Chapter 6

It wasn't at all too hard for Jayfeather to follow Dove's Wing's scent. Being used to relying on scent alone to navigate through the forest, the gray tabby was quickly able to pick up which way she went and follow it as if he was seeing where she was. What was difficult, however, was pretending he wasn't the blind medicine cat his clan knew him to be. Although he knew this forest well and had every turn memorized in his head, the occasional bump on the ground or root of the tree proved to be a big problem, since they were random and impossible to pick up immediately unless he padded slow. But having Half Moon and Lion's Roar nearby made it even more difficult, since they questioned him every moment he slowed down.

"Are you sure you're okay my love?" Half Moon asked with concern as she pressed herself next to him. "You seem anxious and you're starting to move slowly again."

"Yes…" Jayfeather said, hesitating for a moment as he felt nervous. He didn't want to reveal her the truth, he just really didn't. He felt that if he told her it would change everything, that she would look down at him and give him the pity he always hated, that she would look at him differently and realize that he wasn't the sharpclaw she knew he was.

That's what he feared the most. That she realize he wasn't Jay's Wing. He dreaded and thought what would happen when she does and felt his heart drop thinking that she might lose her love for him when she found out the truth. But surely she wouldn't, right? He thought to himself. But the fear was still there in his mind and he couldn't shake it off. He was no skilled sharpclaw here. No. Here, he was just a blind medicine cat.

But she'll know the truth sooner or later. He knew he couldn't hide it from them forever.

"Yes…" Jayfeather repeated, turning his head towards the sound of her voice. "…I was just trying to regain Dove's Wing's scent, that's all."

Before she could react, Jayfeather immediately moved forward in a much quicker pace, following the trail before him and internally cursing every time he stumbled. He felt bad for doing that, leaving her out of the truth and leaving her more puzzled, but he didn't regret doing it. He just wasn't ready yet, not ready at all. He didn't know how to tell her the truth and didn't know he could face her with it.

As long as he had time, he was going to hold back from telling her, from telling them all. It was going to be hard, he knew, since pretending not to be blind was a greater challenge he originally thought, but the more time he bought for himself, the more time he can gather the words to say.

He continued to follow her scent, as Half Moon soon positioned herself beside him once more. But this time, seeing his uneasiness and worrying for him ,she decided not to bring up the earlier topic. Instead, she kept silent as the scent they were following got stronger and stronger.

Soon enough, the smell of Dove's Wing's scent was mixed with the strong scent of the lake and Jayfeather immediately knew where they were.

"Well there you are!" Came a cheerful chirp from in front of them. "Took you long enough, I was wondering when you all would get here."

"You know, it's not safe wondering the forest alone, Dove's Wing." Jayfeather said, feeling the inner annoyed grumpy personality within him begin to rise. "You don't know what you can run into, especially if you don't take note of the scent markers. You could have stumbled pass the border and into another clan's territory for StarClan's sake?"

"Scent markers?" Dove's Wing's asked, confused. "Is that what I've been picking up all the way here? Hm, I was wondering what they were…I guess I know now."

"Well, you better remember it." Lionblaze said, as he popped up from behind the group. "Staying within one's borders can mean life or death here. Patrols from other clans roam pass the border and they aren't always kind to cats straying too far to their territory."

"Fine, fine…I won't carelessly roam on my own again, you don't have to make such a big deal about it." Dove's Wing said, annoyed. "Besides, when I got a whiff of that mouse, I just couldn't help myself." As if to emphasize her excitement, Jayfeather soon noted the scent of fresh kill nearby, most likely the one spotted by Dove's Wing earlier. "And…once I saw the lake in the distance, I couldn't help but keep on going. Look at it, it's been so long since I saw it and I just missed this place so much."

Although he himself couldn't see it, he could sense the joy emitting from the tribal cats, as they padded forward towards the water's edge and gaze at the beautiful sight of the lake before them. Jayfeather felt a pang of sadness knowing that he himself couldn't see it and just like them, the last time he was able to clearly see the lake for himself was in the past, back when he was transformed into a young sharpclaw, when the tribe still lived by the lake.

