EOTW: Sasha's Calling: Chapter Six

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War
Novella 5: Sasha's Calling
Chapter Six

     “The visitors are here!”

     Sasha lifted her head, still blinking the last of sleep from her eyes. All around her, warriors were waking up, blinking groggily and pricking their ears towards the den's entrance. Most of them had been roused by Birdshade's cry – though a few were still asleep in their nests.

     While the rest of the warriors started out of the den, Sasha crossed over to Shrewtooth's nest. It had been the black deputy, together with Frecklewish, who suggested that Sasha move into the warrior's den. Sasha had hesitated for a bit before agreeing to it. Her nest had been in the warrior's den for the last few nights. Much as Sasha hated to admit it, she had missed the feeling of pelts beside her own as she slept, and was glad to be able to sleep beside other cats again.

     “Shrewtooth,” she murmured, nudging the deputy with one paw. The black tom shifted, one hind paw twitching. “Wake up, something's going on in camp.”

     The tom's lip twitched in his sleep, his brow furrowing. A low whimper escaped him. Sasha nudged him a little harder with her paw, only for the tom's head to shoot up. Sasha took a step back in surprise as Shrewtooth gasped and panted, eyes bugging out with fear, pelt and tail trembling. Her ears flew back in shock. The deputy looked completely terrified.

     “Shrewtooth?” The deputy's terrified gaze slid to her. Sasha had no idea what was going on, but she could see that her friend was stuck in his panic, and needed to be drawn out. “It's Sasha – you're in your nest, you're with your Clan,” she said in a tone of forced calm. “It's okay.”

     Shrewtooth blinked a few times, staring at Sasha with blank terror in his eyes, before recognition began to flare there instead. Slowly, his hackles began to lower, and his trembling faded away. “Sasha?” he rasped. Though he was calmer now, terror still lingered in his eyes.

     “Yes, it's me.” She reached her muzzle towards the black tom, but he flinched away, so she pulled back, giving the tom his space. “Are you alright?”

     The tom let out a slow breath, pulling his tail in towards himself and shifting himself into a more comfortable sitting position. “I'm okay,” he murmured. “Just a bad dream. It happens sometimes.” He turned his gaze back to Sasha, looking calmer now, but weary. “What's going on?”

     “Birdshade said something about visitors being in camp,” Sasha explained. “I figured you would want to be awake to see who was here.”

     “Yes, thank you,” Shrewtooth mewed. He pushed slowly onto his paws, stretching out each limb before straightening out again.

     Sasha looked over her friend uncertainly. “Do you want to wait a moment before going out there?” she asked. While he seemed a lot calmer, she could see fur along his back still prickling uncomfortably.

     He shook his head. “I'm alright,” he insisted. His yellow-green gaze softened as he added, “But thank you.” On stiff legs he headed to the den's entrance. The tom paused for a moment, taking a moment to collect himself, before padding out of the den. Sasha followed after him.

     The light of early morning was only just starting to trickle down into the snowy gorge. In the shadows cast by the gorge walls, cats were crowding around something near the camp's entrance, mewing excitedly to each other. Sasha could only just spot new pelts among the crowd, but she couldn't see them very well. A flash of black fur was all that she could make out. “Who are these visitors anyway?” she asked Shrewtooth, hoping to distract him from his unease with the question.

     “You're not the only outsider we've offered shelter to,” Shrewtooth answered, his voice sounding stronger now. “Every so often, usually around leafbare, some local rogues and loners like to live in our camp and hunt with us during hard hunting times. It means more mouths to feed, but it's also more hunters, so it works out. A lot of these cats have become friends to our Clan over time.” There was a bright gleam to his eyes as he approached the crowd, Sasha following behind him. The loner was glad to see he looked happier at the prospect of greeting old friends. She just hoped that whatever had frightened him so much in his dreams wouldn't stay with him all day. She knew all too well how long things like that could stay in a cat's mind and refuse to go away.

     Shrewtooth led Sasha to the center of the crowd, where the newcomers stood. Creekfeather and Goldentail were nuzzling a golden tabby she-cat while two younger gray cats stood nearby. “That's Creekfeather's mate, Tetra,” Shrewtooth murmured to Sasha. The loner's ears flicked back in surprise. “The paler she-cat is their daughter, Dahlia, who lives as a loner with her mother. Stream is their daughter too, but she has a den nearby and lives as a rogue. Goldentail is the only one from the litter who chose to live with the Clan.”

     “He has a mate outside of the Clan?” Sasha murmured back, unable to keep the surprise from her mew. “And that's allowed?”

     “No point in not allowing it, when we have cats who live outside of the Clan half the time anyway,” he answered. “And there aren't any other Clans to challenge our loyalties. Creekfeather loves Tetra, but he lives with the Clan and puts them first when needed, so it all works out.” While Sasha struggled with this new information, Shrewtooth approached the three she-cats. “It's good to see you all again,” he said in a friendly purr.

