Venom Within - WARRIOR CATS

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Howdy."

I nodded awkwardly to a white she-cat with dark grey markings, who was slouched against a rock. She grinned at me, revealing flashing sharp white fangs.

Owlpaw led the way, tail held high, while I slunk quietly after her. I felt the gazes of countless cats flit over the two of us. There were loud, powerful meows, and the sound of countless cats shifting to and fro. I kept my gaze lowered, instincts telling me to scram.

"Did you hear about the dead apprentice in DuneClan, Saltbreeze?"

Before I could stop myself, I had jerked my head towards where two OasisClan cats were sitting together. The cat who had just spoken, a black cat, gave a small shudder, leaning towards their clanmate.

"DuneClan has always been a dangerous clan, Nightdance," Saltbreeze whispered softly, pressing close to the black warrior. "That's why we stay away from them, besides at gatherings."

"I heard there was a vicious snake," Nightdance breathed out the words.

I stiffened, and averted my eyes. I watched them begin to speak of the deadly snake incident, over exaggerating the size of the fire-bellied monster, and Burrowpaw's dying screams.

"And then it struck one of them," Nightdance continued. "Pythonpaw. That's her name. Lizardtail told me that the poison made her go mad And then... then she laughed above the dead body of her clanmate!"

Their voice seemed to trail away as we neared. Owlpaw, I noted, was watching a bird fluttering overhead, entirely oblivious to Nightdance and Saltbreeze's conversation. Liar! How dare you call Burrowpaw dead?!

Anger made me thoughtless. I jerked my head towards her, and let out a soft growl. Nightdance backed away. I saw real terror in her eyes. She wasn't just scared, she was petrified, of me, an apprentice who could barely survive a fight with a rogue.

"Hello," Owlpaw said, noting the OasisClan cats' continued stares. "Can we help you?"

"No," Saltbreeze said, shaking his head emphatically. "Would you like this spot? All yours! Apologies for any inconvenience?"

He nosed Nightdance, and the two older warriors quickly hurried off in the opposite direction. My heart seemed to be sinking into the earth as I saw several other OasisClan cats glance at us, and then avert their stare.

"Don't worry about them," Owlpaw said. "OasisClan cats love their little bubbles. They're just scared of us."

Scared of me, more like, I thought as the two of us padded away from the mass of cats. Many OasisClan cats were mingling with my clanmates, exchanging news of the past moon.

I wondered how many times Pythonpaw came up.

Owlpaw led me away from the bulk of the cats. I kept my gaze on the sand, my mind whirling over all that I had just seen. Thankfully, none of my clanmates had called me out for being here. I was still dreading the moment Owlpw had to use her cover story.

The sky was rapidly growing darker. My paws felt weighted to the ground. Days of poor sleep paired with a ruthless training regime of running around the territory had left me completely exhausted. Above, the stars and warriors of GalaxyClan glittered coldly.

I was so fatigued that I nearly ran into Owlpaw's paws, when she stopped suddenly. A moment later, she let out a mrow.

"Pythonpaw, meet Morningpaw! Also Perentiepaw! And...Fernstalk?"

I glanced up at three cats, who looked more around Burrowpaw's age, who were settled around a slick grey stone. All of them had sleek pelts, rounder eyes, and broad shoulders. Two of the cats both had similar tufts on their ears and long, slender tails. I thought they were littermates, like Flamepaw and I.