Pale light streamed in through the canopy of green, a warm draft passing through the familiar woods. Tall oaks stood proud and strong, host to many sturdy branches each donned with a vast array of small vibrant leaves. Settled at the base of one of many trees, the group of six relished in the comforts of what reminded them of their home. Several sunrises had passed since their adventure into the twolegplace. They had escaped to the nearby forest that branched off from the thunderpath and now, they were replenishing energy while the MagmaClan apprentice recovered from her bruising.
Currently, Mistpaw curled up beside Floodpaw, pelts pressed together like true siblings who had been successfully reunited. Both offered soft snores, all the while ignoring the pacing orange and white tom who stood out several fox lengths from their makeshift hollow among the roots. Ears perked, alert, the BlizzardClan apprentice craned his slender crown around a thickly set oak, eyes vacant with lack of sleep. Like round, emerald moons, Fallenpaw struggled to continue his border patrol without his legs giving out and falling flat on his face. Mind warped with his own hazy thoughts, the overly exhausted 'paw hadn't noticed the weak pawsteps gliding closer.
"Fallenpaw? What are you doing up? It's dawn and you didn't wake me up for my shift."
Fallenpaw whirled around, pelt bristled, eyes wide and claws out with surprise. Upon seeing who had advanced, he relaxed slightly. It was only Wildpaw. The cream colored tom gave his friend a wary look.
"Fallenpaw, you feeling alright?" he asked with a frown. "You look absolutely wasted and I was supposed to take next watch."
"Didn't want to wake you," Fallenpaw meowed stiffly, voice scratchy and dry as he shuddered to a sitting position.
"Well either way, it's not good for you to stay up all night," Wildpaw argued, fluffy tail swishing as he nudged his fellow apprentice to his paws. "You haven't been getting enough sleep these past few days. How many times must Anemonepaw say this: Flarepaw is going to be fine. She's out of her little coma and it'll just be a little longer before she's fit to travel again. You can't do this to yourself otherwise poor Anemonepaw will have to deal with a sleep-deprived monstrosity."
"But I was just gonna- " the other tom drawled with a long yawn to signify his true lack of sleep. "keep a-a watch on the hollow..."
"And you've done an excellent job of doing so," Wildpaw gave an appreciative nod, furthering his attempts to lead the barely conscious tom to the tree roots. "But now I think it's best for you to get some rest. Mistpaw would freak if she saw you like this. You're basically a walking wreck."
Fallenpaw grinned idiotically. "Thank you."
Wildpaw shook his wide-set head with a sigh. "Wasn't a compliment." Once settled by the protruding roots, Wildpaw shoved Fallenpaw down onto a mossy bed near Flarepaw, the said she-cat slumbering peacefully. Fallenpaw looked up at his with another hazy glance, still grinning. "Now what daddy?"
Wildpaw stifled a sigh, knowing very well of Fallenpaw's antics if he was deprived of a well deserved nap. Even in the nursery, the first time the kit tried to pull an all-nighter, Fallenpaw had ended up acting loopy the next morning, confusing Wildpaw for his father. Wildpaw didn't severely mind, finding it somewhat amusing to find the usually sane leader-like tom as an innocent kitten.
"Daddy's going to go take watch, you are going to sleep," he answered in the best commanding voice. He gave a satisfactory grin to find Fallenpaw obediently nod and curl up tightly, wriggling closer to the nearest source of warmth which happened to be a petite, red-furred, short tempered MagmaClan 'paw. Within a few minutes of droopy yawning and struggling to find a comfortable sleeping position pressed up against Flarepaw, the orange and white tom found his comfort spot and drifted to la-la land.
The scruffy pelted BlizzardClanner whisked his tail across his fellow apprentice's ears before twirling around and sauntering off in the direction both were moments ago. Green eyes bright with attentiveness, his thick furred crown twisted from side to side in attempts to scan the terrain surrounding him and the others. A flash of brown caught the corner of his vision.
"Morning Anemonepaw," Wildpaw meowed dismissively, catching himself and nearly tripping over his own large paws. "Wait- Anemonepaw?" His gaze whirled on the medicine apprentice, eyes rounded with confusion. "What are you doing up and about?"
"Can't a cat make dirt without drawing attention from nosy kits?" the sleek pelted feline snapped crankily, much like an aging elder despite his youthful age of only about twelve moons.
Wildpaw winced, regretting speaking aloud. "Oh, ah, sorry." Which in turn, resulted in an irritated scoff from the other apprentice before ambling off into the denser foliage. Feeling overly embarrassed, the usually lusty tom had the good graces to turn his back and toddle off in the opposite direction, leaving Anemonepaw to his own devices.
