Blossompaw's Escape
Part Four: The Newcomers
Blossomfang decided against giving the newcomers apprentice names. There was no point in naming them when they might not want to stay with the clan, or if Fawndapple and Foxtooth decided they didn't want to be a clan. But she took Flintmask's suggestion to heart and decided everyone should be appointed specific mentor. While everyone still had a lot to learn about the warrior code the senior warriors could help the newcomers adjust. Plus Pebblepaw, Tansypaw, and Dovepaw got into no end of trouble unless they had a warrior breathing down their necks.
"Everyone gather for a clan meeting!" Blossomfang announced. Heads popped out of dens as they wondered what was going on. "It's time for the apprentices and the newcomers to receive a mentor who will answer your questions and assist you in training. Since we are still small in numbers a mentor might have to train two apprentices."
Fawndapple's kits looked excited as they glanced around, wondering who would mentor them. Blossomfang knew there was only three cats who could keep up with them.
"Shiverspots please step forward," Blossomfang started with her white and orange friend. "You are calm and patient and have shown immense progress this past moon. It is your duty to train Tansypaw to become the best she can."
Shiverspots turned to Tansypaw and they touched noses. Shiverspots whispered something in the apprentices ear and she giggled before they stepped off the the side so Tansypaw's sisters could find out who their mentors would be.
"Rabbitleap please step forward. You are one of the most loyal cats Ashclan has and I hope you pass on your encouragement and wisdom to Dovepaw," she said to the black and white tom. He touched noses with his new apprentice and joined Shiverspots and Tansypaw on the sidelines. Pebblepaw looked around the clan eagerly, wondering who would mentor her.
"Flintmask please step forward. You are one of our most skilled hunters and fighters and I know you'll train Pebblepaw with the passion you serve Ashclan with."
Flintmask looked surprised to be given an apprentice. He touched noses with Pebblepaw and the clan cheered. Blossomfang held up her tail for silence.
"We have many newcomers among us as well who are curious about our way of life. It is the clan's duty to make them feel at home and educate them about our ways. But they as well will receive mentors. Whisperheart will mentor Icy since she aspires to be a medicine cat. Foxtooth will mentor Charlie and Fawndapple will mentor Halle. Rabbitleap will also mentor Cookie and Flintmask will also mentor Zilla. Shiverspots will mentor Astrid once her sprain has healed. And Braveheart will mentor Bugs. Meeting adjourned," Blossomfang instructed.
While the city cats mingled with their mentors Blossomfang slipped back inside the warrior den, needing a moment to herself.
You can't run from the shadows? What does that mean? she thought desperately. Obviously Ashstar was trying to tell her something, to warn her of a threat. But she didn't have a clue what that meant. Her father had stopped visiting her dreams, she understood her training from him was over. She just wished she still had such an easy connection to Starclan so they could guide her pawsteps.
But she was the only leader Ashclan had, and she couldn't count on Starclan to protect them from every obstacle they faced. If she wanted their advice she'd have to do it the only way she new how, by finding their meeting place. Back in Ravenclan there had been a cave of glow worms. She'd never seen it with her own eyes but she'd heard of it from her clan mates. Although they never shared the dreams they shared in the cave.
Ashclan had to have its own meeting place, and she had neglected to find it. With this new foreboding omen Blossomfang had no more time to waste with border patrols and hunting parties, she and she alone would need to find Ashclan's connection to their ancestors. While her clan mates carried about their duties she would look for something without even knowing what she was looking for.
"Whisperheart, can I speak to you?" Blossomfang said, emerging from the warrior den. Whisperheart nodded and guided her outside of the camp.
"You said you could read the signs of the stars, how?" she asked hopefully. Whisperheart gave a small shake of his head.
"I can't teach you, and I can't just read the signs - the signs talk to me," he explained, although Blossomfang still didn't understand the gift he possessed.
"Have the signs spoken to you recently?"
"I know what you are seeking, the sparkling stream. I've seen in the night sky a river in darkness that glimmers with starlight. I believe this is what you are looking for," Whisperheart said knowingly. Blossomfang's hopes elevated. Now she at least new she was looking for water. But Whisperheart didn't know where the stream was, but it was a start. Without another word Blossomfang took off into the forest with one goal in her mind.
Aftera few minutes of blind running she stopped the catch her breath. As she looked up she saw a cat in the distance, sitting stoically. The cat was cloaked in shadow, Blossomfang blinked and the mirage was gone.
"Great, now I'm hallucinating," she grumbled to herself. "Just what I need."
Blossomfang new water headed downstream towards the ocean, meaning the sparkling stream could quite possibly run over the cliffs into the sea. She found her way to the cliffs edge, the black rock high above the lapping waves. She walked until her paws ached and saw no sign of a stream or river. The sun was already starting to fall and she hurried back to the twoleg nest where camp lay.
She saw the clan sharing tongues as she entered, her heart warmed at how much everyone seemed to belong. Even Bugs fit in, although he was still a bit odd. Icy was sorting herbs like her paws were on fire with Whisperheart nodding approvingly over her shoulder.
Cookie joked with Rabbitleap and Shiverspots managed Astrid. The surly brown she cat looked put out over not being able to train yet because of her paw, but Whisperheart promised a fast recovery. Blossomfang's gaze landed on Flintmask, he was chatting with Zilla, his second apprentice. Zilla was poking him with her tail playfully as they talked. Blossomfang felt uncomfortable staring and quickly looked away.
