Welcome back, readers! I had a fun time writing a heart-to-heart moment here between two cats! Before I spoil anything, I know that you're dying to know what happened to Whiskerkit and Goldenstar so on with the story!
Don't forget to review!
Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter.
Cats belong to me.
Whiskerkit!
Goldenstar awoke in a jolt and it took him a few heartbeats to recognize his surroundings. He was resting on a bed of soft moss in a dim cave. The scent of herbs was centralized near an entrance to his left and the source of the faint light was coming from the entrance into the den to the far right. Water trickled down into a small pool of liquid not far from where the Clan leader was resting and there were several other nests of moss in the small area, only two others were occupied. Goldenstar spotted Cedarstep lying on his flank about a fox-length in front of him and a small cat, about the size of an apprentice, occupying one closer to the golden tom.
Goldenstar recognized the she-cat at once. "Whiskerkit!" Goldenstar breathed. He was too far to assess her injuries visually, but he was close enough to see the cobwebs that laced around her flank and shoulder. She was hardly breathing.
Rustling was heard on Goldenstar's left and a black tabby tom appeared from the other half of the underground den.
"Goldenstar!" Mintshard squawked. "You're finally awake!"
"How is Whiskerkit?" Goldenstar immediately asked and struggled to get to his paws. "And Cedarstep?"
"Easy," Mintshard surprisingly softly mewed and rested his tail on his leader's shoulder to cease his actions. "You've been resting for an entire day, and you must keep your strength."
"An entire day?!" Goldenstar snapped. "I've been asleep for too long!"
"Goldenstar…you've lost a life."
Mintshard's news froze the WaterfallClan leader in his tracks.
I lost a life? Already?
"You were unconscious by the time you arrived," Mintshard explained. "Moonshadow and Nightstrike carried you here. They told me about the dogs and we're lucky we didn't lose any cats." He glanced at the other two cats in the den. "Cedarstep was being supported by his son and Privetdrop when he arrived; one of the dogs broke his back leg with its jaws and it's going to take a while before he's ready for duty."
Goldenstar sighed and glanced at his senior warrior. He hoped that the dark brown tabby tom would've share his father's fate; Stripedwhisker was still physically fit for duty, but his mangled leg prevented him from doing the job he loved so much. "What about Whiskerkit?" Goldenstar dared to ask.
Mintshard's eyes clouded with grief. "It's a miracle I've managed to keep her stable; the mutt inflicted deep wounds to her shoulder and flank and that'll take perhaps a moon and a half for her to heal…that is…if it doesn't affect her ability to walk. Some muscles or joints could've been permanently damaged and she could have trouble walking."
"Could she still become a warrior?" Goldenstar softly asked.
The medicine cat shrugged. "We'll just have to see, but she remains here under my watch for the time being."
"Understood."
"But…your wounds have fully healed and you are free to go, just let me check on them tomorrow and come straight back here if they open up or you feel pain," Mintshard immediately growled and his usual prickly reputation reemerged.
"Good to know," Goldenstar purred and paused for a heartbeat. "Quailfeather taught you well."
Mintshard's bright green eyes surprisingly clouded with grief and the young medicine cat turned away. It was hard to believe he was only twenty moons old and still had a lot to learn by the time he became the official medicine cat of WaterfallClan nearly a year ago.
"Quailfeather…has taught me a lot," Mintshard choked and glanced up at his leader. It was rare that the young tom showed any signs of these emotions and Goldenstar always assumed that the black tabby always despised training under Quailfeather because of his foul mood. "It was unfortunate that he passed away when I still had so much to learn…I am grateful for what he has taught me. I always have this fear that something's going to happen and I won't know how to treat it and the cat will die."
Guess I'm not the only one who has these irrational fears!
"I have those fears as well," Goldenstar murmured. "The fear that I won't know what to do when my Clan faces another challenge or basically anything because my visions have stopped, but…I know now that we will survive anything because of our faith in StarClan."
