Goodbye
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting" Bramblestar's voice echoed in the clearing, his amber eyes shining in the sunlight. "You all know by now that our prey is disappearing. Last gathering we decided that it would be a good idea for some of us to go see what is causing this, and if it doesn't work to go and find another place to live. I know some of you don't want to leave, but strong warriors will be needed and someone to make sure that they don't get sick."
The clearing was quiet while they were listening to their leader but Halfmoon knew what this meant. A medicine cat will have to go with them. Please don't take Jayfeather away from me. I don't want to lose him! She begged silently.
"Jayfeather you will go, Lionblaze, Hawkfrost, Birchfall and um Fallenleaves will go with you" Bramblestar decided. "Lionblaze will lead!"
"What!" exclaimed Jayfeather who got to his paws, his gray tabby fur fluffed up, "I'm not going to be any use, and if you didn't realize I'm blind! I can't leave, there are way to many kits in the clan to be born that could need me if they get sick."
"Don't worry Jayfeather, Leafpool will take car of them, Halfmoon also," Squirrelflight, the deputy, replied calmly.
"You will leave tomorrow morning" Bramblestar ordered.
"It's not fair!" wailed Halfmoon. " Jayfeather, Fallenleaves, Lionblaze and Hawkfrost all have small kits or are going to! Bramblestar you can't take our mates away from us. Please Bramblestar!" she pleaded.
"I'm sorry Halfmoon but you, Cinderheart, Hollyleaf and Ivypool will have to cope without them." Bramblestar was getting frustrated now. "I am leader, my word is law! They will leave tomorrow and that is an order!"
Jayfeather's tail drooped and trailed behind him as he turned around and headed to his den.
The next morning Halfmoon woke up in the nursery and went to see Jayfeather. He was mumbling under his breath while he was preparing the traveling herbs. "It's not fair she's going to have our kits in a couple of days." Louder he added "And I'm not even going to be here!"
"Oh Jayfeather," meowed Halfmoon lovingly while entering the medicine cats' den, "I'll be fine, but please be careful, you have no idea where your going or what you're going to face."
"Oh Halfmoon…" he whispered his tail drooping behind him.
"Come on I'll help you bring those herbs outside," Halfmoon decided. Why do you have to go? Leafpool should go she had some warrior training. What if he falls of a cliff or…or…
"Halfmoon!" Hollyleaf exclaimed as Halfmoon came out of the Medicine cats' den carrying the herbs to give to the traveling cats, "What are we going to do? My two brothers are leaving, and my mate, the father of my kits. What if they don't remember him when he comes back? Halfmoon!" She wailed, "What if they don't come back at all!"
"They must come back! They have to!" Cinderheart said trying to convince herself, "Lionblaze can't miss the apprentice ceremony of our kits."
"I'm sure they'll be fine. They are strong warriors," Ivypool meowed coming to join them her dark blue eyes confident.
"Jayfeather is not a warrior," snapped Halfmoon and Hollyleaf at the same time ears back.
"You just learned that you were expecting kits, Hawkfrost has a bigger chance to be there in time," growled Halfmoon, her tail lashing back and fourth.
The kits inside her belly were wiggling. "It's like they know that their father is going to leave and don't want him to," Halfmoon murmured calming down.
She looked for her mate's gray tabby fur, he was eating the traveling herbs with the others. His blind ice blue eyes showed sadness and fear. He came towards Halfmoon and put his muzzle in her fur.
"Goodbye my love," he whispered, one of her kits moved inside her stomach, "goodbye to you too, my little ones, don't forget me."
At that moment tumbled Hollykit, Sorrelkit and Fernkit out of the nursery followed by Daisy running after them, "come back here you three!"
"Dada, don't leave, dada please!" they mewed pleadingly, running up to Lionblaze and Cinderheart who were pressed against each other lovingly, tails wrapped around each other, eyes closed. Lionblaze's amber eyes opened and stared at his kits sadly,
"I'll be as fast as I can, I promise." The golden tabby replied, wrapping his tail around his kits.
Halfmoon looked around, Hawkfrost ice blue sorrowful eyes were staring in Ivypool's dark blue eyes, their pelts pressed against each other. Birchfall was speaking to his mate Whitewing as well as Dovewing his daughter. Then Ivypool, Dovewing's sister, went to say goodbye to her father, Birchfall, before returning to say her last goodbyes to Hawkfrost.
"Come back soon love!" the silver-and-white she-cat mewed, "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too Ivypool," the dark brown tabby warrior mewed back.
Returning her attention to Jayfeather, Halfmoon mewed to him quietly:
"Oh, Jayfeather! Why do you have to go?" she asked pressing herself against the gray medicine cat for comfort.
"I asked Bramblestar last night, he said it was because my hearing and smell are more developed," Jayfeather replied sadly, his head down.
Bramblestar's voice came up, "It's time to leave! Come back as soon as you have found something and please be careful."
"Goodbye Halfmoon, I'll miss you." Jayfeather mewed, Halfmoon could see a tear starting to form itself around the gray tabby's blind blue eyes. "I have to go now…"
Cinderheart was sobbing at the entrance of the camp, while her kits were crying next to her, wrapped in her tail, as they watched Lionblaze walk away out of camp followed by the others. Ivypool, Dovewing and Whitewing were sitting next to each other watching Birchfall and Hawkfrost leave.
Goodbye my love! Please be careful… you have to come back… you have to! Halfmoon wailed silently, watching Jayfeather's gray pelt disappear into the unknown.