hello hello hello!
we're in the endgame now.
review replies:
readingeevee: yesss kits! and thank you :)
minty: * hands over mintkit * HERE. and thank you! :D
dragon: KITTTSSS and thank u!
somestormleaf: i woULD NEVER ! and thanks :)
breezepetal: hehe you'll find out soon enough! thanks for the review, and hope you enjoy this chapter.
as always, feel free to review and pm me :)
"Mintkit, keep out of the medicine cat den. Bramblewing doesn't want you bothering her." Moonstar said, smiling. She gently nudged her kit, who looked up to her with wide, innocent green eyes.
"Bramblewing doesn't mind!" Mintkit meowed, immediately shrugging off Moonstar's paw. He headed to Bramblewing's side, and started admiring the herb supply again. Moonstar shook her head at Bramblewing, and padded over to Mintkit.
She gave him a slight push with a paw. "Mintkit, out." Mintkit sighed, and left the den, annoyed. Moonstar rolled her eyes, and turned back to Bramblewing.
Bramblewing looked thoughtful. "Mintkit is good company. And… and I could do with a new cat in here soon." Moonstar blinked, and sat down.
"You're not old, though." She replied, wondering what Bramblewing was getting at. "And Mintkit is too snappy to be a medicine cat.
"I like him. He'll be a good fit in here." Bramblewing said. Moonstar nodded. She was right. Mintkit clearly knew his herbs, and he was willing to learn.
"Daffodilheart's death was sudden. Nobody was expecting it. What if that happens to me?" Bramblewing mewed, her voice slightly shaky. Moonstar winced at the mention of her former medicine cat, and her uncle. He had passed away shortly after she had given birth. Drowning, from what they could tell.
"It won't. You're the spitting image of health." She said, looking Bramblewing up and down.
"Still, Mintkit is almost… five moons now, is it?" Bramblewing asked. Moonstar didn't know why she was asking, she'd helped her give birth to the kit.
"Old enough to know to keep out of trouble." Moonstar joked, half-serious.
Bramblewing sat down. "He's just curious." She retorted.
"Too curious. When Shadowclan visited a half-moon ago, he couldn't keep away from that medicine cat apprentice. What if he'd said something wrong?" Moonstar mewed. It had been weird, that visit. Batflight had brought along his new apprentice, Lionpaw, and Moonstar hadn't been able to stop the tom from exploring the camp with Lilykit and Mintkit. She didn't think he meant any harm from it, but she'd heard one or two of the senior warriors remarking that 'Foxstar would never let that happen.'
It made her blood boil. She wasn't Foxstar. She didn't want to be like Foxstar.
"I think he just wanted to be friends with Lionpaw." Bramblewing said, carefully tucking some poppy seeds into a dock-leaf wrap.
"Huh." Moonstar grunted.
Bramblewing slid the wrap away. "Have you chosen names for Dovefoot and Maplethroat's kits?" She asked. Moonstar blinked. She had, but she didn't know if they were good names. She didn't really know if anything she did was good.
"I'm thinking some through. Maybe Fogstorm, Smokeheart and Mistmoon." She mewed quietly, like she hadn't spent the last three nights in a row thinking them up.
"I like Fogstorm. Fogpaw, he's close with Sunclaw, isn't he?" Bramblewing said absentmindedly, moving on to her cobweb supply.
Moonstar chuckled. "They'll run off together into the sunset soon enough."
"It's sweet. Emberlight approves of it." Bramblewing said. Moonstar flicked her ears back at the mention of her sister's name.
Sighing, Moonstar stood up. "She does?" She questioned.
"Yeah. She's been having a rough time recently, I'm sure she's told you." Bramblewing mewed, before turning back to her cobwebs. Moonstar shook her head, before realising that Bramblewing couldn't see her. She'd been doing that a lot, recently. Forgetting what was in her line of sight. She thought that the vision in her eye was beginning to fully deteriorate, just like how Ravenwing had predicted.
"No. She hasn't." She answered.
"Oh? Well, Sparrowthorn's been busy with deputy duties, and Sunclaw and Dawnrise haven't visited her much. You know what toms are like- are you listening?" Moonstar wasn't listening. She was staring in horror, just past Bramblewing. At the far corner of the den, there were two cats.
