Just wanted to preface this with a thank you for the kind reviews so far! This one is a bit short, it didn't feel right to make a sudden transition to something else in such a weighty chapter.
Mothfoot feels the ache in her paws getting worse every step she takes. The herb bundle prepared by Rainpaw didn't go down very easily, leaving her to wonder if it ended up working at all. Not that she was paying much attention to what went into the mixture anyway, she was too busy trying to catch a glimpse of her brother.
"You can go say something if you want," Cloudwhisker said. "He's been doing okay."
Mothfoot felt her heart jump. "Okay…" she says sheepishly, padding past the medicine cat and towards the deeper part of the den.
It branched off into two smaller caves; one was barren and the other held the silhouette of Copperhawk. He was there with his back to the entrance, ribs rising and falling with heavy breath.
Mothfoot shakes the thoughts from her head and asks, "not to be a bother but… how much further ahead is it?"
The leader casts a glance over her shoulder, but to Mothfoot's relief, doesn't look offended or irritated. "We should be there before long," she says, ears pricking around to pick up on the smaller nighttime sounds.
The evening air is cool. The small bursts of wind against Mothfoot's pelt feels nice, and it carries along with it scents from all over the forest. They're traveling through the neutral territory, so there are hints of all types of Clan smells around. Still, she can't help but feel a little weary. Riverclan has been causing way too much stress lately, and Mothfoot can't help but wonder if that's what Marigoldstar is listening for. The brown molly takes a second to really taste the air for any signs of wet fur. Nothing, thankfully, she thinks to herself. If we can make it there and back without any interruptions, maybe I'll believe this was the slightest bit a good idea.
Mothfoot has been thinking about Marigoldstar's decision since they took off just to pass the time. She has finally come to the conclusion that soon, the leader will come to her senses and realize that she made a heat of the moment choice. A more well-deserving cat will take her place, and she no longer will have to worry about the whole Clan turning against her.
"We're here, Mothfoot," Marigoldstar says.
The young warrior has never seen the Mooncreek, and now that the whole stretch of water is in sight, she knows why Rainpaw used to gush about the trip. The water itself bounces the moonlight off in an odd way. It casts a slight glow, looking to be a bright, clear blue-green rather than the dull grey the rivers around the territory are. Mothfoot follows Marigoldstar as she pushes past a thick barrier of reeds.
"There's a natural moss bed all the way along the creek," she explains, "this is where the medicine cats lay when speaking with our ancestors." The golden molly gestures with her tail further down to where the creek gets its water from, a collection of smooth stones that gradually raise along a small hill. Water cascades down them, creating an almost soothing sound. The base of the small waterfall sends up droplets of water, tiny white flecks that remind Mothfoot of stars.
The mollies pad to the stones. "The leaders gather here. We all come forward one by one and touch our noses to the water." As an example, Marigoldstar dips her head down. "You'll feel a bit sleepy right after, so go on ahead and take your turn." As she says this, she leaps up onto one of the stones and lays down, curling her tail gracefully around her body.
Cautiously, Mothfoot lowers herself and gently dabs her nose into the water. Right away, she feels her eyes get heavier and heavier after every blink. She brings herself over to a lower stone and lays down, groggily gazing at an already sleeping Marigoldstar. The brown she-cat rests her head on her paws and shuts her eyes tight.
"Hey," Mothfoot said, making sure not to startle Copperhawk's form.
The figure didn't twitch, but his free ear swiveled to pick up her sound.
Mothfoot sighed. "I know, I know. I should have visited this morning. I'm sorry, a lot has happened since then and—"
"You've had a busy day. I get it." The way the tom said 'busy' made her stomach feel like a tree falling. "I've been sitting in a cave. I'm not dead, much to everyone's disappointment."
The molly squinted. "Who said they were disappointed you weren't dead, Copperhawk? Stormcloud looked like he was about to faint when he saw you there."
"No one has to say it," Copperhawk snapped, "I can tell."
Mothfoot felt a pelt brush up against hers. Cloudwhisker stood in between them and gave Mothfoot a long, hard look. "I think Copperhawk needs a couple more poppy seeds in his system."
"...Right," Mothfoot replied shortly, exiting the entire den at a fast pace.
But, as she looked around the camp, all she could see was water flooding all of the caves and crashing against the Highstone in a wave. The sudden ocean washed her clanmates out of their dens, the sound of yowls and cries filling her ears. The only thing the water didn't touch was her— and another cat who sat calmly at the entrance to the camp.
Something about the cat was hard to make out. Try as Mothfoot might, she couldn't get a clear image of what they looked like. They were blurry and far, even as they approached Mothfoot. With every step they took, the rushing water parted for them to pass through. They came right up to Mothfoot, the two meeting almost nose to nose. The figure still seemed as if Mothfoot was looking into her reflection underwater, all rippled and misshapen.
The cat touched their nose to her's, and—
Mothfoot jolts awake, coughing and sputtering water out of her mouth and nose.
Beside her, Marigoldstar rests a paw on her shoulder. "Your muzzle slipped into the creek," she says, a hint of a laugh in the back of her throat. "Don't sleep so close to the water next time you're here, I don't need you drowning on me."
"Marigoldstar I— this dream I just had, it—" The young warrior can barely get the words out, not exactly sure how to explain what she just saw.
The leader hushes her. "Vivid dreams are normal here. But the fact that you dreamt at all is a very good sign, kit. It means Starclan sent it to you."
"But… it was so… wrong," Mothfoot breathes.
"Perhaps you can tell Cloudwhisker about it when we return, hmm? If it seems that important to you." Marigoldstar turns away. Suddenly, Mothfoot feels foolish for making such a big deal about her dream.
As the two mollies begin their trek back to the camp, Mothfoot thinks to herself, Marigoldstar has been Leader for moons. She has to know what she's talking about. There have been two Deputies before me— this is probably normal. Still, her eyes flicker up towards the Silverpelt. Were you trying to tell me something? No… they couldn't be. If they wanted to send a message to someone, it would be Cloudwhisker. I'm barely a Deputy.