Chapter 90: Adapt and Recover

I awoke at dawn, as was my custom by this point. Drowsily, I drudged my way out of the warriors den to let the light of the rising dawn wake me. Warm yellow light greeted my face, warming me and piercing through the gaps between my eyelids. I winced slightly as I turned my head to avoid being blinded by the light, letting my eyes adjust. Then, I realized something. Why had I seen with both eyes? I was still wearing that eye patch last I remembered. I idlily scratched my face, trying to recall what could have happened. I'm not the type to just lose things. I'm a rather still sleeper. I just couldn't wrap my head around the mystery until a certain white warrior and apprentice caught my eye. It was Cloudtail and Brightpaw. Noticably, Cloudtail had something green wrapped around his head. It took me a moment to register. Wait a minute. That's my eyepatch! I almost bristled in anger before the cool feeling of logic settled my rage. He's just trying to understand and help Brightpaw. I don't appreciate that he stole from me, but he didn't have malicious intent in his actions.

I began padding my way over to the pair, knowing I'd still be giving Cloudtail a scolding for thieving. It just wouldn't do for our warriors to believe that they can swipe something without permission.

"Cloudtail. I notice that you appear to be wearing something of mine." I mewed in a calm and flat tone.

Sheepishly Cloudtail replied. "Yeah. I just wanted to feel how Brightpaw felt, so I could help her. It really puts things in perspective."

I gave him a cold look as I put him in his place. "I agree. It is a useful tool. Seeing as you deemed yourself somehow wiser than me and yourself more important, you may keep the patch. In fact, I want to see you wearing it every single day until Brightpaw gets her name. I want you to remember and understand this. Stealing from anyone is a mistake. Stealing from me will result in punishment. If you had waited for me to wake up and asked me to allow you use of the patch, I would have let you. Since you decided to go over my head, this can now stay on yours."

Cloudtail wilted under my chastisement. He looked thoroughly embarrassed and scared. It was then that Ravenfeather made his way over.

"That was a little harsh Smudgefoot. Don't you think that was a bit too far?" He asked with a bit of concern.

"Maybe so." I relented, "but I've been far too lenient to that generation of apprentices. I gave Cloudtail what he wanted, a better understanding of Brightpaw. He will have to live with only seeing out of one eye, regardless of his own wishes. For him, using the patch was just a game, something to discard from his memory because it was something he could remove at will. Now it is not so. He will remember it and better understand his friend. It is both a punishment and boon in one."

I felt Ravenfeather press into my side lovingly. "I did not know you were thinking so far ahead. I apologize for thinking you were lashing out at Cloudtail. You were just thinking of their bond and how to better strengthen it. My dear Smudgefoot, always looking to fix and improve everything he cares for. It is a shame I'm not a molly because you'd make a great father." Ravenfeather purred.

Ravenfeather and I decided to check in on Longtail and Swiftpaw to see how his recovery was going. We found them about to head out for a training session.

"Mind if we tag along?" I queried in an upbeat tone. "I want to see how Swiftpaw's recovery is going."

"Go ahead." Longtail cheerfully answered. "We've been working hard to deal with Swiftpaw's handicap. I'm sure you'll be impressed. He's almost back up to where he was before his injury, and I'm sure he'll earn his name soon."

I saw Swiftpaw's ears perk at the praise. Looking closely at the apprentice, I did notice he was a bit more muscularly developed than before he was wounded. He kept a fast trot, but his breathing was even and paced. Likely he could keep it for a whole patrol without stops without tiring. We approached the training clearing and trotted into the center. Swiftpaw sank to the ground, keeping himself from flopping over. His posture still showed readiness. He was capable of getting up and sprinting in a near instant. Longtail had him demonstrate by having his run a couple sprints from resting position. He'd have beat me in a race.

Longtail then moved on to combat training. I got to witness Swiftpaw's new style in a practice bout. Here's the thing. When Swiftpaw is at rest, he looks vulnerable. It just itches your mind that way where you get greedy and go for the easy victory. Swiftpaw abuses this with his frankly astonishing speed. He burst from his resting position, hits you immediately with a stunner while repositioning to an advantageous position. Funnily enough, Swiftpaw's condition does not prevent him from wrestling. In fact, because he is always operating every limb of his body, his opponent is even more thoroughly pummeled. Even when they get a pin on him, relaxing one's muscles makes one's self especially slippery. It is also incredibly difficult to do for someone who has regular control over their body. Swiftpaw is an exception, knowing simple going still relaxes him entirely allowing him an unusual amount of flexibility. It distinctly reminded me of a snake, no, the snake I and Mapleshade used to fell that dog. He looks unassuming, and that is his opponent's greatest mistake.

There was one last thing to witness with Swiftpaw. I needed to see him hunt. This was the one major thing he hadn't recovered. While Swiftpaw was still as skilled in sensing prey as usual, his body physically could not slowly stalk his prey. Longtail explained how they experimented with seeing how slow Swiftpaw could handle. The slowest was a brisk walk. It just would not do for prowling. Instead, Longtail and Swiftpaw devised a new means of hunting, where Swiftpaw would trot at an angle from his target prey, closing the distance while appearing to not be hunting the prey. At the closest point, Swiftpaw would sprint at the prey, running it down and catching it. It was not the most efficient hunting method, but it was likely the only one Swiftpaw would get. I suggested using a bit of zigzagging to allow them to get a tiny bit closer before beginning the chase. Prey isn't usually that smart, and as long as something isn't so close or coming directly at it, it'll typically ignore the movement. The hunting technique could use some refining, but it was a clear sign of progress.

We returned to camp around midday. Everything seemed calm and peaceful until Brackenfur came running in looking clearly distressed. Fireheart made his appearance as Brackenfur made his report.

"Smudgefoot! I found… There's been… Tigerstar…" He wheezed in panic.

"Calm yourself and speak slowly Brackenfur. You are safe here." I commanded.

Brackenfur took a moment to breath and settle his nerves before answering. "I was out on a hunt when I thought I scented a rabbit. I tracked it down only to find it already dead. It stank of Shadowclan. The strange thing was that I could smell more rabbit than what was here. I tracked it only to find another dead rabbit scented the same. There were three of them before I found… I found… I found Brindleface, shoved beneath a bush. I probably would have just passed her by if it weren't for the Shadowclan scent. She… was already dead. She didn't go down quietly. I could smell Tigerstar on her claws. I'm sorry I didn't find her sooner."

There was another cat dead at Tigerstar's claws, and something told me that wasn't all Tigerstar intended. The fur on my back rose with uneasiness as I pieced together what Tigerstar's vile plan envisioned. We'd have to act fast if we wanted to avoid a bloodbath.