I'm displeased. This fanfic is so long and I've been updating so slowly that no one will remember plot important bits, so y'all won't be able to appreciate any worthwhile parts of this story. *I* don't appreciate the worthwhile parts of this story! Sigh... Sorry, guys.
Moonpaw could see the groove her paws had worn through her nervous pacing. The ground actually sloped down half a mouse-length where she had walked.
Maybe after she and Twigpelt died the story of what Moonpaw knew would come out somehow, and cats would call the groove The Moonlit Path of Disloyal Hearts.
And maybe they'd tell the little kits the sad, sad story of how a stupid apprentice with a stupid moon-based name drove herself insane with worry and scraped out the path out of anxiety, before being killed by the disloyal hearts of rebels who went behind their stupid leader's back.
And maybe they'd warn the young ones to remember the story of The Moonlit Path by never starting a battle without permission and never giving their kits bad names and never forgetting that if StarClan tells them they're going to die, they should at least have a good attitude about it.
And then the kits would give the storytellers sort of quizzical looks and say, "That's a pretty stupid story," and the elders would go, "Yeah, I've told better. Go get me some prey."
Oh, well, at least Moonpaw's name would be furthered.
"Stop that pacing!" Twigpelt snapped. "You're wearing a path in the ground. Come and do something useful."
The two of them had been trying to do useful things for the last few hours. But for every minute of work, two minutes had to be spent worrying. Moonpaw wandered over in Twigpelt's direction, but offered no help. Twigpelt didn't tell her to do anything, either.
Waiting, waiting, they were about to die, oh la de da.
A light brown she-cat with a darker tail materialized beside them. Branchtail! "You two, follow me. I've found a patch of fresh herbs you need to check out."
Moonpaw and Twigpelt exchanged glances. Fresh herbs didn't grow in the middle of leafbare; Branchtail must have been willing to talk with them and this was just a ruse.
"Coming right away," Twigpelt said.
Branchtail lead the way out of camp, the two medicine cats following.
Brackenstar hopped down from his spot on top of the Great Stump and stalked up to them. "Where're you going? I thought that - um, shouldn't someone stay with the sick cats?"
"Branchtail found some herbs," Twigpelt said. "We'll need to bring back too much for two cats to carry."
"Okay," Brackenstar said. "Say, why don't you stay here to care for the ill, Twigpelt, and I'll go in your place? I can carry as well as you can, but my staying in camp hardly helps those with greencough."
"It's really hard to tell which herbs are ripe for picking," Twigpelt said. "Only real medicine cats can figure it out. And if both Moonpaw and I are there to show which leaves are ready, we'll get home faster."
Brackenstar nodded. "Oh, that makes sense." He grinned sheepishly. "Never should have doubted you. Well, um, have a good time." He waved them off with his tail, and the three cats sped away.
Branchtail didn't speak until they reached the mouth of a large tunnel. "Inside." She plunged into the dark gap.
Moonpaw sniffed at the opening. Didn't seem that deep - it must've been an old den of some sort. She pushed herself through.
Her paws hit the sandy ground. It was dim, but the entrance passage was short enough that plenty of light got though. She blinked up at the rebels standing before her. She nodded to Briarpaw, swallowed nervously, and sat down by the edge of the group. Twigpelt slipped in after her and took a seat also.
"Fellow SkyClan members," Twigpelt said, "I hope you will see that you cannot possibly attack RiverClan."
Branchtail smiled. "We will be glad to listen to your arguments. But we have a few points on our side, too. You two had better not assume you're right on this."
Okay, kind of weak ending... but not all is lost. I was in sour spirits when I wrote the opening author's note, but I feel kind of better now. I actually made my self-imposed one week deadline! Yay! And I totally was not planning to title drop when I chose to name this story Moonlit Path: Disloyal Hearts. Sorry if you found that joke at the start of the chapter hokey. I'll update again in a week. Please review if you feel like it!
