Hey, guys, sorry I'm so late, I typed up this chapter, then my computer was stupid and didn't save, so I had to start over. From scratch.
Anyway,
Let's Get To The Second Chapter Of Mossyheart's Journey!
Mossyheart crossed the border at a brisk run, not slowing her pace until she was out of sight of territory markers and deep into the woods past the unforgivingly steep cliffs that are GorseClan's home. She had left just before sunrise, saying her farewells to the mountain cats in the cave. She remembered some of their reactions as she trotted through the unfamiliar forest.
Cedarstar had understood, and bade her to come again. The kits had been positively tearful, begging her to stay and play with them. She told them she'd be back. Some of the cats, specifically three cats called Lilypaw, Lichentail, and Emberbreeze, had sat in stony silence, glaring at her. Others, like Browntail, had told her they hoped she'd come back soon. Mossyheart's friend Quickswirl, she had been pleased to hear, had taken up the post of medicine cat. Quickswirl had been thoroughly delighted at her new position, and Mossyheart had suggested she go to Snowmist if she had any questions. Quickswirl had informed her that she would miss Mossyheart a lot, and she hoped she would find what she was looking for. Quickswirl was the only cat Mossyheart had confided in about Aspenleaf staying with her even after his death, and she'd sworn to tell no cat unless it really mattered. Aspenleaf's gray fur brushed hers, and Mossyheart knew he approved of her telling the blue-and-white medicine cat about him.
A faint yowl shook Mossyheart out of her memories. She stopped dead, listening. It came again, sounding weaker and hurt. Mossyheart's medicine cat instincts kicked in, and she shared a quick glance with Aspenleaf. "Let's go."
They took off, the ground pounding beneath her paws as they raced through the forest toward the wailing cat. Mossyheart skidded to a halt, nearly hurling over a thorn bush. She crouched under it, Aspenleaf beside her.
Mossyheart watched as two toms grappled in the clearing. The larger cat, a gray-and-black tabby tom, leaped onto the other, landing on his side and crushing him underneath his weight. The other cat, a smaller light gray-and-white tom who was already injured and bloodied, gasped for air as the gray-and-black cat ground his face into the earth with one pure black paw. He grabbed the cat's eartip and ripped it off, spraying blood. He slid one razor sharp claw down the lighter tom's ear, dividing it in two down to the base. "Birch," he meowed in his ruined ear with a honeyed voice, "What did I tell you about fighting me? It always ends badly. Next time, little kit, give me what I want, or you may end up dead. Or worse. Maybe next time, I'll get Hazel or one of your kits. Tomorrow, if you just do what I say, I'll only take one to fight for me. Or maybe," he laughed, a cruelly soft sound, "Feather will find a mate, Blizzard perhaps."
"You're a monster." The other cat whispered. "I'll never let you hurt them."
"Oh, Birch, Birch, Birch," the other cat leaned in closer, "I'll hurt whoever I want."
"Over my dead body," Birch whispered defiantly.
"That can be arranged. But," he yawned. "Not today. Maybe tomorrow." He stood up and walked away. Mossyheart heard Aspenleaf growl beside her. She understood. This evil cat was like- like the old Claw! But worse!
She stood up, realizing the cat had left his young quarry bleeding out on the ground. "Aspenleaf! I need cobwebs, as many as you can find! Hurry!"
Her mate dashed off, weaving amongst the trees until he was out of sight. Mossyheart leaped over the bramble, and darted to the bloody tom. She set a paw on his chest, and breathed a sigh of relief. He was alive. His breathing was weakening with every heartbeat. Mossyheart scanned his pelt, spotting a deep wound on his neck. It was still bubbling blood. She pressed one huge paw on the wound, feeling blood gush underneath her paw, but holding firm nonetheless. A gentle whooshing noise told her Aspenleaf had returned. "What did you find?"
A huge wad of cobwebs dropped beside her. "Good. He'll need water." Aspenleaf dashed off again. She reached for a web and started to pack it into the wound on his throat. Mossyheart covered the rest with the sticky strands as a dripping wad of moss fell alongside her. "Thanks, Aspenleaf."
"Happy to help."
Mossyheart looked sadly up at her friend. "I can't fix his ear."
"You did all you could. That's all anyone can expect of you. With you help, he might survive this." Aspenleaf's breath was warm on her fur.
Birch shifted slightly. Mossyheart and Aspenleaf backed up a pace or so as he lifted his head. Mossyheart realized there was a deep gash of his forepaw, and reached another web to bandage it as well, when the tom noticed her. He unsteadily got to his paws, then fell over again. Mossyheart moved closer. He hissed and unsheathed his claws.
