Chapter 29: Tall Pine
Tall Pine surveyed the battle through half-closed eyes. Cuts crisscrossed his pelt, so it was matted with sticky blood and drenched from the pounding rain. I should get inside, out of the rain, and lick my wounds clean, he told himself. But he didn't move. He was more exhausted than he had ever felt before. His brain felt like soggy mud. He could barely process what he was seeing as the cats who had still been fighting backed away from their opponents, obeying Falling Star's command. Many of the Clan of the Flowing Waters cats blinked up at the ominous clouds, cowering at the storm's fury. Several cats' bodies were strewn around the camp, most of whom were his Clanmates, who were thankfully still breathing.
The Clan of the Morning Sun cats who were strong enough to stand shouldered their way through the crowd, forming a ragged ring around their chieftain's body. Tall Pine knew that he should join them, but his paws had grown deep roots. He could only blink dumbly at the sodden form sprawled on its side in the center of the camp, head tilted, so the blue eyes stared vacantly at the furious sky. Blood trickled from the long gash in the neck, watering the earth like the rain. Mossy Moon's dead… Does she have any lives left? What will we do if that was her last one?
"Watch out." Tall Pine was dimly aware of Whispering Rain and Sharp Wind brushing past him, bulging bundles of herbs clamped in their jaws. They had arrived just in time as Maple Sky's earsplitting shriek echoed inside the nursery behind him.
A wail rose from somewhere in the crowd, broken and desperate like the last birdcall before night descends. Waving Fern burst through the ring and darted over to Mossy Moon. Cloudy Water was already crouching by his mate's side, nosing her bedraggled pelt. Fern Dapple stepped into the ring behind her mother, her blue eyes round and haunted.
Waving Fern leaned down to brush her mother's fur with her nose, lingering there for a heartbeat, before she whirled around. Gray Moon had retreated a few steps and stood, gazing at the body with glittering eyes-though with shock, triumph, or regret, Tall Pine couldn't be sure. Waving Fern marched toward him, her pelt bristling and claws unsheathed. "You fox-hearted monster. How could you? You broke the Clan's Code and murdered our chieftain. I ought to-"
"Waving Fern." Falling Star's warning tone ringing with authority sliced through the tense air. "Stop." The hunter halted, though she still glared like Gray Moon as if she wanted to return his favor to Mossy Moon as the regent strode down the Rockperch and across the camp.
Falling Star padded to Waving Fern's side, briefly touching her tail to the other she-cat's shoulder before she rounded on Gray Moon. Stalking over to him, she shoved her face into his. "All right, fox-heart," she hissed. "Why did you attack us? You had better start talking at once because every single Clan of the Morning Sun cat wants to claw your pelt, and I'm first in line."
Gray Moon stared at her coldly but calmly. "I wouldn't be too sure of yourself. Our attack was not unprovoked."
Falling Star bared her teeth, the fur along her spine began to spike like thistles. "Are you suggesting-"
"We found Clan of the Morning Sun scent on our territory, not once, but several times. Even around the outside of our camp." The sleek gray tom narrowed his eyes. "Your cats have been spying on my Clan."
Oh, stars. Tall Pine felt as though the ground had vanished under his paws, and he was falling into a deep, black abyss. They found my Clan's scent around their camp. There is no way anyone but me left that scent. He stared numbly at the devastation around him. Is this-is this all my fault?
"How dare you," Falling Star roared. Whipping around, she began to pace back and forth in front of him, disguising her quickly waning restraint poorly. "You escalated tensions with my Clan. You trespassed on our territory and attacked our peaceful hunting patrols and defenseless trainees. Even when we refused to retaliate, you still continued your assaults." Halting abruptly, she faced him as she sank her thorn-sharp claws into the earth. "Don't pretend that this for any reason other than because of a flea-brained idea to incite a war between our Clans."
