Warriors: Troubled Tides ~Series 2 Book 2~

Chapter 11

Nutwhisker's POV:

Moonhigh shone bright in the sky above Nutwhisker's head, not a cloud in sight. The twinkling stars of Silverpelt coated the skies in a warm silvery glow.

The sand underpaw was cool to the touch, no longer warmed by the sunlight. The soft lapping of waves on the beach ruffled Nutwhisker's ears as he padded sleepily across the beach.

The odd crab skittered around Nutwhisker as he headed along the shore. From here, he could see everything around him. He could even see the misty gleam of Echoclan territory far in the distance. Echoclan had always been a mystery. They didn't border Lightclan and Nutwhisker had never fully seen what their territory looked like. From Lightclan's part of the beach, he could just about see the tips of tall pine trees. The rest was swallowed up in a thick grey mist, concealing Echoclan territory completely.

Perhaps I should question Horseblaze about his territory. Nutwhisker wondered, his mind making an image of the Echoclan medicine cat. Horseblaze was an odd tomcat. He was quiet, he barely ever spoke to Nutwhisker at the gathering only a quarter moon ago. He simply observed and studied the cats around him, as if picking out and exploiting weaknesses. The brown tom's intense stares had eventually warned Nutwhisker off to Ravenclan's medicine cat, Vixentooth, who he had met before the gathering.

A young cat's high-pitched yowl broke Nutwhisker's thoughts and he looked up to see a large group of cats trudging across the beach, heading straight for the Lightclan camp. They came from the direction of Smallclan. Luckily, Nutwhisker was downwind from the cats which meant it was easy to pick up and identify their scents. "Smallclan?" He breathed in bewilderment. "What are they up to?"

Nutwhisker quickly ducked behind a clump of brush to conceal himself from the big patrol. He peeked through the leaves, seeing that the patrol walked with a goal in mind. They weren't just taking a moonhigh stroll. They were on a mission. The lead cat strutted through Lightclan territory boldly, his head held high. Nutwhisker was definite that the lead cat was Featherwhisp, the deputy.

I have to warn the clan!

Nutwhisker darted from his hiding spot and scurried deeper into the undergrowth. He ran as fast as he could. He didn't want to encounter the Smallclan patrol which meant he had to approach camp from the other side. Taking this route back to camp meant he had to go all the way around, wasting more time.

His paws pounded on the ground, sand flying in all directions. His tail lashed behind him to steer himself around the many small rocks and bushes in his way. His emerald green eyes gleamed with panic as he unsheathed his claws to gain more ground. He leapt swiflty over a fallen log, his brown fur ruffling as he landed too far on his left side. He stumbled but kept his balance and quickly regained his speed. The ground underpaw was gradually turning into soil, signalling that he was nearly home. Nutwhisker pushed his paws to move faster, praying to Starclan that he arrived in time.

Nutwhisker reached camp at last, skidding to a halt in the main clearing. As he fought to catch his breath, he studied the clearing for any signs of intruders. A sigh of relief left his jaws when he saw that he had reached camp before Smallclan. "Now, time to warn Stormstar.." He meowed, still panting from his sprint across the territory.

Stormstar's den backed onto thick shrubbery. It would be impossible to see a cat hiding in there, especially in the darkness of night. It had never occurred to Nutwhisker that the undergrowth right by Stormstar's den would be ideal for an ambush. He didn't even see the first cat leap out of the bushes until it was too late. The she cat landed firmly on Nutwhisker's back, forcing him flat onto his stomach. The brown furred medicine cat cried out in fear and struggled against the she cat but her sharp claws met his throat, quickly silencing him.

"Hush now, little medicine cat. You mustn't alert your clan mates of an attack. Unless you want a slit throat." The pure white she cat mewed with a grin.

Her emerald green eyes bore into his and Nutwhisker realised that her eyes were the exact shade of his. He found himself stuttering, "Your eyes... They're the same as mine. And your fur.. It's like my mother's..."

The white she cat furrowed her brows and meowed suspiciously. "Who's your mother?"

"Sky-Skystar. Previously Skyheart." Nutwhisker murmured, unsure why he was talking about this with an enemy.

"Oh. My. Starclan." She breathed. "You're my little brother."

"W-What?" Nutwhisker hissed. "How?"

The she cat grinned softly and Nutwhisker realised that she was no longer pinning him down. "My name is Sagetail, but you may know me as Rainkit."

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*Excited squeal* I BROUGHT BACK RAINKET

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Stormstar's POV:

A pretty green and black butterfly fluttered around Stormstar, as if it was teasing him to catch it. Stormstar swatted playfully at the butterfly and it fluttered just out of reached.

The breeze blew through Stormstar's fur, ruffling his ear fur. He took in a deep sigh of breath and breathed. "I wish Lightclan could find peace for once. It always seems we are at war."

"Don't be silly, Stormstar." A soft voice chuckled. "War is our way of life. We put the 'war' in 'Warrior.'"

"Hi Skystar." Stormstar meowed to his guardian. "Long time no see."

The white she cat nodded. "You're a strong cat now. You no longer need my guidance."

Stormstar was about to answer when suddenly the butterfly returned, this time it was wielding a claw in its tiny hands. It flew at Stormstar and dug the claw in his shoulder. Stormstar let out a short yelp and swatted at the butterfly, "Get off me! Skystar what's going on?"

"You're under attack! Wake up!"

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A claw-wielding butterfly

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hehe