Moss and Heather Chapter 2
Aug 30, 2015 11:47:12 GMT -5
Post by ~Hollyspark~ on Aug 30, 2015 11:47:12 GMT -5
Chapter 2
Heather woke up to see a roof over her head. She immediately relaxed. She was back into the barn, all safe in sound. No dogs or foxes can get her here.
“What should we do with them?” A voice asked from near by. Heather perked her ears up and listened.
“They’re barely apprentices. Maybe if they join…”
“It’s really Dappledstar’s decision.”
“And Featherflight’s. She’s been against the Clan since the battle.”
“She goes by Feather now.”
“Of course, if we can convince her…”
“That would be two new apprentices!”
“Not to mention another warrior. She always was one of the more committed warriors. Border patrols and hunting patrols every day.”
“Yeah, it was too bad she fell for that WindClan cat, Creekbreeze.”
“But Birchstripe, too! They were always great friends.”
“Really, it is her choice rather they stay or not.”
“Of course, but still…” The voices faded away.
After a few more minutes a tan she-cat came in. Heather looked around and realized that this was not actually the barn. It wasn’t a barn at all. It was much smaller and didn’t have hay nests instead it had just a few nests made of moss and bird feathers. It was actually more comfortable than hay.
The she-cat’s mew jolted Heather out of her thoughts. “Already awake? You look much better.”
Heather winced as she shifted positions in her nest. “I don’t feel much better.”
The cat gave a small mrrow of laughter. “You should’ve seen yourself yesterday. My name is Mapletail, by the way.”
Mapletail seemed like an odd name, but Heather didn’t mention it. “My name is Heather. Where am I? I heard other cats.”
Mapletail looked slightly confused. “We’re in ThunderClan camp. We kind of live in a big group around here.”
Heather immediately felt wary, despite Mapletail’s friendliness. Feather had taught her never to trust Clan cats.
“Where is Feather?” she suddenly demanded. Did ThunderClan capture her? And where’s Moss? Did the fox get him?
Just then Feather burst through the den. “You’re okay!” she cried, suddenly covering Heather in licks. “I was so worried!” She looked at Mapletail. “When will she be able to go back with us to the barn?”
Mapletail hesitated. “She’ll have to take it easy for a few days, definitely. She might be able to make it back to the barn tomorrow, but…”
“But…?” Feather prompted.
“But I think she should stay in camp until the scratch is completely healed, so if it’s reopened I can fix it. Besides…”
“Don’t give me another lecture about how nice it would be in the Clan!” Feather snapped. “The answer is and will always be no.”
Before Mapletail could answer, a small white she-cat with blue eyes that looked around the same age as Moss and Heather stepped in. “Hi!” She meowed brightly. “Dappledstar wants to see ya’ll.” She looked questioningly at Mapletail. “Would it be okay for her to go to her den, or…”
“Why don’t you tell Dappledstar that she can come in here?” she answered.
“Wait, you don’t think we can walk across the camp to Dappledstar’s den?” Feather asked, anger creeping into her mew.
“We shouldn’t risk letting the wound open again,” she explained calmly. “That’s all.”
“She can walk,” Feather hissed.
Mapletail shook her head, “No.”
“No? No? Are you suggesting that I don’t know what’s right for my own kit?”
For the first time, Mapletail’s hackles raised. “Are you suggesting that I don’t know what’s right for my patients? I was trained for this.”
“You’re treading on thin ice,” Feather growled. “I make the final decision.”
Heather was itching to go out and explore. “I’m fine.”
Mapletail looked at her sternly. “Dappledstar can come here.” She changed the subject. “You’re probably hungry. Dovepaw, can you grab something from the fresh-kill pile? Oh, and while you're out, go ahead and get Dappledstar.”
The young white she-cat nodded. “Sure.”
Heather lashed her tail. She was tired of being treated like a kit. “I’m not hungry,” she muttered.
The other cats either didn’t hear her or they ignored her. They had reached the point where they had their backs arched and were hissing.
Just then Dappledstar stepped in. She looked at Mapletail and Feather. “I am disappointed,” she meowed. “ThunderClan cats do not fight each other.”
“I’m not a ThunderClan cat,” Feather hissed.
Suddenly Moss came in from behind Heather. “You’re okay!” he exclaimed, racing over to her nest and covering her in licks. “I’m so sorry!”
Before Heather could answer, Dappledstar cleared her throat. “I wanted to talk to ya’ll about the fox. Where did the fight take place?”
Feather was already flicking her tail impatiently. “Probably in the same place the patrol found them,” she growled.
“Well, yes,” Dappledstar agreed. But where did the fox come from? I need details.”
“It came from the north,” Moss meowed.
“Was there anything else?”
