In case any of you don't believe my beforehand reassurance about the ember-eyed white kit NOT being a Mary Sue, I can say that I also hate Mary Sues. But I also believe that characters need a little individuality, uniqueness, and special touches. So...ember-eyed kit comes into creation! Anyway, I'm going to write the story now. So you can read it and stuff.
TWO
Awakening and Remembering
"Reedtail,"
That was the first thing that the deputy heard. He wasn't sure if the noise had even occured at first. It had been vague, barely catching the air. It was smeared and muffled, like a dream, and it only slightly aroused him from his subconsious state. But the second sounding of his name was louder and clearer.
"Reedtail."
It sounded more natural now, more real. The deputy was frightened. Though he now was sure someone was calling his name, the voice was still thick and unrecognizable. He couldn't tell who it was. If it was someone he didn't know, how did they know his name?
"Reedtail!"
The deputy woke with a start. Bright light made his pupils telescope, and he turned away from the vividity. Blinking vigorously, he looked around. Wherever he was, it wasn't familiar. Instead of patches of soft green grass swarming over sunbaked earth, he was lying among the forest floor, littered with last leaf-fall's crinkled brown leaves and sprinkled with twigs. The dewy smell was comforting, reminding him of his apprentice days when he would crouch too low to the ground when he pounced, until his mentor Tortoisepelt had corrected him. He knew he was in the forest, and yet he couldn't smell any sign of camp. The intruders and the fire seemed so distant now...
He was in some sort of den. The whole thing smelled of toadstools and moss, and a tail-length away he saw a line of black ants crawling along a piece of bark. As he focused on the insects, a wonderful smell hit his nose- a ThunderClan cat's smell. The smell of home.
He turned his head, with much effort, towards the cat who had called his name, only to see the fluffy white fur of Pearlnose. The medicine cat looked quite serious, her blue eyes wide as full moons and her pink nose twitching. Reedtail knew something bad had happened the night before, something besides the smoke and fire, but his memory was clouded. He looked at Pearlnose expectantly.
The she-cat sighed in relief. "Thank goodness you're awake," she mewed, her voice trembling. "I thought you were going to die. In fact, we all thought you were going to die." She pushed a few shiny black seeds towards him, directly under his muzzle. Poppy seeds. Reedtail ate them, wondering why she had offered them to him. He was still recovering from whatever had happened to him, but he certainly couldn't feel any pain at the moment. Now that he thought of it, his whole body felt fuzzy and stiff.
He tried to move. Pain shot through him, and his head throbbed. He grimaced and lowered his head, one paw clutching the area below his ear. He shot a glance at Pearlnose, who still looked apprehensive. "What happened to me?"
Pearlnose gulped, her usually neat whiskers tusseled. "I don't exactly know. We were all running away from the fire and the intruders..." She paused. "Can you still remember that?"
Reedtail nodded, only to feel more pain under his ear. He winced. "Yes...I can remember..."
Pearlnose blinked and continued. "You went to look for Gingerflower. Oakstar told us that you had insisted...and of course, he let you do it...he said he wouldn't want to deprive any tom of love for his mate..."
Reedtail felt dizzy. "Gingerflower? What...where is she...?"
The medicine cat hushed him quietly. "Please, just listen for now. Don't try to stress yourself. Anyway, you were gone longer than we thought, and when Oakstar came back, the intruders had left, and most of the fire had gone out because it was raining. Oakstar thought it was unusual that they had left...and we were worried..." She trailed off, her throat tightening. Pearlnose was known for being emotional and overprotective.
"Go on, please," Reedtail urged.
"Everything was ruined," Pearlnose choked. "Everything. All the trees..." She sniffed. "...they're burnt black. Oakstar and I looked everywhere. And we found you in the nursery, with Gingerflower...you were both laying there, blacked out...it was horrible. I can't bear to see any deputies or queens like that. We were sure you had been killed. But you were both still breathing. Somehow. If that rain hadn't come when it did, I think you would've died from inhaling so much smoke..."
Reedtail took it all in. "So why does my head hurt so much?"
Pearlnose shook her own head. "You probably bumped your head on the wall when you blacked out. It's really a minor injury, but the smoke inhalation contributed to that. Your memories also might be a little fuzzy, so that's why I asked you if you could remember the night before..."
Reedtail scrabbled at the ground with his paws. "Gingerflower!" he yowled. "Where is she?"
The medicine cat narrowed her eyes, flicking her thick tail. "Well, Reedtail, she'd not in a good situation right now. She inhaled more smoke than you did. She's in bad shape." She lowered her voice. "Reedtail...I hate to tell you this, but..."
Oakstar burst into the den. His gaze was focused on his deputy. "Reedtail!" he yelped, and trotted over eagerly. He turned his attention towards Pearlnose. "How is he? Is he alright?"
