Nothing of importance to say other than I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter after I redid it. It took me about three months to finish but I'm very proud of what I came up with.
Mothstar of Cloudclan Thanks so much for the comment! If you like seeing Jayfeather in a different light, have you checked out my other story, Warrior Jaypaw: The Sight? I explore what might have happened if he never became a medicine cat.
whispering homestuck trash Thank you so much for the review and fav! And yeah 2 of my chapters are below 2,000 words(really sorry.) I try to keep them at around 2,500.
BeeQueenBeezy YUUS, that's the video I was referencing. Also EVERYBODY WHO READS THIS GO CHECK OUT BEEQUEENBEEZY'S NEW POLL. No really, like RIGHT MEOW!1!
MistLion Oh it's going to be quite a story for sure. Very different from the original Jayfeather's Conclusion if you were here for that.
espiritduchat I'm pretty sure that guest review is also you. I had a lot of fun with the rat attack scene. At first I didn't know how to do it right since Jayfeather really wouldn't stand a chance against a horde of rats. So a lot of it was just him bluffing and I thought that was funny. And you'll soon find out exactly what happens to Briar and Ivy, don't worry.
Jayfeather closed his eyes as the soothing juices of burdock root soaked into the bites across his legs and belly. It had taken him and his companions three days to trek across this part of the houseplace; much longer than he had hoped since twolegs were everywhere. He had been worried the bites might get infected but they seemed to be healing well on their own. But just in case, I'm still going to treat them. They were now safely on the other side of the houseplace and he had been fortunate to find a small forest with some burdock growing nearby.
"Do you want me to put some of that on your ear?" Cash offered helpfully. "You can teach me more about all the other herbs while I'm at it."
Jayfeather spat the remaining pulp onto the grass and gestured to a fresh root lying nearby. "You mean more than I've already taught you in the past quarter moon? Sure, use that," he gestured to a fresh root lying nearby. "Chew it into a pulp like I showed you." He found a comfortable position in the grass and lay down so the smaller cat could reach his ear- or what was left of it. That's never going to grow back. I really look like a forest savage now. He tried not to flinch as Cash spread the juices across his injured ear but the sting only lasted a short moment.
A rustling in some nearby bushes announced Jayjay's return and the tempting scent of fresh-kill wafted through the air. "I'm back, and I caught a few mice for us to share." He dropped his catch beside Jayfeather.
"Cash is helping me with my injuries," Jayfeather mumbled, his chin pressed against the grass as Cash crouched over him. He could feel some of the juices trickling down his face so he closed his eyes. "That's probably enough, thanks," he told the kittypet, standing up and brushing the droplets from his muzzle with a paw. "You did well for your first time. My ear feels better already."
The kittypet seemed to fill with happiness as if he were about to burst. "Thank you, Jayfeather!"
Jayfeather purred, amused how such tiny a achievement made Cash so happy. "No, thank you. It's difficult for a cat- even a trained one, to apply medication to their own ears. You've done me a service." He wasn't being entirely truthful since he probably could have done it himself without a problem, but the joy that spilled from the young cat warmed his cold grumpy heart.
"Can you tell me more about other herbs, like what I could have used if we weren't able to find burdock?" Cash asked hopefully.
Jayfeather nodded slowly. This has to be what being a mentor feels like. "Of course, but first let's eat." He turned to address the other kittypet. "Jayjay, that's a lot of fresh-kill for one small cat to catch!"
Jayjay only grunted a thanks. He was still upset about how he had led them into the rat-infested house, but Jayfeather had long since forgiven him. Eventually Jayjay would forget about it and everything would be good again.
"What do I do about the taste of herbs in my mouth? I don't want to taste burdock while I'm eating a mouse."Cash spat onto the ground, trying to clear the residual flavor from is tongue.
Jayfeather stopped mid-way reaching for one of the dead mice. "If there was a stream or river nearby you could wash your mouth in that. Otherwise just lick yourself thoroughly and that will remove the taste a little bit. Burdock has one of the more mild tastes as far as herbs go so I don't even bother."
He didn't wait for the kittypet's response and snatched up one of the fresh mice. So much traveling made him hungry; hungrier than he ever remembered being on normal new-leaf days in the Clan. Perhaps all the traveling and fighting was helping him put on weight. He sank his teeth eagerly into the morsel and rejoiced as the sweet flavors washed over his tongue. Even fresh-kill tastes better as a rogue than it does as a Clan cat.
