Blossompaw's Escape

Part Five: The Truth

The group stumbled into the Ashclan camp at the break of dawn. It appeared no-one in the clan had slept, because everyone was gathered and waiting around the dwindling freshkill pile to congratulate their new leader. At first everyone collectively called out "Blossomstar!" until they noticed the appearances of Blossomstar and the two medicine cats. They trio was covered in scrapes and bruises, and Icefire was only now waking up from unconsciousness. Echo must have really hit her head hard. Even thinking about Echo and what had transpired last night caused Blossomstar to choke back a sob.

Finally someone broke the silence.

"Where's Flintmask?"

Unsettled whispering rippled through the clan as no-one answered them.

"I'll take a look at your shoulder in a moment Blossomstar, first I need to check Icefire's skull for swelling," Whisperheart muttered in a daze and guided his apprentice to the medicine cat den. He had forgotten to still call Icefire by her apprentice name, not that it mattered anymore. Blossomstar simply nodded before making her way to the leader's den Flintmask had built for her. No-one made a move to stop her.

When she was finally enclosed the privacy of the dark moss coated den, she let herself break down. Hiccups wracked her body as tears burned her eyes. She tried to keep quiet so as not to alarm her clanmates, but surely everyone could hear the choking noises she was crying out.

Braveheart did as any deputy would, he stepped in for Blossomstar while she was unable to do anything but mourn. She heard him organizing patrols to hunt and guard the territory. Once most of the warriors were out of camp he came to Blossomstars den to ask what happened. The dog lingered at the entrance of the den, unable to fit easily inside.

"It was a trap, Echo and Shane had been waiting for me to try and get my lives," she managed to say. Braveheart filled in the gaps.

"So you got your lives, and awoke to an attack?" he asked. She nodded.

"Echo knocked Icefire out, Flintmask fought her. Whisperheart was busy trying to get Icefire to safety and I - I wanted to stay back and help Flintmask but he told me to run. I'm a coward, and he's dead because of me."

"Did you see him die?" Braveheart questioned. Blossomstar shrugged helplessly in response.

"I don't think he's dead. What use would he be to Echo dead?"

"You mean he's been captured?" Blossomstar said, catching on. She couldn't tell if that was better or worse. Captured meant he would be tortured for information. Captured meant he could be used against her. Then Blossomstar realized the horrifying truth. She wasn't the only one who loved Flintmask. His sister, Shiverspots, had lost him that night too.

"How will I tell Shiverspots?" she asked Braveheart. When she had met the siblings they had saved her life and brought her to the meeting wall where she met Whisperheart. Things hadn't always been smooth going with Flintmask, in the beginning they bumped heads quite often. But Shiverspots had alwasy believed in her and was a true friend. Telling her that her brother might be dead was an impossible task.

"You don't need to tell me," a meek voice responded. Both Braveheart and Blossomstar startled at the appearance of Shiverspots. She'd been eavesdropping from outside the den. Her face looked devastated, she'd heard the whole conversation. There was a drawn out pause of silence before Shiverspots spoke.

"My brother..." she murmured in shock. "I've never been away from him before."

"We'll get him back, I swear on every one of my lives. We'll get him back," Blossomstar promised, and she meant every word.


It was just past sun high when all the patrols returned to camp, replenishing the fresh kill pile and securing the borders. From the look of unease on their faces it was easy to tell they would need an explanation of what happened the previous night. Blossomstar would just have to be strong and prove herself as the leader they needed. She wondered what Aspen and Frost must think of this clan. They only joined recently and didn't have a close bond yet with their clan mates. Blossomstar had promised them a safe home and instead brought them into a war. She shook the thoughts from her head and began to address the clan.

"All warriors of Ashclan gather here for a clan meeting!" she yowled for attention. "Last night I went to the Sparkling Stream to receive my nine lives. Whisperheart and Icepaw also spoke to Starclan, Icepaw was given her medicine cat name by Whisperheart; Icefire. Although she has her name she still has a lot to learn, but she is ready to take on every challenge thrown at Ashclan.