Gray Moon's eyes glittered like frost as his neck fur began to rise. "Yet I have plenty of good reasons to want to start a war. Starting with the fact that your chieftain gave a murderer asylum and is hiding the reason why-"
The cream and white she-cat took a step forward, so she nose-to-nose with him. "You have no right to meddle in my Clan's affairs."
"I certainly do when those affairs involve a Band cat that could endanger my Clan," Gray Moon retorted.
Falling Star hissed and raised her paw, her claws unsheathed. But she froze as thunder boomed, followed by a loud cough.
"Falling Star," a hoarse voice rasped. Everyone swung around to see Mossy Moon struggling to her paws, supported on either side by Cloudy Water and Fern Dapple. The wound on her neck still bubbled with blood, her eyes were hollow, and her breathing ragged, but she stood, alive. Tall Pine sucked in a breath, scared to believe his eyes before his shoulders sagged in relief. Thank the stars. The chieftain's voice gained strength as she straightened. "That's enough."
As she saw Mossy Moon, Falling Star's hard expression relented for a heartbeat, flicking briefly with relief before she glanced back at Gray Moon. She bared her teeth at him but turned and strode to flank her chieftain. Mossy Moon took slow, unsteady steps forward, but she became stronger with every one, so Fern Dapple eventually slipped away from her side, though Cloudy Water still hovered nearby as she halted three tail-lengths from Gray Moon. Several Clan of the Flowing Waters cats had pushed through the ring to flank their chieftain, and the rest were assembling not far away. They clustered close together, their pelts bristling at the murderous looks many Clan of the Morning Sun cats were giving them from across the clearing where many were gathering behind their chieftain.
"Mossy Moon," Gray Moon greeted her. His eyes glimmered with something almost like disappointment.
"Gray Moon," Mossy Moon meowed, her voice rough, but it rang clearly. Her fur was slimy with blood, yet she stood with her chin raised and her blue eyes flashing. A bold fighter fallen on the battlefield. A spirit cat come back to life. Ethereal, alive, and deadly at the same time. "You said that you attacked my Clan because you found scents on your territory. What proof do you have of that?"
"Several of my Clanmates smelled those scents," he responded evenly. "Myself included. They belonged to the Clan of the Morning Sun." He lifted his chin. "As I said earlier, your cats were the ones who trespassed on our territory, so our attack tonight was-"
"When did you find these scents?" Mossy Moon interrupted.
Gray Moon stiffened, his fur ruffled. "A quarter moon ago."
Mossy Moon narrowed her eyes as a bolt of lightning flashed above her. "So after you started to attack my Clan?"
Gray Moon's eyes widened as if caught off-guard. But his expression hardened. "You were the ones to escalate tensions by spying on my Clan."
"How is ambushing a Clan on the night of the Gathering a realistic escalation?" Dawn Sky hissed from beside Willow Leaf near the back of the crowd of Clan of the Morning Sun cats.
Mossy Moon twitched an ear in the hunter's direction, but her gaze remained focused on the other chieftain. "Nevertheless, I have not ordered any Clan of the Morning Sun cats to trespass on your territory, let alone to spry on your camp. You must have been mistaken."
The Clan of the Flowing Waters chieftain's pelt bristled. "I know what I smelled. The scent was right around our camp, near where my Clan's kits and trainees sleep."
"You attacked several hunting patrols with trainees from our Clan," Falling Star growled.
Mossy Moon tilted her head, considering Gray Moon. Her tone was measured as she spoke next. "I agree with my Clanmate; it is a huge escalation to go from finding an enemy Clan's scent on your territory to outright attacking them. Are you sure there were no other reasons-"
"Is the fact that you're harboring a murderer, a cat who tricked us once before and then nearly destroyed the Clans not enough for you?" Gray Moon snapped quickly.
"-especially since you and your Clan started acting hostile toward us long before you knew about Sharp?" The dark brown tabby she-cat finished, ignoring his interruption.
"Are my reasons not good enough for you?"
