Chapter Two
Bloodstar released a sigh as he watched the two kits run off. What? It must be like to be a carefree kit again, he thought as he padded slowly back to camp. As he enters the camp he notices Thistlefur eating some fresh-kill. He waves his tail in greeting.
Longkit and Metalkit soon get to a small clearing with a little pond. "Here we are!" she looks around with her eyes big.
WillowKit played with a ball of moss in the nursery. She looked over to her mother asleep with her brother and sister. She sighed. WillowKit stood up and snuck over, she smacked her siblings with her paw.
"PlumKit, RoseKit, get up." She mewled.
RoseKit opened her warm amber eyes. "What?" She hissed.
PlumKit opened his pale lavender eyes. "I'm too dead to move." He growled and turned over.
"Let's play!" WillowKit meowed.
"The nursery is too boring though." RoseKit sat up and groomed her brown and gray fur.
"Then let's play in the camp grounds!" WillowKit cried with joy.
PlumKit shot up, now interested. "Yeah! We haven't been outside yet." He padded to the entrance.
"I wonder what it looks like!" WillowKit sniffed the brambles around the entrance.
Bloodstar turned his gaze onto the nursery where he heard the squealing of Silverpond's kits. A purr rose in his throat as he laid down keeping a watchful gaze on the nursery. They've never been out, he thought as he watched.
WillowKit stretched out of the nursery, sunlight blinded her for a moment. "WOW!" She purred.
RoseKit watched, awestruck. "I haven't seen all these cats before!"
PlumKit smiled. "Oh my!"
The purring in Bloodstar's throat grew louder as the kits took their first stumbling steps into the clearing. A pain struck him as he suddenly longed for kits of his own. He sighed. Oh well, at least I can watch as others' kits grow up, he thought. He waved his tail to beckon the three little kits over.
WillowKit spotted a large tom cat waving his tail. Her eyes widened. "He's huge!" She meowed.
"Way bigger then StripedClaw!" RoseKit began to tumble over to BloodStar.
PlumKit nudged WillowKit forward as they reached the leader.
Bloodstar dipped his head in acknowledgment. It seemed as though Plumkit was the most soft spoken of the three.
"Why don't you play for a bit?" Bloodstar suggested, thumping his tail on the ground inviting the kits to pounce.
WillowKit couldn't help it. She pounced onto his tail within seconds.
RoseKit purred and followed her sister.
PlumKit smirked and sniffed the air. "Dad!"
StripedClaw emerged from the warriors den.
Bloodstar moved his tail faster, trying to dislodge the kits but also testing their claws. He glanced up as Stripedclaw joined them in the clearing.
"You have such wonderful kits," he mewed to him in greeting. "They'll make fine warriors someday."
StripedClaw smiled and nodded. "But does their mother know they're out?" He eyed them, smiling.
WillowKit's eyes widened. "Er, ha ha about that!" She smiled.
"Hmm, perhaps you kits should inform your mother where you are?" Bloodstar suggested. He felt slightly embarrassed for he hadn't even thought about their mother, who was probably still sleeping in the nursery. "Did you sleep well?" he asked Stripedclaw.
StripedClaw nudged the kits forward and nodded.
Bloodstar watched the kits go before turning to Stripedclaw again. "You up for a patrol?" he asked the well rested warrior.
StripedClaw nodded. "Ok."
Bloodstar rose to his paws. "We'll patrol the Thunderclan border then," he said and stalked out of the camp with Stripedclaw on his heels. The thought of a normal clan duty seemed enough to distract Bloodstar from every thought whirling through his mind.
Finishing his meal, Thistlefur padded out of camp to check on the RiverClan border.
Stripedclaw nodded and padded forward.
Bloodstar led the way to the border. He tasted the air, detecting prey scents. There was also something else. . . It smelled fresh too. . . "Fox!" he hissed.
Stripedclaw unsheathed his claws right away.
Bloodstar looked around and saw a flash of orange fur dart between the trees. The smell grew thicker as the fox drew nearer. Bloodstar unsheathed his claws as well and bunched his muscles. The fox
burst forth from the bushes directly in front of them, charging towards Stripedclaw.
Thistlefur paused. Scenting the air, he got a stench of fox coming from the Thunderclan border. It was mingling with something else... Cat scent! He raced around and charged towards the border. Dear Starclan! My leader is down there!Heart pounding, he raced on.
The fox slammed into Bloodstar as Bloodstar pounced to intercept its path. He landed with a thud on the ground a few tail lengths away from where he had sprung from. Blood gurgled up his throat. He shook his head and gained his paws, determined not to lose a life. He swayed and stumbled a few steps forward.
