Chapter 29: FearClan Medicine Cat

The trees were slowly turning bare, their branches clashing in the blustering winds that chilled the earth. Even the spindly branches of the willow tree fluttered high above Hawk's head. They had been making nests for days, starting small to buy time and testing if any cat would notice. However, her gaze flickered to the base of the tree where the den for the kits lay.

A familiar faded cat stood there, dark ginger fur being pulled to one side by the wind. Speckles of starlight flecked their paws even as they looked over at her. Shining yellow eyes gleaming with unconcealed worry. Their ears flicked back, their tail bushing up as an unfamiliar reddish-brown faded cat appeared, stepping into the open from the undergrowth. Their tail unusually bushy with thick, long fur.

The dark ginger cat's jaws moved, hissing and meowing without a sound. The bigger reddish-brown cat, a tom now that Hawk took note of their broad shoulders, flattened their ears and backed away. Only starlight glimmered as the faded cats vanished. In the wake of the starlight was the silver and white tom-kit who ran out of the den with Heather hot on his tail.

"No!" Willow snapped, rounding on the rogue leader, "I don't want to sit still and learn to lead! I want to learn how to hunt, too!"

Heather's honey-colored eyes blazed with fury. "Then who will lead after I have gone? We need a capable cat like yourself!"

The two-moon old kit looked away, his tail lashing in irritation. "Shadow can, at least he will know what he is doing."

"Wrong!" Heather snarled, swiping a paw at the kit who yelped as he was flung aside. "Shadow cannot lead FearClan! How many times do I have to say it?"

Hawk stepped out of the shadows, a growl forming in her throat. "Calm down, he is only a kit. He still has to learn to hunt to provide while under your rule."

The creamy brown she-cat whipped her head to her direction and snarled. "Stay out of this!"

Hawk stood her ground, keeping her claws sheathed as she recalled her training. "Do you really think that frightening him will help?" she asked gently in a calm tone.

Heather hesitated, looking to the kit who was trembling and staring in defiance. Finally, she seemed to deflate as her shoulders sagged. "My apologies Willow. I know it is a lot to take in. It's your destiny and you need to stop fighting it."

Willow sent her a scathing glare before huffing wordlessly as his siblings padded into the clearing. They had been taken out with Dusk and Shadow to learn to do hunting crouches properly. Hawk gently nosed the kit to his feet and gave him a gentle headbutt to push him along.

"Go see if Dusk will show you how to do the hunting crouch." she mewed encouragingly.

Willow looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes wide. "I'd much rather have you show me."

"I can't I have other duties to do. You know Shadow doesn't want me to teach you any cloud-fluff from my head." she reminded him gently.

"But," the kit started to whine, "You and Lion bring in the most prey!"

Hawk shook her head, "Ask your father, if he says no then go to Dusk and learn from her."

Willow narrowed his eyes, before turning and stalking off with his little tail twitching. Hawk blinked apologetically after the kit, glancing to Heather's worried expression that followed a kit who had such big paws to fill.

"If he doesn't focus he will never be ready." the rogue leader murmured softly.

The former medicine cat apprentice mewed softly, "Be patient. He can learn, just don't try to teach him everything at once. Give him room to be a kit."

Heather slowly looked to her, honey eyes sharp. "Don't tell me how to teach."

"I am not, I am merely suggesting." Hawk dipped her head respectfully. "He's frustrated to fall behind his siblings, which frustrates you when he doesn't focus."

The rogue leader hissed, unsheathing her claws. "Keep your clan-cat thoughts to yourself!"

Hawk blinked slowly, turning away from her without another word. Her striped tail held casually high as she padded back into the shadows where she was burying the old bedding. The half moon was fast approaching and she worried on how BushClan was fairing without her help. She hoped Poppyclaw wasn't too overworked as the change in temperature could be hurting the older cats joints.

Sighing softly, she slipped into another den finding the pile Lion had been making in silence. She could tell from the way her tail tip twitched that she had heard the altercation outside. With a sigh, she slid all the way in, the dried twigs pulling on her long fur.

"If you're going to scold me, go ahead." she invited.

Lion looked over and snorted, "Scold you? Oh, please, I have memories of Moth giving me lectures in the forest on how to behave properly for that she-cat. For example, don't ever tell Heather that her way is wrong. That's how you get a nifty scar over your eye and scratched up ears!"

"I am only trying to help."

"No, you're trying to advise. You said medicine cats and deputies advise their leaders, well you are none of those things. Only Shadow can advise her. So stop trying to advise her." Lion scolded, although her tone was light.

"Even when he isn't here?" Hawk mewed, confused.

"Look, all I know is what you do, but yes. The leader knows best."

"But isn't it wrong?"

"How so?" the reddish-brown she-cat looked to her, amber eyes mirroring her confusion.

"What if Willow got seriously hurt? What if he died?" Hawk mewed, letting her worries spill out. "He's only a kit and not big enough to fend off a full grown cat."

Lion was silent, her gaze darkened. "It's just how it is here. I adjusted, he can, too."

Hawk watched as the other she-cat went back to work without another word. Worry clawed at her thoughts. How could a kit adjust without someone to help them learn how things are done? All he had was leadership training and even that wasn't going too well from the looks of it.

The brown tabby gathered up the dried out bits of bedding and took it to be buried. Willow wanted her to teach him, Shadow would never actually allow it. However, her ears flicked up a bit in realization, Heather was a bit higher in the hierarchy here. Which meant she can go behind Shadow's wishes in a different way! Excited, she buried the old bedding and headed back to see Heather.

The creamy brown she-cat was still in a grouchy mood, watching Dusk teach the tom-kit how to stalk properly. Swiftly, she approached with a warm mew, only to see a scowl returning to the rogue leaders features.

"What do you want now?" she grumbled.

"I wanted to suggest that I can advise Willow to follow your teachings." Hawk mewed.

Heather stared at her blankly before snorting. "And why would you do that?"

"Well, I'm not the best hunter and I was training to be something you don't need. So, I thought I can give him lessons on why your lessons are important. That way he will listen and be able to finish on your schedule." she explained.

The rogue leader rolled her eyes. "And why should I trust you with such an important part of a kit's life? Is providing not enough for you?"

Hawk shook her head, "No, it is. I just thought, well... I owe a lot to the kits that I want to do more since I took their mother away. If you don't think I should, I understand. I just want to help him understand his destiny better so he stops trying to fight it, let alone you."

Heather looked away and mewed softly, "Go back to work. I'll think on this matter and consider it, but no promises."

"Thank you," she breathed, stepping back respectfully and heading back to her duties. Her heart was pounding. If Heather decided to not go for it, there was no chance to help Willow become the cat he deserved to be. However, if she did say yes, how can she sneak away for a night to learn about the past between FearClan and BushClan?

Author Note:

The ending is fast approaching!

There will be a sequel for certain, for this story.
I just have to stretch it out a little more to fit how I can see the ending.

- NightSky