Chapter 42
FearClan/Willow
The newleaf sun had strengthened in the past moon, he was on his way to eight moons of age with six moons of training having been added to his knowledge. Between Hawksight helping him keep his compassion and Shatter teaching him how to be a proper leader, he was given a lot to consider at his young age. Even more so, now that Quail had decided to allow him to help his siblings in practicing training skills with the younger kits. Which is meant to give them a moment to try to look after another cat and to learn how to teach them correctly. It was something they had to prepare for as they got older and closer to being part of FearClan when they are seen as more the just kits. Thoughts still buzzed around in his mind, many of them wondering if and how he could ever bring peace. Would it be worth it all, or would it never amount to anything? So many questions and no one could ever answer them.
Willow quickly focused on the task he was given, which was the kit known as Plume. She was Speckle's youngest kit with dark gray fur and a large build compared to her sisters. She was full of energy and excitement and was a gentle giant among her sisters. The first lesson had began where he had to see how her fighting stances were and how to help her adjust them properly. Anything to ensure that she wouldn't get toppled over so easily. He had to show her many times how to plant her paws firmly on the ground and lower herself to the ground instead of arching her back as high as she could go. Once that was settled, they worked their way to arching their backs very slowly. Reminding the she-kit to not go on the tops of her toes or she might topple over herself. The morning sun soon faded into the after sun-high light as he took watching over her seriously. She wasn't much of a talker and often tried to initiate play, but since he never gave in, she was now settling down curious.
"Everyone says your a kit, shouldn't that mean you can play?" Plume asked.
"I have been learning to become a great leader for FearClan, so I am not allowed to play when working." He told her honestly.
Plume frowned, her eyes darkening. "That sounds very boring and lonely."
"It is." He admitted, "But it's for the good of FearClan." Even though the words fell from his mouth, he realized he didn't believe it himself.
"So, you aren't allowed to play ever, not even right now?"
"I'm not allowed to."
"Then what are we supposed to be doing?" She asked, her tone more serious as she looked around a bit.
Willow watched her carefully as he explained. "One day, when your about five moons old, you will be taught how to hunt and fight for FearClan. So you must be ready to listen to the cat chosen to train you. Then, when you have six moons of training, you will be doing what I am doing now so you can get used to being patient and how to be the best teacher for a younger cat in the future."
"Really? How old will I be when that happens?" Plume seemed more interested now, her fluffy tail waving about. "I know you started around my age, Nettle and Ant told me so!"
"Well, you would be about eleven moons old when you do that. Much older then I am, but you would be even more experienced and being prepared to become an older cat yourself. You will never know when you will be able to train another cat, so you must always be prepared." He told her gently.
The young kit frowned. "So, your preparing to become an older cat?"
"Not for a long time." He explained, feeling a small pang deep in his heart. Unlike her, he had to grow up much too fast. She was small and ready to play, knowing what it was like to have no responsibility outside of obeying her mother and not getting in the way. Unlike how he was at her age. He was cold, angry, and upset that he couldn't do what his siblings did. The same things this kit could do. It wasn't fair for any of them and yet, here he was training a kit who looked as confused as he had felt for a long time.
"Hawksight always said that Clan-cats have to wait six whole moons before they work with and for the Clan." Plume mewed to him slowly, "Do you think they just don't want kits to have all that time to be kits?"
"I'm not sure. I have no experience in it." He answered her, "Now start showing me the crouch you will be doing at the river."
Quickly, the dark gray she-kit took on a crouch and doing her very best. Willow observed her, looking over her posture, gently helping her adjust it so she could be more comfortable. She was still a growing kit, so it would take time for her to keep up a good crouch and her balance. With her slender tail waving around, he helped her still it until it was comfortably level. He even checked on where her shadow lay on the ground to try and gauge if it would be on the river's surface and alerting the fish beneath. He was careful in assessing how her balance was, even gently brushing against her to see if she would loose balance or not. As expected, she did and flicked her tail crossly about it. However, he simply rasped his tongue over her head to soothe her frustrations.
