Warriors: The Compromise, #1 [DISCONTINUED]

CHAPTER 8

       The strange looks that the cats gave her made her feel uncomfortable. The looks full of anxiety and suspicion disgusted her, and made her feel as though she was a fox or a badger, or a scrawny kit that was looked down upon. It reminded her of what Tumble said about the whole 'suspicion' with the rogue problems.

    Walking over with an annoyed expression, she found Tumble grooming himself in the corner. "You were right, Tumble..." She grumbled. His ears perked up, "About what?"  Opal got comfortable, ready for another long conversation. "About the cats in camp! Don't play dumb, you know what I'm talking about... with the rogue problem and the recent fight?"

    "Oh, yeah," He meowed, looking up at her after a few quick licks on his fur. "Well, we can't do anything about it. Perhaps you can go find Wren, maybe, and talk to him about the rogue issue? Surely he knows about all of this, right?"

   "What if the Clan doesn't let me go out?" Opal asked, frowning.

   "There is a hole behind the elders' den. Go there, quickly! I'll see you later," He whispered, then going back to his grooming. The conversation wasn't as long as Opal thought it'd be, but she made her way silently to the elders' den.

    She went unnoticed, despite her light fur, making her way inside. Luckily, no-cat lived in the elders' den. ThunderClan was full of warriors now, due to the treacherous battle between the Clans and the rogues. There was also a loss of most of weak cats like the elders. When she thought of the fight, she imagined a tree's leaves were being withered away, then growing new, green leaves. The past was the past, though.

    Making her way through the hole between the den and camp to the outside, brambles and nettles gently tugged on her fur. She winced, getting stuck for a moment, until swishing her hindlegs back and forth a bit to get free.

    There she stood, in a small clearing in the forest outside of camp. "Whew," She sighed, "Now I just need to find him." With that, she trotted off through the dense forest, making her way to the place she and Wren had last met up at. When Opal arrived, she remembered Wren's words of where he lived.

    "The little farm..." She muttered to herself, trying to keep in track of where she was supposed to be going. When she finally arrived to the farm, which was located near Four Stones, the quiet place smelled of cats. Many cats. It felt as though she was joining a Clan again, being introduced to new smells, sights, and sounds.

   Wandering over to the field of wheat, she sniffed, picking up the smells of distant field mice and shrews. That's when---

"Opal!" A deep, surprised meow sounded behind her.

   Spooked, she almost jumped, but the fur on her neck only pricked up. Nothing special. "Hi, Wren!" She mewed anxiously as she turned around. "Why are you here?" He asked. "I, uh, wanted to ask you some questions."

   Wren looked from left to right, then flicking his tail. "Follow me," He said, leading her to his den where they could talk with privacy. Inside of the den, which was an abandoned chicken coup, there were golden, straw nests. The den also had a rustic smell of the country, warm and inviting.

   "What did you want to ask me?" He asked, sitting down on his own nest.

   "I wanted to ask you about the rogues around the area... what do you know about them?" Opal asked, trying to snag information from the ginger tom. "Well, there were lots of them. They snuck out at night to hunt through Clan territory, sat and trained during the day... they were a ruthless bunch. What kind of information are you seeking, Opal?" Wren replied.

  "Names, personalities, reasons..." She sighed, unsure on how to say what she wanted. "Oh, oh, I see! Well, one was a cream-colored she-cat with dapples and she was obsessed in the use of her claws, a white tom who— I'll just say who the deputy and leader is. Swift was a white tom with black splotches and a bob tail, the leader. Pretty rude. The deputy was named Crow, who was dark grey and had a lot of battle scars, was a cat you'd never want to meet. He has killed more than ten cats during his lifetime, believe it or not!"

   Opal's eyes went wide. "More than ten cats? This must be the cat who took away Stormstar's life!" Wren then frowned. "He killed your leader?"

   "Yeah, just not all of the way. All of the warriors have been really suspicious of Tumble and I, thinking we have connections with Crow or planning some killing spree. Stormstar and his battle patrol managed to kill him, though." Opal explained.

   "Great StarClan! You cats actually managed to kill him?! Er... nevermind, that doesn't matter," Wren's eyes were narrowed in shock. "If you need help with the big 'suspicious' thing, then—"

  "It's fine. I just wanted to inform you, Wren..." Opal let out a sigh. "I just wanted to see if you had more information on this. Speaking of which, what is your rogue group up to? If you know who Sandy is, what has she been doing?"

   "Oh, right, Tumble's sister. She keeps talking about some future storm, or some sort of tide that will wash away the territories in a stroke. It sounds like fox-dung to me, though," The tom meowed as he nosed through the golden straw and feathers that laid as his bed.

   Opal hadn't really cared much about what he was doing with his nest until he pulled something out of it. It was a smooth rock, but it had strange carvings on it, as if they were messages of some sort. The light grey she-cat inched closer, looking down at it.

   "What's that?"