Chapter 52:
"When do you think we should let the other cats find us?" Owlflight asked, his nose sniffing the air for the scent of the other group.
Heatherpaw shrugged. "When we're far enough away from camp that they can't send us back. Maybe we'll rest with them tonight."
Owlflight nodded. "That sounds good." After they had trotted a little further, he asked Heatherpaw, "Do you know why they've even left? I heard them talking about some cure and going to the mountains."
Heatherpaw looked up at him, surprise lighting up her pretty amber eyes. "You don't know about the prophecy?"
What prophecy? "No, I don't." Owlflight shook his head, eager to hear it.
"I overheard Harefoot talking to Ashtail about it." Heatherpaw began. "'Four cats with crossing skills, must journey to the land of hills, for in order to find what they require, they'll have to become like the old fire.'"
"Four cats with crossing skills: That must be Roseleaf, Waterstorm, Harefoot, and either Redfeather or Ivyfang." Owlflight reasoned, following their scent along a Twoleg fence. The sun was still high in the sky, beating down on his fur. Wishing it wasn't so hot outside, he continued, "The land of hills is probably the mountains, because I heard Harefoot talking about going to them. At first I thought they were going to try and join the Tribe of Rushing Water, but now I know better. And 'what they require' is something to stop Bloodcough, but I have no idea how to be like a fire."
"That's the part I'm stumped on, too." Heatherpaw agreed, the cold wind ruffling her golden fur. I'm sure once we get to the mountains we'll figure it out, just like the cats on the journey to the sun-drown place figured out that Midnight was a badger."
Suddenly, Owlflight stopped abruptly, staring at the stinky black path in front of him. "Their scent goes across the Thunderpath."
"We have to cross that?" Heatherpaw's mew was appalled. She stepped back a couple paces as a monster raced past, its bright blue fur reflecting the sun into her eyes and sending an acrid smell up her nostrils. "Can't we just go around it?"
Owlflight shook his head regretfully. "There's no time, especially if you want to spend tonight with the rest of the group. It's kind of hard to pick out their scent from the stink of the Thunderpath, but it's here for sure." Looking at the combination of worry and nerves on Heatherpaw's usually confident face, he said, softening his mew, "Come on, we'll do it together. When there's no monsters coming, I'll yowl, "Go!", and then you need to run across right beside me. Okay?"
Heatherpaw nodded, determination returning to her eyes. "Okay."
Owflight looked both ways, making sure no monsters were coming in either direction before yowling, "GO!"
Together they raced across the sticky, hot, black Thunderpath, their hearts racing. A monster flashed past the just as they crashed into the bushes on the other side, narrowly missing their tails.
"Whew," Owlflight's sides heaved, his heart felling as if it would suddenly burst out of his chest. "that was close!"
"I'll say," Heatherpaw agreed, plopping down on the soft grass beneath an oak tree to catch her breath.
After their breathing had returned to normal and their hearts calmed down, Owlflight got up from where he had been lounging in the shade of an oak tree, mewing, "We'd better go if we want to catch up with them."
Heatherpaw reluctantly got to her feet. "I suppose you're right." She bounded ahead of Owlflight, calling, "Let's run!"
"Aw, do we have to?" Owlflight groaned, pouring on speed. Maybe running isn't so bad after all, he thought. It feels good to stretch my legs a little.
"We had better find somewhere to camp before night falls." Redfeather said, gazing up at the purple and pink sunset sky.
Roseleaf, too, looked up. "You're right!" I've never been so tired in my life, she thought, I can't wait to settle in my nest! "Where should we camp?"
Harefoot shrugged, looking around. "I guess here is a good place as any, but I'd be happier where I could see the sky. It feels like I'm suffocating in this forest."
The four cats had crossed out of Twoleg territory and were now in an woodsy forest, with deep emerald grass beneath their paws. Surrounding them were large oak, elm, and maple trees, their leaves now turned vibrant shades of yellow, orange, and red, half of their leaves littering the forest floor.
"Why don't we settle in that old fox den?" Redfeather pointed with her tail do an abandoned fox den, a small dip in the cliff hidden by vines and brambles.
Roseleaf nodded. "That looks fine, as long as there isn't something living in it already." she padded over to it, sniffing the air cautiously. "The fox-scent is very stale, and I can't detect anything else." she announced, padding back to the group.
"I think I'll sleep out here," Harefoot muttered, gesturing right outside of the den. "at least I can see parts of the sky."
"We'll need someone to gather nesting materials and the other three cats can go hunting," Roseleaf mewed.
"I'll make the nests, I don't think my legs could handle walking another step even if I could hunt land-prey!" Waterstorm plopped down dramatically, while the other cats chuckled.
"Okay, then," Roseleaf said briskly, "I'll go this way, and I think it'd be best if we split up." As she headed toward the setting sun, shivering against the brisk chill setting in, she heard Harefoot and Redfeather trotting off in different directions behind her. After a little while, she slowed her pace, letting her senses range out, breathing in deeply and scanning the forest before her, holding her breath to better hear her surroundings. Mouse! She smelled the earthy scent and quickly located it scrabbling for food at the base of a large maple tree. Creeping forward, she crouched down, her belly fur a whisker-width away from the forest floor. Without hesitating, she quickly pounced on the mouse, pinning it down under her claws and dispatching it with a sharp nip to its neck.
