Silentpaw nodded decidedly and Cloudfang visibly became less tense. "Thank you, thank you very much. It feels like a terrible thing to do but doing the right thing doesn't always feel good" Cloudfang dipped his head in gratitude and flicked his tail as a gesture to start moving. "Ferretwing should be sound asleep. I brought her last meal to her stuffed with chamomile. Couldn't use poppy seed, never use it on expecting or nursing queens"
The pair of them stepped out into the moonlight, silverpelt bearing witness to what they were about to do. He silently asked for Starclan's forgiveness and understanding, but the sky remained unchanged. Wordlessly they crossed the clearing beelined for the nursery. Slipping in silently, Silentpaw could see Ferretwing sleeping, the cloying smell of milk heavy in the den. The curve of her large belly moved gently up and down. The kits were asleep as well, grey fur mingling with tabby fur as they snuggled together. Cloudfang knelt down and picked up the little she-cat by her scruff. She made no noise. Silentpaw followed lead and picked the tom up by his scruff.
The tabby kit snuffled as he was lifted away from his adopted mother's swollen belly, his small stubby arms flailing. Silentpaw backed out of the tunnel, emerging out into moonlight again. The change in air temperature caused the little tom to make tiny grunting noises in protest. Cloudfang's she-cat remained quietly dozing. Silentpaw had picked a little character that was for sure.
Cloudfang nodded towards the exit by the medicine cat den. Avoiding camp entrance was probably best considering the task at hand. As Cloudfang powered his way up the embankment, Silentpaw swore he saw slitted blue eyes glare at him across the clearing from the darkness of the leaders' den.
With a fresh fear installed in him he skittered up the bank after Cloudfang, powdery sand falling in cascading pockets behind him. As he followed the white tom he could see indentations of the previous night's affairs. He told himself they were only passing through the ashfields and it was for the benefit of two innocent lives. They managed to get to the river bank when the small tom started whining, incoherent wailing mews sounding out across the dunes.
They had to continue padding along, trying to ignore the needy keening of the kit. The noise alone was enough for Silentpaw to feel the pressure and feel an immense amount of guilt. He hoped with all his heart that this would save these kits from a less savory fate. He also hoped they wouldn't remember this.
Silentpaw was jolted awake by a repeated gentle prod to his ribcage. For a few seconds he recoiled in terror, calming down when he realised he was in his warm feather nest, hidden away in the safety of the medicine cat den. Large green eyes peered at him a kitstep away. He recognised them as Cloudfang's eyes. The young black tom sighed with relief. Cloudfang was staring back at him seriously; a sense of importance about him.
"It's alright, just me' The white tom began 'I need your help, but I'll explain as much as I can before you make a decision to partake or not" Silentpaw could hear urgency in his hushed tone. "Leopardheart's kits are in danger. They need to be taken out of camp and away from Duneclan. I'm afraid I can't tell you anymore, you need deniability if this goes pear shaped" Silentpaw's eyes were wide open, Cloudfang's grave words weighing down on his consciousness. He was still half asleep- it felt late for this kind of call for assistance.
The tom continued: "I've arranged for them to be adopted by a couple of loners called Bramble and Frost. They live in a barn on the other side of the ashfields, Bramble is currently looking after three kits of her own and she's kindly agreed to care of two more"
Silentpaw sat up, feeling skittish. His mentor was asking him to help kidnap some kits, get them adopted and not tell him why. He shook his head vehemently. "These kits have one more night to live, if I don't get them away from here they'll disappear tomorrow night. I'd rather them leave tonight but get out alive. Silentpaw I'll never ask you to do anything like this again, I wish it hadn't come to this" Cloudfang hissed desperately.
The distrust and suspicion he'd been feeling about his mentor began to ebb with the sincerity of his plea. He couldn't live with himself if tomorrow night something bad happened to those kits. But on the other paw he wanted to know who would want those kits dead. Nighstar had said they weren't pure Duneclan but surely she wouldn't have some innocent kits killed for their heritage. But he found Leopardheart's death suspicious, especially after the conversation he overheard. He was going to have to trust his mentor's word.
The bridge connecting their territory to the ashfields was looming ahead. In his eyes that bridge was an omen. Cloudfang sped up clearly wanting to cross over as quickly as possible. Trotting they stepped down onto the track and up onto the wooden bridge. Silentpaw hesitated as Cloudfang stepped down on the other side. Not wanting to cause suspicion he forced himself to touch surface with the ashfield side of the track. After a brief shiver the young cat willed himself onward.
Cloudfang's ears kept twitching at every noise, any give away that they were being followed. The little tom had tired himself out, only occasionally letting out a tired squeak. Silentpaw tried to ignore the fact he was walking through the site of mass death and destruction, but every burnt stump, every cracked tree trunk was a blatant reminder. The tiny shoots of hope re-growing had a lot to cover up.
Cloudfang's tail shot up like an exclamation point. A strange snuffling sound and the occasional heavy pawstep sounded from behind a log close to the track. Dropping to the floor, the tom crept past the hidden creature. To Silentpaw's dismay the little tom mewed in complaint again. The snuffling and pawsteps stopped. Cloudfang froze.