But the mouse was gone far too quickly and Jayfeather's appetite had not been sated. "I'm going to catch something else to eat if either of you want to join me," he offered, standing up and licking his lips.
"I'll come with you," Jayjay meowed. "Cash, you can have the extra mouse, I'll catch another."
"Awesome, thanks!" Cash chirped.
Jayfeather turned to pad deeper into the forest. He could hear the thunderpath monsters roaring nearby but the sound was muffled by the trees and ferns. The birds overhead squaked happily in the heat. It would be greenleaf in about a moon and he expected the days to only get hotter. But as long as they stayed in the shade he didn't worry about any of them collapsing from heat exhaustion. Also it will be cooler once we get up into the mountains. He corrected himself. When I get into the mountains.
He could sense the towering presence of the cliffs beyond the trees but he had decided to follow the houseplace a little ways more with the kittypets just because he enjoyed their company. I'm even using their housecat words now. He hadn't asked them if they wanted to come with him into the mountains but he sincerely wished they would. If they wanted to stay around the houseplace he would be fine saying goodbye. He could travel alone until he reached the Tribe.
"Come on, Jayfeather, what are you waiting around for?" Jayjay laughed, interrupting his thoughts. "Or did you want me to catch all of your food for you, you blind bat?"
"What did you just call me?" Jayfeather huffed in mock fury, leaping after him. "I'll make you eat grass for calling me names like that!"
Jayjay squealed with joy as he raced away into the trees, Jayfeather hot on his tail. They sped through the forest, probably scaring away every single mouse from there to the mountains with their thundering paws, but they didn't care. Jayfeather relished the feeling of the wind in his fur as his muscles pushed him faster and faster until he was gaining on the kittypet.
"Oof!"
Jayfeather was caught off guard as Jayjay suddenly stopped and ducked low and Jayfeather tripped over him. The medicine cat tumbled through the grass head over tail until he he came to a dizzy halt upside-down and pressed against a tree.
"You look ridiculous like that!" The housecat laughed boisterously as Jayfeather struggled to right himself. "How did you like my trick? I used to pull it off on Cash all the time while we were racing. He fell for it every time!"
"Well played," Jayfeather grumbled, rolling over onto his paws. His injuries from the rat fight ached slightly but nothing had reopened. He quickly washed the bark and moss out of his pelt with his tongue. He was glad the kittypet seemed to be in a better mood, even if it was at the cost of Jayfeather's dignity. "I won't fall for that again," he growled, shaking out his fur in case there was any stray debris left. "Let's hope we haven't chased away all the prey nearby."
:D
Jayfeather listened to the birdsong in the air slowly fade away as the night blanketed the trees like a gentle wave on a windless day. They had found an old burrow large enough for the three of them to fit inside. It smelled very faintly of badger, but it didn't seem like the creature had been around in a long time.
He enjoyed the silence. Even the thundering monsters in the distance paled to a low rumble so far beneath the ground. The ThunderClan camp only ever got this quiet long after midnight when his Clanamates had fallen asleep. He remembered on some nights when he would stay up a little longer to talk with Briarlight about the day. Even though the injured she-cat didn't do much around the camp, she always seemed to have a lot to say.
He took a deep breath, imagining Briarlight's warm scent wreathed around him. Of all the cats he had left behind, he missed her the most. They had been a good team together. She would help him with his medicine work with her sight, and he would make her feel useful by giving her tasks to do around the den. But she didn't need him anymore and he was sure she was doing fine without him now; hunting, patrolling, and doing everything she dreamed of as a warrior.
Jayfeather lay his head against the small pile of moss he had gathered. It wasn't nearly enough to be a full nest and he had given a lot of it to the two housecats so they would be more comfortable. He could hear their slow breathing as they slept soundly beside him and his mind drifted back to what they might do if they parted ways. Tomorrow I'll ask them. My journey around the houseplace is finally coming to an end.
He was far too tired to think any more about that and he let himself slip away into his dreams.
The world lit up around him as color and shadows formed a picture in his mind. He was dreaming of a forest, but it wasn't StarClan's shimmering territory. It looked like a regular forest with ferns and stout trees all around him. When he looked up, he could see the stars glittering between the leaves far above his head.
