The days stretched on and on. Countless sunrises and sunsets painted the horizon as the ship sailed into the empty distance. After their acquaintance, Captain decided he would stay with the travelers in the hull.
Even now, his bright calico fur was mashed beside Olive and Smog's black coats. He had helped them a lot, with prey and a few herbs he could find amongst the twoleg's belongings.
Drizzle had healed; but, as Brokensong had feared, she had internal injuries. Some mornings she would cough up blood, or she could barely find the energy to breathe.
Pineheart no longer felt nauseated by the constant roll of the boat along the waves. He had even ventured onto the deck a couple of times the past few nights. It had calmed him to see Silverpelt stretched across the night sky, as calm and serine as ever.
Everyone had been aware that the weather they had become accustomed was not the same. The typical cool, alpine breeze had dwindled. At the start of every new day, they were greeted with heat that only got worse with time.
Captain had informed them that this was the path the ship always took down the coast. Soon, they would stop at their destination.
"Hey, would you come take a walk with me?" Elkleap's deep meow snapped him out of his trance.
"Err.. yeah," he replied hastily. Elkleap shot him a questioning glance but didn't say a thing as they trotted out of the doorway. After a short climb up the stairs, they leaped out into the intense sunshine that beat down onto the deck.
Pineheart could hear the constant splash of the waves as they slapped against the boat. There were no twolegs out here now. Or where they Dockworkers?
Everything's just so different out here, he thought in distress.
The pair started to take a straight path beside the raised railing on the edge of the deck. The salty tang of sea air washed over Pineheart's nose.
"What was it you wanted to talk about?" He inquired.
Elkleap slowed and turned his head to look at Pineheart. He could see that his eyes were still haunted, void of emotion after Sun'ka's death.
But she could have survived, Pineheart reminded himself. But that was unlikely.
"I wanted to just tell you... how much I appreciate you still being here with us," Elkleap murmured, "I know it was hard to leave Blizzardstar, and our home. I didn't realize that until I had Sun'ka."
Pineheart's heart twisted at his words. "I never really had a family. My mother died when I was young, and my father never really wanted anything to do with me," he confessed.
"Shimmerpaw was my first apprentice," he continued, "I was finally starting to know what it felt like to truly care about another cat."
Elkleap shut his eyes and turned to face away for a few moments. Pineheart could see his tail as it shivered with depression. Pineheart stepped closer and touched his tailtip to his companion's side.
"I could have believed we would have stayed on the Docks with Sun'ka," Elkleap whispered.
"I think we all could have," Pineheart admitted, "and now they had to come with us."
"Do you think they'll want to join IceClan permanently?" Elkleap wondered out loud.
Pineheart realized that he hadn't really thought about that. Olive and Smog hadn't really tried to interact much with the Clan cats since the ship's departure. Talon had stuck close to Sootsplash and Lionpaw. Pineheart knew he still harbored guilt for Meadowshine's disappearance.
He was fairly certain Stone and Lily would want to stay in their new home. They had always been kind and friendly towards all of the IceClan cats.
"We will just have to see," Pineheart replied. He turned his head to the right to look through the railing at the edge of the boat. All he could see was the endless roll of the ocean.
To their surprise, they could detect the patter of pawsteps as someone approached from behind. Pineheart glanced back to see the multi colored pelt of Captain.
His slender legs glided over the wooden deck, his thin tail waved in the air behind him. "You seem to have finally acquired your sea legs," he teased.
"We just came out for a private chat," Elkleap replied casually.
"Oh, well don't let me interrupt you," he laughed as he started to trot past the two warriors.
A lone seagull cried out as it soared past the massive wooden ship. Captain looked up as it passed, his eyes fixed on the white feathered bird.
"They usually only screech like that when we are getting close to land," Captain observed, "should be there by tomorrow morning."
Pineheart reared back onto his hind legs in an attempt to see a shape in the distance. But the usual blue and green blanket of the ocean was all he could see.
"We should go tell the others," Elkleap remarked as he stood to leave.
Captain snickered softly, his elegant whiskers bobbed with the rhythm. "There's no reason to rush. We can just relax in the sun for now," he offered.
Elkleap rolled his eyes, "don't you get tired of sunbathing all day?" he retorted gently.
Captain lifted a paw and drew it up over his ears. A purr escaped his parted jaws. "Don't you get tired of being high strung all day?" Captain responded.
Pineheart had to suppress a giggle. Captain had certainly gotten used to their company. Elkleap narrowed his eyes, ready to deliver a hasty retort. But Captain was faster.
"Besides, I would imagine you'd want to rest as much as you can before we reach land. From what I've heard, you have lots of work to do once we get to shore," Captain pointed out.
"Yeah... a warrior's work is never done," Elkleap confirmed, "we will have to find a new camp and make sure to scout the land for danger."
Captain's face twisted with disgust. "That sounds like a lot of work," he spat.
Elkleap swished his tail, his whiskers twitched with amusement. "I guess that means you wouldn't want to join us?" he guessed.
"Ahh, no... I couldn't leave the twolegs and the ocean," he replied, "besides, I'm sure a gator would snap me up in a heartbeat."
Gator. The word rang in his ears, louder than the crash of the waves.
Elkleap didn't seem to notice the sea cat's unknown word. He turned around to face towards the doorway back down into the hull.
"Well, I still should go and talk to the others," he insisted, "we will have to figure out what we are going to do once we arrive."
"Whatever," Captain murmured.
The calico tom bounded away in the direction of the front of the boat. Elkleap already started to pad away, through the entryway and down into the hull.
Pineheart wasn't sure he wanted to descend into the darkness just yet. He quickly leaped after Captain's trail.
He found the tom perched precariously on the bow of the ship. He overlooked the ocean as the ship's body blasted through the heave of the waves.
"Is it safe to be up there?" Pineheart asked seriously as he neared.
"If it wasn't, do you think I'd be up here?" he retorted.
Carefully, Pineheart pulled himself up onto the long, wooden beam beside Captain. The view shocked him into silence. The sun had started to set, the sky splashed with rays of orange and a deep red. The soft blue smear of the ocean stretched into the distance.
But, there was something else there too. A barely noticeable speck against the skyline. "We will be there by morning," Captain remarked as he stared at the endless expanse of ocean.
"Is there a lot of dangerous stuff there?" Pineheart asked warily. He remembered Captain's remark about the gators. But what other dangers would await them?
"The world is full of dangerous stuff," Captain purred, "the key is to learn to live alongside it. I'm sure you will all be fine."
Pineheart closed his eyes as a fierce breeze overtook his senses. It smelled faintly of lush vegetation, but also the tangy sting of smoke.
"I wish I could feel that way," Pineheart murmured.
Captain sighed as he reached his tail around to rest against Pineheart's side. "You have traveled far. I have no doubt this island is where you're supposed to be. Don't deny that your ancestors have led you to the perfect home."
Pineheart leaned into Captain's silky fur. He breathed in deeply as he imagined how their lives would change once more.
After a few more moments of thought, he finally opened his eyes once more. The speck still hovered at the edge of his vision. "I believe you," he whispered.