Hi, guys! Yes, sorry, I know, I neglected this story for about a month. Probably longer. I am so, so sorry. I was busy and on vacation, and suffering from writer's block, which is the reason why this chapter isn't so good. Please don't unleash your wrath upon me! *runs and hides*
It had been two days. Two whole days since the Gathering, and Pineblaze's awful nightmare.
In the dream, Pineblaze had been wandering in a dark forest. His pawsteps had echoed loudly, hauntingly, and he could have sworn that every couple seconds a shadow would flit at the edge of his vision. But whenever he turned his head, there would be nothing there. Then, suddenly, cats darted from all directions. Without hesitation, they lunged at Pineblaze as one. There was no color to these cats; they were simply dark shapes, mere shadows, but their claws and teeth had felt as real as any Clan cat.
Pineblaze had lashed out vainly in all directions as the swarm of dark cats came upon him. He felt fur being ripped out in clumps from his flank, and his ear being bitten into. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't escape. A lithe shape slipped beneath him and clawed viciously at his belly, and Pineblaze howled in pain. The torture continued, and just when Pineblaze thought it wouldn't end, it did.
The figures backed away abruptly, and Pineblaze stood there, blood dripping down his sides. Then, in a flash, one single form broke away from the others and launched itself at him. Before Pineblaze could budge, the cat landed on Pineblaze's back and tore madly into his left shoulder. The tom shrieked wildly as sheer pain ripped through his body, and then his legs crumpled beneath him. Just before his muzzle thudded onto the ground and his eyes drooped closed, a pair of icy blue irises appeared before him.
Brackenpaw, Pineblaze had thought in horror.
Then, he had woken up, his whole body shaking and throbbing with pain. Badgerpelt had tried to soothe him while Rosefur re-dressed his wounds, but Pineblaze hadn't processed any of it. The nightmare had just kept repeating itself, over and over in Pineblaze's mind, until every detail of it had been embedded deep within his brain.
Now, he lay peacefully in the fern corner. Since that night, his fear had slowly ebbed away, and the nightmare had detached itself from his mind. He hadn't had the nightmare in the two days that had passed, and hope had started to flare within him once more.
Heatherflower suddenly slipped into the clearing, and Pineblaze didn't flinch at all. That's a good step, he thought to himself. Pineblaze had been very happy for his friend when she had relayed to him the news of her warrior ceremony at the Gathering.
The golden she-cat sat down in front of him and wrapped her tail neatly around her paws. She began washing her ears, eyes glittering. "How are you?" she meowed warmly, smiling.
Pineblaze smiled back and purred, "Fine. But it's only just past dawn. You didn't need to come see me yet!" He eyed her teasingly. "You're a warrior now. You might be needed for a patrol!"
Heatherflower rolled her eyes at him. "I went on four patrols yesterday, thank you very much," she replied, flicking her tail at his nose. "So I can spend most of today with you. I'm going hunting at dusk, so we have plenty of time! And don't give the "you're a warrior" talk to me. You're a warrior, too."
Pineblaze pushed himself up into a sitting position using his good front paw. He had discovered he could do that yesterday, and Rosefur was pleased that he could already sit up by himself.
"Well," Pineblaze pointed out, "I'm a warrior that's only six moons old, and I don't think I'll be going on any patrols soon." He nodded down at the splint on his left forepaw.
Heatherflower snorted. "Yes, that's true."
Pineblaze was now comfortable talking about his injuries openly. He had been joking about them a lot lately, which infuriated Rosefur. Heatherflower, on the other hand, just played along. She didn't avoid saying anything about Brackenpaw or Pineblaze's wounds or apprentice training now. Pineblaze had come to terms with everything, and he was fine with Heatherflower being open with him, too. But although he was making good progress, he knew that he wasn't yet ready to make a decision on Brackenpaw's punishment.
Just then, Rosefur pushed her way in with a bundle in her jaws. Pineblaze suppressed a sigh. This was his new routine now: the medicine cat would come just after dawn with more herbs and cobwebs. She would redress his most serious wounds, and put marigold on his more minor scratches to prevent infection. The last things she would do were fix the splint on his forepaw and then re-bind his shoulder. Then, later in the day, she would come again and do the whole thing over again.