She found Fawndapple and Foxtooth talking to Charlie and Halle about city life. Blossomfang slipped into their group and nodded along as they spoke, but she kept one eye on Flintmask and Zilla the whole time.
Suddenly there was a commotion in the medicine cat den.
"Remember Burdock root and Comfrey root are different things and you don't want to get them mixed up. Sort them into two piles," Whisperheart instructed.
"But they look the exact same!" Icy retorted, fur bristling. Whisperheart seemingly had endless patience for her erratic behavior.
"While they are the same color Comfrey root in much longer and spindly while Burdock root is thicker. You can do this," he explained. Icy closed her eyes for a second before opening them again, much calmer. Without another word she set the work with calm precision. Blossomfang didn't know what to think of Icy yet, she was a raging spitball one second and then as calm as her namesake the next.
Slowly the attention drifted away from the medicine cat and his apprentice and back to individual conversations. Blossomfang was about to head into the warrior den to sleep when Flintmask said something to Zilla that caught her attention. Zilla had been asking about how they had found this place in the middle of nowhere.
"We were jut walking really. We stumbled across this secluded beach before the cliffs start, full of mangrove trees. It mostly disappears with high tide though. We kept moving and found our way up the cliffs and by chance stumbled across Fawndapple and Foxtooth," Flintmask explained. Blossomfang had almost entirely forgotten about the mangroves, they never ended up being useful and so she pushed them to the back of her mind. But now...
It was too late at night to go off exploring again, she'd have to wait until tomorrow morning. Blossomfang stepped out of camp to catch her breath. The mangroves could be exactly what she was looking for, or another dead end. Her blue eyes searched the sky until they found the moon rising opposite of where the sun was setting. It was a half moon waxing. Only 8 days until the full moon.
Blossomfang new in her heart the only guarantee Foxtooth and Fawndapple would decide once and for all to found the new Ashclan was if they could speak to their ancestors. She could only hope that the mangroves held the sparkling stream Whisperheart had spoken of.
...
Braveheart woke up the newcomers to take them on their first dawn patrol. Blossomfang decided to accompany the patrol as well. She needed to get to know the city cats better before she ran off to the mangrove forest. She needed to know Ashclan wasn't in danger if she left them un-watched.
"Our territory runs in a half circle around the cliffs edge. The markers are by obvious objects, go ahead and refresh them," Braveheart instructed. Cookie went at the first marker, but soon enough each cat got a turn to mark the border.
"What happens if we stumble across a rouge?" Halle asked.
"Good question. First you explain this territory has been claimed and politely ask them to leave. If they refuse make sure you have backup and drive them away. It's a rule of teh warrior code to protect your territory from intruders," Blossomfang explained. Halle nodded and the group continued walking.
"So Zilla, tell us more about yourself?" Blossomfang asked, or pried really. She wanted to know more about the mottled gray she cat.
"Please, call me Echo," Zilla stated. Blossomfang flicked her ears in confusion.
"Echo? What's wrong with the name Zilla?" she murmured. Zilla smirked, her eyes glimmering.
"That's my real name. Say if the patrol is done how about we head back to camp, I'm famished."
She left no room for debate and turned the patrol around to head back to camp. Blossomfang was bewildered by what just transpired. Charlie and Halle exchanged shrugs and Cookie was looking at her friend with worry.
"Zilla you're acting funny," Cookie frowned, her golden eyes imploring. Zilla...Echo, brushed it off with a shrug.
"Are you sure it's not all that catnip fogging up your brain?" she remarked rudely. Cookie's jaw literally dropped as she stopped in her tracks. Her eyes narrowed and she stomped the whole way back to camp with a sour pout. As they emerged inside the abandoned twoleg nest Astrid perked up and asked how the patrol went.
"Fine...I guess," Blossomfang answered uneasily.
"My ankle is getting better, look! Icy and Whisperheart made the swelling go down," Astrid explained and held out her fore paw. Blossomfang was pleased to find it did look a lot better. "Soon I'll be back to fighting and hunting in no time!" she flexed her claws and kneaded the soil in anticipation.
"Say Astrid, why don't you get Whisper to come out and tell us how long until you can train?" Zilla asked with a strange smile.
"Um...okay. By Whisper did you mean Whisperheart?" Astrid asked.
"Yes, slip of the tongue," she said. Astrid disappeared inside of the medicine cat den and a second later the older cat came out.
"Hi Whisperheart," Zilla crowed. Whisperheart looked around as if asking what was going on. Blossomfang gave him a look saying she had no clue.
"Hi Zilla?" he responded and nodded at the she cat.
"Oh, I suppose you haven't heard. I go by Echo now," she explained and let out a shrill laugh. While Blossomfang was confused she didn't think much of the name change. Each to their own, right? But the look on Whisperheart's face made her think otherwise. His gray eyes were as wide as saucers and he looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"Icy, help Astrid go through her exercises. I need a minute alone. No one follow me," he said quickly and fled from camp like his tail was on fire. The other cats were just starting to wake up, they had been sleeping in since they didn't have to go on the dawn patrol. Flintmask poked his head out of the den and yawned.
"What's going on?" he said sleepily. Echo ran her tail up his flank and Blossomfang bristled.
"Nothing. Nothing at all."
A. What do you think the omen means?
B. Favorite city cat vs least favorite city cat
C. What could be going on with Zilla?
