Chapter 8: The Quest

When morning came Spottedleaf slowly became conscious. She aches a lot from her battle wounds, but for now she is out of the darkness. Yellowfang was asleep next to her. Spottedleaf gave a faint smile to the old cat. Yellowfang suddenly awakens.

"Well….nice to see that you survived the night there Spottedleaf." Yellowfang purrs.

"How….how long was I out of it." Spottedleaf meows.

"For a while. Was afraid you weren't going to survive the night. You lost a lot of blood, there." Yellowfang explains.

Spottedleaf nods, "I know…"

"What on earth made you go out there on your own? You know you are not skilled to fight off an enemy warrior, especially from my former Clan." Yellowfang hissed.

Spottedleaf looks at her, and then closed her eyes, "I guess there is a little bit of warrior blood in all of us." She then looks at the gray she-cat. "I was out there getting medical supplies. And was on the hunt to find a rare herb that will cure the most dangerous wounds, like mine and Lionheart's, when I heard and saw the ShadowClan warrior take Frostfur's kits. He came right to me without any warning…I did all I could to defend the kits and myself. But it was too late…ShadowClan has them now."

Yellowfang shook her head, "No they didn't. I rescue them, and brought them back here. Along with Fireheart and Greystripe, and your sister."

Spottedleaf looks to her and squinted her eyes, "Fireheart, Graystripe?"

"Oh…forgot to mention….the two apprentices…..Firepaw and Graypaw got promoted yesterday, as warriors, by helping rescuing the kits." Yellowfang purrs.

Spottedleaf smile to the idea of Firepaw being a warrior. Her smile then disappears when a sharp pain her neck came upon her. Spottedleaf gave a low moaning meow to the pain. Yellowfang rushed in her den to grab some poppy seeds and some other strong herbs. "Here…take some of this…it will stop the pain."

"I don't want to end the pain…" Spottedleaf stated as her eyes shut.

"I know….but with this serious injury your body can't take it, and you might die. Take the herbs." Yellowfang pushes it to Spottedleaf, "Don't make me force it down." Spottedleaf did what she was told. Then Yellowfang put some cooling ointment to the wound on her neck. Yellowfang chuckles, "Funny…. a few moons ago, I was your patient, this time you are mine."

Spottedleaf shook her head as she lets out a small chuckle, "Lets hope that I won't be your patient for long."

Just then Willowpelt comes into her sister's den. "Yellowfang is my sister….did she…"

"See for yourself." Yellowfang moves aside to have her sister to rebind with Spottedleaf.

"Spottedleaf! You…..you are alive…..oh thank StarClan!" Willowpelt nuzzles her sister's cheek and licks her. "Don't ever do something as stupid like that again! You scar the hell out of me and Patchpelt, I can't loose my baby sister so soon after Redtail.."

"I will try not too." Spottedleaf places her weak paw on her sister's. "How is Patch.."

"Oh you know him….he is still sleeping in the elder's den…I only have a brief moment….I just want to check up on you…" Willowpelt meowed.

"Only have a brief moment? Where are you going?" Spottedleaf asks.

"Morning patrol. Tigerclaw's orders.." Willowpelt stated.

"That's ridiculous!" Yellowfang hissed, "he should have the curtsey to have you do something else instead of doing morning patrol, so soon after everything that went down yesterday. He should have pity on you after the fact you almost lost your sister!"

"Tell that to him." Willowpelt stated. Willowpelt looks up and sees the sky brightens, "I got to go. But I'll be back…."

"Well when you come back, she might be out of it…the herbs I gave her will make her go unconscious again for a while." Yellowfang looks to Spottedleaf, "Sorry young one….but you are still very weak, to be up…don't want to take the chance at having you dying on me again."

Spottedleaf nods, "I understand."

Willowpelt nuzzles her, "Take care of her Yellowfang, and Speckles…..try not to argue with you…."

Spottedleaf smiles, "I'll try my best…" Spottedleaf watches her sister leave. As she settles down into her new moss bed. She looks to Yellowfang, "Do I still get to sleep in my den?"

Yellowfang was hesitant for a moment and then goes to her, "For now, no….until I know for sure you are out of the woods….I want an easy access to do medical emergency on you if you happen to into the light again. You may be stable for now, but you are still a flight risk of crossing over to join StarClan. Now get some rest….your body needs as much as possible for you to recover."

"Yes….doctor.." Spottedleaf smiles and places a paw on Yellowfang's, "Thank you for saving me…I know, it can't be easy for you to save someone you hate."

