Warriors: Cobwebs

3. The Camp

     "You alive?" said a soft voice, a paw prodding Cobweb's side. Cobweb flicked his ears in annoyance and grumbled, lifting his head and blinking. Before him stood Goldpaw who smiled with blue eyes bright. The sun was still out, the sounds of birds outside striking Cobweb's ears.

     "W-What?" he questioned groggily, and Goldpaw giggled with her long whiskers twitching in amusement. She reached out and pawed at his ear, which he swiveled back. "I suppose that answers my question," she purred, and she stood on her white paws, swishing her tail. Cobweb stared at her in confusion. What question?

     Oh yeah- "you alive?" 

Goldpaw began trotting to the den exit to leave, flicking her right ear. "Come on! If you're going to be staying for a bit, you might as well know the camp!" meowed the she-cat as she left. Cobweb watched her disappear into the daylight and got to his paws, gingerly stepping out from inside the prickly nest. The soft earth beneath his paws molded around his pads comfortably and he smiled ever so softly. When he exited the den, he crinkled his nose and shook his head to fight a sneeze as his pupils dilated rapidly to adjust to the extra light. Everything was blurry to the young tom and he blinked repeatedly, and soon his surroundings became clear.

     The camp was unexplainably large, with patches of grass scattered around with large stones and dirt patches. The camp walls consisted of a mix of blood red brambles and the boughs of willow trees, parts of the wall connected by boulders or large oak trees. The den to the far east part of the camp was set into a cliff, the entrance being a hole leading into a cave weathered into the rock over many years. Propped against a massive boulder that acted as the porch of the cave was a dead willow tree, a hole in it as well to act as another den. To the far west was a den with an entrance being a deep dip into a patch of dark colored sand, the walls being of brambles, and beside it was another, smaller bramble den. Close by, to the far left, was a large holly bush in which two old tomcats sat or laid, a younger cat with them.

     Against the cliff was a large, fallen oak tree with a massive hole rotted in the far right end, at the very trunk, where a massive black, green eyed tom emerged with a smaller scarlet she-cat following, the two chatting cheerfully. Cobweb guessed that the den was for the warriors that Violet had said every clan had. He assumed the old holly bush was where elder and disabled cats rested.

     "Come on!" Goldpaw cried, trotting towards the holly bush. Around it was a small trench, feather and softmoss nests lined within, and the cats sitting within or just outside of the trench looked to the two. One cat, colored like sand with a missing ear and deep hazel eyes, stared at Cobweb with a look of disbelief, shock, and slight disgust. The cat to his left, massive in build with a ginger pelt and black tabby stripes, prodded him with one paw.

     "Sandfoot- do say something kind for once," said the giant tom. A black cat with one green eye and one blue eye chuckled and purred softly.

     "Listen to Tigerstripe for once," he said, and Sandfoot looked back to the younger tom.

     "Silence your tongue, Shadesight, or I'll do it for you."

     Shadesight grinned and looked to Cobweb and Goldpaw, tilting his head. "Clearwhisker mentioned you- I expected you to have half of your face ripped off from the way he described it all. As Sandfoot said, my name is Shadesight. And you're Cobweb?" said the cat, blinking his exotic eyes. Cobweb nodded. "Yes- I'm lucky to have only lost an eye- and I am Cobweb, yes-"

     "This is the elders den," said Goldpaw. Cobweb looked at Tigerstripe, who appeared to be the oldest, and to Sandfoot, who kept a scowl and a glare at Cobweb's empty eye socket. He then looked to Shadesight. "I figured as much. But you- Shadesight- you don't look very much like an elder-"

     Tigerstripe flicked his white tipped tail and shrugged. "DarkClan's elder den houses not just cats who are too old to work for the clan, but also too out of shape. Shadesight has a strange breathing trouble that no-one can figure out."

     "I'm sorry-" Cobweb said in sympathy to Shadesight, who he dipped his head to. Sandfoot scoffed, blurting, "you'll need more help than him! You're missing an eye!"

     Rude-

     "Hey! Do you really want to wake the kits?" demanded a female voice, and a dark grey, ear tufted, feathery tailed she-cat stomped up to the cats. "I'm just now getting a break! Ashkit and Redkit are sleeping and I need a few moments to myself- they’ll need fed soon."

     "Calm down, Miststep. Sandfoot wasn't being too loud-" said Goldpaw, but she was quickly intercepted by Miststep who had been staring at Cobweb. "Yes- but it's also rude to point out a flaw," argued the queen, hinting to Sandfoot's outburst over Cobweb's missing eye. "Not that it's much of a flaw-" added Miststep with a smile to the visiting loner. "You'll get used to it, and soon it'll be like it never happened!"

     Soft mewing could be heard from close by and Cobweb turned his head frantically around to see the source. He had not noticed the nearby group of shrubs with a hole dug in the center, a ceiling of twigs protecting it, where a tiny head the color of cream poked into view. Miststep groaned and sighed before returning to the den. "Redkit's awake," she said before leaving the cats behind.

     Goldpaw began trotting towards the fallen oak tree where the large, black tom from before had emerged, and the apprentice she-cat sat. "The entire hollow inside of that tree is the warrior den," she said. "Between the elders den bush and this tree, that heap of brambles with the dip, that's the apprentice den. I'm the only apprentice for now so I have the entire thing to myself!"

     "It must be lonely-" Cobweb muttered. "My sister and I-" he began, but he stopped himself. "We always stayed in a hollowed out tree trunk." He fought the rising ill feeling in his belly, swallowing the lump in his throat, and looked to his left to see Goldpaw staring at him with solemn blue eyes. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, okay?"

     "Okay."

     Goldpaw led Cobweb across the camp to the fallen willow tree by the cliff, and looked up at the entrance just behind the ledge at the top of the many rocks. "That is Fallenstar's den, and her deputy sleeps in the willow tree," explained the apprentice. "Blackear is the deputy. He's off on a patrol right now."

      "Cobweb!- are you truly ready to be outside of the medicine den?" inquired Fallenstar herself, who walked up behind the two cats. She had been at the freshkill pile, checking to be sure that all of the prey was good. Cobweb jumped in his pelt and looked back at her, startled. "I'm fine. Thanks," he replied, and Fallenstar grinned.

     "Good. I want to talk to you, if such is okay? Follow me. Goldpaw- return to your duties."