Ears perked to listen for the fading pawsteps, Anemonepaw remained still, crouched in a small copse of overlapping ferns. It was in his best interest to lie. Had he told Wildpaw where he was really going, it would only draw unwanted attention. To make the most of the journey, it would be easier to travel alone. Picking up his small paws, the sage green-eyed apprentice slunk deeper into the flora, his thin brown tail trailing behind through the darkening shadows. His long whiskers brushed up against the bushes on either side, nose twitching furiously for a single scent among hundreds.
He felt the moist dirt squish in between his pink pads, firmly packing into the crevices as he trekked further into the woods. He told himself to be back soon, Flarepaw's coverings would have to be changed. Early on in their set up at the root hollow, Anemonepaw manged to find the interior laced with some cobwebs which immediately went to patching up Flarepaw's cuts and scrapes- mostly her previously untreated paw. If he didn't want his head chewed off by his patient's foul temper, he would have to return with something worthwhile and quickly.
There!
His nostrils flared with delight, having found the object of his search quite easily. Beyond the thick lining of outcropping leaves, swallowed up in the midday sun out in the open, a patch of sunshine yellow leaves stood out among the stunning green. Bowing his head to pass through the circular entrance, Anemonepaw slipped out into the light where golden spots bloomed upon his sleek brown pelt. As he reached out with a forepaw to collect the plant, a set of four dirty white paws prevented access by stepping right on it.
Anemonepaw reeled back in surprise, an instinctive hiss echoing from his opening jaws. He surveyed the attacker who stood in a crouch, hovering over the crushed herbs.
"The marigold!" he yelped in surprise, knowing very useful herbs had just been wasted at the expense of a white footed, gray tabby. Furious, the tom's glare bored into the other's deep blue. "You squid-brained, self absorbed, cowardly, moth-faced, ant-puking, wretched little spawn of a grimy, slimy maggot!" The string of curses felt natural as each word was spoken, making him wonder if he had been spending too much time around Flarepaw and her colorful vocabulary.
"Spawn of a maggot, huh?" the gray tabby remarked, mildly amused. "As for the 'marigold'," she gestured to the plants smashed beneath her very own paws. "It wasn't going to help me out."
"So you crush it into nothingness?" Anemonepaw screeched, losing his temper. He caught his tongue before he had the chance to spill out another wave of harsh words. That's it, I've definitely been spending way too much time around Flarepaw... Clearing his throat and acting somewhat civilized, "Some cat could've used those. Instead, you waste valuable supplies by stepping on them."
"Hey, I know they don't work," the tabby retorted, puffing out her chest as she began smearing the crushed plant juice off her pads. "I've been feeding them to my patients and it doesn't do anything remotely helpful."
"Feeding...?" Realization dawned on the dumbfounded 'paw. It quickly turned into agony and irritation. "You don't feed marigold leaves to cats! You put it into a poultice and it helps by keeping wounds from getting infected!"
The tabby tilted her head, tufted ears perked with interest. "You seem to know a lot about these things."
Anemonepaw snorted. "I should. I was trained by the best to be a medicine cat."
"Medicine cat?"
"Yeah, the cat in my Clan that helps heal the other cats," the apprentice reeled off information, forgetting that the tabby had no information about the Clans.
"Clan?"
"A group of cats, essentially."
"Does that mean you know how to treat a large group of cats?" Anemonepaw didn't feel at ease with the almost predatory look in the tabby's sharp eyes. He offered a small nod in response. "Then you're just what I need!" Anemonepaw didn't have the time to react before he felt the inflammation swarming his temple, followed by the thump of his limp body hitting the solid earth. Black spots dotted his vision, swiftly morphing into a blank slate of shadows.
"Ngh...where are I...?" the slurred tone of OceanClan's medicine cat apprentice wafted into the stagnant air. Taking a sniff of his surroundings before even beginning to attempt and open his eyes, the sleek brown tom was met with the rancid tastes of a similar place he and his companions had only recently escaped. Bleary eyed, Anemonepaw blinked open his hazy orbs, a rugged silhouette towering over him with a deep glint in dark blue spheres.
"Glad to see you're awake, sleepy-head!" a loud chirp from the hovering tabby rung in Anemonepaw's sensitive ears.
"Don't scream so loud!" he protested, cringing as he flexed into a tight ball, eyelids squished shut and teeth gritted. The tabby seemed oblivious to his protests and instead started working on getting him to his paws.