     Sharpstar pushed his way to the front of the crowd, his head held high and a proud gleam to his green eyes. “Welcome, all of you,” he rumbled. The rest of the Clan cats stepped back to give their leader room to face the newcomers. “It is good to see you here again.” He dipped his head to the she-cats, saying, “Tetra, you and your kits are welcome here, as always. We look forward to hunting with you.”

     The leader turned his attention next to the rest of the visitors. “Coal, Shelia, it's good to see you again.” One of the rogues, the black tom named Coal, dipped his head respectfully to the leader. Shelia just flicked her tail. Sharpstar's gaze fell to Shelia's paws, softening with affection. “And I see we have some new visitors to meet,” he added in a purr.

     “Of course.” Sasha blinked. Something was familiar about the tom's voice, but she couldn't quite place it. The tattered, scruffy tom pressed against Shelia's side, lowering his muzzle to her paws. “Sharpstar, SkyClan, I'd like for you to meet our kits,” he purred. He nudged them forward one by one, mewing, “These are our daughters, Storm and Leaf, and our son Patch. I've been telling them all about SkyClan. They couldn't wait to meet you.”

     Suddenly, it clicked. “Coal!” Sasha gasped. “You're the one that was hurt by that work folk!”

     Everyone fell silent, turning to Sasha in surprise. Coal himself looked confused for a few moments, before recognition flared in his eyes. “You're that rogue she-cat that came in before I was hurt, aren't you?” he realized. “You're... Sasha, right?”

     “Yes, that's me,” Sasha mewed. She approached Coal, who flicked his tail in a friendly way as she touched her nose to his. “It's good to see you again.”

     “You two know each other?” Birdshade asked. The black tom stood nearby, still watching the loners after having announced their arrival.

     Coal nodded. “I used to live in a different forest, but twolegs started destroying it, and they captured a lot of cats from the area and closed them up in mesh dens. I was captured by them, and so was Sasha. One of the twolegs pushed me against the mesh and hurt my leg.”

     “I remember that,” Sasha murmured. “That twoleg was vicious.” She could still hear Coal's screech of pain ringing in her ears, and remember the fear that had shot through her when she realized just how ruthless their captors were. It was the first time she had ever been frightened of a twoleg in her life. It had only made her happy life with Ken and Jean seem that much longer ago.

     “A forest cat named Leafpaw helped me to stop the bleeding,” Coal continued. “I never forgot her kindness. After a bunch of other forest cats came to help us escape, I vowed to try to be a friend to other cats in need, like Leafpaw and the others had been for me.” He glanced at his tabby daughter, warmth glowing in his eyes as he added, “I named Leaf after her, in memory of what she did for me.”

     Surprise pricked at Sasha's pelt. Before he'd been injured by the twoleg, Coal had seemed like a grumpy and hostile sort of tom, refusing to interact with anyone until he was wounded. But there was an air of openness and friendliness around the black tom now, a bright gleam to his amber eyes, that hadn't been there before. Though the change surprised Sasha, it was nice to see that the tom had made a happier life for himself after being captured by the twolegs.

     “Leafpaw?” Sharpstar repeated, gaze sharpening with interest. He glanced at Sasha. “Didn't you say that was the name of Firestar's daughter.”

     “That's her,” Sasha confirmed. “She's the one training to be a medicine cat. She was only an apprentice when she was captured with the rest of us, but she acted with the maturity of a much older healer when she helped Coal with his leg. She must be a fine medicine cat by now.”

     Warmth glowed in Sharpstar's eyes. “I'm glad to hear it,” he rumbled. “If that is the case, then I'm glad that she carries Leafstar's name.” His gaze slid to Leaf, adding, “And I'm sure your daughter will be just as worthy of it.” The kit looked surprised by the leader's praise, but after a moment, she drew her head up shyly, joy shining in her eyes.

     “Thank you, Sharpstar,” Coal purred. The rest of SkyClan moved in again, purring their greetings to the loner family. While Coal returned their greetings with friendly replies of his own, Sasha's gaze was drawn to Shelia. The gray-and-white mate of Coal seemed less enthused than her mate to be surrounded by Clan cats. There was a sharpness to her gaze that made Sasha uneasy. When Shelia caught Sasha staring, she turned to meet her look with a challenging gaze of her own. Sasha held her gaze for a few moments, her eyes narrowed, before turning away. Maybe she was imagining things. The she-cat might just not be very friendly. But she couldn't shake the feeling of unease Shelia's gaze had given her.

     Just as the crowd started to break up, a call came from outside of the camp's entrance. “The daylight warriors are here!” Sasha looked up. Moments after the call rang out, Ebonyclaw, Harveymoon, Macgyver, and Frecklewish padded into camp. Kayleepaw and Rufuspaw bounded alongside of the older warriors, followed more slowly by Luckyleaf and Cosettecloud. Even Cassia was with them, following behind the Clan cats. All of the daylight cats headed straight towards the newcomers as they arrived.

     “Tetra! Dahlia! You're back!” Kayleepaw headed straight for her mentor's family, purring wildly as she bumped muzzles with them. “Creekfeather said you'd be coming to stay soon!”

