We're back in the game! Hopefully I'll write faster this year. Unlikely but well, one can dream.
When Bluestripe had woken up that morning, she had decided that enough was enough.
She had been moping for a whole moon and, even if the pain of losing Lichenkit hadn't disappeared, it had dulled a little. She still had three healthy kits, a loving mate and an understanding Clan. Everyone had been more than patient with her – the old Clan certainly wouldn't have given her that much time to mourn – and it was time to repay this kindness.
Getting out of her nest was easier that the previous times and she resolved to eat her first meal in the clearing with whoever would be there. Snaildapple had brought her food in the nursery for stars knew how many sunrises and, now that she thought about it, he had enough to do as a deputy without the added task of caring for her.
Outside, there wasn't anyone just yet, but Bluestripe wasn't worried: someone always ended up there. It was just that she had woken up early, in between the dawn patrol's departure and the real morning, when the sun would be higher in the sky. She picked a shrew in the pile of fresh kills and began munching on it slowly, losing herself in thought.
It was already leaf-fall. Patrolling and hunting would be more difficult very soon. For now, they had lived well on the territory chosen by Blossomstar, but leaf-bare would be the true trial for MistClan. If they could pass it successfully, then they would have no reason to believe that the Clan wouldn't thrive. Obviously, they would need strength and…
"Bluestripe?"
She nearly jumped out of her fur at the sudden interruption. Heatherrump threw her an apologetic glance, his brown ear twitching.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. You're up early. Do you mind if I eat with you?"
"Come on, come on!" she mewed enthusiastically. "We haven't talked in a while. How are Mumblepond and Webhollow recovering?"
"Well, very well. Mumblepond's ear will always have a missing piece, but it won't affect his hearing, and Webhollow's claws should have completely grown back by the end of the moon."
Bluestripe listened to his explanations about everyone, making sure that everyone she hadn't seen in a while was alright. Then her mind wandered again until the medicine cat cut her off a second time.
"What are you thinking about?"
"It's going to be more difficult soon. I haven't done anything since I entered the nursery, so I wondered how I could help…"
"How about hunting?" he stopped to lick his nose before continuing. "If you start training now, you'll be used to it by the time your kits become apprentices. It might actually be easier to wean them if you leave the camp sometimes. In any case, there will always be someone to watch over them."
"That's true! And it's not like I suddenly forgot how to hunt either. I might be out of shape though."
After a quick examination and a whisper of 'I'm glad you're feeling better', Heatherrump sent her on her way juste as the camp was starting to wake up. When Blossomstar emerged from her den, still a little bleary-eyed, it took all of Bluestripe's self-control to not just skip to her like an unruly kit.
Once the leader looked more awake, she easily allowed her to go for a hunt, seemingly very happy to see her so involved. They had never been really close, but as she was a friend of Snaildapple's they had interacted often enough to be friendly with each other, and her approval warmed Bluestripe's heart.
She told her kits that she was going to be absent for a while and they let her go with a minimal amount of whining, probably intending to make the most of this unexpected freedom. Bluestripe exited the camp with shinning eyes. It dawned on her that she had missed being outside. The wind in her fur, the scent of the forest, those weren't things that could be felt the same way in the camp.
She barely hesitated before going west. There might not have been any fox sightings since the fight last moon, but she wasn't at her best and it was better to avoid taking risks. As she was trotting in the woods, loosely following a few stale trails, her thoughts wandered. What kind of prey could she find in this season? A squirrel maybe, down from his tree to look for acorns…
Just as the thought crossed her mind, another scent – fresh this time – drew her attention. A mouse – much less impressive than a squirrel, but probably more manageable if she was careful. Bluestripe crouched and crawled slowly towards the source of the smell, keeping her steps light and her tail still.
Her prey finally came into view; it was indeed a mouse, and a rather plump one at that! Making sure that no leaves crunched under her paws, the warrior slowed her pace even more, carefully staying under the wind. Once she was a rabbit hop away and the mouse still none the wiser, she jumped and caught it in her claws. Not leaving it a chance to escape, she quickly bit the neck, the little bones snapping with a satisfying crack. At least, she mused as she buried her kill to find it later, she would have something to bring back to the Clan.