Bursting into the clearing, Thistlefur pounced on the fox's back, hissing and spitting like all of Leopardclan.
Blinded by the stench of the fox and the ginger fur in his face, Thistlefur lashed out wildly at the fox. The fox tossed him to the side and he smashed against a tree, knocking the breath out of him. He got up painfully to find no serious damage had come to his ribs. Leaping on the fox's head he clawed at it's eyes. The fox, blinded, thrashed it's head about, almost throwing Thistlefur off again. Digging in his claws he bit at it's ears with all his might. Please let this be a chance for Bloodstar to escape!
Bloodstar's vision blurred as he stumbled around. He had lost his since of direction. He heard the yowling of a cat and the agony of a fox but he couldn't tell where they were. He stumbled towards a tree and collapsed at its trunk. The fox bucked and vigorously shook its head trying to dislodge the cat. It was growing wild and careless due to the scent of blood.
Thistleclaw was slammed to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. The fox bit his flank and picked hi up like a piece of prey. Twisting around Thistlefur bit into the fox's foreleg. The fox released him and despite the pain in his spine, he dived underneath it. He sliced it's belly open and leaped on it's back. Thistlefur gripped it's back and raked his claws down it's spine, drawing blood.
Blood roared in Bloodstar's ears and he felt the life slipping away from him. Starclan, no! Don't take a life! Bloodstar roared in his mind. He pushed himself up onto his paws again. His legs trembled and he gingerly carried himself forward. A familiar pelt danced in his vision. Thistlefur, he realized. Bloodstar took a breath and rushed forward, aiming a hooked paw at the fox's throat. His claws tore flesh and he was knocked to the ground by a large fore-paw. Weakness set in and Bloodstar knew he wouldn't be able to get up for a while. Problem was, the fox was too close for him to be safe.
Feeling a calm rage come over him, Thistlefur locked his jaws into it's spine and clawed at it's throat. When his claws hit home, he leaped off the fox's back and raced over to Bloodstar. The fox's screeching wails could be heard all over the forest as it died a bloody, painful death of having his throat sliced and stomach ripped open to bleed to death.
"Bloodstar! Are you okay?" Thistlefur asked worriedly.
Bloodstar slowly lifted his head slowly and blinked his cloudy vision. It took him a moment to process what he had been asked. Slowly he nodded. "I-I'll be fine," he wheezed. Is this what it feels like to lose a life? he wondered.
"Oh no you won't, not like this," Thistlefur growled gruffly. He gingerly grabbed his leader's scruff and began hauling him back to camp. I'm no medicine cat! Dear Starclan! I can't heal him! What if he loses a life in my presence? Oh Starclan, what do I do...
Bloodstar felt like a kit but didn't protest. Please, Thistlefur, he begged mentally. More blood gurgled into his mouth. He tried to help Thistlefur move him by moving his hind legs to push forward. There was barely any strength left to do that.
Reaching camp, he dragged his leader to his den and let him slump to the floor. Oh no! We don't have a medicine cat! What to do! No, no, not more blood!Thistlefur barely remembered that marigold was good for bleeding wounds and thyme for shock. He raced to the old medicine cat's den and got some marigold and tansy, raced back to his leader and chewed a poultice for his wound. He applied the poultice and fed the thyme to his leader and raced back to the medicine cat den to get cobwebs and coltsfoot for his leader's short breath. He may need to mend broken bones... He added comfrey and rush bindings. Carrying his load back he set to work on his leader When he was done he nudged his leader to his nest to rest and laid down beside him.
Bloodstar awoke trembling but he felt stronger. There was a warm body next to him and he realized it was Thistlefur. He licked Thistlefur's head between his ears. "You saved me a life," he rasped in thanks. "How did you know what to do? Perhaps you are meant to be our medicine cat. . .?"
"Surely not! I was born to be a warrior. I just have memories..." he tried to deny it but he felt that it was a possibility. "And surely no kits are out and about when they are not supposed to be?" he directed at the entrance. "You may as well come in and greet your leader with your fluffy pelt and warm spirit."
Bloodstar cocked his head skeptically. "Memories?" he questioned. Then he turned towards the entrance to see longkit.
"Well... It's a bit more complicated than that but basically ya..."
Longkit came in, she was close to the ground with her ears back. "I-I just wanted to see if Bloodstar was alright." she mewed while looking at the ground.
"I think he will be all right with some rest and good food," was Thistlefur's gruff response as he shared a knowing look with Bloodstar that implied he wanted to keep his knowledge of healing herbs under wraps.