As Rosefur replaced cobwebs and trickled the herb juices onto his wounds, Pineblaze ignored the pain, which he had become an expert at doing. He barely felt anything anymore, if he really tried. Or, Pineblaze thought, I've just become so used to the pain that it just sits at the back of my mind, unnoticed.
He and Heatherflower chatted idly over nothing very important, such as Brightdawn's kits and how Nightclaw would have to step down from being deputy temporarily if she became pregnant with Badgerpelt's kits. At Heatherflower's comment about the latter, Rosefur purred.
"Badgerpelt and Nightclaw seem to be attached to each other," the she-cat meowed, gently patting cobwebs onto Pineblaze's flank. "I barely see one without the other nowadays. It shouldn't be long until Nightclaw moves into the nursery. And newleaf is a good season to have kits."
"Although," Heatherflower meowed worriedly, "if this weather keeps up, I don't think we'll have much of a newleaf. And the nursery is really full right now. I doubt Nightclaw could fit, now that Brightdawn and the other StoneClan queen, Dapplefire, have moved in."
Pineblaze meowed thoughtfully, "Dawnfrost is back on warrior duties now, though, because Tumblepaw and Finchpaw are apprentices now. Aren't some of the other kits close to six moons, too? The nursery will be emptying soon enough."
Rosefur was nodding. "Yes, Spottedstar's kits are probably having their apprentice ceremony soon. Just the other day, poor Cloverfrost was tripping over Cinderkit and Stormkit, saying that they were too big to fit in her nest anymore." She chuckled.
Heatherflower sucked in a breath. "Cloverfrost is Spottedstar's mate? Spottedstar has kits?"
Pineblaze laughed. "Even I knew that! Keep up on the Clan news, you feather-brain!"
Heatherflower glowered at him and licked at her chest fur. "What? I'm not always the best at paying attention."
Pineblaze couldn't help but laugh more. "Really? You're telling me that you didn't notice when Cloverfrost had her kits?" Usually the whole Clan would sit in the clearing and wait while a queen kitted; it was a big event for new lives to be brought into the world.
"Of course I did!" Heatherflower protested. "I just didn't know that she was Spottedstar's mate!"
Then Pineblaze and the golden she-cat got into an argument about who was a bigger mouse-brain.
As Rosefur leaned down beside Pineblaze to fix the splint, he saw her roll her eyes. "You two need to stop bickering all the time! It gets on my nerves!" The tip of her tail twitched as she slowly and carefully eased the splint off.
"What?" Pineblaze meowed innocently, green eyes wide. "It keeps me busy. I get bored back here." He winced as Rosefur put the splint back on.
The brown she-cat straightened up. "Well, everything is healing well with your paw. Now I need to redress your shoulder…" She moved around to Pineblaze's side so that she was at a better angle to reach the wound.
Suddenly, Pineblaze's stomach emitted a loud rumble.
Heatherflower whiskers twitched with amusement, and Pineblaze grinned sheepishly. "I'm guessing you could use some food," the she-cat meowed, amber eyes dancing. She darted away through the ferns, and returned moments later with a mouse and a sparrow clutched tightly in her jaws.
Heatherflower dropped the pieces of prey in front of him. "I'm hungry, too," she explained. "But you pick. What do you want?" She gestured to the two creatures on the ground.
Pineblaze wasn't in the mood to be spitting out feathers, so he eliminated the prospect of eating the sparrow. "I'll take the-"
He abruptly stopped speaking. Suddenly, he couldn't remember what the name of the other prey was. He knew that he didn't want the sparrow. But what was the other one? Confusion flowed over him.
He was positive that he knew what that small furry animal was. Then why couldn't he remember what it was called?
"Pineblaze?" Heatherflower was frowning. "What is it? Which one do you want?"
The tom just shook his head. He couldn't explain what was happening. He didn't know what was happening. Rosefur had finished changing the cobwebs on his shoulder and was looking at him, her gaze puzzled. "Is everything okay?" she asked him.
Pineblaze sighed. "I don't want the sparrow. I know what the sparrow is. And I know what that is," he meowed, jerking his good paw at the other piece of fresh-kill. "I do, I'm sure I do. I just can't… I can't…" He trailed off, unsure of what to say. Frustration surged through him.
"You can't find it?" Rosefur asked, bending closer to him. "Is that it, Pineblaze? You can't find the word for it?"