As she took a path that led to the northern part of the territory and tried to notice if there had been changes since her last patrol, Bluestripe still made sure that she was being careful. The twolegs lived in that direction, and there was a dog that always barked if they got to close to the nest it protected. None of them had really seen it, hidden as it was behind the neat bushes that surrounded the nest, and it was for the better. They all knew what kind of dreadful injuries the large jaws of a dog could inflict. Panting, she reached the top of the small hill overlooking the twoleg place. On patrol, she would have gone down that way, but as she wanted to hunt, going to such a noisy and stinky place would have been useless.
After a while spent observing the sleeping monsters, she began making her way back using a different path. Suddenly, she raised her muzzle, jaws slightly parted to smell better. There was an unknown cat scent hanging in the air, foreign and cloying. It felt like a tom's scent, and she was ready to bolt back to the camp to send a patrol – she wasn't in any state fit to chase a rogue away by herself – when a softer undertone hit her nose. Bluestripe inhaled again and there it was: a kit's delicate fragrance. Lichenkit's memory burned in her mind, and she knew that she couldn't leave without investigating the matter.
Getting closer and closer to the unknown smell made her uneasy but, worried for the kit – kits? – as she was, she pushed through. She crawled under brambles, biting her tongue when one snagged her shoulder, and found herself on the bank of a small stream. And there they were; about a fox-length in front of her, two small kits clumsily pushing at each other. They seemed well enough and, all of sudden, Bluestripe was at a loss of what to do.
If she got any closer and their parents came back, they might feel compelled to attack right away – which would be a completely normal reaction. Finally, she decided to go for the friendliest solution.
"Hello?"
The kits startled and the grey speckled one quickly hid behind the other, who was busy making itself look bigger, dark ginger fur standing on end. An orange dandelion, thought the she-cat, and the image almost made her laugh. Only the strangeness of the situation made her keep her composure.
"Are you two alone?"
"No!" the ginger kit hissed. "Our father will come back and fight you!"
"I'd rather not," she answered, laying herself down on a sunny patch of grass to come off as non-threatening as possible. "My kits are waiting for me at home, they would be sad if I was injured. If you don't mind, I'll stay here and wait with you."
The kits eyes her warily for a while, whispering amount themselves. Trying to look like she wasn't focused on them, she began grooming the soft fur of her belly.
"You have kits?" the grey kit squeaked suddenly.
"Uh-huh. Three. Two toms and a she-cat. Friends of mine are looking after them so I could go out and hunt."
"Two toms, because toms are better!" the dandelion who wasn't so puffy anymore singsonged.
"Take that back, furball!"
Just when the kits were about to begin play-fighting, leaves rustled on the other side of the stream. A large dark ginger speckled tom appeared from the bushes, freezing when he noticed her. There was more movement behind him and…
"Snaildapple?!"
"Bluestripe?!"
She crossed the shallow water without caring that her paws were getting wet and bumped her head against her mate's neck, before turning towards the stranger.
"So you're the father! I can definitely see the resemblance. I wanted to wait for you, to warn you that there was a whole Clan of us leaving nearby, but you've met someone else along the way."
"Leaf-bare will come soon, so I've invited them to join us," Snaildapple said, absent-mindedly nosing behind her ears. "What are you doing here?"
"Hunting! I asked Blossomstar and left the kits with Alderwhisper and Crookedflight. I caught a mouse before stumbling upon these two, you know."
Snaildapple purred good-naturedly before engaging conversation with the other tom. She slipped away to collect her kill, but not before learning the newcomer's name: Tornacorn.
Later when she entered the camp, she found the whole group in the middle of the clearing, facing Blossomstar. The leader's eyes were closed, and she heaved a long sigh before opening them to glare at her deputy.
"Snaildapple, why is it you again?"
It was true that he had been the one who had brought Crookedflight, Skykit, Pigeonkit and Cheetahkit, but the remark was so unexpected – even more from the serious Blossomstar – that Bluestripe had to let go of her mouse before she choked on it. For the first time in many sunrises since Lichenkit's death, she laughed so hard that she had to sit down. The light grey tabby tilted her head towards her and when she managed to stop wheezing, the silver-furred warrior mewed apologetically.
"Sorry, sorry. But come on, you have to admit it's funny!"
The leader's tail twitched as she let out an inelegant snort.
"And things always come in threes."
Bluestripe could only laugh harder.
Wow, I sure hope the next chapter will be out soon-