The Call of the Tide

Chapter 10

A slight brush against her shoulder startled her out of her anger. She turned to see Flintfire watching her anxiously. She sighed and lowered her head. He was right. Now wasn't the time. She squared her shoulders and strode past Elktail, purposely ignoring him. Well. Almost. She did allow her back paw to "slip," kicking a bit of dirt onto him. She smirked in satisfaction and sat next to Mintpaw and Hazepaw.

"Hey," she chirped brightly.

Hazepaw flicked her ears in acknowledgement, but kept her gaze fixed on the Roundrock.

Mintpaw and Tidepaw shared a glance. "Hazepaw," Mintpaw started, "is everything okay?"

Hazepaw glanced around them before lowering her voice to a low whisper. "Things are really hard in DeathClan. It's like the prey's all disappeared. Drystar thinks GrassClan might be hunting on our territory."

Tidepaw and Mintpaw both gaped at her. "But GrassClan has plenty of prey!" Tidepaw exclaimed. "Why would they need your prey?"

Hazepaw sighed and shrugged. "Dusttail's the one who suggested it. He's acting as our deputy until Sunstroke's back from the nursery."

"Cats of all the Clans!" Lynxstar's voice called. "Let us begin the Gathering!"

The leaders waited a few moments for the cats to settle before they began speaking. Tidepaw's ears flicked forward in interest when she noticed that Drystar was sitting back, allowing the other Clans to speak first. Normally a leader wouldn't hesitate to announce an accusation of hunting on another Clan's territory.

When Drystar finally stepped forward, his expression was calm. Tidepaw's eyes narrowed. Did he really believe GrassClan was trespassing? The way he was acting, it was almost like he was just going along with what Dusttail had told him.

"I have troubling news," Drystar began. "My Clan has found evidence of hunting on our territory." He subtly turned to face Rushstar. "Many of my warriors have reported scenting GrassClan around the kills, as well."

Angry murmurings broke out.

Rushstar's claws slid out. "If you're accusing my Clan of stealing—" she hissed.

Drystar cut her off with a wave of his tail. "I'm not accusing any Clan. Every cat here knows how vital every piece of prey is to DeathClan, as we live in a desert. No cat with a clear conscious would be able to take our prey." He then narrowed his eyes. "Of course if it isn't a cat, then that would indicate a new predator in our midst." He straightened and gazed back out over the gathered cats. "I would suggest being on your guard for the next few moons." He then hopped down from the Roundrock.

"Why didn't he just come out and say it?" Mintpaw snorted.

But Hazepaw frowned.

"What?"

"Spiderear's been having bad dreams lately," she said hesitantly. She quickly shook herself. "I'm sure it's nothing. He was just trying to be diplomatic about it. That's all." She hurried after the rest of DeathClan, who were heading back in the direction of their territory.

Tidepaw and Mintpaw exchanged uneasy glances. "That was...weird," Mintpaw said.

"Tidepaw!"

She turned to see Flintfire waving her over with his tail. She said goodbye to Mintpaw before hurrying to catch up with her Clan. "We're leaving already?"

"If there's a predator around, it's better to be safely back in camp," Loonflower said briskly, but her eyes betrayed the worry she wasn't letting show.

A/N:

I liiiive!