He nodded. That seemed like the best way it could be explained. Understanding sparked in the medicine cat's eyes. "Pineblaze," she meowed, "what you're experiencing is most likely from hitting your head. It was probably from when you were in the river, and there were a lot of rocks that you bumped into. I've heard about cases like this, in other Clans where a cat had head trauma."
Pineblaze realized then that his head did hurt. He just hadn't taken much notice of it, compared to the pain from all his other injuries. "But it'll go away, right?" Heatherflower spoke up, anxiety written across her face. "I mean, he'll be able to… find words again soon?"
Rosefur nodded and smiled. "Yes. It's nothing too serious. Although, if you practice naming things now, the symptoms will probably go away faster." The tabby she-cat shook out her fur and padded off through the ferns. "I'll be back to check on you later."
When Pineblaze drew his gaze back to Heatherflower, her eyes were bright with excitement. "I have the perfect idea!" she squealed, bounding away.
Pineblaze rolled his eyes. Great StarClan, what does she have planned?
While he waited, he pawed the creature that he couldn't identify closer to him. He narrowed his eyes, staring at it. But no matter how hard he tried, the name of it wouldn't come to him. Irritated, he pushed it away. He had lost his appetite.
There was a loud rustle, and then Heatherflower emerged back into the small clearing, Badgerpelt at her heels. Both cats were carrying multiple pieces of prey in their jaws, and Pineblaze gaped at them as they laid the creatures on the ground.
"Have you brought the whole fresh-kill pile?" he asked in astonishment, gawking at the small heap. He poked it with a paw.
"Hunting has been especially good so far today," Badgerpelt rumbled, sitting down behind all the fresh-kill. "And Heatherflower told me about the problem you're having." He chuckled. "And of course, she came up with a way to help you."
The she-cat was pacing back and forth, her tail whisking through the air as she did so. "Okay," she meowed, "so Rosefur said it would help if you started naming things now. So I came up with a game!" Finally, she stopped moving and flicked an ear at all the prey on the ground. "Badgerpelt and I are going to lay out all the fresh-kill, and you're going to have to separate one specific piece of prey from the rest. Got it?"
Without waiting for an answer, Heatherflower started nosing the fresh-kill into different lines. Badgerpelt helped, and within a few moments, there were a couple neat rows laid out in front of Pineblaze. "First," Heatherflower told Pineblaze, "you have to find the squirrel."
Squirrel. The familiar name rang in Pineblaze's ears, and an image of gray-brown fur and a big, fluffy tail appeared in his mind. He reached out and pulled what he believed to be the squirrel toward him. Looking up, his ears pricked in delight when he saw Badgerpelt beaming.
"That's great," his mentor rumbled kindly. Once Heatherflower replaced the squirrel back among the other pieces of fresh-kill, Badgerpelt meowed thoughtfully, "Hmm… this time, find the mouse."
Mouse. Suddenly, Pineblaze wasn't feeling so happy anymore. The name was familiar, he knew that it was, but he just couldn't seem to match it to any of the creatures in front of him. Not wanting to pick the wrong creature, he glanced up at Badgerpelt and Heatherflower for help. But the two cats simply looked back at him, keeping their expressions carefully neutral so as not to give anything away.
Pineblaze frowned and studied each animal carefully. Mouse, mouse, mouse… Where's the mouse? he thought, feeling annoyed. Then, suddenly, the name clicked into place, and he pulled forward the piece of prey that he hadn't been able to find the word for.
Heatherflower smiled. "It's about time!" she purred. Then she pushed the mouse back among the lines of fresh-kill.
The game continued, and Badgerpelt and Heatherflower kept blurting out names of fresh-kill left and right, going faster and faster to make it more of a challenge for Pineblaze. Several more times he had trouble with finding the mouse, but he eventually got better.
Suddenly, Finchpaw's tabby face poked through the ferns. She looked cautious, as if she didn't want to scare Pineblaze, but none of the other cats acknowledged her at first. They were much too caught up in the game.
"Rabbit!" Badgerpelt exclaimed.
"Blackbird!" Heatherflower burst out.
"Mouse!" they shouted together.
Pineblaze immediately pulled the mouse toward him, the first time that he had been able to find it that quickly, and Badgerpelt and Heatherflower exploded into cheers.