A flurry of red fur and a reeking stench catapulted over the log; frenzied snapping canines bared. Primal instinct overrode the cats. With fear Silentpaw bolted along the track after Cloudfang, the larger creature's hot breath on his heels. The sudden change in speed had woken up the she-cat Cloudfang was holding, and she cried out in fear. Silentpaw was aware of his own speeding heart and the sound of blood rushing through his ears.
His mentor wasn't changing course, just running along the track, set on the destination of this supposed barn. Silentpaw tried to zig-zag; throw it off, but the jolting movement was greeted by the kit's angry screeching. The path seemed to veer off, the tree stumps thinning and the ground becoming visibly less ashen. Cloudfang followed the path still. He noted the lack of sand and beach and the presence of short green grasses and lichen. Rolling hills broke the horizon line, and a square shape blocked out a small portion of the stars. The square shaped thing seemed to be what Cloudfang was running towards.
The fox was gaining on Silentpaw. It lunged forwards attempting to sever his tail. The apprentice was beginning to slow down, he couldn't keep running at this pace for much longer. A screech sounded from behind him. The sound of running pawsteps ceased, replaced by the sound of an assailant attacking. A grey and black mottled mass was furiously hammering away at the fox, one strike after the other. Scratching and hissing again and again. Blood spattered on the dust track as the strange tom sliced the creature's nose open. It howled out in pain and the tom went in, slashing again. A second strike was all it took. The fox fled with its tail between its legs.
Silentpaw crouched, kit mewling and watched the tom stand proud, chest heaving. The other tom paused to lick his paw of blood before turning to face the clan cats. "Lucky I was out waiting for you, otherwise you'd be fox-food" The tom laughed, the kind of laugh you make when you know you've escaped death. Cloudfang placed the she-cat down and grinned with relief. Silentpaw was too on edge to do the same. "Frost! Thank you so much- I - ha" Cloudfang had to take a moment to catch his breath. "This is my apprentice Silentpaw, He-He can't talk, He's not being anti- anti social"
Frost nodded understandably. "That's alright, let's get you and the kits in the barn. Bramble's up in the loft waiting". Frost quite happily led them into the barn as if nothing unusual like a fox attack had just happened. The barn was expansive, a large lower floor and a loft filling the roofspace. Bales of hay and various sharp looking rusted instruments decorated the interior. Frost bounded up a flimsy wooden ladder that wobbled as he stepped on it. Silentpaw carefully navigated his way up.
The loft was chock-a-block with round stacks of hay. Dust motes floated through the air as Frost guided them towards a gap between two haystacks. Cloudfang squeezed his way through, Silentpaw slipped through with ease. They'd entered a hidden den, surrounded by walls of hay. Straw scattered the floor, but was particularly built up around a light brown tabby she-cat. Her paws were tucked neatly underneath her, three kits already nestled in her stomach. "Are these the new kits?" She leaned over to her mate and they touched noses.
"Yes dear" Frost responded, a soft look on his face. Cloudfang gently placed the small she-cat into the crook of Bramble's belly. Silentpaw finally let go of the tom and watched as he hungrily clawed his sister out the way to drink milk. He got the feeling that Bramble was very straight to the point. "What are their names?" She asked, looking down at the new arrivals.
"Leafkit and Harekit, Their dad and adopted mother helped pick a name each" Cloudfang explained. "I'll call them Leaf and Hare. Keep a little bit of their home with them" A crack of affection emerged as she lapped at the kits, giving them their first clean up in their new home. "They'll be safe here, and They'll have good lives, we'll make sure of that" Frost reassured Cloudfang. His mentor smiled ear to ear.
"Thank you, If you ever need my help I'm in your debt" Cloudfang bowed. "We really must be going before anyone notices we're gone, tomorrow will be difficult and being sleep deprived won't help" Cloudfang noted. "Come on Silentpaw, let's leave these cats in peace. May Starclan watch over you all" Frost and Bramble dipped their heads.
Silentpaw kept his head down as they padded out of the barn. It would take him a while to process this all, what he'd just done and the emotional implications of the clan. On Ferretwing and especially on Greywing who was now going to grieve the unexplained disappearance of his late mate's only litter. Tomorrow was going to be hell.
The moon shone brighter than ever, illuminating the path home. He wanted nothing more than a soft bed and a lie in. Cloudfang turned to him. "Thank you Silentpaw. After tonight I won't mention this to you or anyone else ever again. I will never ever ask you to do anything like this again" Cloudfang sighed with regret. " I was hoping it wouldn't come to this but it has. Tomorrow we're going to have to pretend we're oblivious and get through it" The tom paused and looked up at the stars.
"We can only know that we did our best with pure intent"
Reviewer responses!:
Succulentsofa: The punishment is a lot harsher then getting grounded, that's all I'm saying lol. And thank you! I try to put a lot of effort into writing descriptions :)
I kinda struggled with writing this chapter more, I wasn't in the creative flow quite as much as normal I guess.
Question of the Chapter: Why were the kits in danger and what was posing a threat to them? Do you think Cloudfang was right to get Silentpaw to help him?