The next day Minnow was rudely awoken at the crack of dawn to Blazefoot yowling down her ear again. Despite her protests, the only words she got out of him were "it's time to go, whether you're ready or not."
Kestrelwing had given her some foul-tasting herbs the night before that she had fought to gulp down. Seems the medicine cat knew her stuff, because she was feeling a lot better that morning - thankfully. It certainly quelled her anxieties, as now she was just stuck in the middle of unfamiliar land surrounded by a bunch of murder-y warrior cats, and not stuck, but also with muscle pain. However, it did nothing for her mood, as her napping was interrupted by the entire clan seemingly caterwauling in unison as the sun was setting last night. Despite how nosy she normally was, she didn't bother asking anyone. Sleep was far more important to her.
Her stomach growled as she ducked under the ivy on her way out of the medicine den. She hadn't eaten in a day, too scared to ask for food in case they threw some horrid carcass with its guts hanging out in front of her, as she'd seen her caretakers eat. The idea of digging into flesh through fur and possibly swallowing bone made her stomach churn - she was looking forward to a nice bowl of safe wet food when she got back to her home. Knowing her owners, they'd also shower her in pets and treats. Her fur bristled in excitement as she dreamed of all the food and love she'd get once at home, then wilted as her stomach growled again. Of course, she had to focus on actually getting home first.
Once finally outside, she realised just exactly how many cats lived in this community she had been staying in. Her nose was accosted by a mix of all sorts of scents that made her head spin, not sure where cat scent began and forest scent ended. Out in the middle of camp, a fat old tree stump with roots that seemed to stretch across the entire clearing was host to a sunbathing calico. Beneath it, some of its roots were to be dug out, a pile of leaves with a couple of dead birds and other forest creatures sat beneath it. As Minnow looked, more and more cats seemed to show up, an old brown tom poked his head out of a hollowed log, missing an eye; a black tuxedo cat sat in the shadows, her green eyes fixated on a pair of kits that scuffled over a moss ball; and a giant brown cat sunbathed on a slab of rock next to an empty den.
"Kittypet Minnow," the fluffy white tom that led MoonClan meowed to her as she left the den, "good to see you up. Blazefoot will be escorting you to Twolegplace. I trust he'll keep you safe during the trip back."
"Greeeat," Minnow muttered through gritted teeth, not trusting the ginger tom as far as she could throw him. "I'm just glad to go home."
Across the camp, the aforementioned ginger tabby approached Minnow, eyes burning as bright as his namesake. "Come on, kittypet, I have much more important things to do than play escort."
"Then why are you doing it?" Minnow meowed defiantly, much to Blazefoot's distaste.
"Because our other warriors are doing much more important tasks, like chasing YOUR dogs out of our home."
He turned and began walking at a brisk pace, forcing the younger she-cat to hurry to keep up. They passed by a pale brown she-cat just outside of camp, who simply nodded to her deputy and ignored Minnow when she tried to greet her. According to the tom, she was on a vigil of some kind. It didn't matter to her anyway, so she carried on without questioning further.
The warrior then began his journey out into the wild, hopping over a fallen log that the silver she-cat scrambled to climb.
"Please wait up!" Minnow mewled, already breathless. Her legs were beginning to ache, so she slowed down a pace, the Clan cat sighing in frustration and slowing to match her speed. "I don't want to get left behind."
The deputy glared down at her with tired amber eyes, and for the first time, they softened to her. "You are just a kit, aren't you? Barely six moons, if I'm correct."
"Duh!" she scoffed, her small rounded ears pulled flat. "Did you only just notice?"
He paused to sniff the area ahead as the winds changed, now blowing from behind them, and whispered "I apologise for my earlier behaviour, we're in a war and whatnot, and we've lost a lot of territory, and a couple good warriors with it."
Minnow caught on that he was much more cautious now, and remembering Monty's words about badgers and foxes, she matched his volume and replied "why not bring everyone to Twolegplace, then? Nobody else would have to get hurt, and everyone would be well fed."
Blazefoot cut her off with a deep belly laugh that caught her way off-guard, the sudden sound causing a blackbird to burst into flight ahead of them. "You really don't understand, do you? Our way of living is sacred, laid down by our ancestors. We live and die by the Warrior Code. Out here, we are free to come and go as we please. No Twolegs to take our kits from us, no Twolegs to take our right to having kits away."
Minnow blinked, a puzzled expression crossing her face. "I hadn't thought about that. I remember the scent of my mother but not her face… and I've never seen Monty's parents either… I've seen Pudding's mum and dad though! They're very nice. Candy's very old though so I don't know if his parents are still around."
Blazefoot shook his head. "It's a shame what those Twolegs do to you. They treat you like toys to be played with and mutilated however they please. You barely know what life you're entitled to. None of you do."
"But it's not all bad! We live in warm homes with lots of toys to play with, and we get as much food and water as we want. Why don't you want that?"
He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "If I were a kittypet, my kits would never have been born. My latest litter is only one moon old. How long would it be before they were taken from me and my mate? How long before I saw them again?" He ducked under a fallen tree and scouted the area ahead, eyes narrowed in focus, before carrying onwards.
"But they wouldn't have to die in battle! I know you don't want your kits to die."
The deputy paused in his tracks and closed his eyes solemnly. "I would rather know they died honourably in battle, supporting our ancestors as noble and strong warriors, than have them become some pathetic Twoleg toy. That is why we hide from your kind. If your Twolegs came running into the forest after you and discovered us, they would try to trap us, and turn us all into kittypets. We'd all be separated from our families and never see our children, parents or siblings again."