     “Of course,” Dahlia purred. The tabby was paler than her warrior father, and she had her mother's eyes, but there was something about the way she spoke and held herself that was very similar to Creekfeather. She shoved Kayleepaw's shoulder with her own, purring, “We couldn't wait to see you bunch of mousebrains again.” Kayleepaw closed her eyes, purring gleefully. Sasha's whiskers twitched – it was no surprise that the cheery apprentice was friends with the Clan's visitors.

     Ebonyclaw came up to Shelia, purring, “Why don't we get you and your kits set up in the nursery? I'm sure my kits will love to meet them.”

     For a moment, something like disdain flashed in Shelia's eyes. She hesitated, then after a moment, gave a curt nod. “Alright,” she mewed. Ebonyclaw fell in beside Shelia, pressing against the loner's pelt as she led her and her kits towards the nursery. The rest of the crowd began to break up as well. Tetra and Creekfeather headed towards the warrior's den together, while Dahlia allowed Kayleepaw and Rufuspaw to lead her towards the fresh-kill pile, Kayleepaw chattering excitedly all the way. Stream looked a bit more awkward around all of the Clan cats, but Goldentail pressed against her sister's side, giving her a reassuring purr. After a few moments, Stream allowed her to lead her towards the warrior's den.

     “I think they're going to be busy settling in with the Clan for a while.” Sasha turned, surprised to see Shrewtooth standing beside her once again. There was a friendly gleam to the deputy's eyes. “Want to get out of camp for a while? You can meet our visitors properly later.”

     Sasha curled her tail. “Sounds good to me,” she purred. She allowed Shrewtooth to lead her out into the forest, leaving the bustling camp and its new visitors behind them. There was an instant feeling of peace being in the woods with just Shrewtooth at her side. The tom seemed to feel it too. He held himself with a much more confident air now that they were away from the camp, a happier glow in his eyes. Sasha was glad to see him recovered from his earlier dreams.

     “It's good to see Coal again,” she commented once they'd been walking for a while. “He was badly hurt when that twoleg shoved him. I did wonder what happened to him after we escaped.”

     “He's told us about the twolegs capturing him before, but he never mentioned Leafpaw or Clan cats,” Shrewtooth mewed thoughtfully. “I'm glad to hear that Clan cats helped him before, though. Coal's a good cat.”

     Sasha glanced at him curiously. “And his mate?” she asked, trying to sound casual. It had been such a small thing, but something had really bothered her about the way Shelia had been looking at the Clan cats around her. There had been... disdain, almost, in her eyes. Like all of the cats in camp were beneath her notice.

     Shrewtooth shrugged. “Shelia was with Coal the first time the Clan met him,” he told her. “She's quieter than Coal, and she can be a bit fussy about things, but she's harmless. She's just not used to living with so many cats.”

     Sasha nodded, but privately she couldn't help but wonder whether Shrewtooth was wrong about the loner. There was just something about Shelia's manner that made her suspicious. Determination hardened in her gut. She would just have to keep an eye on the loner – she couldn't let SkyClan be hurt by a cat they trusted, if Shelia really did mean trouble.

     A jolt of surprise hit her as she realized just how protective she felt about SkyClan. The thought of any cat wanting to hurt or look down on them was filling her with hard anger. Sasha paused – panic began to flutter in her gut. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to get this attached to SkyClan. She was leaving them, she had wanted to stay distant, so she couldn't be hurt by them. And yet she could feel the same protective surge for them that she had once felt as a mother, with her kits cowering behind her as the farm kittens attacked them.

     “Sasha?” Shrewtooth's mew broke Sasha out of her thoughts. She blinked, turning to the black tom. He was staring at her with a curious expression. “Are you alright?” he asked.

     She gave her head a quick shake to clear it. “Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine,” she mewed hastily.

     Shrewtooth watched her for a few moments, still seeming concerned, before blinking. “I wanted to thank you for this morning,” he mewed, changing the subject, to Sasha's relief. “I don't have nightmares like that as often as I used to, but they still happen every now and again. Thank you for being patient with me.”

     “Of course!” Sasha mewed. She flicked her tail against his flank, giving a friendly purr. “It's the least I can do, after all you've done to help me.” She paused, that feeling of anxiety pricking at her again. Her friendship with the black tom really had come to mean a lot to her, more than she would have ever guessed. Had she made a mistake in letting herself get too close to SkyClan?

     Shrewtooth flicked one ear, giving a grateful purr. “I'm glad you decided to stay for a while,” he murmured. Before Sasha could let herself be lost to worry again, he touched his nose briefly to her ear, then bounded away, mischief gleaming in his eyes. “Bet you can't catch me!” he crowed, lashing his tail joyously as his paws sent snow flying up behind him.

     Joy quickly overtook the worry in Sasha's heart. It had been so many moons since she'd let herself play such an innocent game with a good friend. “Don't count on it!” Forgetting her pride and her promises to herself for a moment, Sasha dashed after the tom, purring her laughter as they ran in the snow together. Worries about Shelia and leaving could wait until later.