"One day, you will be able to keep balance better. I was only acting like some wind, but you will be ready before you know it." he promised the kit.
Plume seemed to have cheered up at that, her kit-blue eyes still slowly changing color. A sign that she was getting old enough for more growth spurts and honing her skills in stalking and hunting along the way. It wouldn't be long until her and her siblings were at five moons of age and ready to learn how to hunt like the full-grown cats. Until then, he worked on showing her how to stalk land-prey and how she would have to move slowly and place her paws down steadily. She copied him, her short legs making her stumble from time to time, but he made sure to keep teaching her. He had to, that way she could show off to her siblings and compete against each other on how far they could stalk before loosing their balance.
The day wore on, Willow being careful to keep her in the camp where it would be safest. The foxes were gone for now, but it could just be thanks to the change of weather and prey running again. However, none of it meant those foxes would remain wherever they were. There were plenty of kits and young cats they could have as prey. So, he wanted to be careful, even agreeing with Ant and Nettle to stay in camp to make it fair among the kits. Since he was the leader in training, they listened to him knowing he had even them in mind for the dangers of the forest. With it in mind, they continued the basics of stalking, hunting, and fighting. Keeping their claws sheathed as they practiced on their own to become great fighters to defend FearClan.
Their name for their group had remained despite Quail referring them as the River Fragment, something that wouldn't change since Willow had known no other name himself. He felt they were not worthy to be a Fragment, that they had strayed much too far to be anything else. It was a bitter reminder of his mother and Willow knew that it was up to him to try and leave that life behind them. They were the smallest, in Hawksight's teachings, group before Lion and Moth returned with the Giant Garden Fragment. Now they were possibly either on par or much bigger then BushClan. At least, they were for now. His mind still raced in worry as he looked around the clearing, Shatter keeping an eye on him while Lion accompanied Hawksight for hunting of both plants and prey for sun-high. They had to prepare, this coming leaf-fall was going to be the most troublesome of all. The first real battle he would be apart of, where what Cedar had wanted would finally be put to the test.
.
Another moon had passed, his training period with Plume had ended as did the training period with the other kits ended with his siblings. The kits could defend themselves and every half-moon thus far, Hawksight had traveled to the Moonstone. Quail had no reason to stop her since it was for the benefit of their cats to learn more herbal remedies. However, with greenleaf around the corner in the forest, everything was getting hotter and more humid. The time of peace would come to a close within three moons. Moons that Willow was preparing for as it would be his twelfth moon by then. He was growing into a fine young tom, his silver-gray pelt still long as ever as his amber eyes watched hollowly with fear. A fear that was deep seeded within him for all these moons. He held a confident air about him, but deep down he was still uncertain as ever.
Hawksight had been giving news to him about BushClan and how they were going to have more young cats joining the fight in the future. Worry filled him, Clan-cats began training so late compared to them that he was deeply concerned for their young kits safety. Not to mention that they were sending what they considered to be kits to train and fight. His tail tip twitched unhappily, but there was nothing he could do as he half-heartedly listened to the briefing. He and his siblings would have to go through fight training with the others again. To make sure the moon of training younger kits hadn't made their skills rusty. No matter how much they learned to fight, Willow was certain it would be more then enough. By the time that battle came, their numbers would grow as well, making it even harder for him to leave behind Cedar's reign that seemed to wreathe around him like a sickly stench.
He was pulled back into the meeting when Quail glanced at him with his sharp and judging gaze. "We will send only one warning through Hawksight to them, will that be fair?"
"Which half-moon will she be allowed to tell?" Willow prompted, wishing to hear what Quail thought was an appropriate amount of time would be.
"The second one, that way the waiting period won't be too long." Quail answered, before questioning back. "Or would that be too soon?"
