Cinderpelt's Visit

Rarepair Cinderpelt X Hattie Oneshot

Setting: Roughly Post Ravenpaw's Path Manga Arc, Pre-The New Prophecy Quest Arc (Midnight) - Mild spoilers and references to events occurring in the original six books in The Prophecies Begin series, Firestar's Quest, A Thief in ThunderClan, and A Shadow in RiverClan.

Mostly Fluff but CW Allusions to ableism, grief over past character death, trauma over being apprenticed early/the car accident, Imposter Syndrome?

"Ugh! Stupid fence!"

A fluffy gray cat spat as her claws sent little splinters down the side and she slipped back to the ground. Usually she was more chipper than this- but perhaps she'd taken after her grumpy old mentor in more ways than she'd realized.

The season was early Leaf-Bare and Cinderpelt was visiting the Twoleg place gardens in search of catmint. The weather was pleasantly sunny today, but she knew it wouldn't be long before frost came and wiped it all out. The threat of Greencough loomed just around the corner. Cinderpelt knew how important it was to stock up her clan's herb storage.

Unfortunately, the obstacle standing in her way simply wasn't worth dealing with. She'd mis-timed her launch again. Cinderpelt wasn't always the best jumper on account of her limp leg, but even still, she'd gotten over this fence a few times before. It'd satisfy her pride to prove she could do it just as well as anyone else. But that wasn't her main concern here.

For the past few seasons, the responsibility of ThunderClan's sole Medicat lay heavy on Cinderpelt's small shoulders. She had no apprentice to take her place were something to happen to her.

The other day she'd seen some twolegs stumble across an injured bird. Misguided as it was, the twolegs came and wrapped it in some soft webs and furs. No doubt taken off to the 'Cutter' to be nursed back to health. She knew if those twolegs ever saw her they would try to catch her too- and that was a risk Cinderpelt couldn't afford to take.

Did her condition truly evoke so much pity?

A bird who couldn't fly, a healer who could not heal his own cold, a warrior who never was to be-

Well, there are some things medicine cannot fix!

Cinderpelt bristles and scores her claws against the side of the wood as a parting shot.

I'll just try looking in some other yard...

This particular fence was one of the closest to the forest border, but Cinderpelt knew if she kept walking she may find one with a broken slat or hole she could squeeze herself through. Before she can get very far though, that thought is interrupted by a voice from above.

"You're leaving without your flowers?"

Cinderpelt's ears twitch and she turns her head to see the little round head of a cat peeking her head over the fence. As their gaze meets, the cat ducks back quickly out of view. Cinderpelt's whiskers twitch a bit in amusement. It couldn't hurt to take a break and humor her with a reply.

"S'pose not, I came all the way out here for them after all."

The timid cat pokes her head back up once again, and seeing Cinderpelt seated calmly, tail curled around her legs, she even ventures to perch fully on top of the fence. A golden piece of metal jingles on her blue collar. The brown tabby was clearly marked as a kittypet even if her scent and demeanor didn't already give it away.

"Don't flowers grow in the forest?"

Her amber eyes furrow in so much genuine concern, Cinderpelt has to compose herself not to laugh at the question.

"Well yes. But these flowers are special," Cinderpelt smiles.

The kittypet smiles back and perks her big ears.

"O..oh- well, I can bring you some if you'd like. There's plenty."

In a flash, the tabby scampers off and comes back with a bundle of purple flowers and leaves. Up close she was actually a bit shorter than Cinderpelt- a rarity in full grown cats- she could only think of ShadowClan's Medicat, Littlecloud at the top of her head. Even Firestar's precocious nephew Cloudtail had eventually outgrown her, which the smug little idiot lorded over her for a few moons at the time.

"M..my name's Hattie, by the way!"

She wondered if Hattie was the runt of her litter as well.

And just like that, Hattie started meeting Cinderpelt at the fence every time she came to collect herbs. She had to admit, it made things a lot less boring and a whole lot more interesting.

