking, feeling the Full Moon on his back. It was the Gathering Night already? It had already been one full moon since they'd departed! He looked up at the glimmering sky, decorated with the beautiful eyes of StarClan.

But are they walking these skies? He wondered thoughtfully. Since the four Clans are still in the valley, would they care to follow us?

He grunted and kept walking.

He flicked his ear as he heard something rustling. He angled his ears and pinpointed it to his left, glancing around. He noticed something in the shadows was moving...

He stepped back, bristling, as another cat came into view. They were tall, with dark stripes running all over their body, and a tail that sweeped the air behind them. He immediately raised up on his toes, arching his back, and snarled through the fur that was Harekit's scruff.

The cat blinked and backed away a little. "Hey," He meowed, "Relax. I mean no harm."

Gorsewhisker growled and lashed his tail, carefully setting Harekit on his shoulders. "How can I trust you?"

"You can't," The tom said, "I'll have to ask you to make that decision."

Gorsewhisker had never gotten a response like that before. He pricked his ears a little in honest surprise.

"You're not from around here, are you?" The tom asked, sitting down and licking his paws.

"How do you know?" Gorsewhisker asked.

"You smell funny," The stranger said matter-of-factly. "And you're out on the Main road all by your lonesome."

Gorsewhisker bristled apprehensively. "Why is that a problem?"

The tom sat up, suddenly serious. "We've got this gang o' crazies running around in the city at the moment. A big gang. Real ragtag. No leader - no rules. They own these streets while they're bathed in moonlight." The tom gazed at the Full Moon for emphasis.

"And what about during the day?" He meowed.

"Well, that's the Upwalkers' time."

"Upwalkers?" Gorsewhisker cocked his head.

"Real bulbous-looking things. Tall, thin, with big round heads and only two legs. Their front ones are always off the ground."

Gorsewhisker, in any other situation, would have laughed. But as a newcomer, with a kit, alone, he only took a single grain of salt. "Show me the way out of here."

The tom huffed. "Around here, we don't give offers, we trade them."

"Alright," Gorsewhisker said, surprised at the total lack of frustration he felt over it. "What would you like in return?"

The tom seemed to think for a few minutes. "Perhaps we could share lodgings. I was born and raised in a forest down this road here, and I know all the best hunting spots. Give me a place to sleep and a small share of the prey," The tom offered, "And in return, I'll hunt for you - and the babe."

Gorsewhisker glanced at Harekit. "Deal," He meowed. "You'll have to help me make the den big enough, though."

"Don't worry - an old, old badger sett is carved up there. Hasn't been used in Generations. All expenses paid on that one. I was born in it!"

Gorsewhisker was shocked. He'd let us stay in his birthplace? But he didn't voice his surprise. "That's very, very kind of you." He bowed his head respectfully.

"My name's Bobby, by the way."

"Gorsewhisker."

"What an odd name."

"Likewise."