"It is a beautiful sight." Half Moon said in awe as she pressed herself against Jayfeather. As the two other tribal cats sat on the water's edge admiring the view, while Jayfeather's clanmates sat back and kept an eye on them all, Half Moon stayed close and pressed up against him, as if afraid that he just might disappear again. "And to believe, you get to see this every day while living here."

"Yeah…seeing it every day…" Jayfeather said with a hint of sarcasm, as he tried to hide an exasperated sigh.

Despite his best efforts though, Half Moon still noticed the sudden change of his mood. She knew him to well to know that something was bothering him, and from the way he was acting since earlier, she knew that it was bothering him from a while. She didn't like it and she felt really concerned for him. She needed to know. She needed to know to help him.

"Jay's Wing…" Half Moon began. "…is there something you want to say?"

Turning his head to face her, he cast his blind blue eyes towards the she-cat and stared, trying to hide the concern on his face. She was reading through him, and he was afraid that he'll have to tell the truth sooner than he had to. At that moment, he prayed to StarClan for distraction, any distraction. He just didn't feel ready, he just couldn't break her heart with the truth.

"Yeah. I'm fine, Half Moon, I'm just…I still can't get over the fact that I'm finally reunited with you." He lied. In a way, what he said was indeed true. But he knew that wasn't the reason he was bothered, and it seemed Half Moon knew that too.

He could feel her glare at him as he continued to pretend to look back. Her gaze seemed so piercing that it almost felt like she was trying to read his mind.

"Jay's Wing, you're lying." She plainly stated, her words almost coming out as a hiss. "Please, just tell me, what's wrong?"

Closing his eyes and sighing, he then shook his head in defeat, knowing that he was now trapped. Keeping his mouth shut, he hesitated for a moment, not sure if he should continue or let the question drift away again. But he knew he couldn't do that anymore, not to her. It was inevitable and he realize that the sooner he said it, the sooner they can get over it.

"Half Moon…" He began. "…I'm blind."

It took a moment or two for her to reply, as if she was processing what he just told her, but when it came her voice was filled with shock and confusion.

"Wait, what do you mean, Jay's Wing?" She asked, as he felt his heart drop while his mind flashed the scenarios he dreaded earlier. "What are you saying you're blind? How did it happen?"

Feeling a pang of sadness hit him, he couldn't help but begin to slouch from where he sat, as he turned away his face from her, ashamed of the truth of what he was.

"I'm blind Half Moon." He said, as he hung his head low and tried to prevent his emotions from overtaking him. "I was born blind. Back in the Mountains, when I was sharpclaw, I was able to see, but here, in my true and original body, I'm nothing but a worthless blind cat."

It was just all too much now. Admitting that fact, admitting it to Half Moon made him feel so ashamed of himself. At that moment, he never felt lower than he was right now. A tear began to roll down his eyes as he continued to keep his head low. By now it seemed that the other cats noticed what was happening and were turning their attention towards him, adding more to his shame. Unable to hold it all together anymore, he just let the tears roll down his eyes, as the fur on his face got soaked.

Suddenly though, he felt the soft and gentle touch of Half Moon pressing her head against his neck, rubbing up on against him in a comforting way. The sudden but appreciated reaction from the she-cat reassured him a bit, but the sadness within him was still raging, as he still found it hard to stop the tears from coming.

"Stop that, Jay's Wing. Just stop." Half Moon said, in a both stern yet loving tone. "You are not useless, in fact you are far from it. So stop thinking that you are."

"Aren't you disappointed?" Jayfeather asked, sniffling as he felt her press closer towards him, her warmth bringing him even more comfort as he felt love radiating from her. "Aren't you disappointed that the once skilled sharpclaw you knew and fell in love with is just a blind cat who can't even catch fresh kill for himself?"

"What, of course not!" Half Moon said, sounding appalled from what she heard him say. "Why would you ever think of that, Jay's Wing? I didn't fall in love with you because of your skills…no…I fell in love with you because you're you. It isn't what you can do physically that makes me want you, it's what you have in your personality that makes me want to be with you. It's the cat inside of you that made me fall in love and wait for this day that we are reunited again. You don't have to be a sharpclaw to impress me and make me love you. All you have to do is be you."

"I do?" Jayfeather asked, not believing if what she was saying was true or if it was just all to make him feel better.

"Yes, Jay's Wing." She told him with a purr. "Just be you and I would love you forever."