Two cats with sunken eyes, blind gazes, and gaping wounds. Two familiar cats. Finchpaw and Sharpgaze. They weren't moving. They were just staring at her. Moonstar flinched, and backed away. She tried to speak, but her words were caught up in her throat.
"Avenge me." A whisper croaked in Finchpaw's voice.
"Avenge me." Sharpgaze this time.
"C-can you see that?" She finally managed to get out. Bramblewing turned around, and looked in each corner of her den, before looking back to Moonstar. She looked concerned, with furrowed brows, and an open mouth.
"Moonstar. There's nothing there." She mewed slowly, as though she was talking to a kit.
"I swear I saw something. It- it looked like Finchpaw. And- and there was another cat. They were speaking to me." Moonstar stuttered, her breathing erratic. Brambewing's eyes widened at the mention of her sister's name, and she inched closer.
Bramblewing swallowed. "What were they saying?"
"Avenge me. They were saying avenge me."
Time skip.
"Our kits are apprentices!" Sheepskip chirped to Moonstar as she leapt down from this highledge. Moonstar grinned at him, and brushed past Berryfoot to embrace her mate.
Berryfoot appeared at her shoulder. "Good observation, Sheepskip." She mewed with a smirk, shoving her adopted brother in the side. Sheepskip rolled his eyes.
"Shut up, Berryfoot. Go away and sing to Heatherskip or something. I'm trying to be supportive to my mate." Sheepskip teased, pulling away from Moonstar.
"Touché." Berryfoot purred, before flouncing off, presumably to 'sing to Heatherskip.'
"Anyways!" Sheepskip exclaimed. "Medicine cat apprentice! How did that happen?" Moonstar chuckled.
"Annoying Bramblewing, mainly." She joked. After that day in the medicine cat den, Mintpaw hadn't been able to leave Bramblewing alone. She'd encouraged it, because he hadn't shown any kind of interest in warrior training like his sister did.
"Of course, of course." Sheepskip mewed. Moonstar looked around, before leaning in to whisper in Sheepskip's ear.
"Do you think I chose right for Lilypaw's mentor?" She asked. It was too late to go back now, but she just had to know what Sheepskip really thought.
"I'm sure Fogstorm will do fantastically. Sunclaw speaks highly of him." Sheepskip mewed, dismissively. Moonstar nodded, feeling reassured.
"Yeah, Bramblewing helped me with that one." She admitted. Moonstar had always been on Fogstorm's side, he was a capable young warrior. She was even putting him in charge of patrols, despite his age.
"I could tell… she's got a good eye for stuff like that." Sheepskip mewed.
"But he's only a new warrior. I should have picked one of the older warriors." Moonstar sighed. Sheepskip shook his head.
He grinned. "The older warriors? As in Nightlark, Pebblepelt and Smokeshadow? They'll be retiring soon."
"Maybe I should have picked Spiderspring…" Moonstar trailed off, beginning to feel reassured. Sheepskip just had that effect over her, a kind of all-consuming comforting feel.
"He's only just finished mentoring Mistmoon. You did fine." He mewed.
Moonstar huffed. "I worry sometimes."
"You shouldn't. You're a great leader. You're great." Sheepskip said, leaning in to lick Moonstar's cheek. She purred, and smiled softly.
"Thanks, Sheepskip." She whispered.
"Anytime."
"Should I take them to the gathering? Or would that be favouritism? This is all very hard to work out, some-" Moonstar pondered out loud, before stopping dead.
They were back.
Finchpaw and Sharpgaze. Just… just watching her. Unmoving. With dead gazes.
"Avenge us." They whispered, and disappeared.
Sheepskip shook her gently, and Moonstar jolted out of it. "Moonstar? Love? Are you alright?"
Moonstar shook her head. "No. I keep seeing them." She murmured, ashamed that her mate had seen her outburst. Sheepskip blinked.
"Who do you keep seeing?" He asked, his eyes wide. Moonstar sighed.
"Finchpaw. Sharpgaze."
"Why?" He questioned.
"They… they want revenge." She whispered.
"On who?"
Moonstar didn't answer him. She didn't know, but she had a sinking feeling she'd find out soon enough.