“There was a dog, right in the middle of the fight. It came up and started barking. It didn’t attack or anything. The fox stopped and barked back. It was like they were communicating.”
“Is that all?” Dappledstar persisted.
Heather’s tail tip twitched in annoyance. What was the point of all this?
She started to zone out as Dappledstar asked more questions. Finally she sighed and stopped asking. "I was afraid this would happen," she meowed.
"What is it?" Feather asked.
"There has been many fox and dog attacks in all the Clans," Dappledstar explained. "But not one near ThunderClan territory. We'd been hoping that they wouldn't stray over here."
"Is there just one fox?" Moss wondered out loud.
She shook her head. "We're not sure how much, but there's definitely more than one." She looked at Feather. "You guys will be vulnerable in the barn. There is safety in numbers and, I have to say, you will be more likely to be attacked when you're in the barn.”
“We’ll be fine. But,” she sighed and looked at Heather. “I supposed we can stay here for a few days. But only until we’re able to go back to the barn.”
Dappledstar dipped her head. “Of course,” she meowed. “But’s it’s about time you tell them everything.”
Feather didn’t answer and left the den.
***
Moss stepped outside the medicine cat den. Colorful leaves blew in the air. Purring, he leaped up to grab one, pinning it down with his paws. He heard a mroww of laughter from one of the cats, an elderly black tom.
“I remember when I was that energetic,” the cat’s meow was raspy. “When I was your age, that was my favorite game during leaf-fall. ‘Who can catch the most leaves?’ we’d challenge each other. Of course, I’d always catch the most.”
Moss padded over to him. “What’s your name?” he asked.
“Don’t you remember me? I’m Nightwhisker.”
“Nice to meet you,” Moss meowed politely. “My name is-”
“I know your name,” Nightwhisker interrupted. You’re Frostkit.”
Moss cocked his head, confused. “It’s Moss.” he explained.
“Mosskit, Frostkit, whatever, ya’ll youngins don’t understand what it’s like to be forgetful like us elders.”
“Elders?”
“Ya know, old cats like me who stop being a warrior and go to the elder’s den. Of course, that doesn’t mean that we aren’t capable of doing anything. Why, I remember this one time…”
“Moss!” Birchstripe called, interrupting Nightwhisker. “Come here for a sec.”
“Um, that sounds very interesting,” he meowed hastily to Nightwhisker. “It really does, but I have to go. See you later!”
He ran up to Birchstripe. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I know you were talking to Nightwhisker. But I, um, I wanted to show you around. You know, before you leave and all that. I know, um, Featherflight, I mean, Feather, is opposed to you getting to know the Clan a little, but, I believe every cat should have a chance to get to know everything so they can make their own decision.” he looked uncomfortable. “So, I thought I should show you around. You already know your way around the camp by now, but you don’t know your way around ThunderClan territory.”
Moss nodded, suddenly excited. The camp was getting boring anyway, and he wanted a chance to explore outside the hollow.
“Well, lets go then,” Birchstripe meowed. He disappeared through the gorse tunnel, Moss close behind.
“So…” Moss decided to start a conversation as they walked through the forest. “Ya’ll have...different names than other cats. It seems like, I don’t know, two names put together. And Nightwhisker called me “Mosskit. Does that mean I’m a kit?”
Birchstripe shook his head. “You would be an apprentice, and your name would be Mosspaw. You see, the first part of your name always stay the same. Up until you’re six moons old, you would be Mosskit, then, while you’re training to become a warrior, you would be Mosspaw. Finally, when you’re ready to become a warrior, the leader chooses the last part of your name. Mine is ‘Stripe’. The warriors defend the Clan and hunt.”
“What about Dappledstar?” Moss asked. “She seems to be in control.”
“Well, she’s the leader. That’s why the last part of her name is ‘Star’. She has nine lives.”
“How did she get nine lives?”
Birchstripe shrugged. “She goes to the Moonstone to see StarClan, our ancestors. Only the medicine cat is allowed to see it, who is, as you may have already guessed, Mapletail.” She’s one of the most important cats in the Clan. If any of us gets hurt or sick, she can usually help.”
“Who’s the second most important cat?”
“The leader of course. Without a leader, we would all be running around, no rules, and we wouldn’t be able to survive.”
“And the third?”
“The deputy, which, not to brag, is me. The deputy is the leader when the leader dies or retires. Without a deputy, we wouldn’t know who the leader is when the current leader dies.”
“One last thing.” This is what Moss was wondering about ever since he got here. “Why does everyone act like I should know them?”
Birchstripe suddenly stopped. “Well,” he spoke slowly, as if he were choosing his words carefully. “You probably don’t remember any of them, but they all know you. After all, you were born here, in ThunderClan.”
Moss didn’t understand what he was hearing. “Does my dad live here?”
