𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 ༄ؘ 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐜

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐰𝐨 ༄ؘ

     "He's just being paranoid, I'm sure," Shellcrack mewed, a wobble in her voice.

     Coralfang fought the urge to smirk. Shellcrack knows Stonegaze is perfectly right—she's just afraid to admit it.

     Seapaw relaxed and let his hackles lie flat. He blinked his cyan eyes at the kind calico she-cat. "Oh."

     Coralfang rolled her eyes. "I don't appreciate other cats giving false hope to my apprentice," she mewed coldly to the older warrior.

     Shellcrack frowned slightly. "He's just a young cat, there's no point in scaring him with a bunch of warnings that may not be confirmed anyway," she argued.

     Glaring at Shellcrack, Seapaw stood and snapped, "I may be young, but I can handle the truth!"

     That's it, Seapaw. Smiling to reveal her long white fangs, Coralfang tilted her head at Shellcrack and widened her eyes. "So you see," she drawled, "Seapaw does not need your motherly reassurance. In order to grow into a confident warrior, he must know the full extent of our situation. Come, Seapaw." Coralfang stood and turned, knowing that her apprentice would follow her. Shellcrack sighed and Coralfang could imagine the disappointed look on the older she-cat's face as Coralfang and Seapaw walked off.

     Stopping by the water's edge, Coralfang turned to face Seapaw. He mirrored her action of sitting and wrapping her thin tail around her paws. "Now," Coralfang began, making sure Seapaw's full attention was focused on her. His blue-green gaze snapped to hers. "As you now know, a hurricane is coming."

     Seapaw nodded.

     "Stonegaze predicts it will hit us tomorrow, but Fallensky and Ripplecloud think otherwise."

     Seapaw's dark brown face morphed into a confused frown. "Why don't they agree with the skywatcher?" he questioned.

    Coralfang shrugged. "Different cats have different opinions."

    Seapaw's gaze shifted to watching the ocean behind her. "And what do you think?"

     Coralfang tightened her jaw. "It does not matter what I think. No one will listen to me, so I may as well keep silent on the matter." In fact, Coralfang was inclined to believe Stonegaze. Yes, the old tom may have been slightly paranoid, as well as a wonted nay-sayer—but he was CoveClan's skywatcher, for SkyClan's sake! If they couldn't trust Stonegaze's word ... then what were they?

     "Well, I think the storm's at least two days out," Seapaw decided out loud. "I mean, the wind has picked up and there have been light showers and all, but nothing close to a hurricane. I agree with Fallensky and Ripplecloud."

     Coralfang twitched her ears noncommittally. "Believe what you like. Regardless, I must inform you of CoveClan protocol when a hurricane threatens our island."

     Seapaw inclined his head in an attentive gesture.

     "When the hurricane strikes, we flee to a place on the cliffs—"

     Seapaw's eyes jumped open. "What!" he exclaimed. "The cliffs?"

     Coralfang's tail twitched in annoyance. "Yes, the cliffs. As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me, we flee up a path to a cave on the cliffs. There, we wait out the storm until it passes. How long it lasts ... that is another matter. It's impossible to predict, but usually at least two days. Before the hurricane comes, however, we hunt as much as we possibly can to prepare for the storm, move our nests up to the cave, and transport herbs up there so that they are safe. Otherwise, everything we have would be washed out of camp."