Chapter Four
The young black tomcat watched as his Tribemates chose from the fresh-kill pile.
"Eclipse!" The black tom turned his head and saw the white Healer padding towards him, a bracken-colored hawk in her jaws.
"Yes, Healer?" He twitched his whiskers.
"Don't call me Healer. Yes, I may lead you, but I want to have friends, not just followers."
"So why did you come to me?" He watched the muscles ripple beneath her long-furred coat.
"Because I need you, Eclipse. You aren't like any other cat. I love you." She quickly bent down and ripped off one of the hawk's wings.
The black cat moved closer to his Healer, and twined his tail in hers. "Of course I'll be your friend, Snow. Even more if you want." Her ice-blue eyes were shining as she looked at him. He licked her cheek, and took his share of the hawk.
"Snow, Snow!" the greenish-gray form of Frog That Sits on Lily burst into the clearing. "Come quickly! It's Sight on Misty Morning!"
The snow-colored cat leapt to her paws and raced from the clearing, leaving the ferns waving behind her. Eclipse got to his paws and padded to Frog's side. "Lie down. I'll get you some water." The green elder nodded and flopped down on his side, panting heavily.
When Eclipse returned with the water-soaked moss, Frog was sitting up, but still wheezing.
"Tell me, Frog, what's wrong with Sight on Misty Morning?" The black cat pushed the water towards the gray elder.
"I don't really know, youngster. One minute, she was in the nursery, washing her kits, and the next, she was standing in the clearing yowling about our Healer breaking a law decreed by the Tribe of Endless hunting. Something about Snow taking a mate." the old cat blinked slowly, and lapped at the moss. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, Eclipse?"
The young tom sighed. "I do. Sweet Rain came to me in a dream last night. She told me that the Tribe of Endless Hunting had chosen me." He looked at his paws. "She told me that it was their wish for me to become Snow's mate. Then the rest of the Tribe started whispering around us, telling me that her destiny must be carried on if I wanted to save our Tribe."
Frog blinked and nodded, and his voice was raspy like wind through dry ferns as he spoke. "If they have decreed it, then so it shall be. Congratulations, Eclipse. Take care of her for me. Fire That Burns Forever would never call me his brother if I placed his daughter in incapable paws."
For a moment, the two toms sat in silence, sunlight shining through the great oak leaves above their heads dappling green-gray and black pelts alike.
The black tom stood, muscles rippling, and meowed, "I will go find her. After all, I am a capable cat. No fear, Frog That Sits on Lily, I will take care of her." Dipping his head, the young tom padded from the clearing.