Birchstripe nodded. “Yes. Feather should be the one telling you this but…”
“Yes?”
“I’m your father.”
Heather woke up to see a roof over her head. She immediately relaxed. She was back into the barn, all safe in sound. No dogs or foxes can get her here.
“What should we do with them?” A voice asked from near by. Heather perked her ears up and listened.
“They’re barely apprentices. Maybe if they join…”
“It’s really Dappledstar’s decision.”
“And Featherflight’s. She’s been against the Clan since the battle.”
“She goes by Feather now.”
“Of course, if we can convince her…”
“That would be two new apprentices!”
“Not to mention another warrior. She always was one of the more committed warriors. Border patrols and hunting patrols every day.”
“Yeah, it was too bad she fell for that WindClan cat, Creekbreeze.”
“But Birchstripe, too! They were always great friends.”
“Really, it is her choice rather they stay or not.”
“Of course, but still…” The voices faded away.
After a few more minutes a tan she-cat came in. Heather looked around and realized that this was not actually the barn. It wasn’t a barn at all. It was much smaller and didn’t have hay nests instead it had just a few nests made of moss and bird feathers. It was actually more comfortable than hay.
The she-cat’s mew jolted Heather out of her thoughts. “Already awake? You look much better.”
Heather winced as she shifted positions in her nest. “I don’t feel much better.”
The cat gave a small mrrow of laughter. “You should’ve seen yourself yesterday. My name is Mapletail, by the way.”
Mapletail seemed like an odd name, but Heather didn’t mention it. “My name is Heather. Where am I? I heard other cats.”
Mapletail looked slightly confused. “We’re in ThunderClan camp. We kind of live in a big group around here.”
Heather immediately felt wary, despite Mapletail’s friendliness. Feather had taught her never to trust Clan cats.
“Where is Feather?” she suddenly demanded. Did ThunderClan capture her? And where’s Moss? Did the fox get him?
Just then Feather burst through the den. “You’re okay!” she cried, suddenly covering Heather in licks. “I was so worried!” She looked at Mapletail. “When will she be able to go back with us to the barn?”
Mapletail hesitated. “She’ll have to take it easy for a few days, definitely. She might be able to make it back to the barn tomorrow, but…”
“But…?” Feather prompted.
“But I think she should stay in camp until the scratch is completely healed, so if it’s reopened I can fix it. Besides…”
“Don’t give me another lecture about how nice it would be in the Clan!” Feather snapped. “The answer is and will always be no.”
Before Mapletail could answer, a small white she-cat with blue eyes that looked around the same age as Moss and Heather stepped in. “Hi!” She meowed brightly. “Dappledstar wants to see ya’ll.” She looked questioningly at Mapletail. “Would it be okay for her to go to her den, or…”
“Why don’t you tell Dappledstar that she can come in here?” she answered.
“Wait, you don’t think we can walk across the camp to Dappledstar’s den?” Feather asked, anger creeping into her mew.
“We shouldn’t risk letting the wound open again,” she explained calmly. “That’s all.”
“She can walk,” Feather hissed.
Mapletail shook her head, “No.”
“No? No? Are you suggesting that I don’t know what’s right for my own kit?”
For the first time, Mapletail’s hackles raised. “Are you suggesting that I don’t know what’s right for my patients? I was trained for this.”
“You’re treading on thin ice,” Feather growled. “I make the final decision.”
Heather was itching to go out and explore. “I’m fine.”
Mapletail looked at her sternly. “Dappledstar can come here.” She changed the subject. “You’re probably hungry. Dovepaw, can you grab something from the fresh-kill pile? Oh, and while you're out, go ahead and get Dappledstar.”
The young white she-cat nodded. “Sure.”
Heather lashed her tail. She was tired of being treated like a kit. “I’m not hungry,” she muttered.
The other cats either didn’t hear her or they ignored her. They had reached the point where they had their backs arched and were hissing.
Just then Dappledstar stepped in. She looked at Mapletail and Feather. “I am disappointed,” she meowed. “ThunderClan cats do not fight each other.”
“I’m not a ThunderClan cat,” Feather hissed.
Suddenly Moss came in from behind Heather. “You’re okay!” he exclaimed, racing over to her nest and covering her in licks. “I’m so sorry!”
Before Heather could answer, Dappledstar cleared her throat. “I wanted to talk to ya’ll about the fox. Where did the fight take place?”
Feather was already flicking her tail impatiently. “Probably in the same place the patrol found them,” she growled.
“Well, yes,” Dappledstar agreed. But where did the fox come from? I need details.”
“It came from the north,” Moss meowed.
“Was there anything else?”
“There was a dog, right in the middle of the fight. It came up and started barking. It didn’t attack or anything. The fox stopped and barked back. It was like they were communicating.”
