Warriors: Clockwise

<------ Chapter Twelve ------>

As they walked further into the city, it became apparent that what they'd seen so far of the soaring grey buildings barely scratched the surface of the monstrous territory. As they continued on their journey, however, the cats were quickly distracted by the conversations they'd been holding since they left Bling's company.

"Damn straight?" Hero inquired, glancing over at Swiftpaw, who had been joking with Snowpaw about the look on the rogue cats' faces when they'd fled the warehouse. The small tortoiseshell simply flicked her tail carelessly, as if to dismiss the conversation entirely. "Where'd you hear that? Is there some sort of Clan slang I don't know about?"

"I heard you say it," Swiftpaw replied, yawning.

Hero snorted. "I've never said that."

"Yeah, you have," Swiftpaw challenged, rolling her eyes as Jayflight snickered from behind them. The apprentice trotted alongside him in an attempt to keep pace. "While you were talking to yourself."

"I don't talk to myself," Hero objected, and immediately received a few thinly veiled snorts of disagreement. "What?"

Smokewhisker exhaled, laughing under his breath. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but you do talk to yourself. Fairly often, actually."

"I don't-" Hero snapped, then cut himself off. "Alright, Swiftpaw, tell me exactly what I was saying when you heard that phrase."

"Oh, I dunno," Swiftpaw drawled, sharing an impish look with Snowpaw. "I think you were complimenting yourself."

Hero exhaled, aware of the burning sensation he felt in his ears. "Well, uh..."

"What? Would you like me to elaborate?" Swiftpaw continued, putting a bit of a skip in her step and appearing to imitate Hero as she spoke her next words. "'Oh, Hero, you're so smart and talented. We totally respect your decisions and opinions-"

"Yes, yes, alright!" Hero muttered, and Swiftpaw flashed him a jovial grin before falling back a few paces behind him.

The cats continued to inform Hero of the entire discussions he held with himself at regular intervals, and Hero remained embarrassed about his apparent choice of topic, which for the most part was himself. However, they promptly fell silent as they reached what was commonly referred to as an uptown residential area.

The stone here was bright and gleaming, and the intricately constructed buildings were embellished with various decorative objects. The place seemed to have more character than a majority of the dismal grey buildings, and the mood was lifted instantly as they came upon the first house.

"What is this place?" Snowpaw asked, eyes wide with curiosity. This part of the city was somewhat elevated, and though it couldn't be seen this low to the ground, the view from here was breathtaking. Hero would have to remember to try and show it to his new companions.

"Well," Hero began, starting forward and gesturing for the other cats to follow, "This is one of the nicer areas in the East District. A lot of the kittypets here are wealthier, so they're often able to keep peace with Faction cats, and it's generally a fairly safe area, long as you stay within certain boundaries. There are even some kittypet Factions."

Swiftpaw scrunched up her nose with distaste. "There are kittypets here? And they actually have power?"

"It's not uncommon," Hero responded, then stopped short and frowned. "Hey, I was a kittypet!"

Swiftpaw only blinked in return. "What's your point?"

Hero sighed, shaking his head to dismiss her remark, while Snowpaw kneaded the stone with his paws in impatience. "So who do we need to talk to to find Whiteshadow?"