Chapter 6

"Twilight, is that… really you?" Russet rasped out, finally collapsing to the ground. To Twilight she looked starved, even though leaf-bare was over. In her prostrate form Twilight could also see a gash on her leg, which was crusted and ugly with dried blood.

Crouching beside her, the black she-cat mewed as comfortingly as she could while her memories still thickened her mind, "Yes, it's me, Russet. It's okay, you're safe now."

The ginger she-cat's eyes rolled and she started muttering incoherently, "My kits… Smudge… gone, all gone… Titan… oh." Her head lolled and dropped on the ground, her eyes closing.

"Russet? Russet!" Twilight cried, nudging her old friend. The ginger she-cat had never been as close as she and Sky had, but they had still been friends. She had been forgotten in the trauma after Sky's death.

Cloud moved forward and placed a paw on Russet's foreleg, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Then she moved it away and mewed, "It's all right, she's just knocked out."

"We've got to get her back to the barn," Raven put in. Twilight nearly jumped when he spoke from beside her; she had almost forgotten he was there.

However, she didn't want to move Russet. She was already wounded, and starved to the point of her ribs showing through her pelt. Not to mention she was delirious.

"No," she mewed, moving forward to peer into the den that Russet had taken shelter in. It was big enough to hold maybe three cats, or four if pressed. "She can stay here, and I'll stay with her. If you could hunt some prey while I gather some bedding material, we can move her in there before it gets dark."

"That's actually a pretty good idea," Cloud meowed, flicking her white tail. "Come on, Raven. We can hunt and then go back and tell father what's going on."

The black tom, Twilight could see clearly, did not want to leave her. All he said was, "Okay, let's go." He followed his sister at a leisurely trot, and soon they were out of the hollow.

There was no moss about on the moorland, and Twilight did not have time to go to the small dammed-up pond where they normally got their moss. Instead, she set about nipping off stalks of heather, until she had enough for two nests. Carefully moving past Russet, she arranged them until she had two sufficient beds.

Painstakingly careful, Twilight dragged her friend inside and onto one of the nests. She arranged the bedding around her until she looked comfortable, then turned her back and stepped outside.

The sun would set soon, and the sky had turned dark with pink and golden streaks on the western horizon. A cool breeze blew over the moor, weaving quietly around on its inevitable path.

It was not long before Raven and Cloud returned, along with their sister, Snow. Raven held a bundle of soaking wet moss gingerly in his teeth, Cloud held two fairly large rabbits in her mouth, and Snow carried some pungent smelling leaves along with cobwebs on her paw.

Summoning up all her cheeriness, Twilight managed to sound convincing as she congratulated them, "Wow, you guys outdid yourselves."

Raven set down his load of wet moss and grinned lopsidedly. "What, this? This is just the regular." His mew was friendly, but Twilight detected a note of wariness in it. She suspected regretfully because he was afraid she would shout at him again.

Putting as much warmth in as she could muster, Twilight mewed, "Of course, I forgot." Turning to Snow, she pointed at the pile of leaves with her tail. "What are those for?"

"They're marigold leaves," the white she-cat answered, holding one up for her inspection. "Father says they'll help prevent infection, and heal any current one."

"You thought of everything," Twilight mewed admiringly. Chancing a look at the sky, she mewed, "If you know how to apply those, Snow, go ahead. Russet's still passed out, so she won't need to eat yet."

She stepped aside to let her friend pass, then sat down to give herself a wash and to reflect now that she had nothing to do.

How had Russet got out of BloodClan? She supposedly could have used the same trick Twilight had used, but the ginger she-cat knew nothing personal about them, and Titan had been bound to tighten security since her own escape.

And why was she in such a bad condition? Not so much physically, but mentally she was in a horrible state.

"Twilight?" Raven's voice cut in on her thoughts. He and his sister were staring at her skeptically. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," the black she-cat mewed back automatically. Right, she thought cynically. She'd just had memories of her past flung in her face like a wave of ice water, and one of her old friends was close to shut-down mode, as she had been at the night of Sky's death.

"Hey, I was wondering…" Raven asked hesitantly. "While I was out getting water and everything, I remembered what, what's-her-name, Russet, said before she passed out. And, I was wondering if you knew who Titan was."

"That's none of your concern!" Twilight snapped the words before she even thought them, and was rewarded with an incredibly hurt Raven. He'd drawn back slightly, and he looked injured.

Cloud's expression had not changed, but Twilight could tell she was thinking furiously inside and was puzzling as to why Twilight was acting out of character.

Sighing, Twilight moved over to Raven and nuzzled him hesitantly. She sensed some of his tension fade away, and she mewed, "I'm sorry, Raven, it's not your fault I'm like this, and I'm sorry I snapped at you. Both times."

Taking a deep breath, she spoke doggedly, "Titan is someone… from out of my past. He's a… horrible cat… who has others to serve him, and… and he makes living in the city a living nightmare."

"I can see why you don't want him mentioned," Raven mewed in a troubled voice. "I'm sorry I brought it up."

"No one can normally resist curiosity," Twilight meowed, brushing his glossy black pelt with her tail. "You didn't know I had something to do with that… that creature. And I will tell you about him, someday, when I can speak without reliving my memories so vividly."

"No problem," Raven spoke soothingly, drawing her forward into a hug, where theirs head were on each other's shoulders and they were very close. "I can wait," he almost whispered.

"You know, I am still here," Cloud remarked wryly from where she was sitting with her prey. "And Snow's done with the healing."

Twilight reluctantly pulled away from Raven's embrace and turned to see that, sure enough, the white she-cat was done and sitting near her sister, an amused smile on her face mixing with relief from her eyes. "If you aren't too otherwise occupied, Twilight, Russet's awake now, and her wound is as fixed up as it'll get."

Her lulled feelings instantly vanishing, the black she-cat mewed hurriedly, "I'll see you three in the morning, then. Here, Raven, take care of my flower for me." She placed her little chicory flower in the black tom's paw.

Smiling at her, he purred softly, "I will, Twilight."