“Is that all?” Dappledstar persisted.
Heather’s tail tip twitched in annoyance. What was the point of all this?
She started to zone out as Dappledstar asked more questions. Finally she sighed and stopped asking. "I was afraid this would happen," she meowed.
"What is it?" Feather asked.
"There has been many fox and dog attacks in all the Clans," Dappledstar explained. "But not one near ThunderClan territory. We'd been hoping that they wouldn't stray over here."
"Is there just one fox?" Moss wondered out loud.
She shook her head. "We're not sure how much, but there's definitely more than one." She looked at Feather. "You guys will be vulnerable in the barn. There is safety in numbers and, I have to say, you will be more likely to be attacked when you're in the barn.”
“We’ll be fine. But,” she sighed and looked at Heather. “I supposed we can stay here for a few days. But only until we’re able to go back to the barn.”
Dappledstar dipped her head. “Of course,” she meowed. “But’s it’s about time you tell them everything.”
Feather didn’t answer and left the den.
***
Moss stepped outside the medicine cat den. Colorful leaves blew in the air. Purring, he leaped up to grab one, pinning it down with his paws. He heard a mroww of laughter from one of the cats, an elderly black tom.
“I remember when I was that energetic,” the cat’s meow was raspy. “When I was your age, that was my favorite game during leaf-fall. ‘Who can catch the most leaves?’ we’d challenge each other. Of course, I’d always catch the most.”
Moss padded over to him. “What’s your name?” he asked.
“Don’t you remember me? I’m Nightwhisker.”
“Nice to meet you,” Moss meowed politely. “My name is-”
“I know your name,” Nightwhisker interrupted. You’re Frostkit.”
Moss cocked his head, confused. “It’s Moss.” he explained.
“Mosskit, Frostkit, whatever, ya’ll youngins don’t understand what it’s like to be forgetful like us elders.”
“Elders?”
“Ya know, old cats like me who stop being a warrior and go to the elder’s den. Of course, that doesn’t mean that we aren’t capable of doing anything. Why, I remember this one time…”
“Moss!” Birchstripe called, interrupting Nightwhisker. “Come here for a sec.”
“Um, that sounds very interesting,” he meowed hastily to Nightwhisker. “It really does, but I have to go. See you later!”
He ran up to Birchstripe. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I know you were talking to Nightwhisker. But I, um, I wanted to show you around. You know, before you leave and all that. I know, um, Featherflight, I mean, Feather, is opposed to you getting to know the Clan a little, but, I believe every cat should have a chance to get to know everything so they can make their own decision.” he looked uncomfortable. “So, I thought I should show you around. You already know your way around the camp by now, but you don’t know your way around ThunderClan territory.”
Moss nodded, suddenly excited. The camp was getting boring anyway, and he wanted a chance to explore outside the hollow.
“Well, lets go then,” Birchstripe meowed. He disappeared through the gorse tunnel, Moss close behind.
“So…” Moss decided to start a conversation as they walked through the forest. “Ya’ll have...different names than other cats. It seems like, I don’t know, two names put together. And Nightwhisker called me “Mosskit. Does that mean I’m a kit?”
Birchstripe shook his head. “You would be an apprentice, and your name would be Mosspaw. You see, the first part of your name always stay the same. Up until you’re six moons old, you would be Mosskit, then, while you’re training to become a warrior, you would be Mosspaw. Finally, when you’re ready to become a warrior, the leader chooses the last part of your name. Mine is ‘Stripe’. The warriors defend the Clan and hunt.”
“What about Dappledstar?” Moss asked. “She seems to be in control.”
“Well, she’s the leader. That’s why the last part of her name is ‘Star’. She has nine lives.”
“How did she get nine lives?”
Birchstripe shrugged. “She goes to the Moonstone to see StarClan, our ancestors. Only the medicine cat is allowed to see it, who is, as you may have already guessed, Mapletail.” She’s one of the most important cats in the Clan. If any of us gets hurt or sick, she can usually help.”
“Who’s the second most important cat?”
“The leader of course. Without a leader, we would all be running around, no rules, and we wouldn’t be able to survive.”
“And the third?”
“The deputy, which, not to brag, is me. The deputy is the leader when the leader dies or retires. Without a deputy, we wouldn’t know who the leader is when the current leader dies.”
“One last thing.” This is what Moss was wondering about ever since he got here. “Why does everyone act like I should know them?”
Birchstripe suddenly stopped. “Well,” he spoke slowly, as if he were choosing his words carefully. “You probably don’t remember any of them, but they all know you. After all, you were born here, in ThunderClan.”
Moss didn’t understand what he was hearing. “Does my dad live here?”
Birchstripe nodded. “Yes. Feather should be the one telling you this but…”
“Yes?”
“I’m your father.”