While one was never truly alone in ThunderClan, the Medicat den could feel pretty empty when Cinderpelt didn't have any patients. She could invite regular warriors on her herb runs, sure, but many were understandably reluctant when it came to approaching the Twolegplace. Things hadn't been the same since her mentor Yellowfang's death. She'd even taken to talking to a little snail to fill the quiet hours of the night at times.

It was nice having someone new to talk to.

Hattie was always happy to listen about Clan life, though Cinderpelt tended to shy away from some of the gritter details- house pets had enough misinformation about forest cats as it was and she didn't want to go scaring her off. And she liked listening to her too of course!

It was mostly kittypet gossip Cinderpelt had no real stake in but sometimes the stories Hattie would tell did surprise her.

"Did you know Firestar used to live here?"

"No way!" Cinderpelt giggles.

"Well not with me, but Smudge knew him. Do you know him?"

"Smudge?"

"No- Firestar."

"Yes, silly- he's ThunderClan's leader."

"O..oh!"

Cinderpelt can't help but laugh at her surprise. Hattie laughs too. She bats Hattie with her tail playfully.

"So when did our gracious leader grant you an audience?"

"Mhm.. Some moons ago- really he'd come to talk with Smudge, but he introduced him to me too. Asked something about if I like to jump and kill birds?"

"Ahh...Yes, I remember that. It must have been around the time he left on that trip with Sandstorm to find SkyClan."

"Oh yes! Smudge said he had a dream about them! Are they like… cats who live in the clouds?"

"That sounds more like StarClan. Though, I couldn't tell you. Firestar was weirdly cagey about the details. I don't see the point in keeping a secret like that!"

Cinderpelt laughs again- there were many qualities to admire about Firestar but his tendency to keep critical details private wasn't one of them. Cinderpelt wasn't shy about giving a hard time over it. Their dynamic certainly had shifted since they were young.

Cinderpelt internally cringed at her past 'crush' on the tom. Really what she'd been romanticizing was the path of a typical clan warrior. Most ThunderClan kits dreamed of becoming warriors after all. Perhaps starting a family. A cling to normalcy- but nothing about her kithood had been normal really. Things were hard for ThunderClan then. The death of a Deputy and a Medicat in short succession. Wars were ongoing on both sides of the border- she and her littermates had been stolen away by one of the tyrant Brokenstar's raids before ThunderClan's past leader Bluestar launched a rescue mission.

With her own apprentice at the helm of the mission was no wonder amid the chaos Firestar was appointed a warrior early- Cinderpelt and her brother made apprentices early as well. Babies training babies. It was hard not to have complicated feelings about it.

Her brothers hadn't talked about it too often. She doubted Brackenfur's quiet resentment and guilt ever fully went away. If he'd been with her on the day of her accident, maybe he thinks he could have stopped her. He'd been so careful with Snowkit too- a devastating day for everyone. Cinderpelt was just thankful Firestar stepped up to mentor him when Graystripe started shirking his duty.

Thornclaw just threw himself into work. Cinderpelt supposed she might have been the most like him. Although she treasured the lessons Yellowfang would teach her- Cinderpelt was thrown into the deep end in regards to her Medicat training as well. Come to find out the RiverClan queen Silverstream had secretly become pregnant with Graystripe's kits- Cinderpelt had to imagine she was one of the youngest Medicat's ever to help a queen give birth. It all happened too soon- Silverstream didn't make it- but her kits Featherpaw and Stormpaw did. It hurt so much at the time, but it felt like the first sign Cinderpelt had been there for a reason.

She and her sister Brightheart however, formed the closest understanding.

It was a terrifying experience when Cloudtail and Firestar brought her sister to her den covered in wounds and blood. She'd been maimed by dogs, lost an eye, and left with scars that would never heal. The sight was enough for Bluestar to take one look and declare her 'Lostface'.