Not long after, when she had caught another mouse and a blackbird, she was stalking a squirrel. Boy, this forest is prey-rich! She thought joyfully as she carefully and silently scaled the huge oak trunk on the opposite side of the squirrel, who was perched on a thin branch eating nuts. Roseleaf was about to make a wild leap onto the branch, but a hiss stopped her in her tracks.
"What are you doing hunting on my territory?!" An angry she-cat snarled, making the squirrel swiftly leap to another tree.
Fox-dung! She swore, and then descended the tree carefully. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean... Heatherpaw!"
Heatherpaw was sitting down at the base of a maple tree, her golden fur mingling with the brightly-colored leaves. She wore a confident and slightly smug smile, leaving Roseleaf to gape at her.
"What are you doing here?" Roseleaf spluttered.
"Hi, Roseleaf!" Owlflight bounded out from behind the tree Heatherpaw was in front of, coming up to Roseleaf and licking her on the cheek.
"Owlflight!" Roseleaf cheered, then her confusion returned. "What are you two doing here? Did you follow us?"
"Well, we couldn't stand to be left out of the adventure, and we both want to help you guys find the cure. Antpaw's sick you know, and Owlflight's mother." Heatherpaw mewed, as if this was all perfectly reasonable, padding forward until she was a tail-length away from Roseleaf.
Roseleaf could not form a coherent sentence for a few heartbeats, but finally said, "Okay, well, I suppose it's too late to send you two back now, so you may as well join us." Even if we tried to send them away, they'd just follow us again, she thought. "Why don't you help me carry my fresh-kill back to the others?" Roseleaf picked up the blackbird, leaving Heatherpaw and Owlflight to carry a mouse each.
"How'd you do, Roseleaf?" Redfeather looked up from where she had been settling in her nest when Roseleaf bounded into the clearing.
"Very well," Roseleaf replied, now over her moment of shock and confusion. "I caught a blackbird, two mice, and two cats."
"Cats!?" Redfeather repeated incredulously.
"Heatherpaw!" Harefoot bounded forward to touch noses with the WindClan apprentice. "What are you doing here?"
"And Owlflight, too!" Waterstorm called, happy to see his friend.
"We followed you, to help you find the cure. You'll let us stay, right?" Heatherpaw eyed Harefoot anxiously.
"Knowing you, you'd still follow us even if we sent you home." Harefoot sighed, echoing Roseleaf's earlier thoughts. He curled into his nest, then got up again. "Hey, why don't we eat? And there's plenty for our stalkers, too." he rolled his eyes at Heatherpaw, who stuck her tongue out good-naturedly in reply.
"I haven't eaten all day!" Owlflight trotted over to the fresh-kill pile, exchanging the mouse in his jaws for a rabbit. He looked to Waterstorm, saying, "Do you want to share?"
"Sure!" Waterstorm agreed, and Owlflight trotted over and sat down next to him.
Roseleaf dragged her blackbird over to Redfeather, and Heatherpaw joined them, her eyes alight with excitement, contrasting Redfeather's dark and thoughtful eyes.
What is Redfeather so worried about? Roseleaf wondered, but did not ask, knowing Redfeather would never tell her alone, much less in front of Heatherpaw. As she chewed her blackbird, none of the three she-cats spoke, preferring to be lost in their own separate thoughts.
When all the cats had finished their meal and had shared tongues, Harefoot stretched, getting to his feet. "Well, I suppose we had better fall asleep now, or else we won't be able to wake up at dawn tomorrow." He walked a few tail-lengths and curled up in his nest, just outside of the fox den.
"Good idea," Roseleaf agreed, padding into the fox den and falling into her nest with a sigh of relief, her muscles aching. I'll have to keep an eye out for feverfew tomorrow, she told herself sleepily. It will help with every cat's sore muscles.
Well? How do you like how they met? :) You know the drill, review if you loved (or hated) it!
*Speaking of reviews, it's that time again! Special thanks to: MinecraftBluepelt, Pumpkinfur, Darling Wolf, Tansypetal, Umbreonmoonspy, SMILE, SilverHeart24, and XHeart of DarknessX! Thanks again!*
Tansypetal: Sometimes, you readers are thinking ahead more than I am! Now, (most likely, this is subject to change) Heatherpaw's name will most likely be Heatherstep. Great idea!
Umbreonmoonspy: I have an inkling, more of a guideline as to what it could be :)
It seems that I made it unclear which part of the prophecy I was referring to when I said "Remember the prophecy about the flowing water!". In actuality, I meant the "Where the cure's in rows" bit, not the actual water bit :) My mistake! However, you guys made me giggle whenever I read water was what you thought the cure may be, they live by a lake, mouse-brains! (I know you mean Starwater or something - but no ;)