Minnow fell silent, eyes on the ground. "I'm sorry, I hadn't thought of that. But it was an accident that I even ended up here, the fence broke, and I-"
"Shh-!" Blazefoot suddenly hissed, pupils slitted and fur bristling. Minnow immediately shut up, frozen in place. The golden tom moved slowly, calculating his every muscle movement. The silver she-cat wanted to ask what sound he was talking about- only hearing the birds, and the wind brushing through the trees. Her fear-scent filled the air, and one fleeting second later, the clearing was filled with a battle-cry.
Blazefoot hit the ground immediately, a foul-smelling figure pinning him down. The scent made Minnow's eyes water, and a strangled cry escaped her throat as she realised she knew exactly who was attacking them.
The pale tabby from her dream stood over Blazefoot, a grim smile on her face as her claws dug into his throat, choking him. She opened her mouth, teeth bared, preparing to sink them into his flesh.
Desperate amber eyes locked onto Minnow, but she was frozen in place. She let out another cry, and backed up until her rump hit a tree. The she-cat glanced over to her, and with just that one small distraction, Blazefoot turned the tables. He curled his back legs inward and kicked at her belly, knocking the wind out of her. Precisely, he twisted his body and flipped her on her side. She hit the ground with a thud, and Blazefoot raised his head triumphantly, now standing with his claws unsheathed.
"Addertooth," he choked, "I thought you understood the meaning of exile, apparently not!"
She wheezed out a broken laugh and croaked "you know what you did." Her haunches shuddered as she tried to get to her feet, her old bones almost failing her. Blazefoot yowled and leapt on her before she had the chance, and the two became a yowling, scratching tornado of fur that moved too quickly for Minnow to track.
The scent of blood cut through the air, and they halted as Addertooth bit deep into Blazefoot's scruff, the warrior thrashing beneath her. She bit him harder, claws sinking into his shoulders to keep him pinned.
Desperately, Minnow yowled "please don't kill him!" Her silver kit-fluff was puffed out in fear, and her paws were rooted to the ground. For a moment, Addertooth's eyes settled on her, almost sympathetic, but she steeled and went in for another finishing blow.
As her grip loosened before the killing blow, Blazefoot pushed up against her, hitting her maw with his head, and rolled onto his side, flipping them over. Winded, she let go and he writhed free, tearing his shoulder open as he escaped her grasp. The deputy hopped back, cuts and wounds covering his body indiscriminately. Addertooth wasn't spared either - her belly had a deep cut, but her primordial pouch took the wound for her, leaving her vitals unscathed. Her matted fur was not discreet in displaying her scars either, whilst the tom's sleeker, cleaner fur was interrupted only by blood trickling from his cuts. Blazefoot staggered and collapsed, panting in exhaustion, but he bravely hissed, readying himself for another round.
Addertooth seemed to be in better shape, now having a fresh crimson scar across her haunch but otherwise standing tall. She snarled and leapt forward, claws outstretched. Minnow's legs acted thoughtlessly. Blazefoot was a tick-ridden foxdung-head, but he didn't deserve to die! She leapt between the warriors and took the full brunt of Addertooth's swipe.
In an instant, she could feel nothing but a sharp blast shoot through her, worse than any thorn. This wasn't anything like play-fighting with Cody - it was like a demon was upon her. Her pained kitten-like yowl seemed to shock the pale she-cat and she backed off, looking down at Minnow with a regretful scowl. "This isn't your fight, kittypet!"
Minnow stood between Blazefoot and Addertooth, blood seeping from her side, and she fearfully whimpered out "I know you. I had a dream about you last night. I thought you were Monty, but then you were gonna attack me! I didn't know you were real, so who are you?!"
For a moment, it seemed like the whole forest went quiet. She could've heard a leaf drop. All eyes were on her, wider than a full moon.
Addertooth opened her mouth to speak, her green eyes clouded with a torrent of emotion that Minnow couldn't place, but she was cut off as three sets of pawsteps thundered closer, the forest sounds seeming to restart all at once. The kittypet sank flush to the ground as three shapes leapt over her, joining the fray.
Icesnap, the warrior guarding the camp, and a huge brown she-cat leapt in front of Minnow, and Blazefoot finally let himself rest, rolling onto the forest floor in exhaustion. Minnow blinked, compressed into a tiny furball as the MoonClan cats took over.
The camp-guard warrior pressed her nose to Blazefoot's pelt and gasped out "are you alright?! What happened?" From her voice, she sounded young and inexperienced.
Blazefoot shook his head slowly. "I need a medicine cat, Hazelbranch - urgently. Minnow too-" he let out a pained gasp as he stood up, leaning heavily on the young warrior who nearly toppled over from his weight.
The brown she-cat, larger than any Minnow had ever seen, towered over Addertooth, who now cowered, looking between her and Minnow as though she wanted to say something. Between the huge MoonClan warrior and Icesnap, she felt a lot safer - though her side still burned with pain as she shrank behind Icesnap.
The white tom snarled and unsheathed his claws, ready to leap into battle. In response, Addertooth lowered to the ground, and then shot off into the forest, the brown warrior following her with a furious screech that made Minnow's fur bristle.
Icesnap's expression turned from that of a noble warrior to an old friend. He took over for Hazelbranch, letting Blazefoot lean against him instead. Being much older than the young warrior, he handled the deputy's weight much better. "Come on, friend. You've survived worse than this."
The ginger tabby laughed in response, a weak rasp, and limped along back to camp. The brown warrior, Hazelbranch, padded over to Minnow and stuck close to her, still bristling from the encounter with Addertooth.
"W-Wait, where are we going? I need to go home!" Minnow whined, still shaking.
Blazefoot shook his head, turning to her with a very serious yet tired expression. "Oh no you're not. You need to get back to Dovestar, and tell him exactly what you told us about your dream."