Chapter 26: Gourmand

I was slightly embarrassed to reveal to Frecklewish and Splitpelt that I'd gone on a solo recruitment drive. I saw the shock in their eyes when they reentered the camp and slightly grimaced. They locked eyes with me and instantly knew. I couldn't keep from flattening as they approached.

"Mapleshade!"

I was ready for the scolding that was coming. "I know. We're a team and I shouldn't have gone out alone, but I just couldn't stand how quiet the camp was. It's not an excuse. I'm sorry."

Frecklewish could only shake her head at me. "I knew you'd do something like this eventually. Just grab one of us next time. I don't care if I'm in the middle of something, I don't want you going solo again."

I was relieved Frecklewish was so nonchalant about my spur of the moment mission, but Splitpelt looked angry. I could feel his gaze burning through me.

"Mapleshade! You are a leader, but you don't have a deputy. Our group would fall apart without a leader. It was extremely irresponsible to just head off solo. We're a team, so you have to trust us so we can trust you."

"I do trust you. It was just… impulsive. I felt all these cats with potential and couldn't hold myself back. I didn't want them to just disappear." I responded quickly.

"Fine. Can you just stay in camp for a while? We couldn't stop you, but you need to trust us to do some of these things."

I decided to accept Splitpelt's punishment. "Ok. I've got to take care of this little guy after all."

I nudged Buzzardkit who seemed to finally get the idea to unclamp his jaws from me if only to let out an annoyed mew. Frecklewish's eyes lit up at the sight of a kit. Buzzardkit, like any amalgam, looked like no cat alive. His oddity was that he looked like his head belonged to a different cat. His body was also a nontypical color being a cool chocolate brown. His head was a creamy white in comparison. This kit was not so much large as he was wide. The fat little kit always ate like he was starved. Regardless, he was adorable.

"Who is this little guy?"

"This is the newest addition to my family, Buzzardkit. He's a gluttony amalgam. Ideally, he'll solve our current food problem."

Frecklewish tilted her head. "What food problem? We've got a near limitless supply."

I had to shake my head at her. "I've been paying attention. You think I didn't notice how disappointed you were when your favorite prey doesn't taste like you remember it? This little guy, being a gluttony amalgam, will have an intense sense of taste. Even if prey will never taste the same again, I'm hoping I can teach him to modify the taste of prey. He'll be a gourmand."

Apparently, our conversation had an impact on the kit because seemed to have somehow rapidly aged during it. He was no longer newborn and blind. His little eyes opened to reveal a soft blue that matched the skies over Windclan. Almost to serve a purpose, he aged up to the point where a kit would usually be given a taste of freshkill. The growth must have cost him a lot of energy because he was now borderline starved thin. Maybe it was just a quirk of being a gluttony amalgam.

"Mama! I'm hungry."

"Of course, deary. How about we try some freshkill first before milk."

Unlike a usual kit where I'd just bring him any prey, I brought him one of every type of prey we had. I did not expect him to eat them all but sample them. He's got a sensitive sense of taste, so he'll know which ones are wrong. Curiously, the kit padded between each piece of prey smelling them. With how starved he looked, you'd think he'd dig right in, but instead, he carefully nibbled each one. He'd pause to consider the taste before pushing the prey into three piles. Then he returned to me, appearing to have somehow aged another moon from the experience.

"The left pile are ones that taste too gamey. It tastes wrong for a rabbit to taste like it fed on forest plants like a vole. The middle pile is ok, but it tastes like someone else's taste. I'm fine with eating them. The right pile is gross. They taste like only the rough idea of how that prey would actually taste. I'd rather have milk now."

The little kit really had a refined palate. I let him return to suckling from me for milk. Admittedly, he might have aged past that threshold, but he deserved a reward for humoring me and sampling all the types of prey I created. I'd be teaching him powers as soon as he was a paw. I couldn't wait to see what the newest member of my family could do.

Speaking of kits, Quietstep seemed to be visiting the nursery quite often. He seemed taken by the kit, often taking time out to play when the kit finally worked up the energy to play. Most of all, he liked watching. It wasn't a creepy kind of watching. It was more like he couldn't keep away from observing small things. I'd seen him out in our hunting grounds following a butterfly. He didn't play with it or attack it. He just watched it go about its day. I'd also seen him just sit in the grass observing a ladybug. He just adored small things, likely because in life those were the only things that didn't hurt his ears. Quietstep in his own way was adorable. You couldn't talk to him in the hunting field because he'd easily forget the conversation when a butterfly or moth floated by. I didn't know what role he'd serve, but that cat was a good reminder to love the simple things.

I knew soon our home in the Darkforest would outshine Starclan in luxury. It gave me a small sense of smugness. Regardless, it did not change my sense of purpose. Someday, I'd break into Starclan and change everything. What that entailed was unclear. Would I just destroy the source of the pulses? Would I conquer Starclan to force them to change? Would Starclan and the Darkforest merge? These were questions I pondered, but they ultimately didn't matter since they were too far into the future to plan a strategy.