Cloudtail would never forgive her for it. For better or worse, he took it upon himself to get loud when her sister felt she had no voice. Cinderpelt had to admit the tom was an instrumental piece of Brightheart's recovery- although sometimes he'd crowd around too much when they needed space and pick fights when really what Brightheart needed was rest. Bluestar's 'name' was an act of cruelty for sure, but as Cinderpelt had eventually come to accept, also despair- Bluestar's own health had been declining for moons and her paranoia had reached an absolute boiling point. Only Firestar had gotten to see the true 'her' when it came to the end of her life.

One thing they all agreed on for sure was that Brightheart was no lost cause.

"What- he tried to eat the death berries?!" Hattie's eyes went round as Cinderpelt recounted an old story of Cloudtail's error.

"To be fair, he was just a kitten. He didn't know any better. Although… Something similar happened with Sorrelpaw too," Cinderpelt lashes her tail at the memory, "A traitor in our Clan tried to poison her."

"No! To a kitten?!"

"Not on my watch!" Cinderpelt grins.

"Thank goodness!"

Cinderpelt purrs in pride.

Featherpaw, Stormpaw, Cloudtail, Brightheart, Sorrelpaw….

It made Cinderpelt feel powerful knowing they were all still alive because of her. And not to claim too much credit- but Littlecloud had taken up the Medicat calling after she saved him too. Who knew how much butterfly effect that had on saving ShadowClan lives.

Perhaps Cinderpelt could have become a warrior after all- Brightheart had asked her about it when she was training to adjust to fighting with her change in vision. WindClan's deputy, Deadfoot held rank and title in the Clan most known for their running speed despite his similar twisted paw. But as she told her her sister curiosity, fate, and compassion had put Cinderpelt on this path.

Simple acts of compassion can hold so much power.

She held the knowledge and expertise to make the difference between life and death.

Yes… There wasn't anything Cinderpelt would rather be than a Medicat.

One particular visit, Hattie excitedly calls Cinderpelt over, striped tail pointing straight up cheerfully. She holds something small and orange between her paws.

"Usually the birds eat the snails but after hearing your medical stories- I had to try and save this one!"

Cinderpelt leans in to touch her nose to the little snail. The purple petal patch on its head shifts to the side. On closer examination, it seemed the snail only had one eye stalk to begin with. Cinderpelt sees no reason to ruin Hattie's fun with this revelation. It gave her a fuzzy feeling the kittypet was inspired to help a smaller creature in need.

Before she can comment anything though, Cinderpelt feels something warm and gravely graze over her ear. Hattie had started grooming her ear. Hattie's skittish attitude from when they first spoke rears back up after the comfortable moment passes.

"Ah- I know we aren't clanmates, but we can still share tongues... right?"

Cinderpelt lets out an amused 'mrrp' and gives Hattie's head a quick lick in return. "Hmm, of course- we've been doing our own version of that this whole time, haven't we?"

"Right, of course!"

Cinderpelt butts her chin softly under her chin and purrs, settling down to encourage Hattie to continue. She idly watches the snail inch between and over her paws.

"You know, I actually have a snail back in my den too." The gray molly murmurs eventually.

"Really?"

"Yep! I call her Yellowshell. I'll have to bring her by sometime." It was always fun doing the voice for the snail to match her namesake- she was pretty sure if Yellowfang was actually watching her do this she'd be rolling in her grave- one way or another.

"Cute, cute… Oh I'll have to think of a name for this one too! Could you help me pick? I mean- uhm, would it be alright if she gets a forest name to match..?"

Looking over the pale, orange shelled snail, there was another cat that came to mind for Cinderpelt immediately.

"Hm… How about.. Brighteye? There's a lot a little snail can do with just one eye," Cinderpelt winks.

"Ohh, Brighteye… I love you! I mean it- it's a good name!"

Cinderpelt's whiskers twitch in amusement. "I'm glad you like it."

Hattie nods quickly, a sudden nervousness about her. "Well uhm.. Bye!" She says, picking up Brighteye by the shell and hopping over the fence. But she doesn't hear the usual knock of the cat flap when the kittypet goes back inside.