"No, they're not," Mossy Moon replied coolly. "I would think that a chieftain who had his Clan's best interest in mind would have enough sense to think first before starting a war right now-"
"I do have my Clan's best interest in mind," Gray Moon snarled. He leaped forward, making Cloudy Water and Falling Star both take a step forward, their claws sliding out. He stopped quickly but stood with his tail swishing. "I am protecting my Clan from a Clan who gave a dangerous Band cat asylum without question and dared to sneak into our territory and spy on our camp, then deny it."
"And I'll deny it again," Mossy Moon said smoothly. "I have not ordered any of my Clanmates-"
"You're lying," Gray Moon hissed.
The Clan of the Morning Sun chieftain closed her eyes for a heartbeat, seeming to steady herself. When she opened them again, they were an icy blue like a frozen forest pool. "Fine. Gray Moon, if a war is what you want, war is what you will get. But you should know that the Clan of the Morning Sun is ready for you, and we will not hold anything back." Padding forward, she glared at the other chieftain. "You had better sleep with one eye open. Now, get out of my camp."
Gray Moon met her gaze for a few long heartbeats before he turned to his Clanmates, flicking his tail to gather them. The crowd of Clan of the Morning Sun cats parted to allow them to stream past, watching as they vanished into the shadows of the passageway. Mossy Moon stood with her chin raised all the while, but once the final enemy cat stepped into the tunnel, she released a great sigh.
Is she okay? Tall Pine furrowed his brow as Cloudy Water hurried to his mate's side, his gentle question echoing the young tom's. Mossy Moon nodded, though her eyes were half-closed. "Falling Star," she called softly to her regent. "Lead a patrol with some fighters to make sure that they leave our territory."
"Right away," Falling Star promised. She dipped her head, then spun on her heel, bounding across the camp as she called Sharp Wind, Drifting Leaf, Rabbit Nose, and Dappled Fur, some of the less injured fighters.
"Mossy Moon," Cloudy Water cried in alarm as the chieftain swayed on her paws before she collapsed against him, her eyes fluttering shut. His head shot up. "Red Maple!"
"Yes?" The healer's voice came from behind Tall Pine as she poked her head out of the nursery. Just then, he noticed that the nursery had gone eerily silent. Catching sight of Mossy Moon's limp form, Red Maple darted out of the den, Tall Pine stepping aside just in time, and raced across the camp, Whispering Rain hot on her heels.
Cloudy Water's eyes were wide with urgency as Red Maple bent over their chieftain. "Help her, please."
Mossy Moon cracked her eyes open as Cloudy Water eased her to the ground. She opened her mouth, but all that came out was a ragged cough. "I'm fine, really. There are cats with serious injuries-"
"You are a cat with a serious injury," Cloudy Water interrupted as he settled down beside her and fondly nuzzled her ear.
"The wound on her neck is severe, and she has lost a lot of blood," Red Maple murmured to Cloudy Water. "But she is still awake, which is a good sign." Looking over her shoulder, she scanned the camp, briefly assessing the state of the rest of the Clan. She frowned as her tail twitched thoughtfully. "Mossy Moon should be treated right away, but I also need to check on other cats as there possibly could be more serious injuries. Raven Swoop doesn't look too good, and Willow Leaf has a nasty scratch." Turning back to them, she squared her shoulders. "Whispering Rain is going to start treating Mossy Moon, and I will come back as soon as I am able."
Red Maple motioned her trainee forward, then turned away as Soaring Hawk padded over to her, his tail twitching anxiously. "I know this isn't the foremost concern right now but is Maple Sky-"
"Don't worry." The russet she-cat beamed. "The birth went well despite everything else going on, and Maple Sky is doing just fine. Congratulations, Soaring Hawk; you have three healthy kits. You can go see them now if you like, but don't forget to come to see me later to get your wounds checked."
