Chapter Six
Two moons had passed since Morningsun's death, the group was still wary of exploring out in the jungle. Blight had come to visit Moonstar every other night, bringing prey to share with her group mates and sharing calming words with anyone who seemed distressed or afraid to venture out of camp. He seemed particularly fond of Webpelt, who wasn't exactly too keen on talking with Blight at first; but, they grew used to each other's company. Blight enjoyed hearing Webpelt's secrets of healing and caring for his group, but the leaf mender also had some thrilling stories of his apprentice-ship that would silence any warrior and leave them waiting for more.
Blight sat outside the Beach Runner's camp entrance, the sky reflecting the last milky rays of sun. He had told Moonstar that he would stand guard for the night, so that her group would feel a little less stressed. Moonstar had protested, she preferred for him to sleep in her nest with her on the nights that he stayed; but, he told her that he was worried about Crimsongaze. Stress had taken a hard toll on her, her milk was drying up early and her kits were not being properly fed. For the second time that evening, Blight wondered if he should make Shadow stay with the Beach Runners for extra protection.
No, he thought, I would rather be here to protect Moonstar. He knew how terrified she was for her group, she had confided in him her fears of unknown predators stalking her camp mates. He wanted to reassure her that there was no danger, but he could not. He did not know what kind of animal would inflict such misery upon a young warrior, especially injuries that would not heal with the help of Webpelt's herbs.
Blight sat back on his haunches and raised his head to the sky, letting out a deep breath. At that moment, a sleek calico pelt slipped out of the entrance beside him. "Berrysplash," Blight mewed calmly to the spirit walker. She eyed him with clear distaste but raised her muzzle respectfully. "I am just going to collect some herbs for Webpelt that are spotted better at dusk," she meowed hastily.
He flexed his claws and dug them into the dirt, feeling uncomfortable under her dissaproving stare. "Just be careful," he breathed as she whisked away into the undergrowth. He didn't like the thought of the tiny she-cat being out in the jungle alone, it gave him a very dreadful feeling in his stomach. Quickly, he slid into the camp and tried to seek out a warrior that wasn't already busy. In a moment, he laid his eyes upon Pebblespots, the gentle, dappled calico she-cat. She was laying outside the nursery entrance, Crimsongaze's kits sitting at her paws.
He could hear her meowing as he neared, "Now Redkit, you must be nice to your brother. He is not as strong as you right now, he doesn't need your teasing to make him feel worse." Redkit shuffled her little orange paws and mumbled something too quiet for Blight to hear. Pebblespots raised her head to him as he approached, her eyes shining with curiosity.
"Berrysplash just left camp to go collect some herbs. Would it be alright if you went and found her and helped out? I'm sure she will need some help bringing them back to camp," he asked slyly. It wasn't the whole truth but he was sure that Pebblespots knew his true intentions. She nodded eagerly, getting to her paws and stretching her legs. Redkit and Wolfkit let out squeaks of protest, "but you told Crimsongaze we could be out here with you!"
"Well now you must go back into the nursery with your mother, it is about bed time after all" she purred before touching her nose to their heads in turn. With a huff, Redkit led her brother back into the den. "Redkit has a lot of spirit," Blight commented cheerily. Pebblespots mewed agreement but there was a shadow of fear in her eyes. "Crimsongaze needs to relax so that she can feed them properly. They still have a couple weeks until they are ready for solid food," she meowed.
Blight followed Pebblespots to the entrance and out into the jungle. He pointed his tail to the thick foliage where Berrysplash had dissapeared, "she went that way," he meowed, "you should be able to follow her scent."
Pebblespots looked back at him before she went to leave. "You know, the whole group really appreciates you being here for us," she began hesitantly, "I don't think Moonstar was prepared for this all to happen."
Blight purred, his fur warming with the she-cat's compliment, "I would do anything for Moonstar," he meowed softly. He didn't think Pebblespots could hear but she kept her gaze on him for a few more moments before she dissapeared into the undergrowth after Berrysplash.
He was happy to be alone with his thoughts of Moonstar, his belly filled with butterflies at the thought of her pristine, white pelt. He knew that she was expecting his kits, even if her groupmates had not noticed yet. Blight was so used to having pregnant queens around back at his camp that it was fairly easy to spot the first signs of pregnancy. The thought of her carrying his kits was enough to make his fur buzz with excitement.
For a brief moment, his thoughts turned dark. He wondered how her group would accept his kits, and if she would be willing to mother them. Of course she would, she will be a wonderful mother, he thought angrily. Then his thoughts turned to the danger in the jungle; what if that creature attacked their camp and killed Moonstar and his kits? For a moment he felt like he was going to faint. He thought that he had collected himself but in a moment his legs buckled and the world went dark.
Berrysplash was padding back to camp, a thick wad of foxglove leaves in her jaws. The moon was almost in the center of the sky by the time she neared camp, but something was preventing her from going any closer. She could scent an overwhelming amount of blood, making her paws prickle with dread. Setting down her herbs at the roots of a nearby tree, she followed the scent of blood a little further into the jungle. Taking a tentative step out of a prickly bush, her paw smacked into something soft and cold.
