Blossompaw's Escape
Part Two: The Mission
"Flint?" a voice called out. Flint looked up and smiled.
"Shiver! Come help me!" he responded. Shiver ran over and studied Blossompaw curiously.
"Who is this?" she asked before using her own weight to support the white she cat.
"Her name is Flowerfeet,"
"Blossompaw," the apprentice answered over Flint.
"I'm Shiver, Flint's older sister," Shiver explained.
"Older by like two minutes," Flint muttered under his breath. Blossompaw studied Shiver. She shared the same green eyes as her brother, but her pelt was very different. Her paws were all white like she was paw deep in snow. She had a white chest, underbelly, and ear tips. Her tail was ringed with the same ashen color. The rest of her fur was orange.
"Do you have any other siblings?" Blossmpaw asked Shiver. She didn't mind talking to the she cat, unlike Flint who was obnoxious.
"Yes, four in total. We were born kitty pets but when we were old enough to be weened form our mother we were taken away. Flint and I were adopted by the same twoleg and we ran off first chance we got. We have another brother, Cloud. And another sister, Ginger. Our mother's name was princess, I can't remember who our father was though. I know we had an uncle who was close to our mother, she spoke of him often. What was his name...oh I'm sorry, look at me rambling," Shiver laughed and ended the lengthy explanation.
"Where did your other siblings end up?" Blossompaw pried. Shiver shrugged.
"We're here," Flint announced. Blossompaw glanced at the abandoned lot before them. It was in the middle of a twoleg complex. There clearly used to be a twoleg den there but it was in shambles. Nothing more than a few walls and scattered twoleg items.
"This is the meeting wall, cats all over the neighborhood come here to talk," Shiver explained and guided Blossompw inside. There were a few stray cats inside, mingling. They barely lifted their head as Flint and Shiver hauled Blossomapw inside. Shiver showed Blossompaw to a twoleg nest of sorts. It was a long wooden square with a cushion, Shiver called it a couch. Blossompaw obliged and rested on it. The coughing had subsided, but she felt light headed.
"Go get Whisper," Flint instructed his sister. "I'll make sure she's okay,"
Shiver nodded and left the meeting wall. Blossompaw watched her leave, her vision spinning.
"So how did you get sick? It isn't like something I've seen before, definitely not green cough," Flint mused.
"Twolegs did this," she answered vaguely, not wanting to elaborate. Thinking about the facility would make her think of the pack, in turn she would think of Sylvester and the others who they left because they were cowards. Flint was silent, Blossompaw glanced up at him and saw his eyes were very intense, his jaw was twitching with anger.
"The dark building," he murmured, his voice low. "You were there, weren't you?"
"If you mean the testing facility then yes, I was there," she answered, surprised Flint of all cats knew about that place. She supposed if the twolegs went out of their way to take cats from Ravenclan then surely they would take rogues from the streets.
"But you escaped..." he said in confusion.
"Myself and many others. But I had to leave them. I believe the twolegs gave me the disease to try and cure it, a part of their research. When I escaped they would no longer give me the antidote so I became sick again,"
"You left so you wouldn't spread infection," Flint caught on. "I know it isn't likely, but there was a cat who used to hang around the meeting wall. We were friends, and he vanished one day. His name was Sylvester, he was black and white. Did he...was he..."
"Sylvester," she breathed his name, it tasted bitter in her mouth. Flint brightened.
"So he escaped with you?" he asked excitedly.
"No," Blossomapw responded darkly. She refused to say anymore on the matter. Flint backed off and they waited for Shiver to return. Not a moment later was she walking through the open doorway with an older tom cat.
"Blossomapw, this is Whisper. He is the friend who can help you," Shiver introduced them. Whisper observed her for a second, and she did the same to him. He still had many good years ahead of him. But he still looked weathered, worn down. He was large and powerfully built, likely from a life of hardships. His eyes were blue gray and his long furred coat was the color of smoke. His gray muzzle was flecked with white.
Whisper crouched next to her and sniffed around her mouth, scenting the sickness. He studied her, prodding her throat and stomach.
"Shiver fetch Burnet. It grows in twoleg yards as a has oval-shaped leaves with serrated edges and grows in large clusters of small flower with buds on top," Whisper instructed the she cat. Shiver nodded and padded off. It was clear both her and Flint held the tom in high regards.
"You remind me of a medicine cat," Blossompaw smiled weakly. Whisper didn't question what a medicine cat was. She figured if Flint knew of Clans Whisper was bound too. "What is Burnet, anyways?"
"It is used as a traveling herb for the most part, it keeps strength up. You will need it to strengthen your immune system," he said simply. He set down a bundle of beech leaves he had been carrying in his jaws. In the bundle was an assortment of other herbs.
"Here, eat this Chevril root," he instructed as he pawed a cluster of brown tendrils towards her. She swallowed them, cringing at the bitter taste.
"And these?" she prompted.
"Chevril roots soothe stomach pains and infections," Whisper smiled at her curiosity.