Mintshard nodded, feeling much better because of his leader's word.
"If you require anything, Mintshard, and I mean anything, just let me know," Goldenstar meowed.
"Likewise," the black tabby agreed. "I am your medicine cat and you are my leader; we are bound by our dreams from StarClan."
Goldenstar nodded and slowly got to his paws. He was aware of Mintshard gently supporting him and was grateful for their heart-to-heart moment they shared. Once he got to his paws, Goldenstar padded towards his daughter and gently nuzzled her neck fur, careful not to open any of her wounds. Giving her cheek a lick, Goldenstar exited the medicine cat den.
He had to blink to let his eyes adjust to the sudden brightness and, judging by the amount of cats sharing tongues, immediately assumed it was sunhigh. Of course, it didn't take long for his Clanmates to notice his recovery.
"Hey, it's Goldenstar!" Otterwhisker announced from her place next to Pineheart.
"Goldenstar, welcome back!" Meltingice purred and the two former denmates touched noses.
"Glad to see you on your paws, brother!" Mousethorn mewed and waved his brown tail.
"Welcome back!"
"It's Goldenstar!"
"Glad to see you!"
"Hey, it's Goldenstar!"
"Thank StarClan for your recovery?"
"How are Whiskerkit and Cedarstep?"
"Are they recovering well?"
"Did Mintshard finally let you out of the medicine cat's den?"
"Thank StarClan!"
"Leapingriver and your kits will be glad to see you!"
"Goldenstar!" a familiar cry was heard and Leapingriver immediately raced forward and rubbed her muzzle against his. "Thank StarClan that you are alright! Mintshard only let me in for a few heartbeats so he could address your wounds!" She gave him licks all over his face and Goldenstar let out a steady purr. "The kits were worried sick about you!"
Goldenstar instantly felt another cat brush against his pelt. It was his mother, Leopardnose.
"Ryeleaf and I were so worried about you, Goldenstar," the black spotted queen whimpered. "Thank StarClan that you are alright." She gave her son a lick behind his ear.
Goldenstar rubbed his muzzle against his mother's. Oh, how he longed to go back to simpler days, when all he worried about was playing with Pumpkinkit and Mousekit. But, now he had great responsibilities and he's a parent himself, so he shouldn't dwell on kitten-like dreams and wishes.
"It's good to have you back, Goldenstar," Moonshadow congratulated his leader and gently shoulder his right flank.
"Thank you, Moonshadow, and thanks for taking care of the Clan while I was recovering," Goldenstar formerly thanked.
Moonshadow gave his chest fur a few licks. "That's what deputies are for!" he purred. "I would like to discuss the dog threat with the rest of the Clan, though; the Clan already knows about it."
"Noted, but first I must greet my kits," Goldenstar meowed and turned to his mate when he noticed the lack of three rambunctious kits. "Where are they?"
"They refused to sleep in the nursery last night because of your injuries and so they slept in your den," Leapingriver explained. "I believe they are still there." His mate led the golden tabby towards their den on top of Stonecleft, though the light brown she-cat had to wait for her mate to slowly leap on top of the rocks because of his injured shoulder.
"Kits?" the Clan leader meowed into the dim den. Three pairs of eyes gleamed in the dark.
"Father?" Goldenstar recognized the voice of Springkit. "Is that really you?" After a few heartbeats, the three kits suddenly flung themselves on their father.
"Oh, Father, we were so worried about you!" Fallskit whimpered and pressed herself against his paws.
Quailkit clung himself to his father's wide chest. "We were so afraid that we were going to lose you like Whiskerkit!"
Springkit rubbed his muzzle against his father's and closed his eyes. "We were afraid that you were going to die!"
Well, technically, I did die.
Goldenstar let out a long purr and nuzzled his three kits. "My precious kits…I will never leave any of you. This I promise with all of my heart."
