Warriors: Flesh-Sickness

Chapter One

  The forest was quiet as usual, with only the thud of Shocktail's heartbeat. She gently placed her pawsteps, one after the other, as she stalked the unknowing blackbird. The glossy black animal pecked at the ground, its feathers rustling. Gently letting out a soft exhale and waggling her haunches slightly, she launched forward, forcing a yowl down her throat so she wouldn't alert any Infected of her presence, and closed her jaws around the bird's throat. The blackbird let out a final screech, which gave way to soft coos and then silence as she killed it with a stronger bite.

Anteye crept out of the bushes, the tip of his wiry dark brown tail twitching slightly. He grinned wide, his eyes just as large.
"Nice catch there." The tom whispered. Shocktail secured her teeth around the bird's throat, turning to him.

"Let's go," She mumbled through feathers, "before any Infected come for that bird call." Anteye purred and slid past her to grab his rabbit he had caught on the outskirts of the forest on the moor, even though his fellow deputy warned the tom against it. The Third Clan deputy dug up the rabbit and made his way back to camp quietly with Shocktail following. She looked up at the dark violet-purple sky, her eyes narrowed. The sky was such an odd color after the Twolegs dropped that metal object from the sky- she remembered how Larkstar and Honeystar called it a "nu-cle-er bo-mb." She wasn't sure what a nu-cle-er bo-mb was, but it must be scary after what it did to the moor. Shocktail's eyes saddened when she remembered the few surviving WindClan cats running to the camp, crying about how many had died and how they were starving- she was only a young apprentice then, and Anteye was too. He still lamented the loss of his family whenever he looked at the moor, she could see it in his face. Shocktail shook her head and broke into a trot, hoping to get to camp before the sun set.

Finally, Anteye and Shocktail pushed inside through the thick wall of brambles, keeping their heads down and flattening their ears to protect them from the sharp thorns. Both of the deputies set the prey on the fresh-kill pile, which was nearly empty now. Shocktail spotted Bulletleaf, one of their medicine cats, leading a queen towards the nursery from the rocks they used for sunning in the middle of camp. Anteye darted from the fresh-kill pile over to the queen, nuzzling her and purring. The queen playfully batted him away, swatting at her ears. Shocktail heard her say something along the line of being able to walk by herself. Smiling, the deputy approached them. "Everything alright?" She teased, flicking Anteye over the ear. The queen shook her head. "Everything is fine, Shocktail. You should bring that to Larkstar- he hasn't eaten yet." She replied, angling her ears towards the leaders' den.

Shocktail smiled and dipped her head in thanks, walking towards the den where Larkstar and the other three leaders were perched in their nests. The deputy padded inside, approaching Larkstar. The large black tom turned his head, scrutinizing her with those slitted yellow eyes.

"Yes, Shocktail?" His voice was like that of an adder and it made her shiver. Like a scared kit, she placed it gently at his paws. "I heard you hadn't eaten yet, sir.." Shellstar smiled at Shocktail.

"That is very kind of you, Shocktail; isn't it, Larkstar?" Shellstar looked at the other leader, his eyes accusatory.
Larkstar twitched his whiskers, taking the piece of prey. "Yes.. Thank you, Shocktail." He mumbled. Shocktail smiled worriedly, backing away and out of the den just as Shellstar, the leader youngest leader and the one that she had grown to call a friend, padded towards her. "Don't worry about that old mousebrain- he's gotten rather abrasive from his old age. The medicine cats have told him to retire and give his place up to Volewhisker but he will not listen, as usual." Shocktail purred a bit at her leader's words. "Ah. Well, of course he's so rude! Cats are telling him to become an elder and be even grumpier all day! Not to mention he probably doesn't want to be known as Larkfoot again- what a silly name."

Shellstar mrrowed in laughter. "No kidding! At least he didn't have the name Shellear! Such odd names.." He picked a huge white paw and drew it over one of his shredded ears. Shocktail tried not to shudder at the battle scars on both of them, and she tried not to think of some warrior's claws shredding her own ears. "Well," Shellstar began, "one day you will be Shockstar, and you will think about these things too." Shocktail's eyes glowed at his words. "If I live that long! Honeystar will never die, do you know how many lives he still has? It's amazing how many near-death experiences that tom has!"

