Beast of the Sea - WARRIOR CATS

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Here you go."

I yawned tiredly as I dropped a fish at the paws of Drizzlemist and Stormwing. The two toms were grinning at one another, clearly dropping jokes that only either of them would understand. Stormwing's dark grey and silver pelt was fluffed up against the chill that had penetrated the camp for the past half moon. He blinked as the slimy creature was dropped at his paws.

"Thanks, Ferretpaw," he smiled at me. "How's the rebuilding of the camp going?"

I scowled at the cat who had sort of acted as a father to me. "Fine," I muttered.

Drizzlemist purred. "That's great!" He turned to Stormwing. "That new Bottom Feeder, Littlepaw, has really been quite the trooper. Even though she's so short and those burns are so nasty, she's still willing to help out."

Not like we have a choice, I thought bitterly as I turned away from the two toms. I glanced over at where Bubbleburst was sitting, splayed out on a rock. He met my expression with the same look he'd given me since the night nearly a moon ago. The night the powers were meant to come.

I quickly deposited a fish beside Goldspike and Shadefang. The black tom was keenly picking through his mother's pelt, ensuring that she didn't have sand in her fur. He glanced up at me as I tossed a small lobster his way, before turning back to his mother.

I saw his new scar flash once in the dying sunlight before he turned away, almost as though he was trying to hide it from himself.

"Ferretpaw, dear! Would you mind getting Aquastar the large bass?"

I had been padding over towards Bubbleburst when I saw Dewocean. She was waving her long, fluffy cream tail emphatically at me from a rise a little ways away from the other warriors. She and Aquastar were perched on a rock, surveying the camp below. I wondered vaguely why Aquastar was only ever seen with his deputy as I grabbed the bass in my salivating jaws.

Quickly, I bounded up to meet my leader and deputy, paws trembling with exhaustion. I'd been working nonstop for the past moon. Everything flew by when you did that, and you didn't have to think about how there was maybe perhaps an arsonist who wanted you dead.

I had never really expected to like working, I reflected as I dragged the carp towards my leader. But it made me feel as though I was doing something, making a difference, being important.

With one last jerk of my chin, I managed to fling the bass so that it was right in front of the leader and deputy. Aquastar stared down at it, then turned away. He didn't meet my gaze as he slunk towards his den, at the edge of camp.

"That's one thing she and I agreed with," Dewocean chuckled as she watched the massive silver tabby slip away. "ShoreClan has always had a natural bias towards tom leaders. They say toms were the strong cats who went out into the ocean to beg for powers, while she-cats waited patiently along the shore. That'll change soon."

"Huh?" I muttered tiredly. My head throbbed from where I had accidentally knocked it against a tree yesterday. "You want to be leader?"

Dewocean turned to me, and smiled. "No, Ferret," she sidled up to me, wrapping her tail around my paws. It reminded me of the brightly coloured snakes that I sometimes saw in the forest while out battle training with Bubbleburst. "I don't just want to be leader. I want to change the world."

My stomach growled, and Dewocean let out a sympathetic mrow. She leaped off the rock and weaved around me until all I saw was her majestic cream pelt. She let me lean against her. I suddenly realised how heavy my legs were.

"Oh Ferretpaw," Dewocean sighed. "I'm so glad I have you. You know, you remind me of someone I used to know."

I saw her flex her claws in and out. They were long, and curled. I wondered if perhaps the cat she was referring to had died, and she wanted to avenge that death. Then, Dewocean stopped weaving around me. As the chilly wind penetrated my pelt once more, I felt a sense of...loss.