"Oh young Spottedleaf, I don't hate you…in fact, I very much care for you the most…well besides Fireheart…..which is why I saved your life….that and because I hate to see such a rare gifted medicine cat die when she has so much to offer." Yellowfang licks her between the ears. With Yellowfang's kind words it made her heart melt. Spottedleaf then begins to feel the herbal medicine take affect as she slips into another deep slumber.

Later that evening Spottedleaf awoke. She felt more pain in her neck and soon felt freezing. It was one of the hottest days and yet Spottedleaf felt cold to the bone. Yellowfang came to her and felt her head, "Just want I figured….you got the fever….I'll give you some marigold leaves as well as holily berries for it to slow it down."

As soon as Yellowfang returns to Spottedleaf Fireheart came into the den, "Yellowfang how is she?"

"She's doing fine. She's been in and out of it, here and there, but for right now she is stable." Yellowfang looks to him. "I'm sure you want some alone time with her…I know….you two are close….I'll give you a few minutes. Got to go and get some food for her anyways." Yellowfang dashes out of the den to fetch some fresh kill for Spottedleaf.

Fireheart turns and immediately came by her side. Spottedleaf lifts her head slightly but crashes back to the ground. "Hey…don't get up…you haven't regain your strength yet."

"Nice to see you too kittypet," Spottedleaf half smiles as she breathed in his scent.

"I would've came as sooner….and would have been with you all night, but had to go through the vigil." Fireheart nuzzles his nose to hers.

"I know….I heard from Yellowfang you are now a warrior….congrats." Spottedleaf smiles as she stares into his burning emerald eyes. "I've heard what you have done, you are a good warrior Fireheart…and a hero."

Fireheart puts his paw on hers and entwines their tails together, "I wouldn't be a hero if you would have died. I love you."

Spottedleaf touches his nose to his, "I'm in love with you also."

Fireheart then closes the gap, and kisses her lightly. Spottedleaf knows she is breaking every code for this one moment, but she doesn't care. She is in love with the prophesied warrior. Their romance moment only lasted for a few heart beats, when Spottedleaf pulls away, "Fireheart…..we can't do this.."

"Do what?" Fireheart asks.

"Make our love public…..it's forbidden. We could be in serious trouble if anybody finds out. I don't want you to lose your rights at being a warrior because it." Spottedleaf stated.

"But why is it forbidden, why do we have to be secrete about it?" Fireheart asks.

"I'll tell you later….and explain. But for now, you need to gain control of your romantic feelings for me. Besides Yellowfang could come back any moment now and witness this…this scandal. I'm under her care and her watchful eye." Spottedleaf warns Fireheart. "I don't want you to be marked as a traitor. You have so much to offer here, in the Clan. I'm telling you this to protect you."

Fireheart nods and places his paw on hers, "I know…. thank you for telling me the truth."

"Truth about what?" Yellowfang stated as she carries the food with her.

Spottedleaf looks at Fireheart and calmly stated, "The same reason why I told you why I left the camp when I got attacked."

"Oh. Well hate to break up the love fest here, but Fireheart, you are wanted to go out on an evening patrol with Fireheart. They will be leaving shortly. Besides….my patient, needs some rest if she wants to return to her duties as being a medicine cat again." Yellowfang meows and looks to Spottedleaf.

Fireheart looks at Spottedleaf, "Have to go…I'll come back as soon as I can.."

"Bye Fireheart." Spottedleaf meows and he turns to head back to rest of the camp. Spottedleaf looks at Yellowfang as she gave her a mole to eat.

"You need to eat something. Not letting you go hungry." Yellowfang stated.

Spottedleaf slowly pushes herself up to a crouch. It took most of her effort, but she manages to stay. She eats only about half of it, before she starts to feel sleepy again. Yellowfang helps her to lay back down.

A few moons past as well as the great Gathering. The morning has come and Spottedleaf has been recovering at a slow right, but a good one. She still is weak from the amount of blood she has lost, but Yellowfang has been using her own blood to put into Spottedleaf. Spottedleaf was lightly sleeping when Graystripe and Fireheart came into the clearing.

"Yellowfang!" Graystripe meowed loudly not really noticing Spottedleaf sleeping. "We've come for some traveling herbs!"

"Mouse brained idiot! Can't you see I have a patient sleeping?" Yellowfang hissed. Spottedleaf opens her pretty amber eyes to look at Graystripe and Fireheart. She eyes Fireheart and gave him a kind smile.

"Sorry Yellowfang." Graystripe apologizes.

"And why do you need traveling herbs?" Yellowfang asks.

Fireheart step in to explain, "We got to go find WindClan and bring them back to their territory."

