CHAPTER FIVE
The forest was alive with fireflies and the scuffling of small creatures, and once again, the light from the partial moon was enough for the small cat to see by. Every half-moon, a little trespassing was permitted on account of the medicine cat gathering, and so Doveheart was not afraid of encountering another Clan's patrol, but xe remained alert nonetheless—checking the air for the smell of rogue. Another patrol had reported discovering more evidence of the thief not far from here. Maybe xe should have taken up Blacktail's offer and asked for a warrior escort... but then, how silly would that have looked, to arrive at the medicine cat gathering with a warrior in tow? Even if Doveheart could convince xir peers that it was not owing to any distrust for them, they would assume that KnollClan must be weak and damaged, or at the very least, cowardly, to be resorting to such measures. And so the gray tabby carried on alone.
Though xir nerves were thin, the journey passed without incident, and eventually xe pushed through the rushes to the old twoleg path and the abandoned well, formed from a circle of mossy stones and a structure for turning a crank. The cats had little use for the contraption, but the arrangement of the stones was a useful landmark for a meeting place, not prone to as much change and decay as was the way for most of the woods. Doveheart dropped xir contribution of herbs at the base and leapt up to the well's ledge, which was just wide enough for a cat to walk along. The tabby sat on xir haunches, draping the gray tip of xir tail over xir white paws, and craned xir neck to peer into the dark depths below, too far for even the moon to reach.
The medicine cat of BrookClan was the next to arrive, along with xir apprentice, a shy calico known as Spottedpaw.
Doveheart dipped xir head in greeting. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Fogstone."
The gray cat dropped xir offering of horsetail and feverfew to bow xir head in return and reply, "How do you do?"
Spottedpaw was also carrying herbs, which xe dropped beside xir mentor, and xe didn't allow xemself to meet anyone's gaze. "Hello, Doveheart," xe mumbled. The tip of xir tail twitched low to the ground.
The medicine cat of KnollClan thought it curious that the apprentice seemed so out of sorts tonight. The apprentice had not been to many meetings before, and consequently Doveheart did not know xem well, but previously Spottedpaw had always shown more warmth and energy—and come to think of it, xe had looked a bit slimmer, too. It was too early to be putting on weight for leaf-bare, wasn't it? Xe was looking so pudgy around the flanks now that, if Doveheart hadn't known better, xe would think that xe was carrying kits. It must have been a time of plenty for their Clan—which was strange, because if BrookClan was reveling in an abundance of prey, xe wouldn't expect its members to look so put out about it.
"How is the prey running?"
"Well enough for us. You've heard, by now, of the rogue making the rounds?"
"He was just one cat. There wasn't that much stolen, and he didn't hurt anyone," Spottedpaw pointed out, which Doveheart took as a defense of BrookClan's strength.
"It has set paw on KnollClan territory now," Doveheart informed them. "The brute probably won't fare well if it's not gone soon. Our patrols have little patience for intruders."
This was the only thing thus far that had really caught Spottedpaw's attention. Xe looked up and glanced about with widened green eyes, as though frightened a KnollClan patrol might burst from the trees and have xir hide there and then. This meeting took place under the sacred truce of the medicine cats; xe had no need to look so worried.
Meanwhile, Fogstone cast a disinterested look around. "Do you know what's keeping Acornstripe?"
At that moment they heard another rustling and patter of clumsy pawsteps—the medicine cat of MeadowClan, late, as usual, though not as late as usual. Xe dropped a mouthful of burnet leaves and jumped up onto the well. "Hello, Doveheart!" xe chimed. "Hello, Fogstone! Hello... Specklepaw?"
"It's Spottedpaw. I've come to the well four times now. I'm not that new."
"Oh! Right. Sorry. Spottedpaw." Despite the embarrassment, xir tail was still high.
"How has your Clan been in the past moon, Acornstripe?" Doveheart didn't care for the cat personally, but xe tried to maintain a friendly and professional relationship with the other medicine cats—Acornstripe included.
"Oh, none the worse for the rogue that came through, and I've successfully stopped the recent cough from spreading, proud to say."
As xe was speaking, Fogstone stepped forward to gather up some of the burnet and some of Doveheart's borage leaves into xir mouth, to take back to where Spottedpaw was standing, and eventually, to their Clan.
"That's good news," Doveheart replied with a happy nod. It was indeed good news—it meant that the disease wouldn't spread to KnollClan at the gatherings. "While we're here, there's a question from my Clanmates that one of you might be able to answer. Do either of your Clans use any herbs for helping along a kitting?"
"You mean ragwort?" Fogstone asked.
"Or raspberry leaves?" Acornstripe piped in.
"No, not any of those. Something more in the... beforehand."
Acornstripe frowned and shook xir head.
"Is KnollClan having trouble producing kits?" Spottedpaw asked.
Xir mentor turned and growled at xem. "Doveheart said nothing of the sort, Spottedpaw, and you're best off not voicing assumptions."
"Yes, Fogstone."
Though uneasy with the question, Doveheart was more bothered by the way the apprentice so easily conceded to the reprimand—striking xem with a pang of jealousy. Should xe wish for KnollClan's apprentices to be more like Spottedpaw? Xe wasn't sure xe really wanted that. More deference would be nice, yes, but Spottedpaw was not an apprentice to be envied, in xir opinion. After a few blinks, Doveheart replied, "Some in our Clan would like to have a means for kits to come sooner rather than later. In any case, we will all have new litters in time."