"But…what if you go to StarClan?" Quailkit whined.
"I will still watch over you in StarClan, my kits. You will never be truly alone," Goldenstar purred as Leapingriver gently leaned on his flank. He was comforted by the scents of his family, and his heart longed for his youngest to recover soon.
StarClan…please don't take her away from me like Limpkit.
The family stayed there for a few heartbeats before Goldenstar broke away. "Now, I must address the Clan. Why don't you three go with your mother down below?"
His kits somberly nodded and Leapingriver gave him a quick lick on the cheek before leading their kits out of their den.
Goldenstar gave his chest fur a few licks before proudly heading out of his den. The majority of his Clanmates were already gathering outside in the clearing, sensing a Clan meeting since their leader was now fully recovered.
Goldenstar raised his head as he declared the words of his ancestors. "Let all cats old enough to swim in the river, join here beneath Stonecleft for a Clan meeting!"
Leopardnose herded her two kits, Rustkit and Leafkit, out of the nursery. Their father, and Goldenstar's step-father, Ryeleaf sat next to them.
Shadowpaw raced out of the elders' den, flicking a piece of moss off of her black pelt before sitting near her mentor, Feathershade.
Mintshard sat outside his den, making sure to keep close incase his patients needed him.
Once all of his cats had gathered near Stonecleft, Goldenstar began:
"First, I would like to thank our medicine cat for taking charge in my recovery and the recovery of his patients. I know that Cedarstep and Whiskerkit are in great paws and we wish for safe recovery," Goldenstar praised.
"Mintshard! Mintshard! Mintshard! Mintshard!" the Clan cheered for their medicine cat.
Mintshard merely flicked his ears at their approval, but Goldenstar knew his heart was bursting with gratitude in the inside.
"Second, I assume everyone here knows about the dogs that attack myself and my family and are responsible for our wounded cats," Goldenstar went on after the cheering died down. "It is unknown whether these dogs have struck the other three Clans or not, but we will surely find out during the Gathering tomorrow night. For now, I want all cats, including warriors, not to go alone without another cat; it is for safety reasons." He gazed among his warriors and found few displeasing expressions.
That was expected.
"We do not have a motive for the dogs' attacks yet, but we hope to find a way to remove them from our territory," Goldenstar added.
"What motive do they need?" Nightstrike meowed. "Dogs attack who and whenever they please, whether it is for prey or just for the fun of killing."
"Sounds like SavageClan," Cliffjumper muttered.
"From what we have seen during our scuffle with the mutts, they seem to just attack…for the joy of it. They would've eaten a cat if they were doing it for prey," Moonshadow added.
"So these dogs are even more dangerous because of their motives," Otterwhisker commented.
"Surely these dogs are here for a reason," Pineheart meowed. "We haven't seen signs of them before a few days ago."
"They just showed up," Mousethorn agreed.
"Perhaps they were lured by the scent of easy prey," Privetdrop suggested.
"But surely they would've been wary of the amount of cats here?" Moonshine asked.
"Of course!" Reedleg meowed. "That's why they attacked Goldenstar, Leapingriver and their kits; they waited for easy prey."
"Perhaps that was just a warning and they are planning to attack the entire Clan!" Splashheart exclaimed.
"An entire Clan? Unlikely," Tallstalk meowed.
"But think about it," Stalkshine insisted. "Would they really send all of their dogs for a simple killing fest? They must be more of them somewhere else."
"So these are intelligent mutts," Cloudedsky concluded.
"Then they must have a leader!" Feathershade meowed.
"What about that silver and black mutt that harmed Whiskerkit?" Auburnwhisker asked.
Goldenstar's ears drew back at the mention of his daughter's harmer.
"Yeah, but someone else had to give the order besides him; someone higher up the chain of command," Meltingice meowed.
"Someone that dogs look up to and follow their every command," Ryeleaf commented.
"Could it be a Twoleg?" Leopardnose suggested.