"Three kits?" Soaring Hawk's eyes lit up with a mix of shock, joy, something almost like overwhelmedness, completely unlike the usually stoic tom. "Thank you, Red Maple. I won't forget." Spinning around, he rushed across the camp as Red Maple hurried to see her next patient.
The camp atmosphere had crackled with tension, then filled with a sense of urgency, but now, finally, it relaxed, as if the entire mountain was breathing a sigh of relief. Cats began to stir as if waking from a trance, move around, and help each other to their paws. Murmurs rose from the crowd like the pattering of the rain that had not let up. However, the thunder and lightning had faded, and the sky was brightening. It was the start of a new sunrise.
Tall Pine shook himself, at last coming out of his daze. He shifted his weight, testing his limbs, then padded a few paw-steps. His body felt like shredded moss, and he knew precisely where each of his cuts was by their sting. His muscles ached, and all he wanted to do was curl up in his nest. But, despite the battle, his injuries, his wounded Clanmates, the impending war with the Clan of the Flowing Waters, somehow he felt his spirits lift. He twisted his head around to peer inside the nursery. Near the back, Soaring Hawk crouched beside Maple Sky, both of their gazes bright as morning sunshine as they gazed at three tiny kits with so much love. There were kits born in the midst of a battle. It's remarkable. If they can survive, so can we. There is hope. Maybe it was the cool rain washing over him. Perhaps it was his muddled exhausted mind. But whatever the reason, Tall Pine felt hopeful. With a deep breath, he turned back to the camp and started to search the crowd for his sisters.
"Mossy Moon! You have to come quickly!" Dappled Fur charged into the gorge, shattering the calm atmosphere. Cats' heads jerked up, their pelts spiking and claws sliding out. They had started to relax, but the battle was still all too fresh in everyone's minds. Dappled Fur skidded to a halt, her eyes widening as she saw Mossy Moon laying on the earth, Whispering Rain bending over her. Her ears flattened. "Wh-what-"
Sage Fur and a few other cats, including Tall Pine, hurried over to her. The senior fighter tipped her head, gently meeting Dapple Fur's gaze. "Are you all right, Dappled Fur? Did Falling Star send you?"
Dappled Fur's eyes were round and terrified. "It's-it's-" She babbled, unable to form a coherent sentence. Her eyes slid to the left for not even a split-heartbeat, but Tall Pine caught it. He followed it to the elder's den, which, from this angle, he could see was empty. With a quick scan of the camp, he saw Quiet Sun ducking into the nursery, a bundle of moss in her jaws, and Shining Feather helping Raven Swoop. He scanned the gorge again, just to be sure, as his chest constricted. No.
Sage Fur stepped closer to Dappled Fur, placing her tail on the younger cat's shoulder. "Take a deep breath. Can you tell me what it is?"
Dappled Fur bit her lip. Shaking her head, she turned on her heel and beckoned to them mutely. Tall Pine's chest tightened even more as he followed Sage Fur and Dappled Fur through the tunnel. No, no, no. He repeated the word in tune with his muffled pawsteps on the cool stone. The rain outside the gorge was even more torrential, beating down as they wove through the tunnel. As they emerged, the young tom saw Falling Star and the other fighters just around the curve of the bramble thicket, clustered around something that sent his heart plunging into his stomach, vaporizing his short-lived euphoric hope.
No. Tall Pine froze. He could not tear his gaze away from the sodden lump of gray fur laying on its side on a bed of slippery wet leaves and sticky pine needles. No. He forced his paws to move closer, so he could see that it was, in fact, what he feared. Falling Star was saying something to Sage Fur, and the rain drummed all around them, but it all faded away as he took in Tumbling Stone's fallen body. Blood speckled the leaves in a wide arc around the body. There was a gaping cut-no, slice-on his neck. His eyes were stretched wide, and his mouth hung open.
The scream that I heard. A chill rippled through the black and white tom. The noise that woke me up last night before all of this happened. Tumbling Stone must have used his last breath to warn us. They killed him for that.
