Chapter 11: Greyleaf
Greyleaf hadn't seen Pinestar for almost a moon, and it was starting to get to her.
She would routinely zone out for long periods of time, thinking about him. She would lie awake at night, wondering what he was doing. She would barely catch herself calling Blackfur by his name. She even ventured so far as to travel to their hiding place in broad daylight, just hoping, hoping that he would be there.
He never was.
Sadly, as one could presume, this caused Greyleaf's efficiency in her warrior tasks to lessen. The grey she-cat felt slow, heavy, and useless, a thorn in the side of her clan. Her paws were constantly fumbling, her brain was steadily sluggish, and her thoughts where almost always on one thing.
Pinestar.
Oh, how she missed him!
She missed the gentle touch of his paws, the smooth silliness of his pelt, the reassuring tone of his voice! She ached for the comforting presence he brought, the sweet love in his eyes, the wonderful way he made her day brighten!
The only other problem was, when she wasn't thinking about Pinestar, she was thinking about food.
You could say that Greyleaf had become so what of a glutton over the past moon. She was constantly hungry, and she anxiously awaited her turn at the fresh-kill pile. Her insatiable hunger had grown so large and gotten so bad that she almost ate on a hunting patrol, the very crime for which she had once looked down upon Blackfur for.
Finally, one fateful day, she came to her senses. Something had to be wrong with her. There was no other explanation. Why else would she be failing so badly and having such a hard time focusing.
What's wrong with me? Do I have some kind of disease? She thought as she padded heavily to her nest in the Warrior's den. Featherheart will know; she knows almost everything!
So, before anyone had woken up the next morning, Greyleaf heaved herself out of her nest and went to see the blue-eyed medicine cat.
But as she traveled closer to the den, her apprehension grew. What if I have a horrible illness! What if I'm getting greencough!
By the time she was at the entrance, her steps were slow and hesitant. Greyleaf suddenly felt like turning back and leaving it all to the wind. Not knowing was better than knowing when your sick, right?
She forced herself to take the last steps, and had to wiggle her way through the tight-feeling brambles at the entrance.
Geez I'm fat! She thought, trying to lift her mood with a little joke, You should lay of the squirrels Greyleaf, before you become fatter than Runningleap!
The grey warrior chuckled a bit at herself; she felt so mouse-brained., and she didn't even notice that Featherheart was already awake when she padded into the dimly lit chamber.
"I have been expecting you for some time." Featherheart mewed in her light, but intelligent, voice, and Greyleaf could swear by Starclan that this cat knew everything! She even knew when someone was going to come to her for help!
"You've been expecting me," she asked, incredulous despite her revelation, "I didn't know I was that sick! Please help me!" She pleaded, afraid that she had greencough after all.
Featherheart's blue eyes softened. "It's okay," She urged, "Your fine. In fact, your in perfect condition."
Greyleaf was confused, and she frowned. "Perfect condition for what?" She asked warily, backing up just a bit and lifting a paw for a quick getaway. If Featherheart was about to tell her she was in perfect condition for dying, she was zooming out of here as fast as she could.
Featherstorm cocked her head to one side in surpirise, as if she was baffled that her patient hadn't guessed what was going on. "You didn't know? Your going to have kits Greyleaf." The grey she-cat smiled warmly, but it did nothing to calm the new queen down.
WHAT! I'M GOING TO HAVE KITS! Greyleaf mouthed the words, but could not say them, for her voicebox seemed to have shut down. She started hyperventilating, legs giving in and sending her crashing to the floor in fear of what could be and in elation that she wasn't going to die.
But her thoughts quickly turned to everything wrong that could happen.
Oh, StarClan, what if one of the kit's looks like him!? Then I will have to give that kit away! I don't know if I can do that! Or what if someone finds out he's the father? What if I die during my kitting? What if I get hurt and have a miscarriage? What if? What if? What if...
Featherheart quickly dissapeared into the depths of the den and returned with a rich green moss soaked in cold water. With the ease of practice, she swiftly and decisively placed the lichen in front of Greyleaf's muzzle.
"I'm sorry," The medicine-cat apologized, "I didn't mean to startle you. I assumed you knew. Here, drink the water from this moss. Do you need some poppy seeds for the shock?"
Greyleaf nodded and then lapped at the moss obediently. Featherheart receded once again to the back of the Medicine-cat den, most likely to get the poppy seeds that the queen needed.
I'm going to have kits.
I'm going to have kits!
I'm going to have Pinestar's kits!
Greyleaf started to smile, and purred happily. But how am I going to tell Pinestar?
She laid there for a while, absentmindedly licking at the lichen in front of her, struggling to devise a plan through the mists in her mind. It was slow going, and Featherheart was taking her time in getting the seeds, but eventually, Greyleaf came to a conclusion.
I have to get invited to the gathering. That's the only way to let him know. Something must be keeping him from seeing me, and whatever it is, it's gonna get a tail-whoopin from me!
She tightened her claws into the soft soil, imagining sinking them into an annoying pest - like Riverclan - that was keeping her and her mate apart.
Featherheart returned shortly after, gave Greyleaf's extended claws an odd look, and then administered one poppy seed to the queen before sending her to rest in the nursery.
The medicine-cat's parting words were, "I'll tell Blackfur when he wakes up."
Greyleaf had nodded then, glad to already have a cover for this. It was nice to not have to plan something for once.
She happily trotted into the Blackfur free nursery, before settling down in a vacant nest near her mother's and drifting off into a peaceful sleep.