"I received my nine lives successfully. But when I awoke Echo had Icefire trapped. Flintmask saved the medicine cat and we tried to flee the cavern. Many of Shane's cats had been hiding in the stream to mask their scent and ambushed us. Whisperheart and Icefire made it out, but one of Shane's cats had grabbed my shoulder. Flintmask saved me too and sacrificed himself. We aren't sure if he is alive or dead, but Braveheart and I think Shane has him captured and plans on using him against us in our battle."

She let out a deep breath as she finished speaking. It was harder to explain than she imagined, how could she put Flintmasks' capture into such simple words when every time she thought of his green eyes she wanted to curl up into a ball and hide?

She noticed Foxtooth sitting in the crowd, staring directly at her. He tilted his head slightly to the left, motioning for her to go to her den. She'd said all she needed to so she quietly left the clan to talk among themselves about this latest revelation, and she entered her den. A heartbeat later Foxtooth was in there as well.

"Is there something you needed to tell me in secret?" she asked warily.

"Kind of...I have a plan and I wanted to run it by you first."

Blossomstar urged him to tell her, she had absolutely no idea how to fight Shane's army of city cats. Any plan would be a good plan.

"Okay we know Niko isn't too fond of us, but she detests Shane. We might be able to convince her to help us," he said. Nope, I was wrong. Blossomstar thought to herself. That plan would be a bad plan.

"Hear me out!" Foxtooth said upon seeing the look in her eye. "If we tell Niko that once Shane conquers Ashclan, he'll set his sights on her end of the city. Either she helps us now or he'll grow to powerful to stop. Don't you think she'll listen to reason?"

"Not if it comes from me...but if it comes from one of her own deserters...Icefire is Bella's kit. Bella is Niko's deputy of sorts. She might have some sway in the matter."

"So you'll consider the idea then?" Foxtooth asked. Blossomstar surprised herself by nodding.

"But before anything, we need more numbers ourselves. Niko won't help us if she thinks we're small and worthless. We need to prove ourselves as a force to be reckoned with. But we can't look for more recruits in the city, it's far too dangerous," Blossomstar was talking more to herself now that Foxtooth. Suddenly she remembered something. Something that felt like a lifetime ago.

"The pack," she breathed. "The pack will help us."

"The what?" Foxtooth said in confusion.

"Go get Braveheart, now!" she ordered, springing into action. Foxtooth left to go find the deputy, and a moment later returned with the dog right behind him.

"Bravheart I think we have a chance of winning this battle," she said with a cheeky grin.

"Well then by all means do tell us how," he rasped good naturedly. She turned to Foxtooth to explain the matter, Bravheart would know immediately what he plan was, but Foxtooth would be confused.

"A long time ago, back when I was Blossompaw and Bravheart was Chance, we were taken by twolegs to be tested upon in one of their buildings. It was torture, endless trials and experiments. There were many animals there, cats and dogs alike. Some died in the tests, others went crazy. Finally we knew it was escape or die. Somehow, by some miracle of Starclan, we got out. The pack was what we called ourselves. We traveled for many days before we found refuge. It was far from any twolegs, at the edge of the forests and moors. There was a great rock structure that we turned into a camp. Haunted by memories and disease the pack was struggling. I left them because I was scared, and Adderfang my father came to me in a dream and told me to rebuild Ashclan. That's how all of this came to be," she said and looked at the den around her.

"Chance came after me and found me lost in the city, that's how we first became enemies of Shane I believe. I don't know how strong or weak the pack is, or if they are even still alive. But if they are, and if they forgive me for leaving them, we will have our own army. We won't be nearly as large as Shane or Niko's groups, not even close. But we will have dogs."

Foxtooth looked amazed at the story, but he knew not to doubt its authenticity. Blossomstar had never lied to him before.

"So how do we find them?" he questioned.

"I know how to get there, but I'll need an escort in case I find myself in trouble. Braveheart will need to stay with Ashclan. Foxtooth, will you come with me?"

"Yes, yes of course!" he exclaimed. He puffed out his chest pridefully. "I won't let you down."

"Good, we should go see Whisperheart now for traveling herbs. The sooner we reach the Pack the better."