"Calm yourself! I'm not going to hurt you. You're badly injured."
"Stay away from me." He snarled.
Mossyheart was puzzled. He didn't want to be healed?
"Look, pal, you should see yourself right now. My mate's the best healer there is, and unless you want to bleed out, listen to her."
He glanced around, confused. "Who's there?"
Aspenleaf laughed silently. Mossyheart glared at him. He stopped, and, rolling his eyes, materialized in front of the battered cat, stars sparking through his fur. The tom gasped.
"I'm Mossyheart, and this is my mate, Aspenleaf. I'm a healer, and I'm trying to help you."
He looked suspicious. "Birch. And how do I know you're not with him?"
"Who?"
"Playing stupid won't help you. Stay away from me."
"Listen, we're Clan cats. We just left the Clans, and don't know any rogues like you." Aspenleaf glanced at Mossyheart.
"We saw the fight!" She exclaimed. "If we were on the other cat's side, why wouldn't we be hurting you more?"
"I don't know how Splinter's group thinks!"
"You know, I think you do," Aspenleaf loomed darkly over Birch. "I really think you do."
Mossyheart yanked his tail in her mouth. He spun around.
"Aspenleaf! What in the name of StarClan do you think you're doing? He's hurt! He needs our help, not this! Be kind to the poor cat!" Mossyheart hissed, adding to the hurt tom, "I'm sorry about him. He's used to defending me from rogues. Do you need any help?" She asked kindly.
"No, I'll be fine." Birch got shakily to his paws, and, setting his front paw on the ground, winced, lifting it above the others. He paused, his ears swiveling. Then Mossyheart saw his fur lift on end. Then she saw why.
A dark russet shape slid out of the bushes, its muzzle stained red with dried blood. Mossyheart and Aspenleaf unsheathed their claws and, as one, moved in front of Birch, snarling as the fox circled them. Mossyheart remembered the last fox-fight she'd had, and how it had ended. With her and Aspenleaf nearly dying. He seemed to be reliving it too, as he stepped in front of her. He whispered in her ear, "Whimper. Pretend to be hurt. I'll handle this."
Stars sizzled out in his fur, and Birch asked, his voice high-pitched with terror, "Where'd he go?"
"Trust us, he's got this. He's fought foxes before, with kits at stake. Just follow our lead," she muttered out of the side of her mouth, then flattened her ears, lifted her back paw, and whimpered like a kit. With Aspenleaf out of sight, Mossyheart and Birch must have looked like a delicious meal to the fox. It dropped into crouch, its furry crimson tail swishing over the fallen leaves. Mossyheart's fear was growing real as she sought out Aspenleaf. The gray tom had disappeared. "No other choice," Mossyheart murmured to herself, fluffing out her fur, flattening her ears, and displaying sharp, glinting claws. She snarled. Then she launched forward, yowling fury for all the world to hear. Just then a cat dropped from a branch onto the fox's head. He clawed at its eyes, and Mossyheart rushed under and scored her claws across its throat. It dropped, dead, in front of her as Aspenleaf leaped onto the ground beside her.
"Sorry I didn't come earlier, I went for help, but I couldn't get far. I slammed into something once you were out of sight, and I heard you yowl, so I came back."
"Perfect timing as always, Aspenleaf. Birch, are you certain you don't want us to escort you home?"
The light gray-and-white tom nodded fervently, and attempted to stand again, only to fall over again. Mossyheart rushed over and pressed against him, taking most of his weight on her shoulder. "Which way, Birch?"
"That way."
"Okay, let's go."
"Oh, Birch!" The caterwaul was followed quickly by a brown-and-white she-cat, who launched herself towards the wounded cat. "Are you okay? What happened? Was it Splinter?"
Mossyheart stood back alongside her mate, who had gone invisible again, to allow the two some space alone.
"Yes, it was him, Hazel. Did he get-"
"It was Cedar, Birch! He stole Cedar!" Hazel cried.
"I know. He told me, Hazel, when he said he was going to kill me. He was going to leave me for buzzards. I nearly was crow-food, a fox came."
"Nearly?"
"This young she-cat saved my life, first by treating my injuries, then from the fox."
"All alone? Wandering this forest? It's too dangerous! Especially alone." Hazel seemed to notice Mossyheart. "Hello, there, dear. Thank you for saving my Birch. But you should stay here, it's far too dangerous alone."
"I've braved many dangers, and I'm not alone. I have Aspenleaf." The gray tom materialized beside her, drawing one paw over his ear.
"Hi."