"Possibly," Moonshadow agreed. "Or another dog."
"I wonder where they live." Shadowpaw meowed.
"Perhaps beyond our territory," Leapingriver suggested. "Or beyond the cliffs."
"That was near where you were attacked," Stripedwhisker added. "Makes it easy to attack cats that're near the waterfall if they use the ledge next to the waterfall."
"Makes sense," Steelclaw agreed.
"We'll alert the other Clans of our findings," Goldenstar meowed, pleased with their discussion. "But for now…I have apprentices to make." He turned and glanced at his three kits below. All three of them stared at their father with wide eyes.
Leapingriver gave him a glare that seemed to say: Why didn't you warn me about this; their pelts are filthy! She immediately began to swiftly groom their pelts.
"Mother, we're clean enough!" Springkit growled as he leaned away from his mother's persistent licking.
"You're clean when I say you're clean," Leapingriver growled as she moved on to Quailkit, who always enjoyed a good grooming.
Springkit sniffed and ruffled his head fur with a paw. "I like it ruffled," he muttered.
Goldenstar let out an mrrow of amusement. He should've known better than not to have thought that his mate wouldn't stall the ceremony because their kits weren't clean enough.
"Allow me to help," Leopardnose purred to Leapingriver and swiftly groomed Fallskit, her granddaughter. The queen hasn't groomed another kit since her last litter's ceremonies, Tallstalk and Stalkshine, and her grand-kits' ceremonies, Reedleg and Splashheart.
"Now you three are ready," Leapingriver purred as she gently pushed her kits forward. "I know you three will become great apprentices."
The three kits slowly padded forward until they were in front of Stonecleft. Their father gazed upon them with pride.
"Let us now begin the apprentice ceremony," Goldenstar meowed. He leapt down from Stonecleft and gazed at Springkit. The brown tabby and white tom gleamed with bright golden eyes at his father. "Springkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to become an apprentice. From this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Springpaw!" Goldenstar turned to gaze at his warriors until his eyes landed on a single russet tom. "Cliffjumper!" The dark ginger tom's ears pricked up and he slowly padded forward next to his soon-to-be apprentice. "Cliffjumper, you are a warrior of bravery and loyalty. I trust that you will pass on these qualities to your apprentice and teach him to be a warrior that WaterfallClan can be proud of."
Cliffjumper nodded and he touched noses with his apprentice.
Goldenstar turned to his daughter, Fallskit. The brown tabby and white she-cat could barely contain her excitement as her father called her name.
"Fallskit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to become an apprentice. From this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Fallspaw!" Goldenstar once again turned towards the crowd until he found the cat he was looking for. "Privetdrop!" The white tom with a black spot over his eye bounced forward with his tail high. "Privetdrop, you are a warrior of enthusiasm and enterprise. I trust that you will pass on these qualities to your apprentice and teach her to be a warrior that WaterfallClan can be proud of."
Privetdrop nodded with determination, knowing that he will be mentoring his leader's daughter, and the two touched noses.
Goldenstar turned to his final kit, Quailkit, who was starring calmly at his father.
"Quailkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to become an apprentice. From this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Quailpaw!" Goldenstar once again turned towards the crowd until he found the cat he was certain of. "Meltingice!" The ginger tabby and white she-cat happily padded forward next to her leader. "Meltingice, you are a warrior of forethought and patience. I trust that you will pass on these qualities to your apprentice and teach him to be a warrior that WaterfallClan can be proud of."
Meltingice happily purred and touched noses with her new apprentice.
"Springpaw! Fallspaw! Quailpaw! Springpaw! Fallspaw! Quailpaw!" the Clan cheered for their new apprentices and Goldenstar was the loudest of them all. The new apprentices held their heads high as their Clan cheered their name.
StarClan, I pray that you will watch over my kits as they begin their training, Goldenstar thought, and that those dogs won't go anywhere near my kits.