He could sense it, he could sense her love. With each word she said, it seemed that her heart beat faster with the warm feeling of love. She really was telling the truth, she really didn't care if he was blind. She just wanted to be with him and knowing this made his heart flutter as the tears began to stop.

"I love you, Half Moon." He simply said, pressing hard against her as he let his love flow.

"I love you too, Jay's Wing." She said with another purr, rubbing up against him.

There was silence for a moment or two as Jayfeather recovered from the sudden emotional moment. During that time, Jayfeather forgot that there were others with them and instead focused on his long time love that was beside him once more. He had always regretted the decision of not staying and had cursed StarClan for bringing the prophecy on him and forcing him to comeback.

But that was all over now. The prophecy had been fulfilled and peace was now present among the clans and up there in StarClan.

With the prophecy done and Half Moon now here with him, maybe he could finally live that life he always wanted, a life with her.

This thought continued to linger in his mind as the he and Half Moon kept each other in their own loving embrace. But the beautiful moment soon ended, when it was suddenly disturbed by Lionblaze speaking up in a seemingly annoyed voice.

"Jayfeather, as much as how happy I am to see that you're not just a grumpy cat, but also a cat who can show love, I think that it's time for us to go."

Perking up and raising his head, Jayfeather soon found himself embarrassed as he sensed all their eyes gazing at them.

"Yes, you're right!" He said stammering, while Half Moon giggled at him. He suddenly felt shy after the attention they brought upon themselves and he felt mouse-brained to have not done all of that in a more private place. "We need to get back to camp."

"But what about this?" Dove's Wing asked, gesturing to the mouse she had caught earlier.

"You can bring it with you and add it the fresh kill pile, I'm sure the clan would appreciate your arrival better if they see you donating to the pile."

Jayfeather could sense a bit of hesitation from Dove's Wing and he assumed that she didn't want to give away the first mouse she caught in many moons. But after thinking it through and realizing the benefits of such an act, she ultimately relented.

"Fine." She said, as she got up. "Alright, lead us to this camp of yours."

"So, what is it that you do in this clan?" Dove's Wing suddenly inquired, excitement in her voice. "Surely this brother of mine the great leader of the clan."

"Of course he is!" Lion's Roar added. "From all the stories I heard about him, there is no doubt that he's the leader."

Although he was glad that they weren't asking any questions about his blindness, Jayfeather now found himself needing to answer their questions on his role in the clan. He felt a bit embarrassed that they were making his role higher than it should be, but in the back of his mind he remembered what Half Moon had told him earlier.

"Well…actually…" Jayfeather said hesitantly, not knowing how to break the truth to them. What they expected was something grand from him, but in reality he was nothing more than just a medicine cat. Sure, a medicine cat was quite an important role, but compared to what their imaginations were telling them, it was nothing but a boring job. If possible, he would have preferred not to answer this question and ignore it. But, knowing that they would just pester him if he didn't, he gave an inward sight and told them of his role. "…I'm just…I'm just the clan's medicine cat."

"Medicine cat?" Half Moon asked. "What's that?"

"Is it like a Stoneteller?" Dover's Wing inquired in a curious tone.

"No…" Jayfeather said. "…well, maybe a little bit. A medicine cat does heal others. But that's all we do, just heal."

"Just heal?" Lion's Roar said, obviously struck by this fact. "But how about lead? Surely you lead this clan of yours?"

"Sorry to disappoint you all, but I'm no leader of a clan." Jayfeather admitted bitterly. Although he knew that his role in the clan was an important one, an inner part of him still resented the fact that he couldn't be the warrior he always wanted to be in this time. "I'm not even a fighter. All I am is just a medicine cat, healer and talker to StarClan."

"Oh, Jay's Wing, it's alright." Half Moon said pressing against him, comforting him the best she can. "Like I said, it doesn't matter to us who you are."

"Thanks." Jayfeather replied, a smile forming on his face. Sensing the surroundings around him, he soon noticed that they were nearing the camp, the path here being all too familiar to him as he padded through it countless of times.

Just a few more steps they would be at the camp's entrance and through that, ThunderClan.

"Well, I guess it's time for you three to see my other home."

AN:

Guess who's back? I am back!