Shatter blinked thoughtfully, her sky-colored eyes squinting in the effort to not answer before the silver tabby beside her. Hawksight, on the other paw, looked mortified and seemed wanting to disagree, her pale green eyes flicking to Willow with a silent plea for him to not go through with it at all. However, he knew as well as she did. No matter what he said, Quail was still the leader. He weighed the options. Give them too much time and the nerves might stress the other Clan out too much. But giving that little time could do it as well. A no moon would be dangerous for them both, but the more he thought about it, he realized the message being sent through an advisor and medicine cat wouldn't be the proper thing. Heather sent a message using more violent ways. ways that he was sure that Cedar may have done as well. Keeping it in mind, he figured the best course of action.
"I agree that the half-moon after the full-moon would be a good moment to let BushClan know where to meet us for battle. However, I do not agree in having Hawksight be the one to send the message." Narrowed eyes met his, Shatter was not happy while Quail seemed curious.
"Why shouldn't we? All she does is collect herbs, speak to the dead of ancestors that are not hers, and do very little advising." Shatter snapped crossly.
Hawksight spoke up more gently. "It wouldn't be proper. Medicine cats of Clan-cats stay out of strife if they can. I wouldn't be comfortable telling a medicine cat such a horrible message. Any other cat I would, but I wouldn't want to do that."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Shatter turned on her in an instant, her tone fierce with a snarl. "If you keep that weak heart, the River Fragment won't survive!"
Quail raised his tail, scolding gently. "Shatter, remember who you are speaking before." The gray striped white she-cat snorted, looking to Willow, her eyes cold with anger as their leader continued to speak. "Now, Willow what should we do to make this more proper?"
"We send either a Leader or a Second-in-Command or a cat we trust to deliver the message to BushClan." Willow explained, earning a skeptical look by Shatter, so he explained further. "A cat with that kind of power, even for a Clan-cat would make it seem much more real and not some weak message. After all, they could think we are cowards using what they think of as a medicine cat to send a message. So it would be best to send someone like Shatter, me, or a cat we can agree on."
"We have until the full-moon of to decide this."
"May I ask why the no-moon though?" Hawksight spoke up in a soft mew. "Is it to stay hidden in the dark?"
"Of course." Quail answered her. "Do you think another night would be best?"
"Why not the full-moon itself?" She suggested, "If they know the battle is going to happen anyway, why not let the full-moon ensure that we can protect ourselves and our fellow cats?"
"We will think about it." Quail promised, looking to Willow and Shatter. "Won't we?"
"Of course." Willow promised.
Shatter simply shrugged as she stretched. "I can care less on when we fight them, I just want to use my claws on another cat more then just prey and slippery fish."
As the meeting dispersed, Willow stayed where he was to collect his thoughts properly. Everything in him wanted this to end, the long line of suffering and bloodshed. Fears of kits having to live like he had, forced to feel isolated filled him to the very edges of his mind. Quickly, he realized that there was no choice. To end it the fastest, they would have to move the battle a half-moon sooner, anything to prevent a horrible disaster in the dark. Was his heart soft thanks to Hawksight, or was it the internal fear he felt at the thought of any kit loosing their mother. With a nod to himself, he knew what he would say the moon before the plan is set into motion. Anything, to prevent a repeat of the history of FearClan and BushClan to stop it once and for all.
Author Note:
So, I have been trying my best to move this story along a bit faster to the real build up of this story. I knew what I wanted to write and I know how it will end, I just have to push through to get there. In the process, I am keeping tabs of cats and their ages so I can apprentice cats left and right. This is difficult, but I am much more comfortable writing 2k words then ever before and I should be able to keep it up and add more and more words to make it a more engaging and proper story as I go.
In other news, I previously had a bad back problem and currently I am having a lot of family issues/drama in the medical side. I will keep doing my best to at least finish this story. So, this will be the story to help me through it all.
Now, have a great day/night or whenever you are here and thank you so much for reading. - NightSky
