Chapter Four
Jayfeather stalked away from Cocoa, fury nagging at his pelt. You'll get used to life as a housecat, she had said. Jayfeather snorted and lashed his tail. She wouldn't understand; she couldn't understand. The way her voice had purred soothingly when talking about life as a kittypet made him want to screech. She acted as if it was the best thing in the world. "As if," he muttered.
The smells of the twoleg house were overwhelming. He could hardly sense his way around. He kept bumping into twoleg objects with hisses of frustration. Why in StarClan's name was this happening to him? Him of all cats! He had a prophecy to fulfill! The Clans were depending on him! Guilt and homesickness flooded through him.
Everything felt so wrong. He sat down, giving up the effort of trying to navigate his way through the twoleg nest. He settled down on the unnaturally hard floor, putting his chin on his paws. His thoughts drifted back to ThunderClan, and he knew that, no matter how exhausted he was, he wouldn't be able to fall asleep.
"Um, excuse me…Jayfeather?" came a familiar voice.
He sighed. "What do you want, Cocoa?"
"There's no way you'll be able to sleep there," she started hesitatingly. "The tiles are so hard and cold."
"So?" Jayfeather challenged, though he felt unsure what 'tiles' were. "I won't be able to sleep anyway. Not here. Not now."
"Well…Why don't you follow me to my nest?" Cocoa offered. "It's warm and soft."
"I'd rather be cold and stiff than sleep next to a kittypet," spat the gray tom. He waited for her to stalk off, offended. To his surprise, however, she just stood there patiently.
"Come on," she insisted calmly. "It might not feel like your home, but it's better than the ground."
"What if I don't want to come with you?" he demanded.
"You're coming anyway," she meowed commandingly. "I'm not letting another cat sit on the ground, shivering all night. You don't have to like it; you just have to do it."
"StarClan, you're stubborn," Jayfeather meowed, rolling his eyes. To both of their surprise, the tom stood up and did as he was told. What am I doing? he wondered incredulously. Am I really agreeing to sleep next to a kittypet?
Cocoa gave a m'rrow of laughter at his reluctance. "I don't bite you know," she teased, walking away.
Jayfeather rolled his eyes and tried to follow the sound of her voice, but there were so many things in his way, things he couldn't sense or smell. Within the first two paw steps, he collided with a tough object.
"Umph!" he groaned, tripping onto the ground. Though she didn't say anything, Jayfeather could feel amusement rippling off her. Jayfeather's fur bristled in embarrassment. He was clumsier than a badger! He made a kittypet look coordinated. He knew that there was no way he could find his way to her nest without help. "Maybe," he muttered, feeling his fur burn. "You can lead me with your tail."
"Of course," she agreed with a purr. "But I can't help but ask. Why do you need my help? I'm right here. You can just watch me and I'll lead you to my bed."
"I can't watch you," Jayfeather admitted grudgingly. He didn't want Cocoa to think he was weak. "I'm blind."
"You poor thing!" she gasped.
"It's not so bad," he snapped. "I can find my way around just fine in the forest, but this is so new to me. There's no need to feel bad for me."
The housecat was silent for a moment, and Jayfeather could feel sympathy building inside of her. "Come on," she meowed at last. "Grab my tail with your teeth." Jayfeather did as he was told and let himself be led like a kit through his strange surroundings. At last, Cocoa announced, "We're here. Walk straight a paw step and sit down."
Hesitatingly, Jayfeather did just that. His eyes widened when his paws touched the softest thing he had ever felt. It was more comfortable than even feathers. "Wow," he found himself saying as he sat down. "What is this?"
"It's my pillow. It's like a nest," she explained. "There will be plenty of room for the two of us."
"You sleep on this?" demanded Jayfeather.
"Every night," Cocoa replied.
"Not even the nests in the nursery are this soft," he murmured, setting his jaw on his paws.
"I told you it was better than the floor," purred the kittypet.
"I guess you were right," he admitted grudgingly.
Cocoa teased, "I always am!"
The blind medicine cat rolled his eyes. "I'll try to remember that," he muttered drowsily.
As he began to drift off, he heard the she-cat lying next to him whisper, "Goodnight, Jayfeather."
"Goodnight," he whispered as his consciousness ebbed away.