"Ok ok," the tabby gave in, watching with amusement as the tom swung his head around swiftly as if trying to figure out where he was. From the surrounding features, it wasn't too difficult to distinguish a vague idea. Cardboard boxes lay stacked up against one another, thrown into messy piles in the corner between a stone wall and a wooden fence. The overall musk was tainted with blood and grime, the disgusting scents of sickness thrown into the mix. The only reason the young apprentice wasn't heaving at the foul smell was the fact he was used to it. Working in the medicine district had its perks as well as its faults. Many of those included bombarding your nostrils with the overbearing and rather unpleasant fragrance of blood as well as illness.
Looking closer at the mentioned boxes stacked sloppily against the corner, his foggy optics distinguished the scruffy, unkempt pelts of other felines taking refuge with the tattered cardboard. He watched as a lazy white paw shifted from its sheltered hole, attempting to swat at what appeared to be a wandering moth. A series of harsh coughs escaped from the box above, shaking the pile much to the disdain of the others based on their complaining whines. Weak, kitten-like mewls resonated near the base, a symphony of three high pitched wails begging for food.
"Sickening, isn't it?" Anemonepaw wasn't aware he was grimacing when the tabby spoke up beside him, watching as he observed the enclosure. "Come on," she mewed softly, taking the lead over to the large clump. Too warped in his thoughts to retaliate and escape, Anemonepaw found himself distracted by the odors of sickness as he followed silently after the feline.
"Hey, kittens," the tabby turned her eyes full of forced compassion at three scraps of fur. One was gray, another ginger and white, the last being black. It was clear all were underfed by their defined ribs jutting out from their pelts that looked as if they had never been groomed properly. Anemonepaw felt a pang of guilt just looking at them. "Auntie Mistle is here for you," she added, nuzzling each kit on the head with motherly love. The kits' cries died down slightly, reduced to timid murmurs for food. "Auntie has some things to take care of and then she'll bring you back something to eat. Mew, look after your sisters," the tabby licked the ginger and white's head before backing up and out of the box, motioning for the brown 'paw to follow.
"So, Mistle's your name, correct?" Anemonepaw attempted to make conversation as the gray tabby picked up something yellow and full of holes that vaguely looked like moss. That is, if moss was that shocking shade of yellow. She dipped it gingerly in a small puddle of dirty water, nodding to the tom before scaling the box pile towards the top. Anemonepaw stayed on her heels as the duo made it to the pile's summit. Mistle slid inside, Anemonepaw peering from outside. Sprawled out on her side near the back, a patchy brown and white she-cat wheezed and huffed, yellow eyes shot and clouded with fear.
"There there, Nikki," Mistle laid down the water soaked rectangle near the she-cat's muzzle. "Drink up, you'll need your strength." While her breathing remained choppy and harsh, her yellow orbs seemed to relax slightly, a pink tongue flickering in and out to gather the liquid from within. Mistle then dipped her head to the brown medicine cat, once again wordlessly telling him to back out as she followed.
Both landed at the base, mute until Mistle decided to speak again. "So now you understand why someone of your occupation is important. You know about medicine, or so I assume from what you said earlier. I've self nominated myself as protector of these cats. They're my responsibility and I'm trying my best to keep them alive. Mew, Gray, and Night are the three kittens I've adopted, considering myself as their aunt. They were abandoned by their dead mother who's timely demise came shortly after their birth. Nikki up there suffers from her old age as well as a respiratory disease. She can barely can stand up much less breathe properly without collapsing. So you see how big of a role you play in our society. You and only you can help us. Please." She looked at him with pleading blue eyes, shaded with sadness and years of fatigue. How long had she been watching over these defenseless cats?
Anemonepaw gulped. "I suppose I have no choice," he said in reluctance, still thinking of the others he had left behind. Flarepaw's going to be pissed, Mistpaw in denial, Floodpaw distraught, Wildpaw confused, Fallenpaw concerned...But it's not as if they can't journey without me. It's also not as if they know where I am. I could be an entire days trip away from where I left them, I don't even know how long I was out...
"Wonderful," Mistle smiled genuinely. "I never got your name, did I?"
"Oh, it's Anemonepaw," the tom responded, somewhat vacantly. "I suppose we should get started then," he added, earning a nod of conformation from Mistle. "We'll need something for the kits. They're hungry and without food they are sure to die."
"I've been trying," the tabby mewed. "I wasn't producing enough milk for them. It saddens me that they're only getting about a meal a day. I didn't kit them, I don't have enough milk!"
"Calm down," Anemonepaw barked. "The last thing we need is a panic attack. I've seen this plenty of times. You'll just need some borage leaves."
"Borage leaves? What are those?"