"Tumbling Stone is dead," a voice said from beside him, as numb as he felt. "They killed him." Tall Pine glanced to one side to see that Fern Dapple had halted beside him. She looked as stunned as she sounded, gaping at the body. She had a nasty scratch on her right flank, along with one on her ear and a few others, but other than that, she was alive and breathing.
"Yes," he said quietly. Tumbling Stone died to save the rest of us. He risked his life to warn us, but it still wasn't enough. A dark, twisted, hopeless feeling unfurled inside him. Wait, shouldn't we have had more warning? Where are the fighters who were supposed to be on guard? Oh stars, please don't let the Clan of the Flowing Waters have killed them too. There has been enough death and destruction for moons.
As if answering his question, two pairs of crashing paw-steps met his ears. Tall Pine, Fern Dapple, and the other cats spun around to see Dewy Grass and Jagged Path dashing toward them. Their pelts were drenched, but other than that, they were entirely unharmed. Jagged Path, who was in the lead, skidded to a halt two tail-lengths from his Clanmates. He looked them up and down, his eyes steadily growing rounder. "What's going on? Are you all okay?"
"'What's going on?'" Sharp Wind repeated, frowning. "You don't know?"
Falling Star stepped forward, the fur on her neck lifting. "Where have you two been?"
Dewy Grass moved to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Jagged Path. She lifted her chin. "We were on guard outside the camp when we heard some noises. We thought that it might be a predator or an enemy patrol, so we went to investigate. We went nearly all the way down the mountain, but we found nothing." She blinked. "Why? What happened here?"
"The Clan of the Flowing Waters attacked," Fern Dapple said coldly. She stepped aside with a swish of her tail, revealing Tumbling Stone's body. "They killed him, took one of Mossy Moon's lives, and nearly killed the rest of us."
"Oh, stars." Jagged Path's eyes swelled as large and round as the full moon. He took a few hesitant steps forward and leaned in to sniff Tumbling Stone's pelt before he backed away. "They-they really…"
"Yes." Sage Fur bowed her head. "The Clan of the Flowing Water attacked us in our camp on the night of the Gathering and killed Tumbling Stone. In retribution, Mossy Moon has declared war."
"My stars." Jagged Path shook his head, seemingly unable to form any other words. Beside him, Dewy Grass stood as silent as the mountains, her gaze unreadable.
Rabbit Nose tipped his head. "You both were drawn away from camp at a very convenient time. Gray Moon must have ordered some of his cats to act as decoys so they could sneak in and attack us unnoticed." His ears flattened. "They weren't expecting Tumbling Stone, though."
"Those slippy fox-hearted fishcats," Sharp Wind growled, curling his lip.
"They are fox-hearts," Falling Star agreed, turning to face everyone. "And we need to go make sure that they left our territory." She looked at Sage Fur. "Would you and the others bring Tumbling Stone's body back to camp?"
"I will." The senior fighter promised. As the fighters headed off with Falling Star in the lead, she helped Jagged Path and Dewy Grass hoist the elder's body onto their backs. Tall Pine followed close behind them as they trekked back through the passageway, watching the thin gray tail drag in the dust. The Clan of the Flowing Waters attacked. It was my fault. Tumbling Stone is dead. We're going to war. There is no hope.
Not much to say here, except that this chapter was pretty dark. So, Mossy Moon isn't actually dead, just lost another life (yay!), but Tumbling Stone is and the Clans are going to war. Things are getting pretty intense and the stakes are getting higher!
Reviews: Theoneandonlylonelypotato - Thank you! Only she's not actually dead. I didn't really intend on that being a big cliffhanger, but it kind of ended up being one.
Fun Fact: Although she is a fighter, Dappled Fur is a gentle, kindhearted cat who prefers to avoid conflict. She will fight if she has to, but she wishes that the Clans wouldn't fight.
- A Warrior At Heart