"I've finally caught up with you, Jayfeather!"
He turned his head, spotting the outline of pointy ears among the bushes. His heart swelled as he recognized the she-cat's voice. "Hollyleaf!"
His sister greeted him with a loud purr as she stepped out of the shadows and embraced him with an affectionate nuzzle. "I've been traveling unfamiliar skies for over a moon trying to find you," she whispered into his ear, taking a step back to get a better look at him. "I can see you are adapting well to the life of a rogue."
Jayfeather reached up with a paw and felt the space where one of his ears had once been. "Yeah, foxes, rats, and- wait, aren't you upset that I left the Clans behind? I've abandoned the Clans and the warrior code. You're supposed to be my wise ancestor trying to tell me to return."
The she-cat laughed, a cheery and lighthearted sound Jayfeather rarely heard. "I am your sister first and I'll never be your ancestor since we are the same age. Do you remember what I told you back by the lake?"
Jayfeather racked his brain trying to picture their meeting in his head. "You visited me in my garden and said something about life being a journey- that I might have to wander off the beaten path to appreciate it fully. Did you want me to abandon the Clan?"
"Come with me, Jayfeather," Hollyleaf meowed, gently flicking her tail for him to follow as she padded deeper into the trees.
"Wait, you didn't answer my question!" he whined, racing after her.
But his sister only quietly continued farther into the woods until she reached a slight divot in the grass and stopped. She pointed down at it with a paw, encouraging him to get a closer look.
Eyes narrowed with uncertainty, he cautiously crept closer. But as he neared, he realized that it was just the abandoned badger burrow he and the kittypets had found that day. He padded to the edge of the hole and saw the brown tabby shapes of Jayay and Cash curled up soundly below. He could also see himself, fast asleep. Wow, I really do look like a savage with most of my ear missing.
"I'm not going to pretend like I know who those two young cats are," Hollyleaf purred, standing beside him. "But I'm sure they must really trust you. Back in the Clans did so many cats look up to you like these two do?"
Jayfeather shook his head. That was an easy question. Most of his Clanmates didn't even like him, let alone look up to him. But that was partly his fault since he had a reputation for being grumpy and abrasive when his Clanmates were being mouse-brains. "Their names are Jayjay and Cash and they've been following me around the twolegplace for about a half moon. Being alone in unfamiliar territory is difficult so they help me out."
Hollyleaf turned to him, her green eyes sparkling with affection. "I don't know if you are ever going to return to the Clans, but as long as you are spreading your wisdom and compassion to those you meet, I believe in you. There are plenty of cats beyond the Clans who could benefit from your knowledge so I wish you the best of luck. I can't follow you any farther since I must return to my own skies."
He lowered his head in sadness. This might be the last time he ever saw his sister. "How is ThunderClan without me? Am I missed?"
She gave him a knowing look, not even trying to hide the amusement from her face. "Your healing skills are missed. No cat can deny that you were and still are one of the greatest medicine cats the Clans have ever known."
"But not me, personally," he mumbled grumpily.
Hollyleaf dipped her head, her luminous eyes shimmering with emotion. "As for ThunderClan, they are doing well. Of course, Leafpool was made medicine cat in your absence, but everyone is safe and happy. Though some cats in particular did leave the camp to come find you. They will arrive soon."
Jayfeather's eyes widened in surprise and his jaw fell open slightly. "What do you mean?" Who are they? Did Bramblestar send a search party to bring me back to the camp because I'm not returning!"
A purr rumbled deep in his sister's throat and she pressed her muzzle into his fur one last time. "There is a small river that runs down the side of the mountain and passes near the twolegplace. Two days from now you will meet your Clanmates there. It's close to the path we took when we traveled to see the Tribe moons ago. Don't worry, Bramblestar didn't send them- but they will be very happy to see you. Who they are exactly you'll have to find out for yourself."
He wracked his brain, his mind immediately jumping to Lionblaze and Dovewing as the two cats mostly likely to chase after him. I would consider Briarlight since we were such good friends, but she was in absolutely no condition to make a journey like this when I left.
Hollyleaf laughed gently and stepped back, fading away until he could see the trees through her pelt. The pain was clear in her emerald eyes as the forest started to blur. He was about to wake up from his dream. "Safe travels, Jayfeather, and never forget about your sister in the stars."