Cinderpelt wondered if something was wrong.

She takes a deep breath and decides to try and get over the fence. Cinderpelt had explained her difficulties with it to Hattie, so they did only meet on the outside now, but her intuition was screaming that something about this moment was important.

The little gray cat eyes her surroundings- perhaps if she climbed onto that fallen branch first it'd be easier than trying to bolt over in one shot. It's a little unsteady- perhaps a bigger cat like Thornclaw would have knocked it down- but it holds and Cinderpelt makes her way up. She catches her breath at the top of the fence and scans the yard. The grass here was trimmed short and clear of the debris- a foreign experience for the forest dwelling cat. The exceptions to this were a row of trees- thankfully close enough to the fence Cinderpelt could use it to enter the yard- and various smaller plants surrounded by red stones. It's there the Medicat spots the purple flowering bush of catmint, and a small shaped ducked under cover of the branches.

Cinderpelt swiftly makes her way over. Hattie sat drooping over her snail glumly, and startled at the other cat's approach.

"Cinderpelt-? You didn't have to come here..!" Hattie exclaims. Cinderpelt comes closer and sits by her side.

"Apparently I did- you didn't give me a chance to say goodbye!" She teases with a friendly nudge.

Hattie laughed a bit but her ears were still drooped.

"Hattie… What's bothering you?" Cinderpelt murmurs in concern.

Hattie takes a deep breath and takes a glance up at the branches. Sunlight filtered through the branches casting soft shadows on the two cats, and a slight breeze made the leaves sway.

"Ah… I was just thinking about this bush. Smudge told me my twolegs planted it after Firestar left. It is a special kind of plant that some cats really like so… I think they must have thought planting it would bring him back home."

Cinderpelt glances around them and back at Hattie, studying her expression. She'd had all kinds of reactions to her stories before but this was never one of them. The Medicat tries smiling in sympathy.

"I'm afraid to say that will never happen. Some cats thought he was running back to the twolegs when he went on that SkyClan mission, but I knew they were wrong. The forest- ThunderClan is his home now."

Hattie laughs lightly, but still doesn't sound happy.

"Oh- yeah- I got that impression from the time he and Smudge came by. He wanted nothing to do with this place. It's sad for my twolegs but they're never going to get him back," Hattie takes a shaky breath, "But lately it's made me wonder if I'm not good enough company for them. They leave for so long sometimes… "

Cinderpelt smiles sympathetically and puts her paw on hers. "Aw… I'm sure that's not your fault- There isn't any better company than you, Hattie."

Hattie perks her ears and stiffens. "Y..you really think so?"

"I just think those twolegs must be crazy if they don't appreciate you."

"Ah- t..they do though- you're right. They also planted all these nice scratching trees for me. I think they're always happy to see me again. And always come to me when I meow at them. I really appreciate them too."

Hattie shuffles her paws a bit.

"I..I guess I've also been thinking about… something some passing cats told me about forest cats- t..that they reject any and all house pets. Cinderpelt, uhm- I don't think I can leave my twolegs- for the forest- e..even for you-"

"Hattie slow down- it's okay… I wouldn't ask you to do that."

"I really like you though…" The tabby whines.

"I've noticed," Cinderpelt grins teasingly, but feels a little bad, and curls her tail around her for comfort, licks her ear, meets her eyes, "Hey- come on, I like you too, Hattie. I'm not just coming by for the flowers any more. I want to see you- and that's more than enough."

Hattie purrs a happy, stunned little chuckle.

"I..I'm not getting you in trouble, am I..?"

"Psh. Even if you were, I'm not afraid of a little trouble. In my opinion, a Medicat's place stretches beyond their Clan's borders. My clanmates don't have to know about these visits."

"Ah.. Cinderpelt… I'm sorry- I know you said you don't like secrets."

Cinderpelt leans in and touches her nose against Hattie's.

"Well Hattie- some secrets can be fun~"

3