Chapter 10: A Day As Lightning
After finishing up training for the day, Fireheart made his way towards his old Twoleg home to complete Darkstripe's odd request. As he approached, a familiar black and white tom sat perched on the old fence.
"Hey Smudge!"
Smudge bound down joyfully to brush up against Fireheart.
"Firepaw! I haven't seen you in forever."
"It's Fireheart now. I've got a warrior name and my own apprentice."
"I'm so happy for you. Are the cats out there really as scary as they say? Have you been eating well? You're so skinny."
"Thanks for the concern Smudge, but I'm really doing ok. I love it out there. I feel more myself now than I ever did as a Housie."
"What brings you out here anyways. You never come to visit."
"I'm looking for another cat named Rusty."
Smudge tensed and fidgeted in place.
"Haven't heard of him. Why are you looking?"
"Apparently I'm Lightning for today…"
Smudge cut him off. "Why didn't you say so. I'm dealer Rusty."
"Really? I never thought you'd be the type Sm-"
Smudge cut him off again.
"Stop! You don't use real names when its dealer business. You have to be more careful Lightning. You never know who's listening in."
"Sorry, S- I mean Rusty. I'm new to this."
"Same. I just got done training under Queen and just got my own dealer name yesterday. I hated my old dealer name. King! Nobody took me seriously since they expected some muscly big cat and instead got fidgety me."
"I'm sorry S- Rusty. I'm sure that was hard."
"Yeah. It was, but I think I'm better for it. I used to be afraid of my own shadow. Now I've even made a few deals to Bloodclan under Queen's tutelage. Those are some scary cats. Their dealer is the worst of them. He may be small, but his eyes just pierce right through you, and he doesn't give any ground in a deal. He gives you a price that you either refuse or concede to. There's no haggling."
"Sounds like a scary cat. Speaking of deals, D- I mean Thunder wanted to have me set you up with your first deal. He asked for a yellow flower as big as you could find."
"Oh! I remember this. Queen taught me about finding what is an equal deal. First try to guess the purpose of the purchase. Since its unspecified big yellow flower, I'm guessing a romantic favor. I've seen some big ones before, so they're decently common. Just not common in the forest. I think I have an idea of what you or Thunder could get me. I've heard there's a semi-common herb in the forest that helps mothers produce milk. Not every cat in the Twoleg Place eats enough to make milk for all their kits. You get me about a quarter moon's worth of that herb, and I'll get you that sunflower."
"Sounds like you have a better understanding of this than I do. Got it. Quarter moon's worth of borage. Can you point me in Queen's direction?"
Smudge gestured down the rows of fences.
"She's just over that way. She's someone you'll recognize if she doesn't find you first. Just don't let her talk you into a bad deal. They say she's swindled Thunder a few times, but I say she only did it to get back at him for the times he did the same to her."
"Thanks Rusty. I'll try to come by more often."
"Just remember to use the right name for what you're doing!"
With that, Fireheart padded his way in the direction Smudge indicated. He kept looking for a cat that seemed familiar before he was bowled over by a molly yowling, "Rusty! My dear brother! I was so worried about you ever since Smudge said you left."
Fireheart recognized the familiar cat instantly. It was his sister Princess.
"Princess! I've missed you too. How have your Twolegs been treating you?"
"They pamper me like my name implies. I've also had my fun dealing with all sorts of cats. They often underestimate how cunning and charismatic I am. Sometimes a subtle move is all it takes to get them swooning."
Fireheart thought for a second before something clicked.
"Are you Queen?"
"Where did you hear that name!" Princess bristled. She looked ready to maul her brother.
"Easy! I'm Lightning."
Princess softened at that.
"Oh. You're Thunder's errand cat today. The last one was a bit too brash and the one before too simple."
Fireheart thought of Dustpaw and Longtail and nodded.
"So, I'm assuming you're here for the catnip?"
"Yes. Yel-"
Princess interrupted him.
"We don't use names except dealer names! It's for the safety of those who deal with us. Use terms like my client and you'll be good."
"You really take this dealer thing seriously."
"How could I not? It's saved my life a couple times. Bloodclan doesn't mess with dealers and Thunder has saved me from some bad situations before."
"Like what?"
"Let's just say I got too close to a certain cat who thought it would be a good idea to try and force his kits on me when I was about seven moons old. Thunder found me, saved me, and made sure that that cat could never have kits again."
"Sounds like a real hero."
"Not really. Apparently, this cat had done this before, and one of his victims paid Thunder off to deal with him. No one batted an eye since it was dealer business and there's a big name cat as a dealer in Bloodclan. Since then I felt I needed the protection, so I begged Thunder to teach me how to be a dealer. He was pretty strict and taught me many tricks that made me the go to Housie dealer."
"That sounds more like D- I mean Thunder."
"You really need to work on that sputtering you do if you ever want to be a real dealer."
"I think this is a one-time thing. Got any good stories from this dealing thing?"
"We're supposed to keep stories about client's secret, but I can tell you that Thunder's scammed me a couple times and I've done the same to him. He's made me swear to give him my first born for some grass he called premium catnip. He immediately told me off for not realizing the trick and canceled the deal, but we still laugh about it. Unfortunately, I'll have to retire from dealing for a while. I've found a mate I really like."
"I hope he's a great cat."
"He is. I swear he came every day with another bogus deal just to see me. It was adorable, and I got a lot of stuff out of him."
The two shared a quiet moment as they just embraced each other's presence.
"So the catnip?"
"Oh yeah. Nearly forgot. I'll try to come by and visit."
"If it's a deal try to remember names next time."
Fireheart made his way home cheerfully with a maw full of catnip. He didn't know if Darkstripe orchestrated the reunion, but he felt he should thank the tom anyways. When he got back to camp, he found Darkstripe sprawled in a nice warm spot napping peacefully. He didn't know if the tom could hear him, but he whispered his thanks in his ear before retiring for the day. Fireheart could have sworn he saw Darkstripe's ear flick in acknowledgement, but it happened so fast he wasn't sure.