Acornstripe coughed and padded to the other side of the rim.
"Should any of you find a new herb for your medicine," Doveheart continued, "I trust you will share it with us, no matter the use." Then xe stretched xir paws down the outer side of the well and jumped down, heading to collect for xemself some burnet as well as horsetail and feverfew. There were some herbs that grew better in some territories than others, and the medicine cats made a practice of sharing their resources.
"Is it time for the blossoms yet?" Acornstripe asked.
It was Fogstone who replied, "It can be if you'd like."
Accepting that answer, the MeadowClan cat leaped off the well and joined the others in snipping blossoms from the yellow flowers that grew around the well. Not long ago, a ritual had arisen around the well and its flowers. At each medicine cat gathering, they always picked for themselves a flower and whispered into its petals their deepest regrets in the past moon—sometimes a mistake or a misstep, sometimes a patient lost, sometimes an unkind word, sometimes a word not spoken.
Fogstone was quick with xirs, whispering something short before jumping onto the rim and casting the blossom into the waters below. The splash was audible to only a cat's ears, small and soft. The flower was unreachable now, gone from xir power forever. After gathering up xir bundle of herbs, the gray BrookClan cat turned and left. Spottedpaw took a bit more time and eventually followed, while Doveheart hesitated. Xe didn't know whether to say something about Adderpaw and Emberpaw. Their behavior wasn't something xe should blame xemself for. In the end, xe pressed xir nose into the petals and whispered nothing but Frostkit's name. Then xe closed xir eyes and dropped it into the well.
When xe opened them, Acornstripe was still standing there on the rim, watching xem. Xir blossom had already been let go. Xe cast a glance over xir shoulder before saying, "Doveheart, there's something I want to tell you."
"Something you couldn't say in front of BrookClan?" There wasn't any bad blood between them that xe knew of. None recently, anyway.
"It doesn't concern them. I want to tell you what I dropped into the well."
Doveheart was taken aback. Their secrets weren't exactly sacred, but the point of the ritual was that their secret regrets were theirs and theirs alone, and no cat was meant to share what they had spoken to the blooms. "You shouldn't do that," xe answered, and then xe jumped down to go pick up xir herbs.
"But I want to, " xe insisted, jumping down as well. "You've always been kind to me, Doveheart. I want you to know. I'm having kits."
Doveheart spun around, xir fur standing on end. Xir eyes were even wider now. So Leechwhisker had been right, as usual, despite xir hopes to the contrary. Forcing xemself to swallow, xe gathered xir wits and stammered, "So... you're... keeping it secret, then, so as not to embarrass the father?"
"Oh, the father isn't in MeadowClan."
"Oh." Such a thing wasn't unheard of among warriors. Any litter was something worth celebrating, no matter where it came from. The offspring of kittypets were a more controversial topic, as the bloodlines of hardier cats were preferred, but every able-bodied kit had a chance at becoming a warrior. Cross-Clan relationships were tolerated with the mindset that as long as the mates were productive, a mother would sooner defend her kits than turn traitor for the enemy. Then again, attitudes were a bit stricter toward cats-who-can't-have-kits, who would be doing more to help their Clan by mating with the cats within it.
However, it was different for medicine cats. For them, any mating was forbidden. Their attention was to be devoted to solely to the health of their Clan. Problems always arose whenever medicine cats were required to treat themselves—for wounds and sickness and the like—but handling a kitting alone was thought to be a far more arduous task, akin to entering battle without the aid of one's Clanmates. Apprentices were made to understand this at an early age. Acornstripe surely knew it, too. What cat didn't? Doveheart was so caught up in mulling this over, wondering if this were someone's foul idea of a pre-emptive war strategy, the incapacitation of a Clan's sole medicine cat, that xe didn't even notice that Acornstripe was still talking until she was quite finished.
"...like StarClan said he would, in my dream, and— and then he just left, and Doveheart, oh Doveheart, I don't know what to do!"
"Well," xe began, searching for words, "you'll want someone knowledgeable there at your kitting, so you should go your leader and talk about taking an apprentice."
"Oh... Oh, good idea... taking an apprentice..."
Doveheart tilted xir head. Part of xem worried that if Acornstripe took an apprentice, xe might forget xe had one. "Can you remember that?"
"I'm not stupid!" xe hissed. "I know you sometimes think I am, but I'm not!"
The other cat flattened xir ears back, surprised by xir anger.
"The nerve of some of you KnollClan cats!"
"Acornstripe, did you... did you mean to mate with him?" If she hadn't—
"Yes, but that's got nothing to do with it!"
Doveheart blinked and shifted xir weight. "Alright." Maybe Acornstripe had good reason—though what good reason that could be, xe couldn't imagine.
The brown tabby sighed and lowered xir head. "You don't understand."
"That's true," xe admitted, and xe had no hopes to, "but it's all going to be fine. If you'd like, I can travel to your Clan for your kitting, to help."
The MeadowClan cat didn't answer at once, and Doveheart stepped forward to press xir head underneath Acornstripe's chin, rubbing against xem in an attempt to help xem feel better. The other tabby remained stiff and did not reciprocate. After a pause, xe muttered, "The offer is appreciated, Doveheart, but that won't be necessary once I take an apprentice."
