Camp was mostly quiet, a serene breeze whispering through the cove. Many warriors were gathered around sharing tongues. Callashine animatedly recalled a time he survived a two-leg attack, while Sealshadow sat to the side with Piperwhisker grooming his pelt the color of sun-warmed sand. The undersized BluffClan deputy had been debating with himself on whether or not he should ask Stonestar for an apprentice. 

"I've never had one, so it would be good experience. ...But, I don't want to seem needy or anything by asking Stonestar for an apprentice...," the golden-brown tabby sighed, looking to Sealshadow for advice. 

"The elders told me once that in the old Clans, deputies had to have trained an apprentice to be a deputy," she offered, her eyes tracing Piperwhisker's white paws. He softened, purring. 

"Maybe I should just ask him them." They were quiet for a moment, Sealshadow's tail flicking back and forth as she usually did. Piperwhisker's gaze had risen to rest on Callashine in the distance. "Does Callashine seem... off at all? To you?" Sealshadow shook her head.

"No, he's good." Piperwhisker nodded. 

"Okay. I just... I get worried about you, y'know? I just think about what happened when we were apprentices in the ocean... I don't want you to get hurt." She let her gaze rise to meet his for a heartbeat before turning away. The ocean... the blood.... She could remember it. The memories crashed down on her like the salty waves did from that night. Cats were yelling at the shore, trying to call her back. 

"Sealpaw! Sealpaw, come back! He's already gone, it already got him!"  She couldn't stop though. Kelppaw could still be out here. He could still--. Another wave washed over her, pulling her under the water. She choked for air, but only bubbles streamed out and disappeared into the depths. Instead of air, she received a mouthful of shocking salt water just covering the irony taste of blood present. She fought to the surface, her head breaking through the choppy waters. She coughed violently, water spitting out of her mouth. She couldn't find him anywhere. It got him. The... barracuda. It got him. He's gone. I can't even find his body... just blood. Another wave tumbled down, though instead of pulling her deep under, it gave her a hearty push back toward shore. She felt jaws on her scruff, and in the half-light of the moon's rays, she made out the determined look of Piperpaw. 

The ocean back then... it had been the time where they had all shown their true colors. Piperpaw, the tiny tom who seemed incapable, fought the current to retrieve her. Dolphinpaw and Raypaw who had dared Kelppaw to go out had been too scared to leave shore. 

Sealshadow stood up, looking out of camp's entrance. Sunlight poured in, stronger than before. It's sunhigh! It's time for me

"I won't get hurt. It's sunhigh, I hunt at sunhigh," she meowed simply. The deputy looked up at her with a soft look and nodded. 

"Good hunting, Sealshadow. Oh! It's supposed to rain later, I can feel it," he noted, and she dipped her head with thanks before setting out. 

The warrior made her way up the slope out of the camp's narrow entrance, padding out into the loose, sandy terrain. The air was humid and an uncomfortable heat had settled in the air. I should hunt quickly so I don't have to be in this heat too long. I want to go back to camp where it's nice and cool.... The clouds were thickly rolling across the horizon, separating where the bright blue sky met the deep hues of the ocean. The water were choppier than usual, so she decided against trying to hunt for anything in the waters. She pad along the bluffs around the ocean's shore, her eyes falling on the tall beachgrass that marked a possible hunting spot. She cracked open her jaws slightly checked the air, and the scent of sandpiper filled her mouth. She dropped down to the ground, but flicked her ears back as she heard the the shuffling of paws racing through the sand. 

"Sealshadow!" Her name rang out, and she sighed as she saw the small pale brown and white bird take off from the grasses. 

"You made the sandpiper fly away," she meowed flatly as Callashine trotted up. His blue eyes were bright with happiness, and a small smile touched his face. 

"I'm sorry, I'll make it up. I just have a request for you!" He purred brightly. She stood up straight and tipped her head to the side curiously. "I want to meet with you tonight at The Cliffs! I have something important to ask you...!" She felt a purr in her throat and dipped her head. 

"Okay." He jumped into the air happily, and she took a step back so she didn't get sprayed with sand as he landed.

"I can't wait. Here, I'll do your hunting for you to make up for what I did," she tipped her head to the side and he nodded. "Really, I will. Go on." He purred, and she nodded, turning around with her tail high with happiness. Callashine has something he wants to tell me and he's doing my hunting in this heat? Her fur warmed, and not from the harsh sunlight. The whole prophecy thing really is a lie. There's no way Callashine could be some evil cat-- he's only been good to me this whole time. He's done nothing but be kind to the Clan. He plays with the kits, and is friends with everyone. Dolphincloud doesn't mess with me anymore because of him, too. 

The sleek warrior hastily retreated from the heat of the day, the sand warm on her pawpaws. I didn't hunt today, so I still need to do something for the Clan.... Her eyes caught the snowy white pelt of Cloudpaw as she disappeared into the elder's den. I can help with the apprentices' chores in the elders den!  She started down the slope toward the elder's den built near the great, big, mostly blockaded, emergency exit. The den was built of mud, palm branches, and drift wood slanted against the cavern's walls. The sound of the ocean's lulling waves could clearly be made out from the elder's den, and was one of Sealshadow's favorite parts of being in the den. She had always loved listening to elder's stories with the sloshing of water falling over itself in the background. 

The den was dim, but after a moment she could easily make out the three elders resting in their nests along with Cloudpaw working away with the familiar sharp scent of sand sedge. The snowy she-cat was carefully working at the ginger tabby Sumacleap's nest, lining the palm and feather nest with a layer of sand sedge on the bottom to protect the nest from sand fleas. 