"They'll help you produce enough milk. I don't suppose there's a little forest around here somewhere, is there?" Anemonepaw glanced around curiously, attempting to sight a tree or two. To his surprise, Mistle nodded, "At the edge of the city. There's a large expanse of trees there. If you want forest plants, then there's your best bet."
"Thank you. I'd go there myself but I'm afraid I don't know the way," the young med cat admitted modestly. "Would you mind leading me there?"
"Fine," Mistle agreed. "But you have to stay in my line of sight at all times. A forest is just about where I'd expect you to give me the slip." Anemonepaw blinked. To be honest, the thought never passed his mind. First of all, where would he go? It wasn't as if he knew his way around this place. It wouldn't be long before Mistle found him even if he did manage to escape. Besides, this was the cat who managed to knock him out single pawed anyways. What was she so paranoid about?
Flicking her tail, Mistle charged for the entrance to the alleyway, leaving Anemonepaw to follow as best he could. They only made it a few bounds before the tabby turned a corner, making sure the 'paw was still behind her as she cast a glance over her shoulder. Satisfied that her companion hadn't taken the chance to bolt, she continued her path through the empty streets, winding her way through the "city". Several times she cast a blue gaze over each shoulder, confirming the whereabouts of her medicinal expert.
"I'm not going to bail!" the brown tom finally cried ahead, fed up with all this checking as if he was a prisoner being watched constantly. "Just lead me to the woods! I'll be right behind you!"
"Forest cat tricks!" Mistle called back with a scowl, purposely looking back. "You can't and won't fool me! Get up here by my side!" As she slowed, it allowed Anemonepaw to get closer until he was racing along at her side much to the tabby's satisfaction. The duo turned another few sharp corners until their path became blocked by a chain link fence. Rather than stopping, Mistle accelerated, pouncing from a box to a dumpster until she made the final, graceful leap over the side.
Anemonepaw tried to copy her technique, mistiming his leap from the box to the dumpster and landing rather ungracefully on its cold metal surface. Straightening himself out, he regained a little bit of speed and barely managed to scale the fence, his hind leg bumping on his way over. Flailing awkwardly in the air, it was a relief to land on an extremely soft patch of grass.
"So graceful," Mistle teased as the tom got shakily to his paws and tried to compose himself. "Hurry up," she ordered, flicking her tail across his muzzle as she passed, taking the lead towards the line of shadowed trees. Taking in the light around him, Anemonepaw watched as the golden orb began its slow descent behind the mountains, bathing the skies in warm shades of orange, yellow and the occasional blossom of red or pink. He took in a large breath of clean air, sighing with contentment as his lungs were freed from the tight and rancid tastes of what lay behind him. The scent of pine lingered on the faint breeze that tickled his nose, earning a sneeze in reply. Shaking out his fur, Anemonepaw trailed after the leader with soft pawsteps, relishing in the comfort simple grass could offer.
As they passed through the first wave of trees- a mixture of pine and birch- the pair of felines set to work on searching for their target. Anemonepaw hadn't said what it looked like, but he said he'd know it when he saw it. Sniffing diligently, it never occured to him that they were being watched. He barely had time to approach a clump of borage leaves alongside Mistle when a shattering hiss pulled them apart.
Frantically looking around, Anemonepaw caught sight of two shapes emerging from the shadows cast by the branches, a pallet of sunset and darkness dappling their pelts.
"Well look at this," an overly familiar voice said, belonging to a white and orange feline, stepping closer into view with a fluffy cream tom just a few paces behind. "It looks like we got here just in the nick of time. What does that make us?"
"Big rabbit-brained heroes, sir," the other replied with a chuckle, tailed by a pale gray who was followed by a darker gray-black.
"Ain't we just? " the orange and white grinned, his own voice highly amused, standing in the light a fox length away from Anemonepaw. At his side stood the fuzzy cream furred one and on the other side was the pale gray, the darker one at the far end standing erect at the paler she-cat's side. "Looks like you've got something that belongs to us. If it isn't too much trouble, we'd like him back."
Fallenpaw... Anemonepaw stood agape, speechless as the leader of their rag-tag team, accompanied by the rest of the group, stood before him. Including Wildpaw, Mistpaw, and Floodpaw. Flarepaw wasn't there however. Oh great StarClan! he huffed inwardly. If they left her back at the hollow, who was watching her? No one! That's who!
"And who might you be?" Mistle growled, showing no intentions of giving up her prize. "He's one of us now and I won't have any negotiations. He stays with me in the city."
"Ah ha, about that," Fallenpaw chuckled knowingly, swishing his tail with a sense that he had the upper paw. "Look above you."
