Chapter 39
"Come on, Turtlepaw, it's only a couple more rocks," Squirrelflight called encouraginglyfrom she she, Jaysong, and Lionblaze sat waiting. Gray and the others had led them through many twists and turns in the mountains until they stopped at a small waterfall. The Tribe cats slipped past it without notice and Lionblaze followed them. Jaysong and Turtlepaw had hovered by the entrance not keen on getting wet until Squirrelflight had pointed out that there was small gap in between the rocks, revealing more stones that led down to a large hollow. The Tribe cats, Squirrelflight, Jaysong, and Lionblaze had descended down the rocks and were now waiting for Turtlepaw.
"Great StarClan, we might as well just tell Stormfur now! By the time Turtlepaw gets down here, it will be time for our journey home!" Lionblaze growled, stalking impatientlyin between the group of cats. In an effort to prove herself, Turtlepaw leaped down the rest of the way, accidently colliding in Jaysong. Giving a squeak of surprise, Jaysong and Turtlepaw tumbled into a pile of mud, causing a splash that sent Squirrelflight and Lionblaze jumping backwards. The Tribe cats took no notice and Jaysong noticed that their pelts were streaked with mud. "StarClan forbid you can do something right, Turtlepaw. Now get off Jaysong and we'll go find Stormfur."
"I'm sorry, Jaysong, Lionblaze," Turtlepaw meowed to Lionblaze, but her father took no notice, instead stalking after the Tribe cats who had begun to pad away. Squirrelflight glanced at the two younger cats and blinked apologetically before following Lionblazedeeper into the Tribe of Rushing Water's camp. Turtlepaw sighed in defeat and Jaysong stretched her neck to give the tortoiseshell apprentice a gentle lick in between the ears. Having a young cat to take care of felt nice to Jaysong, who had said goodbye to Rushpaw to go on this journey and said goodbye to Rabbitpaw a moon before. "I don't know what to do, Jaysong! If I do something right, he's cold to me, and if I do something wrong, he's cold to me!"
"Lionblaze is a very proud cat, Turtlepaw, and he has high expectations on everyone, even himself. I've been hunting with him and when he misses something he usually beats himself. I think he wants you to be the best warrior in the Clan and when something happens that he doesn't see fit in keeping that dream of his alive, he becomes cold. Lionblaze has to be proud of the daughter he has instead of some mousebrain dream he has because I can tell you're already going to be a great warrior!" Jaysong purred, cuffing Turtlepaw on the ear. Turtlepaw let out a shaky purr, but her green eyes still gleamed with sadness. "Come on, Turtlepaw, we don't want to be left behind!"
Turtllepaw nodded and raced after Jaysong who had begun pelting after Squirrelflight. Once apart of the patrol again, Jaysong slowed her pace and fell into step beside Squirrelflight, Turtlepaw bringing up the rear. Jaysong turned to say something to Squirrelflight, but before she could a shocked voice, meowed, "Squirrelflight? Lionblaze? What are you doing here?" Jaysong turned and watched a brown she-cat pad up towards them, her gray eyes wide with surprise. From the purrs Squirrelflight and Lionblaze were making, Jaysong would have bet a moon worth of dawn patrols that the brown tabby was Brook.
Before Squirrelflight could say anything, four kits tumbled after Brook. The first kit was a brown tabby like Brook with amber eyes. The second kit had lighter fur than his brother with blue eyes instead of amber. The third kit had pale gray fur that glowed silver in the faint light of the hollow and blue eyes like her brother. The fourth kit stumbled after her littermates, her gray fur dark with mud and her blue eyes glowed as she looked up at the new cats. In a loud squeal, the fourth kit darted over so she was standing in front of Jaysong and mewed, "Who are you? Where are you from? Why are you here?"
"Sorry," Brook meowed, wrapping her tail around her daughter and pulling her away from Jaysong. Turning to Squirrelflight and Lionblaze, Brook continued, "These are my kits. The brown tabby is Stone. He will receive his full name once he succeeds Stoneteller as Healer." Lionblaze purred and Jaysong wondered what exactly Healer did. "The smaller tom is Crooked Rock Where Heron Sits. The rest of his name was for Jag and like Jag, he's going to be a caveguard. The gray she-cat who looks like she wants a cuff around the ear is Silver Path Beside Waterfall for Stomefur's mother. She's going to be a prey-hunter. And this is Featherkit. She's going to be a prey-hunter as well." Brook gave the kit at her paws a lick in between the ears and Jaysong felt her body stiffen. She had long since heard the storm of Stormfur's sister, Feathertail, who gave her life for the cats who made the Great Journey. This cat must be named for her, but that also struck Jaysong as odd. Why did Featherkit have a Clan name while the rest of her littermates had Tribe names?
"I'd rather be a caveguard," Featherkit mumbled from Brook's paws. Jaysong blinked in surprise. She remembered Brambleclaw telling her once that the Tribe cats couldn't choose what they wanted to do when they were older. Brambleclaw had said the Tribe cats were satisfied with it, but as Jaysong stared into Featherkit's sad blue eyes, the golden brown couldn't believe that Featherkit was happy with being a prey-hunter. Jaysong thanked StarClan that she didn't have to live like that. Jaysong blinked one more time at Featherkit, wondering how the small gray kit would fair with life by the lake.
"They're really adorable kits, Brook," Squirrelflight purred, looking at the four kits with affection and warmth. Jaysong wondered if Squirrelflight wanted real kits of her own or if all the moons when she was pretending she had a litter took care of her motherly instincts. Jaysong couldn't imagine her life without Rabbitpaw and Rushpaw. Turning back to the conversation, Jaysong watched Squirrelflight dip her head to Brook and meow, "We actually have come to see Stormfur. We have some sad news for him and once we have discussed this with him, we must return home so I fear this won't be a long visit."
"I didn't expect it to be. Stormfur is on hunting patrol with Storm, Screech, and Sheer. He'll be back soon. Right now you can tell me what's happening in the Clans." Brook settled herself down and Squirrelflight and Lionblaze did the same. Turning to Jaysong and Turtlepaw, Brook suggested, "Why don't you two go over to the to-bes. They're over by that rock." Brook flicked her tail to where a couple younger cats were wrestling with one another. There were two brown tabbys and two dark gingers. Turtlepaw padded over to them and Jaysong was about to follow when some cat touched her shoulder with their tail. Turning around in surprise, Jaysong recognized Gray.
"You seem older than the to-bes so I don't think you would want to go over than and act like a bunch of flea-brained kits. You also look hungry so I was wondering if you would like to share with me." Confused by Gray's choice of words, but not wanting to be hanging out with a bunch of to-bes, Jaysong nodded silently. Gray padded over to where a dead hawk was left. Jaysong's tail lashed angrily at the thought of poorly treating prey, but then realized that Gray had probably left it there for them. Gray sat down and Jaysong did the same, watching as the gray tom took a bite out of the hawk before pushing it towards her. Figuring this must be how Tribe cats ate, Jaysong took a bite before giving it back to Gray. While Gray took his share, Jaysong admired his handsome gray coat that poked through streaks of mud and his bright green Jaysong took a bite out of the hawk, she wondered if Gray had a mate in the Tribe. Jaysong wondered why that thought bothered her so.