Icefire was slowly and meticulously sorting herbs when they entered the den. She was mumbling to herself about what they were short on and what they had plenty of. Despite a bump on her head she seemed fine. Whisperheart was preparing a pulp for Icefire to spread on the bump to ease the swelling. Blossomstar quickly told the older medicine cat her plan. In seconds he produced two bundles of herbs, one for her and one for Foxtooth. Blossomstar recongnized herbs like thyme and coltsfoot, but there was a mix of many others that were unfamiliar to her.

They chewed the sticky leaves and managed to swallow despite the pungent taste. Foxtooth and Blossomstar decided to leave without a big going away commotion. They each told a few cats their plan, including Shiverspots and Fawndapple. Braveheart would make the announcement when they were on their way. Blossomstar couldn't quell the nerves setting in. Would the clan think she was abandoning them in their time of crisis? What if Shane attacked before the half moon and she wasn't there to defend her clan? What if the pack had moved or hated her for leaving?

The what ifs didn't matter anymore though. Blossomstar knew that no matter what she'd find a way to save Ashclan. She'd find a way to save Flintmask. No matter what. She caught Foxtooth's eye and nodded. He stood up, flexed his forepaws, and they left the blue twoleg den behind.


It was a days walk to the city, but they made it in half the time. The sense of urgency was overwhelming as night fell, revealing a crescent moon which wasn't far behind the half moon.

"Going around the city will take twice as long, but at this point I don't think we have a choice," Blossomstar sighed as the tall buildings and busy thunderpaths can into view. Foxtooth looked thoughtful.

"Actually, I don't think we have to go around," he said.

"You mean you want to waltz through Shane or Niko's territory, when there is a reward specifically on my head?" she responded reproachfully.

"We don't have to go around or through."

"Do you suggest we fly?"

"If you'll stop interrupting and let me explain," Foxtooth retorted and cleared his throat. "I think we can go under."

Before Blossomstar could ask what in Starclans name he was talking about, he was plowing on with an explanation.

"When you sent me and Rabbitleap into the city to look for recruits we found Bugs. Or rather, Bugs found us. The old cat wheezes so loud you'd be able to hear him from a block away. But we didn't hear him. He just appeared, and he'd been following us for a while. How do you think an old cat like that can survive in the city anyhow? With much younger and stronger cats always looking to pick a fight? He wasn't just surviving either, he was Shane's eyes and ears before he retired and decided he didn't like how things were being run."

"You have a point, but I don't see what that has to do with going under the city," Blossomstar said, clearly hinting for Foxtooth to get to the point.

"The sewer drains," he said point blank. "You probably wouldn't know what those are, most cats don't know what those are. I wouldn't either, if it weren't for Fawndapple. We grew up together you know, in the small group at the blue twoleg nest. But she always went roaming in the city. She told me once, years ago, how she saw the most peculiar thing. There is a big cement tunnel outside the city by a canal, it drains water under the city so it won't flood in heavy storms. And she saw this cat go inside of it. Later, deep in the city, she saw the same cat - only a little damp. I think she saw Bugs, and I think Bugs used the sewers to get from place to place safely."

"Well then it's good I don't mind water too much," Blossomstar said humorously.

It wasn't hard to stumble upon the drain pipe. It was dark and smelled of mold, but the water running through it was only a paw deep. She silently counted every turn they made so if they got lost they could find their way back out. The tunnel surprisingly wasn't pitch dark. Every hundred tail lengths or so three circles overhead would let light in. From the constant rumble of monsters they knew they were under the thunderpaths.

"Well if twolegs are good for one thing it would be their building abilities," Foxtooth said, glancing around the tunnel.

"It's also a bad thing," Blossomstar pointed out, remembering the testing facility that was nearly impossible to escape from.

"I need to give Bugs more credit, this is ingenious," Blossomstar said, changing the subject. She laughed as they neared the exit tunnel, leaving the city.

"We could use this," Foxtooth said seriously. "Shane and Echo have declared war on us, we could surprise them by attacking first - through these tunnels."