"Nina, look! It's Sealshadow!" Sumacleap purred, his eyes closing as he purred. Cloudpaw turned with a grin. 

"Sealshadow, coming to give me a paw...?" she meowed hopefully. The spotted she-cat nodded.

"You Sealshadow, you're too good to us older cats," Nina purred roughly with a gravely voice. Her ruffled black pelt was lined with scars, and an ear was completely shredded in half. 

"Well, Callashine did my hunting for me so I wanted to help somewhere else," she meowed simply, picking up a few strands of sedge from Cloudpaw's pile, and started on Nina's nest. 

"Oh! Sealshadow's here!" Otterblossom picked up her head from where she lay. The elderly tortoiseshell had been losing her once-sharp senses when Sealshadow was still a kit. However, her clouded hazel eyes were still soft and bright with kindness as they slowly focused on Sealshadow's form. 

"Yes, I already said that!" Sumacleap flicked his tail with a gruff smile. "Say, that Callashine is a fine young cat! He's visited us once or twice." 

"That's once or twice more than my own son has visited. Vinesplash hasn't come around in moons!" Otterblossom lamented. 

"Callashine did your hunting for you? That's lucky...! He does like you a lot, though!" Cloudpaw purred, her tail swishing back and forth as she weaved the sedge messily. Sealshadow thoughtfully tucked in the long, dark grass through Nina's bed as the dark elder licked a paw slowly.

"He wants to talk to me tonight, he told me to come to the Cliffs and meet him." Cloud jumped up, her fur fluffing up with excitement. 

"Sealshadow, he's probably going to ask you to be his mate!"

"...Mate?"

"Yeah! Kangaroostep told me if two cats really like each other, they can ask each other to become mates! Mates have to be good to each other though; if they're mean to you or if they do bad things, then they aren't a good mate," she meowed the second part with a serious look in her eye, as if repeating Kangaroostep's exact words and intonation. Otterblossom's eyes shone as she nodded in agreement. 

"Callashine is going to ask you an important question, huh?" Sealshadow jumped as Albatrossleaf pad in. The medicine cat set down a leaf holding a chewed up poultice. Sealshadow paused, unsure. 

"I don't... know. Cloudpaw thinks so," her tail swished back and forth, and she began kneading the ground with her paws. 

"Don't worry, it'll be okay," The soft-furred white and gray she-cat ducked her head. "You just have to tell him how you feel; if you don't want to then tell him that. If you don't feel comfortable, you can come back to the medicine den and I'll help you." Sealshadow hummed softly and nodded. "Here, Sumacleap, I have something to soothe those sand flea bites...," Sealshadow stood up, backing away from Nina's nest. Too noisy. Too noisy. Too much... stuff happening, I have to leave.

"I... have to go." She meowed suddenly, turning and leaving the den. She made her way over to her shadowed spot, circling before sitting down. It had gotten to noisy and simply... too much. Sealshadow closed her eyes, breathing slowly in and out. After a few moments, she blinked open her eyes. Callashine was making his way down the slope into camp with a sandpiper in his jaws. He dropped the prey at the pile, and waved his tail to call over someone he had made eye contact with. She blinked as Piperwhisker made his way from outside the warriors den, and the pair shared a few words before the smaller tom dipped his head, and they left camp. She tipped her head to the side with interest. Callashine must have a lot on his mind to have a private conversation with Piperwhisker and with me in one day. She turned to her fur and drew her tongue over her paw to clean herself. She felt her ears warm, and her stomach turned with nervous happiness. What if Cloudpaw is right? What if Callashine like likes me? 

+++

Crimson light bled across the horizon, blooming into the darkening hues of the oncoming night sky. Dark clouds blotted out much of the sky, giving a sickly darkness to the warm air. Sealshadow made her way up the of slope out of camp, which had settled down for the most part. Apprentices and kits with their mother's had already gone off to their nests, while a few warriors were still sharing tongues in the darkness of oncoming night. The dark spotted tabby crossed the bluff overlooking the beach. Waves tossed and turned violently, spilling over onto each other with a violent force. She padded along, carefully avoiding brush and vines that stuck out and fighting the urge to stop as she heard the chirp of a cricket deep in the oat grass. The cliffs were just ahead of her. It was a spot where the land grew tall before sharply falling to the rocky shores. 

Sealshadow tread up the grassy slope, her heart fluttering in her chest as she saw the white tom at the top of the cliffside, overlooking the stormy ocean crashing below. 

"...Callashine...?" her voice was just loud enough to be heard over the waves.

"Sealshadow...!" he mowed with a purr, though he had his back to her still. Something was.. off. She continued up the hillside.

"What did you want to tell me?" she meowed bluntly, but excitement buzzed in her chest. 

"You're just in time." The wind shifted, and started to pick up. A sick scent washed over her, turning her stomach. That's the smell... of blood. She crested over the top of the cliffside, and her eyes fell to where the cliffside gently sloped before cutting down sharply. A a lump of fur was sprawled on the ground, blood soaking the familiar golden brown tabby pelt. "I told you I want to bring a new life into this Clan. This is me, ending an era. I wanted you to be here for it." Her eyes tore away from the lump of fur up to Callashine. She realized what was off about Callashine:  crimson red stained his muzzle and paws, and a few cuts marred his pristine coat. 

"What... did you do to him...?" she whispered. "P-Piperwhisker?" 

"Help me finish off the the old BluffClan. We'll rebuild it in a way that I envision it, a way that respects every member and every aspect of life. Starting with Piperwhisker."

//

an

I had everything up until this last divider done for the last month but I wanted to have this cliffhanger and I JUST got around to writing it thanks to corona break. Expect the next chapter soon, although Animal Crossing is coming out tomorrow sooooo..................