{-May the Sea take Me-}

|Chapter 3|

Whistlepaw scanned the clearing, her ears perked up and her senses alert. She kept her movements slow and her paws light.

She had gone on a solo hunt today, the actions of Frogpaw and their quarrel from 3 days ago being completely forgotten. The reason for her alertness was because of a recent incident with one of their neighboring Clans, SharpClan.

Just the other day they had attacked Stormfall's patrol. No one was sure as to why they attacked the SeaClan patrol, as the SharpClan cats hadn't given any reason. Most speculated that Hopstar, SharpClan's leader, was planning on attacking them.

Others believed that they attacked for the joy of fighting. SharpClan cats have always had a history of fighting. Whistlepaw thought. They had won most Clan wars and remained as the strongest Clan for seasons.

At least, that's what Blazefoot had told her as a kit. Half the time she wasn't even sure if the tom was telling the truth. She leaped up onto a boulder that out looked the ocean, taking in the salty air. She felt the wind blow in her fur, carrying a strong scent of salt.

"Enjoying the breeze over there, SeaClan filth?" A voice sneered from behind Whistlepaw. She whipped around, her pelt prickling. She didn't recognize that voice. It certainly isn't from my own Clan. She thought.

Getting up, she spotted two young cats, probably apprentices. SharpClan apprentices. She realized, picking up their strong forest wood scent "What are you two doing here? You're far beyond the border."

"We know, we just wanted to have a little fun, is all," a silver she-cat sneered, an evil smile on her face. A black she-cat stood beside the silver she-cat, her gaze worried "Dawnpaw, maybe we should head back."

The silver she-cat, who Whistlepaw heard the black cat call Dawnpaw, glared at her "Are you mouse-brained? She's all alone! This should be easy! Don't you want to impress Tawnythorn?" Dawnpaw snarled.

The black she-cat flinched, shuffling her paws nervously "I guess so..." She murmured, looking down at her paws "That's what I thought," Dawnpaw hissed, turning back to Whistlepaw "Get ready to be defeated SeaClan cat!"

"You have too much confidence." Whistlepaw mused, flicking her tail. Dawnpaw let out a hiss and charged at Whistlepaw, claws unsheathed. Whistlepaw neatly dodged, messing up her leap by rocking her hind paws.

Dawnpaw fell down the hill that led to the ocean, grunting as she tumbled "Dawnpaw!" The black she-cat yowled, racing over to the hill's edge. Whistlepaw followed her, watching the SharpClan apprentice tumble.

Finally, Dawnpaw had stopped tumbling, her fur covered in sand. She spat it out of her mouth, sitting up to hiss at Whistlepaw "You'll regret that you filthy SeaClan cat!" Dawnpaw swore, cursing under her breath.

Whistlepaw turned to the black she-cat beside her "I suggest you two go home before one of my Clanmates finds you here." Whistlepaw advised, her gaze completely calm and chill. The black she-cat nodded, racing down to her Clanmate.

Whistlepaw watched them from afar for a bit before concluding that they've crossed the border back into their own territory. Well that was a boring encounter. She thought, letting out a yawn as she headed back home.

There was no use in hunting now that those two SharpClan apprentices had probably scared off all the prey in the area. As she continued to make her way back home, she couldn't help but feel on edge.

She couldn't shake the feeling that those two SharpClan apprentices weren't alone. Surely they had gone on a patrol with their mentors right? She wondered, her pelt rising. Picking up the pace, she sped walked back to camp, her heart pounding.

Once she made it to the camp entrance, she paused, listening to the sounds of her home. Nothing. It was silent and still. She shook herself and padded inside the camp. She wanted to report what she encountered with Foxwatcher, but he wasn't in camp.

So, she resorted to telling Milkstar. She headed over to her leader's den, only to realize that she wasn't in camp either. Where did everyone go? She wondered, looking around camp "Looking for someone, Whistlepaw?"

She jumped, turning around to see Oatwhisper, the medicine cat of SeaClan "Oh, yes actually, have you seen Foxwatcher or Milkstar by chance? I need to tell them something I saw while hunting." She responded.

"Well, Foxwatcher went on a border patrol with Snakepaw and Sweettail. And Milkstar went hunting with Frogpaw and Icefern near the pools," Oatwhisper explained, his tail flicking "Oh, okay then. I'll just tell them later, thanks Oatwhisper."

"Of course. Oh, and before I forget, Onepaw wanted to see you. She's resting in my den with Blackpaw and the rest of yesterday's patrol." Oatwhisper meowed, flicking his tail towards the medicine den.

"Oh, okay." Whistlepaw simply replied, feeling uneasy. Her sister, Onepaw, had been on the patrol that got attacked. Onepaw's wounds weren't serious, but Oatwhisper wanted to keep an eye on one bite mark.

Whistlepaw swiftly padded towards the medicine den, poking her head inside once she reached the entrance "Hello?" She called out, the dark den remaining silent for a moment before someone replied to her call.

"Whistlepaw?" She immediately recognized her sister's voice and padded inside. Everyone else seemed to be asleep, so she tried to be quiet. She used Onepaw's gleaming yellow eyes to guide her through the darkness.

She settled down in front of her sister's nest, staring at her "How do you feel?" Whistlepaw asked quietly "A bit sore, but other than that I feel fine," Onepaw responded "That's good to hear." Whistlepaw murmured, loafing herself in front of Onepaw's nest.

"Anything interesting you want to tell me about?" Onepaw asked, smiling at Whistlepaw. She looked around the den nervously before responding "I met 2 SharpClan apprentices at the border today." she said abruptly.

Onepaw's eyes widened "They crossed the border and I was just trying to hunt, but I ended up getting into a fight with them instead," Whistlepaw explained. "Are you hurt?" Onepaw asked worriedly.

"No, no, I'm fine, nobody got hurt," Whistlepaw responded. Onepaw let out a relieved sigh, playfully hitting Whistlepaw's shoulder with one paw "Thank StarClan." Onepaw purred. After a moment of silence, Onepaw offered Whistlepaw to come curl up with her.

"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you more," Whistlepaw murmured "I'll be fine." Onepaw reassured her. Whistlepaw shrugged. She curled up next to Onepaw, the two gently grooming each other's fur.

Finally, sleep began to drag Whistlepaw down and she and Onepaw slowly drifted off to sleep.