Time skip.
"I'm pleased to hear about Sunclaw and Fogstorm." Moonstar mewed politely, sitting down next to Emberlight. Her sister blinked up at her, and she moved out of the way so Moonstar had more room.
"They're just the sweetest, aren't they? Hopefully Dawnrise will find a mate soon." She gushed. Somehow, Sunclaw and Fogstorm had only become mates a few nights ago, and they were already the talk of the camp. Thunderclan had very little conflict nowadays, and that was the most interesting thing happening. She doubted that Dawnrise would ever be one for a relationship - somehow, she thought that Emberlight wouldn't have any grandkits. Unless Sunclaw and Fogstorm got a surrogate, Emberlight and Sparrowthorn would be out of luck.
Bramblewing was allowed to take a mate, but she'd told Moonstar in private that she didn't want to.
"Or not. I've never taken him as the sort. He seems rather concentrated on his duties." Moonstar commented.
"That's a good thing, right?" Emberlight purred, leaning down to clean her paws. Moonstar nodded.
"Yeah. He's dedicated." She mewed. Emberlight nodded, and tilted her head.
"How are you, then?" She asked.
Moonstar blinked. "What do you mean?"
"We haven't spoken in a while, that's all." Emberlight mewed. Moonstar sighed.
"I-I've been busy." She explained.
"Too busy for me?" Emberlight teased. Moonstar shook her head. She'd just been tired, really. Those visions were bridging into every day of her life, and leaking into her dreams. It was hard to keep them out.
"No. N-no. Not at all." She stumbled over her words.
"So how are you?" Emberlight asked again, nudging her playfully. Moonstar sat up straight, and sniffed.
"Leading a clan is quite hard. I'm anxious about the gathering tomorrow." She mewed stiffly.
"Why? Should I be worried?" Emberlight asked, concerned. Moonstar shrugged.
"Well, it'll be Lilypaw and Mintpaw's first gathering. I'm not too worried about Mintpaw, Bramblewing said that he had a good first meeting with the other medicine cats at the Moonpool. Apparently him and Lionpaw get on really well." She explained. From what Bramblewing had told her, her son was shaping up to be a good medicine cat. Apparently he was excellent at 'cross-clan relations' - Bramblewing had punctuated this with a wink, so Moonstar assumed that her son had already started padding after one of the medicine cat apprentices. She hoped it would work out well for him.
"So why are you worried?" Emberlight asked, and Moonstar huffed.
"It's Lilypaw. She's quite shy. What if she's on her own all evening?" She explained.
"I'm sure Smokeheart will stay with her. And Fogstorm, if Smokeheart can drag him away from Sunclaw." Emberlight said dismissively. "That's not all on your mind, is it?" Moonstar shook her head hesitantly. There was more, but she wasn't going to tell her sister everything.
"There… there were some Skyclan scents inside our territory. I'm going to have to confront Cherrystar about it." She admitted. The scents had been faint, but there. And she had to assert her dominance as Thunderclan's new leader. If that meant picking a fight, so be it.
"Cherrystar isn't the same leader that Swanstar was. And she's got a smart young deputy. She's not going to do anything stupid." Emberlight mewed reassuringly.
"I hope not." Moonstar commented, before looking at the ground. Her gaze jolted up immediately. Her voice shook when she asked her next question "Wh-what's that on your paws?"
Emberlight's paws were the same red they'd been a few moons ago. A shocking, bright red. Blood red.
"That?" Emberlight asked, looking down. "Oh, it's berry juice. Heatherskip was doing something stupid with some blackberries earlier and I had to clean her up."
"Y-you sure?" Moonstar asked. It did not look like berry juice.
Emberlight placed a comforting paw on Moonstar's back, and she flinched. "Moonstar, what's gotten into you?"
"Avenge us. Avenge us. Avenge us." Finchpaw and Sharpgaze had appeared, and Moonstar knew, with a startling clarity, what they wanted her to do.
Their deaths were Emberlight's fault. Finchpaw shouldn't have gone out, and Emberlight didn't stop her. And if Moonstar had killed that Skyclan cat, her father would still be around. It was her fault.
"I have to go." She snapped.
here we goooooooo
hope u all enjoyed this chapter :))