WarriorCats 1: The New Clans

Chapter 17

"Hey, Dewdrop!" Eagleeye called after the Gathering. It had been a moon since he had betrayed her, and they hadn't seen each other since. The ginger she-cat turned her back on him and glared into the undergrowth. "What's the matter?" the brown and white tom asked, walking around to face her.

Dewdrop turned her head again, avoiding his eyes. "You're what's wrong." she snarled, standing up and padding towards her Clan.

"Wait! What did I do?" he called, cocking his head. Dewdrop stopped short, not moving a muscle. He didn't know what he did? How angry she had felt?

"How dare you! Pretend nothing happened! I can't believe you! Everyone's the same, lying to protect themselves!" She hissed, stomping back to Eagleeye.

"Oh... You're still mad? I was hoping it would just... Blow over." the BrackenClan warrior replied awkwardly, looking directly at her.

"Still mad?! Eagleeye, you lied to Barkear about me, I was on my own side of the border! It was you who was out of line! And then you just sell me out like I'm a piece of fox dung? Sure, it'll blow over, WHEN I'M DEAD MAYBE!"  Dewdrop yowled. Some cats turned to stare, watching curiously. The leaders had broke off their own conversations and had their eyes glued to the two cats like hunters on their prey.

"Dewdrop, shush, cats are looking. The leaders are looking! Tone it down a notch!" Eagleeye hissed, his ears back. Birdstar in particular was watching them closely, almost daring Eagleeye to do something stupid.

"Do I care? No! The whole world can watch for all I care! You're nothing but a piece of dirt, the prey at the bottom of the foodpile that never gets eaten, the year old dung of a badger!" and with that, Dewdrop lashed her tail and galloped out of the clearing. She didn't go far. Just stopped about 30 meters away. Once the others came through, they'd be asking what that was all about. But she couldn't  face them yet, not right now; so the young warrior curled up and jammed her eyes shut, crying into the ground.

Larkfeather watched her daughter leave, deciding whether or not to follow her, but then Moltenstar began to talk. "The Gathering is over, the Moon is gone. It is time for the Clans to leave until the next moon." the gray leader yowled, feeling raindrops drifting down until they were hammering against everycat's head. The other Clans raced away, leaving only DawnClan, who eventually took to the path, walking slowly in case anyone spotted Dewdrop.

"Dewdrop!" Larkfeather mewed, bounding towards her daughter. She was asleep, nose curved across her face. "You go on, I'll carry her." the warrior called, nosing Dewdrop onto her back. Once the rest of the Gathering Patrol was completely out if sight, Larkfeather spread her golden wings and took to the skies, making sure to stay away from the others. Just then, she felt Dewdrop beginning to slip. With no where to land on the ground, Larkfeather panicked and tried to push her back up, only succeeding in shoving her off the other side. Larkfeather grabbed at her daughter's pelt, managing to catch her scruff in her mouth before both of them fell. The rain drops were weakening her wings, so the she-cat landed roughly on top of a tree, pushing herself and Dewdrop down below the leaves where the. trunk split into five branches, creating a soft, dry hollow in the ground. Larkfeather looked around and up, glancing towards her dripping wings. The rain was lashing down, and mist was slowly seeping along the ground. "What a great Green Leaf this is going to be." she muttered, shaking herself and latching onto Dewdrop.

They arrived at the camp dripping wet and unable to see a thing through the mist. "Dewdrop!" Windwhistler yowled about the noise of the rain, loping towards her. Larkfeather smiled and set her ginger daughter down. "Is she... Is she dead?" he asked hesitantly.

"No, she's asleep. Don't worry." Larkfeather replied, watching as the light gray tom coaxed Dewdrop onto his back before he carefully took her inside the warrior's den. Darkfur followed with a quick step, his amber eyes glaring at Windwhistler's back.  Larkfeather frowned and sighed. She sat down next to Heatherbush under the sheltering ledge beneath Moltenstar's den. "I think Darkfur's onto Dewdrop now too." she sighed, leaning against the damp rock and licking her dripping coat to dry it off a little bit before entering the Warrior's den. Heatherbush followed. Dewdrop was in her nest, roughly sprawled across it mor like, with Windwhistler on her left, softly licking her face dry, while Darkfur licked her shoulders and side.

"I see what you mean. They're all over her! Poor thing." Heatherbush chuckled quietly at the small scene, which began to fade as other warriors slid silently into the den, claiming their spaces for sleep. Windwhistler dragged his own nest next to Dewdrop, shooting Darkfur a quick glance. The black tom was also doing the same, and growled deep in his throat at Windwhistler. Anyway, and curled up beside the ginger she-cat as the other tom had done and slept.

"What are they doing?!" Dewdrop mewed quietly to Ferntail. Darkfur and Windwhistler were snapping and snarling at each other, circling the small clearing out in the forest. Hazelstorm, Buzzpelt, Petalstone, Jigsawpaw, Lilypaw, Streampaw and Ivystream were all there too, sitting around the toms and watching them. Everyone knew what was happening apart from Dewdrop.

"Last night, when Larkfeather brought you back home, Windwhistler came running up to you and took you to the warriors den, and started drying you by licking your fur. Then Darkfur came and started doing the same, and both of them slept beside you. It was practically an undeclared war for you. So...." Ferntail shoved her up to a pile of green leaves, moss and flowers. "This is where you should sit." Ferntail grinned and sat beside her friend, Buzzpelt right beside her.

"What?!" Dewdrop hissed angrily, glancing towards the two toms. They had leapt at each other, claws out, and were dodging blows from each other. The ginger she-cat snarled and stood with a loud growl, turning and striding away, tail lashing. She heard the scrabbling of the fight stop as she walked away, and sensed both of the right behind her.

"Dewdrop wait!" Windwhistler yowled as Dewdrop loped away. He streaked in front of her, blocking the pretty she-cat's path. Darkfur joined him, looking apologetic, yet smirking at the bleeding wound on Windwhistler's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Dewdrop!" Windwhistler almost begged, his eyes wide and filled with regret.

"First of all, did it ever occur to you that I should get a say in this... being my mate thing? And guess what? It's neither of you right now!" she snarled, glaring at them both.

"Right now?" Darkfur asked hopefully, taking one step forward.

"DARKFUR!" She yowled, charging through them and back to the camp.

"Dewdrop?" Larkfeather asked softly, dropping to a sitting position as her daughter crash into her almost in tears. "What's wrong?" she licked her head slowly, wrapping her tail around the ginger cat.

"I hate toms." she growled, looking up at her mother with bright green eyes. Larkfeather chuckled and rounded her young daughter into the den. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."