"No," Blossomstar said swiftly. "We will not attack first. We won't let them blame any causalities on us."

Foxtooth looked sour but he didn't object. The smell of fresh air was getting stronger and moonlight was pouring in through the end of the tunnel. The ran forward, free of the musky dampness. Blossomstar glanced over her shoulder at the city lights behind her. It was crazy to think she'd be at war with half a city by the half moon. And it was crazier to think she might win if her plan came together.

After they were outside city limits they had to pass through various twoleg places, scattered about haphazardly. Most kittypets were harmless, but Blossomstar knew there were a few who were very territorial. Finally they came upon a twoleg place she recognized, the last one before they reached the forest.

"This is were I met Flintmask, Shiverspots, and Whisperheart," she explained to Foxtooth. His ears pricked with interest.

"They were kittypets?"

"No, at least not when I met them. They were loners for the most part. An old twoleg den burned down a long time ago and was left untouched. Some of the brick walls remained intact and that's were they and a few other loners lived. Flintmask found me trying to hunt in the woodland, but I was too sick to do much of anything. Whisperheart cured me. And well, the rest is history."

"I'm glad you found us, Blossomstar," Foxtooth said. "Your clan stories didn't mean much to me at first, I just wanted to protect my mate and our kits. But you showed me another way of life, and I will always be grateful to you for that."

"You know what Foxtooth? You are one of my best friends I think. I thought you were hot headed when we first met because you wanted nothing to do with Ashclan, but I couldn't ask for a more loyal warrior."

They walked in silence as they maneuvered the twoleg place, lost in their own thoughts. As dreadful as Ashclan's current situation was, Blossomstar wouldn't change a thing. She had found a home and made a family. Even the newest members seemed like true warriors at heart. They reached the edge of twoleg place, and a wall of greenery greeted them.

"It'll be a days walk to the river, and then we follow that upstream till we reach the moors. That's were the pack will be," she explained, and silently added, I hope.

...

They walked straight to the moors, only stopping twice to hunt and once to nap. Blossomstar felt heavy on her paws, she thought she might fall asleep walking. But the second the rock pile came into view she was as alert as the morning robin. She flicked her ears and Foxtooth got the message. Be careful not to startle the pack, they probably haven't seen outsiders in moons.

"Hello?" Blossomstar called out - announcing her presence. No response. "Is anyone there? Mylph? Talia?"

Foxtooth and Blossomstar cautiously padded closer to the rock structure. They heard hushed whispers coming from within. Relief flooded Blossomstar. The pack was here, they were okay. She recognized Talia's small bark - asking how the strange cats new her name. The animals startled as Foxtooth and Blossomstar appeared at the entrance of their camp.

One of the larger dogs, Diego, jumped in front of the smaller animals.

"Who goes there?" he growled threateningly. Then his nose twitched. He sniffed the air deeply, and recognition crossed his features. "I don't believe it. Blossompaw, is that really you?"

At those words the rest of the animals came alive with exclamations of surprise. Blossomstar noted they seemed happy, not angry which was a good sign. The air around them also smelled clean, the sickness was gone.

"Blossompaw you've change so much!"

"Look at you, all grown up!"

"How's Chance?"

"Hello everyone, it's great to see you. This is my friend Foxtooth. I have a lot to explain, and a lot to ask of you," she said, instantly the pack silenced. "But first, tell me how you've all got along? The sickness seems to be gone?"

"Yes, we don't know herbs like the medicine cats from your stories - but a strange starry figure came to us one night and showed us what plants to eat. The cat promised you would come back one day, and here you are."

Starclan had been talking to the pack? Had they known Blossomstar would need their help one day? She cleared her throat, and prepared to tell them why she had returned out of the blue. As many pairs of eyes looked at her imploringly she began to speak, and told them everything that happened from the night she left to the day she returned.


Hello, me again! Sorry for the one month hiatus, I thought I'd deliver a hefty chapter to make up for it. ;)

Anyways please review guys, I don't want reviews just for the sake of having reviews, I just want your opinions and thoughts and support. I update a lot faster when I have an actual audience listening. #Justsaying