Immediately, both Mistle and Anemonepaw looked up, shocked at what they saw. Hovering mere fox lengths above them was the reddish form of a crouching and rather infuriated Flarepaw. Her amber orbs had narrowed into slits and it was clear she wasn't in a cheerful mood. But then again, when was she ever?
"See her up there?" Fallenpaw asked rhetorically, knowing they could see her before he had even asked. "She's been a bit of a pain in our tails today. See, this place is a bit out of our way from where we need to go and she didn't exactly want to come. Much to her irritation, she hasn't gotten to eat on account of searching all day for our friend here. And let me tell you, a hungry Flarepaw, is not a happy Flarepaw. She's been itching for a fight and it would give her more than enough pleasure to draw some blood. There is a way out however, just give us back our companion there, and we'll be on our way."
"You don't understand how much I need his help!" Mistle protested.
Fallenpaw shrugged. "It's not up to me. It's up to her." He pointed with his tail back up at Flarepaw who had scarily dropped down to a much lower branch, her optics glowing with fury in the fast approaching darkness. "But I suggest if you don't want bloodshed, you release him."
"Never," Mistle protested, standing protectively in front of Anemonepaw, determined to keep him and his herbal skills.
"I'll only say this once more: release him."
Heavy stares bounced back from one another. Fallenpaw's directed at Mistle, Mistle's directed back at Fallenpaw. Flarepaw glaring at Mistle. And Anemonepaw glancing up at Flarepaw. The air around them had gone silent save for the growl forming in the back of Flarepaw's throat. She was getting antsy and there was only so much sitting she could take. Her unsheathed claws ran along the bark, itching to tear into fur. Preferably Mistle's.
"Fine," the gray tabby backed down, spitting with her own fury. She took a few steps back, allowing Anemonepaw to rush forward behind the ranks of his fellow apprentices. "I never want to see your ugly mug around here again, Anemonepaw." She hissed bitterly. "You're such a traitor. Not even standing up for the weak and injured. You're sick and vile. I could just vomit here. I hope you're happy knowing that Nikki is sure to die as well as those kits."
"I'm sorry," Anemonepaw poked his head out into view, green eyes somber. "But I do have priorities. I have to get back home. I showed you the borage, the kits are sure to eat properly now. But I truly am sorr- "
"Save it you lying filth!" Mistle interrupted in her fit of rage. "Just get out of here!"
"You heard her," Wildpaw nosed Anemonepaw towards the OceanClan siblings. "Mistpaw, Floodpaw, take him. We'll catch up." The siblings deftly nodded, leading away their Clan's medicine cat back into the shadows. Wildpaw gave a nudge to Fallenpaw before chasing after the OceanClanners.
As Wildpaw faded into the shadows, Fallenpaw started to turn. "Come on, Flarepaw. Our work here is done." With a hiss of disappointment, the reddish she-cat slunk down the branch towards the trunk, sliding from branch to branch as she followed the BlizzardClanner from above.
Mistle's agonized grumbles could be heard for another few moments. "If you want something done, you'll have to do it yourself." With that said, her thundering pawsteps faded, presumably in the direction she came from.
Anemonepaw walked in between Floodpaw and Mistpaw with Wildpaw in the front. Behind him, he heard joining steps as Fallenpaw took the rear, joined by Flarepaw's silent approach. Surrounded by his- dare he call them- friends, Anemonepaw felt a sudden wave of relief. They were there for him in his time of crisis. They were all there for his support. They could've went off alone without him, but no, they stayed and took an entire day to find him.
I'll never doubt them again, he thought with a smile. I'm safe...
Daww! Saved by his best buddies! I'm sorry for the prolonged delay, but then again, that seems to be a re occurring factor considering my update issue with A River Divided. Ah well, I made sure to make this one extra long for you guys. I actually debated whether or not to make this one a two-parter and end it on a cliffhanger, but I decided na. Besides, I've been giving out too many cliffhangers lately and this chapter wouldn't flow right with a split.
Also, I don't know if any of you caught it, but near the end where Fallenpaw and the others arrive is a reference to a TV show called Firefly. It's one of my favorite episodes, Safe, in which Simon the doctor (replaced by Anemonepaw the medicine cat XD) and his sister are kidnapped by a group of people who need his medical skills. At the end is my favorite scene where Mal comes to rescue them. Flarepaw is portrayed as Jayne, essentially trigger happy and itching for a fight. This just became a warrior cat tweaked version of that episode.
Remember to review, follow, favorite and such! Hope you enjoyed! Until next time,
- Snarky