Poking her head out of the leaves, she looked down and took in the torn and mangled body of her camp mate, Pebblespots. Her flanks werent moving and her eyes were staring wide and blank at nothing. Berrysplash let out a panicked shriek, her fur bushing up to twice her size. The poor she-cat's throat was ripped open, and so was her stomach. Her intestines were clawed out and strewn across the ground beside her. Berrysplash tried to take a deep breath to make her head stop spinning but ended up throwing up instead.
She stumbled backwards into the bush, falling back onto her tail. She frantically dug her claws into the leaf mold and tore back to camp, her tail streaming behind her as she ran. She almost slammed into Blight as she tried to enter the camp. He was standing in her way, his fur ruffled and his eyes dull but his voice was full of fright and concern, "What is going on?"
"It's Pebblespots," she choked before pushing past him and into camp. She did not stop to answer any more questions as she raced to Webpelt's den. The old leaf mender was sitting calmly in the corner, sorting through his store of herbs. He turned his head to look at her as she entered, "did you find the foxglove," he meowed questioningly.
"I did," she stammered, "but Pebblespots! She is dead!" Webpelt looked taken aback, his mouth hanging open with shock. "She can't be dead," he protested, "she was just here in camp before dusk."
Berrysplash just shook her head sadly and turned to lead him to their fallen group mate. Webpelt exited the den behind her, his mind racing with questions. Moonstar was sitting with Blight in the center of camp, their heads bent close together in coversation; their attention turned to the leaf mender and spirit walker as they neared. "What is wrong with Pebblespots," Moonstar meowed uncertainly.
Berrysplash's fur prickled with an uncomfortable sensation, she did not want to tell her leader that another one of her warriors had succumbed to an unknown threat. Webpelt pushed himself infront of Berrysplash, confronting Moonstar. "It seems something has gotten a hold of her out in the jungle. We are going to retrieve her and bring her back to camp," he meowed sternly. It seemed as though Moonstar had stopped breathing, her eyes wide with dismay and shock. Pebblespots was such a gentle warrior, she deserved to live a long life and retire in the elder's den.
Blight leaned into Moonstar and whispered something in her ear too soft for Berrysplash or Webpelt to hear. She stood a little straighter and closed her eyes for a second; when she opened them she mewed calmly, "please lead me to Pebblespots." Berrysplash turned to lead the small group out into the jungle. Her heart jumped with every sudden noise, afraid that some melevolent creature would leap at her out of the dark. Moonstar and Webpelt also looked a little on edge, Blight just kept a stern expression and kept himself next to Moonstar. It semed that his influence was the only thing keeping Moonstar from a nervous break down.
Berrysplash made sure to make a wide circle around the bush where she found Pebblespot's body, she would not want to stumble over it like she had done when she first found her. Her heart ached for the she-cat, she was always so gentle, even as an apprentice; she would spend all day fussing over the elders and trying to patrol and hunt as much as possible. Sure, she could be a little too easily frightened and overy gullible; but her devotion to the group was strong. As she lead her camp mates around a tree, they entered the tiny sheltered space. The bush was two foxlengths infront of them, Pebblespot's mangled body sitting barely under the leafy branches.
She could hear a collective gasp from the others behind her. Webpelt took a pace forward, bringing himself beside Berrysplash. She could see his eyes were blank with what could only be thought of as pure terror. She knew that his terror was more for his camp mates than for himself, he was here to heal them and now they were being mutilated to the point of no return. She pressed her nose into his cheek, hoping to calm him slightly. "We need to carry her back to camp," she could hear Blight's uncomfortably calm voice behind her. She turned to look at him and noticed that his eyes were also dull with grief and fear.
Moonstar nodded shakily, her tail twitching like a leaf caught in the breeze. Berrysplash, Blight, and Moonstar took the last few steps to Pebblespot's side where her insides lay in a heap beside her. Blight waved the two she-cat's back with his tail while he tried to push as much of it back inside. He turned back to Webpelt, "I should try and bind this with cobweb, right," he asked uncertainly. The leaf mender nodded, turning back to the tree they passed to see if any clung to the bark.
Thankfully, he returned with a paw wound tight with cobweb and went to work dressing Pebblespot's worst wound. Upon closer inspection, her pelt was riddled with smaller scratches and even teeth mark left gouges in her pretty calico fur. Blight sat at Webpelt's side, watching as he moved to bind the tear in the she-cat's throat. Her fur was already cold and her body was starting to grow stiff with death.
In a few short minutes, Pebblespot's body was ready to be carried back to camp. They had to perch her awkwardly ontop of their backs, but Berrysplash and Blight managed to rest her peacefully across their shoulders. Webpelt bounced around them, keeping an eye on her dressings and lifting her tail to avoid any snagging thorns or branches. Moonstar brought up the rear, keeping an eye on their surroundings incase a predator were to appear.
Berrysplash knew that their camp mates would have questions, and she didn't know what she or Moonstar would say to them. Two camp mates have been killed in brutal ways, this was sure to no longer be a coincidence. She just hoped that the Star Runners would send her a sign of what they should do, otherwise they would all eventually meet the same unfortunate fate. Blight nodded encouragingly to the spirit walker, giving her a little bit of hope that maybe everything would eventually go back to normal.