Finally, Pineblaze looked up at Finchpaw. "Hi," he purred, gesturing with his tail for her to come into the clearing all the way.
The young she-cat looked completely confused as she sat down beside Badgerpelt. "Err…" she began, staring at the three others like they had sprouted wings, "I'm scared to ask, but what in the name of StarClan are you doing?"
"Playing a game," Heatherflower stated matter-of-factly. "And," she added, smiling wryly, "Pineblaze seems to be winning."
"And what exactly is this game?" Finchpaw still looked extremely bewildered.
"Mouse!" Pineblaze said cheekily, grinning.
Finchpaw shook her head, exasperated. "Oh, of course. Why did I ask?" Heatherflower giggled, and Badgerpelt toppled the gold she-cat over with a hefty nudge, which only made her laugh harder.
"Heatherflower," Pineblaze mewed, staring at the laughing she-cat as she rolled over on the ground, "I hope you realize that you laugh way too much." Then he turned to Finchpaw and smiled. "So what brings you back here?"
The apprentice scuffed her forepaws on the ground and shrugged. "I'm not going out to train for a little bit, so I just thought I'd stop by and see how you were," she replied. Pineblaze realized then that the young she-cat looked extremely uncomfortable, and kept shooting quick glances at his wounds.
"Relax," Pineblaze purred, "the cobwebs won't come and bite your head off. Besides, it looks a lot worse than it actually is." Finchpaw smiled meekly and muttered, "I guess so."
The three cats played the game, "Name-That-Prey," as Heatherflower had oh-so-creatively dubbed it, for a little bit more before becoming bored of it. Once all the prey was returned back to the clearing, they talked for a little bit more over nothing really important.
"Well," Badgerpelt meowed, getting up to stretch as the sun began to set in the sky, "I should probably go volunteer for a patrol or something. See you later!" He disappeared through the ferns, leaving Pineblaze with Heatherflower and Finchpaw.
"Oh!" Heatherflower suddenly exclaimed, frowning. "Pineblaze, today I meant to talk to your mother. Did you know that she still doesn't really know about all the progress you've made? Since she hasn't visited, no one has really told her anything."
Pineblaze's eyes widened. "Does she still think… that I'm gonna die?"
Heatherflower shrugged. "I'm not really sure, but I would hope not. I feel bad that nobody has spoken to her since the night you got your warrior name. I stopped by the elders' den this morning just before I came here, but she wasn't there. You know how she likes to tag onto patrols sometimes; she may not be able to see, but she's still got quite a good nose for prey!" The golden she-cat purred.
"Well, if you see her later, tell her to stop by and visit," Pineblaze said.
"You got it! I'll come see you tomorrow," Heatherflower meowed. Then she got up and started to walk away through the ferns, when loud yowls suddenly broke out from the clearing. Heatherflower and Finchpaw immediately darted away, pelts bristling at the sudden commotion.
Frustrated that he had been forgotten, he heaved himself to his paws, ignoring the flare of pain that shot through his shoulder and paw, and determinedly made his way to the edge of the ferns. When he reached the clearing, his fur immediately stood on end, and he let out a wordless wail.
Just inside the camp entrance, Spottedstar stood with the blood-smeared, tattered body of a pale gray tabby hanging from his jaws.
It was Thistlestripe.
Oooo! I love cliffies! Well, only when I write them. I hate them when I read them in other people's stories, so sorry if you hate me for this! I know that this chapter was incredibly dull, but I hope that the ending threw you for a bit of a loop. You're probably like, "Yay! This story is finally getting some action! Something important is actually happening!"
Anyway, in case you hadn't noticed, in the Allegiances I just edited it so that Cloverfrost already had her kits, Cinderkit, Stormkit, and Smokykit. They were mentioned in this chapter, in case you had forgotten. And thanks to my ONLY review for the last chapter, Butterfly that flies at dawn, for the name suggestions. I will use Sandkit and Gingerkit, thanks!
Therefore, Honeyflower's kits will be: Willowkit, Gorsekit, Sandkit, and Gingerkit. Honeyflower isn't really a major character, but I just have wayyyy too much fun naming kits.
As always, please review! And I promise I'll try to be faster on getting the next chapter up! Hopefully within a week or so! I'll try really hard, honest.