"Ah….Bluestar is giving you two your first warrior mission. Congrats…I'll fix your herbs right away…give me a moment." Yellowfang dashes to the other side of the den to the cave wall.

Fireheart was tempted to go to Spottedleaf, but what she told him the other night he had to hide his romance feelings towards her. Moments past and soon Yellowfang returns with the traveling herbs. She places them in front of Graystripe and Fireheart.

Graystripe scuffs it down and then spat out his tongue, "Yuck, just as bad as last time." Fireheart does the same thing, and Spottedleaf tries not to give away her laugh. Graystripe finishes and nudges his best friend, "Come on slow poke, we have to be on our way."

Yellowfang shook her head and went back to her den to get some more sleep. Fireheart watches Yellowfang disappear in the den and looks to Graystripe, "I'll be there in a moment."

"Okay…but don't take to long, we have to get a move on ASAP." Graystripe strolls out of the den leaving Fireheart to say goodbye to Spottedleaf.

Spottedleaf opens her eyes as he crouches down beside her, "You better catch up to him."

"I'm not leaving here without a goodbye from you." Fireheart smiles.

Spottedleaf smiles to him, and tenderly nuzzles him, and then tenderly gave him a lover's lick on the cheek, "For good luck, and for being my hero."

Fireheart gives her a charming smile and whispers to her, "I promise I will come back."

Spottedleaf smiles to him and gave him her necklace her brother Redtail, gave to her, "It's to protect you on your journey. My brother Redtail made it for me while he was starting out on his journey to be a warrior. He gave it to me as I made my way to Moonstone to receive my name from StarClan. Keep it with you."

"Thank you." Fireheart smiles and then looks into her deep amber eyes.

"You better go….i wish you the greatest luck Fireheart. And may StarClan watch over you." Spottedleaf softly meows. Fireheart smiles and dashes out of the den, only to look on Spottedleaf one last time. Seeing her made his heart ache, as he has to leave her side one last time.

Yellowfang got up only a moment to see something she wishes she hadn't witness. When Fireheart said goodbye to Spottedleaf she witness the love affaire between them. She will not expose it, but she will have a serious talk with the young medicine cat on the matter. Medicine Cats are forbidden to have mates, and Yellowfang fears that Spottedleaf is walking down the path she walked down many years ago.

It was midday as Spottedleaf started to regain part of her strength. She has been walking in and out of her moss bed, but even just going to the little crick near her old den, was an effort to get to. Yellowfang had caught her walking about, when she orders her back to her nest. "I thought I told you to lay still."

"Sorry, Yellowfang…..just…I'm getting really hot where I am laying I need to cool off some how." Spottedleaf stated.

"It is quite chilly out. The reason you are burning up, is because of your fever. Back to the nest…now! Before I loose you to green cough." Yellowfang shook her head. "If you want something, I'll bring it to you."

Spottedleaf steps out of the shallow pool of water and onto the ground. She makes a few mouse lengths when she felt extreme weak, and almost fell to the ground. Yellowfang rolls her eyes and sets down her leaves and goes over to Spottedleaf, "Medicine cats makes the worse patients." Yellowfang nudges Spottedleaf up and half drags her to her nest.

Once Spottedleaf was in her nest Patchpelt comes in with food. "Brought some fresh kill for Speckles here.."

"Thanks…for telling Yellowfang my nickname." Spottedleaf meowed.

"Glad to Speckles…" Patchpelt jokes as he gave his sister a comforting lick. "You just get better, okay…kind of miss you feed me those blue berries every morning."

Yellowfang gave Patchpelt a sharp look and looks to Spottedleaf, "Those are for medical purposes only."

Spottedleaf looks to her brother and gave him a nasty look. Then Oneeye calls out from the furn tunnel, "Come on Patch….while we are still young."

Patchpelt looks to his sister, "I'll be back this evening with more fresh kill for you."

"You really don't have to do that…send an apprentice or someone." Spottedleaf meows.

"The apprentices have training to do and besides, I want to do it…so I know my baby sister is well taken care of, and getting the best neturates for body, so she can get well." Patchpelt stated.

"The only way your sister is ever going to get well again, is if she follows my orders, and not have too many visitors to bug her when she needs rest." Yellowfang told him.

Patchpelt looks to his new medicine cat, "Yes…. ma'am." He gave his sister a lick goodbye then rejoins one of his good friends.

Spottedleaf looks to her care taker, "You don't really like my brother."

"Not really no. Say why do you give away some of those blue berries to him anyway?" Yellowfang asks as she carries a leaf to her so that Spottedleaf could drink from it.