Reedtail blinked, joyful at seeing his leader. "I'm fine," he mewed, his voice hoarse. "Just a little too much smoke." He tried to crack a smile, but the mood was heavy. He still couldn't remember all the details of last night, and mixed in with that and his worry for his mate, it was impossible to act happy.
Oakstar sighed. "We went back to look for you, Reedtail. I thought you wouldn't make it, to be honest. When you leaped into the battle to go look for Gingerflower, I was expecting the worst to come out of camp has been destroyed, and the BloodClan intruders have taken over." His eyes hardened. "After so many attempts, they finally did it. Their Clan has just grown too big. Once we were inside the nursery, BloodClan cats leaped out and hissed at us. We had to get you out of there quickly."
Reedtail had just remembered the moment when he'd told his leader he'd sacrifice himself for his mate. His memory slowly became clear. "Am I going to get better, Pearlnose?"
Pearlnose nodded. "There's a very high chance," she mewed. "You will need to stay here for a while, though. It's my makeshift medicine den. We're at the edge of the forest now, and all of ThunderClan is living here. I was around collecting herbs for you half the night last night."
Reedtail's tail straigtened. "Where is Gingerflower?" he repeated. "I have to see her. I must."
Pearlnose looked pained for a heartbeat. "I'm sorry, Reedtail, but you need to rest for a day. And Gingerflower needs to stay put as well. Like I was saying before, she's pregnant. I'm sorry, but her kits probably aren't going to make it. Smoke is unhealthy for kits."
A fragment of memory came back to Reedtail. "Wait...but she's already had her kits," he mewed without thinking.
A mew elicited from the medicine cat. "Reedtail, your memories are still faint. She still has a good-sized kit bump, so she'll be having them very soon...but, queens do have kit bumps a little after they..." Pearlnose stared off. "...have...their kits..."
Reedtail felt uneasy. Everything was coming back to him. "Pearlnose?" he asked hurriedly. "Are you sure that my memories are still fuzzy? Because I remember..."
Pearlnose gasped. "I didn't check all the way," Pearlnose meowed. "I was too panicked about saving you two. I just figured that if her belly was still big, she hadn't had her kits yet...but there was blood around her tail region..." Pearlnose looked at him, frightened. "Oh, no, Reedtail..."
Reedtail leaped up, despite the agony that tore at him. "BloodClan cats!" he yowled. "There was a tall black one. He controlled the flames somehow! He came into my den and then he struck me on the side of the head with his paw and..." His mews floated into the air.
Pearlnose was quivering now. "Reedtail," she said darkly. "What are you meowing about?"
Reedtail turned towards the medicine cat, his eyes boiling with rage. "My kits!" he screeched. "My newborn kits!"
"They've been stolen by BloodClan intruders!"
R&R.
I can tell you're all annoyed by Pearlnose's personality. But I wanted to make this chapter a bit "la-di-da and dramatic", so I did. She isn't a Mary Sue, she's just very, very close to aaaall her ThunderClanmates.
I also edited the "cat act" overall. In the original Warriors saga, mates are an eency-weency bit less attached to each other than in my story.
Question Answering Time:
1. OH EM GEE! Pearlnose is SUCH a bad medicine cat! She didn't even know that Gingerflower wasn't pregnant anymore? Even though she was bloody under her tail? Wow!
Well, Pearlnose is quite the emotional little kitty. She was so panicked about the both of them that she didn't notice, even if it was a big thing.
2. (continuation of 1) ...Well, then how come she didn't check Gingerflower all over after she'd been rescued? She had all night to find out!
She found out that Gingerflower was suffering from immense smoke inhaling, so she spent a long time trying to heal that up. Plus, Gingerflower (as I decided) also has a burn wound on her cheek. AND she had to worry about Reedtail. AND everyone else, including her bloody-gash-on-the-side leader.
3. In Chapter One, you said that Scorn didn't strike Reedtail all that hard. So why does he have AMNESIA?
Because, the smoke also blurred his memories. I don't even know if smoke does that, but it seems like it would. I'm not the research-y type, okay? And plus, without his amnesia, the chapter would be like this...
Reedtail: Where's Gingerflower?
Pearlnose: She's suffering from smoke inhalation and her kits might not make it!
Reedtail: She's already had her kits. DUH.
Pearlnose: WHAT?
Reedtail: Wait, what? OH MY STARCLAN! MY KITS HAVE BEEN STOLEN BY BLOODCLAN INTRUDERS!
XD
4. IS SCORN SCOURGE'S SON OR NOT?
Stop asking me, O Impatient One. You'll learn soon enough. (I love pretending that people are asking me questions. It clarifies things and makes 'em simpler.)