"What was that?" A soft voice purred from the leader's den and she froze. "Uh- h-hi Honeystar! I was just-""Oh hush, I know you were only playing." The light brownish-ginger tabby gently batted her ears and purred some more. Shellstar smiled at them, his tail wrapped around his paws. "How many times have you almost lost a life, Honeystar?" Honeystar's golden eyes glowed- he loved being asked this. "Have I told you about the time I was almost eaten by a pack of dogs and got out with all my paws and my tail?" "I did not know that! Do tell!" "Well, it started when I was on my first life, and I had only been a leader for half a season..."

Shocktail, having heard this before, decided to leave Shellstar to be told the story and check on Anteye. Just as she reached the nursery, Anteye padded outside, smiling at his fellow deputy. She playfully cuffed him over the ear. "You done fawning over that poor she-cat yet?" A purr rumbled in the dark brown tom's throat as he shoved her lightly. "What do you mean poor she-cat? She's the luckiest girlie in the whole forest to have a tom like me!" Shocktail rolled her eyes, purring as she started to pad away. "Oh, I'm soooo jealous~."

Anteye flicked his tail-tip over her ear. "You think you're so funny, Shocktail!" Even though his words were a bit harsh, his tone of voice still was tinged with a purr. The tortoiseshell she-cat laid in the sun to groom herself. "That's because I am funny, Anteye." She teased. "Nah, I guess you are right after all. My jokes are worse than Green-Leaf droughts." Anteye sat next to her, his long tail curling around his paws. He blinked, sighing. "Speaking of droughts.. Green-Leaf will be here soon." Shocktail nodded thoughtfully, glancing around the clearing, watching the cats mill about or return from hunting patrols. "Yeah. But at least there will be more prey." Anteye angled his ears as a dark brown tom with a white chest, chin and paws approached the two deputies, his amber eyes glowing, and his posture sharp. It was Larkstar's deputy. Shocktail nodded to him respectfully.

"Good evenin' you too." The brown tom said, his tail tip twitching once. Shocktail smiled and sat up. "Greetings, Volewhisker! How are the frogs running?" Volewhisker narrowed his eyes. Instead of asking how the prey was running, she singled out frogs, his Clans' primary food. "Don't say such nonsense now honey, y'all know what I would do to you and yer Clan if I had the chance!" Volewhisker hissed under his breath, snarling.

Shocktail purred even though Anteye was bristling by now. Even if he was an airhead, Volewhisker had the strangest way of speaking. "Really now? Want to test that theory?" Shocktail playfully batted at him with sheathed claws, and he dodged her tortoiseshell paw easily. "Now ain't the time for play-fightin', Shocktail. So why don't ya just scamper off like the soft Kittypet-lover y'are?" Oh, now she was angry. "Kittypet-lover?" Shocktail snarled. Realizing what he had said, Volewhisker backed off. "Now Shocktail- I-I didn't mean-"

"Didn't mean what? That ThunderClan was soft because they used to have some kittypets in their ranks?" Honeystar's soft voice came from behind the Second Survivor Clan's deputy, and Volewhisker's tail and ears drooped. Fearfully, the brown-and-white tom slowly turned his head. "Take that back, Volewhisker. Now." The light ginger tabby tom demanded, stepping so close to the other Clan's deputy that Volewhisker could smell the mouse on Honeystar's hot breath. It took all the self-control he had not to gag. "I-I'm sorry, H-Honeystar. I.. I-I woulda n'er said such a thing if I'da known you were standin' right there, sir."

Honeystar smiled pleasantly, stepping back. "Must better." Anteye flicked his tail smugly as Honeystar padded away, and Volewhisker quickly trotted off. "You think he'll go crying to Larkstar? I bet a whole wood thrush." Shocktail smiled. "Eh, I think he'll be too scared. Deal."