Spottedleaf looks to Yellowfang, "I give it to him, because it's his vitamin. Ever since the last battle when he was young, my mentor and I had to give him those berries so that when he is an elder his joints won't give out as easily. He has a lot of damaged done to him, when he was a warrior. Probably climbing to many trees."

"You two don't look like you are from the same litter." Yellowfang stated.

"We're not. He as well as my other sister, Leopardfoot, are from my mother's first litter. Redtail, Willowpelt and I are from her second. We have two different fathers." Spottedleaf responds as she took a long drink. "Leopardfoot and Patchpelt are my half siblings. My only living true sibling I have is Willowpelt."

Yellowfang nods, "He takes care of you…"

"Has been for a while. Was very protective of me soon after the death of Leopardfoot. Then my other brother Redtail, told him to lay off, and he did. But back then, my relationship with him, was quite different than now. Redtail is the one who has rebounded our siblingship after when our father's left and got killed. We are all we got." Spottedleaf stated.

"Your brother Redtail, seems very well respected." Yellowfang smiles to her.

"He was….and still is. I guess my nephew, Tigerclaw has always been jealous of him, because he doesn't have the rare gift that my brother Redtail had." Spottedleaf meows.

"You are Tigerclaw's aunt?" Yellowfang asks.

Spottedleaf nods, "Well…half aunt….he is my half sister's son. She…uh….she died, when she was giving birth to his other sisters. I was still a young apprentice starting out in my medical cat training, when she died. I blamed myself a long time for not saving her. Redtail told me it was not my fault that she had died. I cared for Tigerkit soon after her death. Until a queen was ready to take him on. Tigerclaw still blames me to this day of not saving his mother. Part of me believes he wishes me dead."

Yellowfang was surprise that she is telling her all this, "Your brother was right, that your sister's death is not your fault. And Tigerclaw should not blame you for his mother's death."

"But he does. He is only nice to me because I am the only thing that stands between him and death. But other than that, he diversely hates me." Spottedleaf stated with a sadden tone.

Yellowfang knows the feeling. "I know where you are coming from."

"You do?" Spottedleaf looks to her.

"Yes…but that is another tale at another time." Yellowfang stated not willing to share her about her son. "Come on…I have to go out and get some supplies since Fireheart and Graystripe took the last of the traveling herbs. I'll be back by evening. Don't wonder a mouse length away from your nest." Yellowfang smiles to her and gave her a playful lick, "Be back…." Then she called out Spottedleaf's nickname, "Speckles."

Spottedleaf's ears twitch to Yellowfang's comment, "Hey only my siblings can say that name to me."

The night grew on as Spottedleaf had trouble sleeping. Her dreams where chaos and bizarre. There was great sorrow of one of her clan mates, after a nasty battle. Spottedleaf couldn't figure out who though, all she saw was a silhouetted of a cat wailing over a motionless body of another. Spottedleaf was trying to figure out who when all of a sudden she saw dark eyes lurking over her, and hunger in them. The eyes went for a kill, and all of a sudden Spottedleaf was shaking violently.

"Hey…Sweetheart…wake up! Spottedleaf! Spottedleaf!" A voice came into focus.

Spottedleaf flung open her eyes as her claws out stretched and her fur standing on end. She looks at Yellowfang who had moved a foot or two away from her. "Spottedleaf are you okay?"

Spottedleaf shook her head as she was breathing heavily at what she just felt, "No….it was awful…"

"Your dream?" Yellowfang took a step closer. Spottedleaf nodded as she settles down. Yellowfang goes to her and places a cold leaf on her head, "Spottedleaf, you're breaking into a sweat."

"I think StarClan is sending me a warning…." Spottedleaf looks up to Yellowfang.

"Oh…what did they sent you?" Yellowfang asks as she arches her eyes.

"A battle….fought between two clans. One dead cat, and a mournful cat crying…then" Spottedleaf looks down as she tells Yellowfang the next part that frightened her, "Then there were these dark amber eyes glowing right at mine. It was so dark, and so filled with hatred, and hunger to murder. It was looking right at me, wanting to kill me."

Yellowfang looks to her and asks, "Did you see who it was?"

Spottedleaf shook her head, "All I saw were the eyes, and a low rumble growl. What does that mean, Yellowfang?"

Yellowfang gave Spottedleaf a quick lick, "Sounds to me that StarClan is warning you of some danger lurking on the horizon."

"But what danger?" Spottedleaf asks.

"We never could know these things. Now come on…it's late and you need your sleep." Yellowfang helps Spottedleaf down to her nest. She stays with her until she falls asleep. Yellowfang looks to StarClan and was deeply worried about Spottedleaf's dream.