WARRIORS: THE STORM AHEAD

Chapter 19

"No. Get out."

The Strays were all staring at Barktail as if he was a cat who had just brought rotten prey to camp and expected cats to eat it. Patch and Valentine stood at the entrance of the camp, snarling.

"No! Please! He's our kit! I want to see him again! Please, Patch!" the brown tabby heard Autumn wail.
"Autumn, he's been disloyal. Have you seen him fight Valentine, then after that, abandoning us to go to the Clans?" Patch growled back.

"B-but.." Autumn blubbered. Dawnie and Briar were gazing coldly at Patch.
"Don't you remember we went to the Clans just to find Barktail? Autumn was crestfallen when she heard we got driven out, and Barktail is her son. Yours too." Dawnie snarled.

"I don't care. You get out-"
"Stop!"
Every cat turned to see a white she-cat with blue eyes and long fur come out of one of the dens.
Barktail could only stare.
It was Snowflower.

"Snowflower!" Dawnie yowled from the crowd. "You're up! Are you okay now?"
A gray and white tabby tom hurried out of Snowflower's family den. It was Hail, her mate.

"Patch, let him in. You don't want to lose him forever do you?" Snowflower spoke.
"Maybe." Patch muttered under his breath. "Have you forgot he attacked his own littermate?" the gray and black tom growled in a louder tone.
"Yeah. He attacked me first, after all." Valentine joined in.

"Well-" Hail started to meow, but Whisker, another rogue, interrupted him.
"There's nothing to argue. Send him back."
Barktail felt helpless. Autumn was on the verge of tears, both Patch and Valentine were ready to drive the tabby out, probably with force, and most of The Strays wanted him gone.

"I'll leave." he pushed out. "If that's what you want."
Autumn burst out crying, and Patch and Valentine looked at Barktail. The tom thought he saw a flash of guilt in their eyes for a few seconds.

"Okay. Go leave." Valentine growled. Autumn tear-soaked face turned into an angry snarl at Patch.

"Goodbye." Barktail mumbled. Autumn turned to him.
"I love you. More than anything. I hope you'll come back someday. And I'll visit. I'll find you somehow." The she-cat licked Barktail's head vigorously.

"Bye, mom." the brown tabby whispered. "Bye Valentine and Patch." he meowed louder.
Then he walked back to the Clans.

"Fox?"
When Barktail had reached his temporary home with Fox, he saw she wasn't there.
Dirt had been strewn about everywhere, random tunnels and holes were in the walls, and the fish scent the Clan cats carried was everywhere, mingled in with grass scent.

Fear was setting in. Had Speckpelt and Mistystream killed Fox? And then invaded the base? What did we ever do to them?
Then he remembered the sand-colored she-cat Fox had attacked.
But she had started it by clawing Fox's nose.
Was he going crazy?
Stop it!

The sun was starting to set. Barktail sighed. Too much things have been happening. That's it.
"Barktail?"
The brown tabby tom jumped up. He immediately recognized the voice.
"Fox! You're back!"
Well that was fast.

As Fox came into the den, Barktail realized that another cat was with her. A white cat.
"Cloudpaw?"
"Yes." Cloudpaw answered. "I freed Fox. From RiverClan."
"RiverClan? Freed? Wha-"
"Barktail? Are you sure Patch didn't claw your brain out?" Fox questioned. "You're acting very weird."

"Things have been happening." Barktail replied. "But for now, welcome back!"
Fox smirked. "Cloudpaw is coming for a bit of 'training' with us. Preferably, fighting?"
"We call it battle training." Cloudpaw meowed. "But yeah, we fight! And you can be the perfect teachers!"

"Um, ummm.." Barktail knew exactly what would happen next. Fox would teach Cloudpaw fighting, then they would fight eachother, then they would be injured, and no cures-

"Cloudpaw?" A voice suddenly called from somewhere. Cloudpaw's eyes widened.
"Oh no oh no oh no." he murmered, both irritably and worriedly.
Barktail peered out of the den to see a small blob near the forest on the land. He squinted, and saw it was a cat. He could spot tabby markings, and the cat was a very light shade of gray, almost white.

Cloudpaw immediately raced out of the den, an expression of rage appearing on his face. It seemed he was going toward the tabby cat.
"Cloudpaw, what are you doing?" the cat yowled. "What cats are you with?"
Cloudpaw didn't listen. He leaped, dragging the cat into the forest.

Barktail could hardly breathe.
"I know what you're thinking." Fox meowed. "Just sleep. If you need more comfort, curl up next to me. But not too close."
Barktail followed Fox to their normal sleeping area, which was just a dirt floor now.

I'll be fine. Everyone will be fine.