Hazel jumped at his sudden appearance. "I- I didn't see y-you there," she stammered. Aspenleaf seemed unbothered. He licked his paw again.
"Eh, you're not the first I've scared like this."
"Are- are you a gho-ghost?"
"What's a ghost? He's a StarClan cat, but he's also my mate." Mossyheart tapped him gently on the shoulder. "See? He's real."
Hazel approached the pair cautiously, and swiped at him, looking as though she expected her paw to pass through him, but touching his chest. "How did you…"
He shrugged. "Just can. I saved her, and that made this connection. Watch," He strode out of sight, and popped back beside Mossyheart again. "I can't leave her, not that I would. I gave my life to save Mossyheart, and I would do the same for her in a heartbeat."
Mossyheart felt suddenly shy. "Thank you, Aspenleaf. But, really, Birch needs more treatment than just cobwebs. Do you know of any place I can find horsetail, goldenrod, poppy seeds, and dock leaves?"
"Certainly," Hazel promptly answered. "And you simply must stay with us tonight. We really do owe you."
"Oh, thank you very much," Mossyheart dipped her head politely to the queen. "But you don't owe us anything. It's my duty as a medicine cat, even if I'm not in a Clan." Homesickness swept over the young she-cat, and a tear dripped down her face. She remembered Rainpaw and Featherpaw, Thistlepelt and Wildflower, and Snowmist, too. But she couldn't go back now. She'd come too far to turn back.
"Our home is this way," Hazel, with Birch leaning on her, lead the way into a small hollow surrounded by a wreath of oaks. Three kits ran, squealing, into a dark dip in the earth. Hazel stuck her head inside. "Kits! Come on out."
"What's the phrase?"
"Water echoes in the swiftest stream."
Hazel withdrew and the kits popped out, gazing, wide-eyed, at Birch, who had lain down so Mossyheart could check him over. "Papa! What happened to Papa?" A silver she-kit wailed.
A big dark tabby growled at him as Aspenleaf popped back through the entrance, a bundle of plants in his mouth. The kitten unsheathed sharp little claws and ran at him. Aspenleaf dropped the herbs as the kit dug his claws into his pelt, and Aspenleaf yelped. "Ouch!"
Hazel ran over to the tiny cat and pried him off of Aspenleaf. "Oh, I'm so sorry about Thorn, he's really reckless and attacks everyone who isn't me and Birch. Thorn, apologize to him right now."
Thorn writhed in his mother's grip. "No, Mama! I'm not sorry!"
"It's fine, Hazel, I'll get him back later," he winked at her, then growled at Thorn, who shrank back.
"You may regret not saying sorry, little one," Mossyheart called over. "He killed a fox earlier today."
Thorn's amber eyes widened. "You killed a fox?"
"Yep." Aspenleaf sat back and started to wash his paw. "And I'll tell you the story if you don't do that again. Ouch, little cat!"
Thorn mrrowed in amusement as Hazel set him on the ground, where he sat beside Aspenleaf, who started to tell the story, with some exaggerations, of course, with it being Aspenleaf. Mossyheart snatched up the herbs and began to treat Birch's wounds. She tapped his leg, and felt swelling and heat rising from it. Birch whimpered. "It's broken, Birch. I can try to put it back in place, but it'll hurt a lot." He nodded. She glanced around and, spotting a sturdy branch fallen from one of the oaks, snatched it up and slammed two paws onto it. It creaked but didn't snap. She tried again, and it cracked in half. "Perfect." She picked up the two halves of the bough and walked back over to Birch, noticing the kits were following her. She secured the dock leaves on his broken leg, then tied the branches on with thick grass stems. "Try it now." He stood slowly, putting weight on his broken paw last.
"It feels better than before. Thank you, Mossyheart."
"Now, be careful on that foot. Stay off it for now, or you'll make it worse. Tomorrow you can try it, but very little. Hear that, Hazel? You might have to hunt for a while," she called to the she-cat.
She snorted. "That's pretty normal around here. Splinter always comes, every time the new growth starts, and Birch always tries to keep him away from me. Needless to say," she gestured to Birch. "It never goes well."
"Why does Splinter come after you? Why not someone else?"
Hazel shared a look with Birch, who nodded. "Well, it's a really long story," she started. "And I definitely don't want the kits hearing it. So off to bed with you."
The kits groaned, but they all popped down the hole, Thorn last of all. "Thorn…" His mother warned. He disappeared inside as well.
"It all started eight seasons ago…"
Yeah, I'm making it a separate chapter, sorry guys!
'Bye!
-Mossyheart