"Here is a Dandelion bud," he selected a yellow flower from the pile of herbs. After a second he added, "It eases pain,"
Whisper set to work by creating a poultice of a mix of herbs. After he crushed a plant or dripped it juices into the mixture he explained what it was and what it did. He created a mixture of lavender, Tansy, Juniper berries, and Ragweed. He said the mixture was a combination of plants that would help stop infection from within and treat the symptoms of her sickness. The last thing he gave her was Snakeroot which would flush toxins and poison from the body. When Shiver returned with the Burnet Blossompaw ate that as well. She felt almost full after the assortment of herbs, and her strength was building already. She didn't know if it would be strong enough to fight the twolegs poison but she had hope.
"I will be back tomorrow with more herbs, in the meantime you must rest. I will ensure that Flint hunt's for you," Whisper promised and walked away.
"Cause we all know she doesn't know how to hunt for herself," Flint said under his breath but Blossompaw heard and swatted his ear. Flint smirked and fled from the meeting wall to hunt like Whisper had asked of him. Shiver stayed to keep Blosssompaw company.
"Feeling better?" she asked as she settled on the couch. Blossomapw shrugged.
"Thank you for all of your help, I really don't deserve this," she murmured.
"Maybe you can repay the favor, when you are well enough," Shiver asked, surprising her.
"What do you need me to do?" Blossomapw questioned.
"It was Flint's idea actually, but it's our only shot. You are the first cat to come back from the dark building. The others from the meeting wall never returned. Either they died or didn't escape. But you know how to get out, or you wouldn't be here. You also know how to get in..."
"No, no absolutely not," Blossomapw shut that idea down immediately. She would never return to the testing facility. The horrors inside would never truly leave her, but she wouldn't intentionally try to relive them. Shiver nodded in understanding and didn't push the matter. Blossomapw figured Flint wouldn't be so nice. She didn't know how too siblings could be such polar opposites. Flint was crude and annoying while Shiver was gentle and clever. She didn't know what to make of Whisper yet, but she liked the old tom for the most part. He seemed wise, but the way he looked at her. It was like he had known she would be here. He had his herbs ready. The whole situation was enough to make her head spin.
Flint caught a magpie and a squirrel. His sister and him shared the squirrel while Blossomapw devoured the bird.
"Better slow down there, you won't be that small forever if you eat like that," Flint teased her. She sensed he was joking but the comment still rubbed her the wrong way.
"That's the point, I'm eating so I'll get big enough to claw that stupid grin off your face,"
Flint rolled his eyes and turned back to the squirrel. His tail lashed and Blossompaw felt smug. Shiver giggled with twinkling eyes.
"You two are so funny," she said with a hint of hidden meaning behind her words. Blossomapw and Flint were silent. With the magpie filling her belly she felt drowsy. Her jaws parted in a loud yawn and she dropped her chin onto her paws for sleep. She dimly noticed Flint and Shiver leaving before she descended into darkness.
"Adderfang?" she called out to the black expanse before her. She could see nothing, and heard no response from the chasm of darkness. She did feel a presence though, like a cat was watching her.
"Blossompaw," a smooth voice greeted. She spun around a faced a tom cat with sleek black fur and amber eyes like starlight. She backed up warily, preparing to run.
"Welcome to the oblivion, it used to be Starclan's hunting grounds. Or at least the part of Starcan's hunting grounds that Ashclan controlled. It is no more," the cat explained and waved his tail at the area around him.
"Ashstar?" she questioned. The cat smiled and nodded.
"Your tales were truly something, young Blossompaw," Ashstar praised.
"Yes but they were nothing more than stories," she frowned. Ashstar shook his head.
"I wish they were," he sighed. "Come, walk. We don't have much time before you must waken,"
Blossomapw didn't want to go with Ashstar, but she wouldn't dare refuse the noble leader. They walked into the darkness, and then all at once there was a burst of light so strong Blossompaw had to turn away. She felt a wave of heat and heard the screams of cats. She opened her eyes slightly and watched the destruction unfold. She was witnessing Ashclan's end. The mountain they rested on erupted in a blaze of fire, cats tried to run in vain before being consumed.
Her heart felt heavy as the image faded. Ashstar was watching sadly. Blossompaw doubted the pain of that experience would ever fade for the leader.
"I am going to show you something no clan cat has ever seen before. And then you will decide whether or not you are up for this task," Ashstar said before continuing to walk. Blossompaw padded after him without hesitation this time.
"I know what you are going to ask," she called out. Ashstar stopped and turned to her.
"You want me to rebuild Ashclan," she said softly, watching Ashstar's amber gaze. "I've made my decision already, I'll do it,"
See what I did there?
Princess, Fireheart's sister, from the first series gave Fireheart one of her kits (Cloudkit) to be raised as a warrior. But she had other kits as well. Flint, Shiver, and Ginger (Gingerfern of Cedarclan). Two of her kits have already left kittypet life to become warriors, awe.
Also what do you make of Flint and Blossompaw? They don't seem to be too fond of each other.
