[TB] DAWN -- Chapter 22 (Patreon)

<< INDEX || Chapter 21 || Chapter 22 || Chapter 23 >>

At dawn, the Clans began their journey.

“Good luck!” called Ravenpaw. The small black tom stood at the top of Highstones, his eyes bright with sadness and hope as he watched the Clans leave. “StarClan be with you!”

And with you, Stoneheart thought, focusing his eyes forward. Ahead stretched farmland and empty plains crisscrossed with Thunderpaths, unknown territory to just about every cat here. Then there were the mountains, which were a pale gray blur on the horizon.

Beyond was the lake.

Beyond was home.

Stoneheart could feel a mood shift in the cats of the four Clans – where at first, they had been apprehensive and frightened, scared of the Twoleg threat and leaving their home, now there was curiosity and excitement, especially in the apprentices and younger warriors.

Carefully, the cats picked their way down the slope from Highstones and into the thin woods that lay beyond. All of this was unfamiliar to them, though Stoneheart had flashes of recollection from his first journey as they walked, each cat keeping within sight of one another as they spread out between the trees.

“Keep an eye out for herbs,” Littlecloud meowed from near the center. “You never know what might be useful!”

“Rosepaw! Get your nose out of there!” Leafwhisker, a RiverClan warrior, scolded.

The ginger-and-white apprentice pulled her head back from the hole she had been sniffing. “I smelled rabbit!” she announced. “Couldn’t I look?”

“I’d leave it be for now,” advised Poppyfoot, drawing near. The thin she-cat shivered, and said, “We don’t want to risk taking rabbits that might’ve come from the moors.”

Stoneheart expected Leafwhisker to snap at the WindClan cat for speaking to his apprentice like that, but the tabby tom was nodding in agreement. He turned to Rosepaw and meowed, “Rabbits can wait until we’re sure they’re safe.”

“Aw, okay,” Rosepaw sighed.

Stoneheart twitched his whiskers. He watched Leafwhisker and Rosepaw rejoin Root and Tawnypelt up ahead, while Poppyfoot dropped back to relieve Onewhisker in shouldering Tallstar along. Stoneheart hoped for more cooperation like that on the way. We have so much we could learn from one another...

“Stoneheart!”

Stoneheart turned his head, ears pricked. It was Blackfoot who stared back at him from a few fox-lengths away, his yellow eyes narrowed. The ShadowClan deputy ordered, “Take the outer flank! Make sure no one is lost.”

“Of course,” Stoneheart responded, dipping his head.

He moved himself to the outskirts of the cats, putting himself between the Clans and the unknown. Over the chatter of curious cats, Stoneheart could hear other deputies ordering cats to do the same. Conscious of his responsibility, Stoneheart kept his senses open for danger.

A fox might not try to attack us, but that doesn’t mean they won’t pick off a cat or two if they can, he thought grimly. Though they had left the elders behind, cats like Longtail or Brackenfur, or the kits, made easy targets for predators if they were to fall behind – Stoneheart was determined not to lose anyone if he could help it.

“Your face is so serious,” purred Rowanclaw. The dark ginger tom came up close, his shoulder fur brushing against Stoneheart’s side. “What’re you thinking about?”

Stoneheart’s whiskers twitched, and he took in his mate’s scent as their stride matched. “Just making sure we’re all together, that’s all,” he answered.

“Then let me help,” Rowanclaw meowed. “Two pairs of eyes are better than one, after all!”

“Gladly!” Stoneheart felt warm from his ears to his toes, as if the sunlight were greenleaf-strong on his back.

Despite everything, the Twolegs destroying their homes, the cats they’d lost and left behind... they were on their way, finally. Stoneheart couldn’t help but be happy about that – he’d said his good-byes to the forest when Midnight had explained that it was no longer their home. All he had wanted since was to make sure that every cat that could make it to the lake, did.

He peered ahead. Mistyfoot was walking alongside Tinystar at the head of the group, her plumy tail up. The two were talking, clearly, but what about, Stoneheart couldn’t hear. A moment later, though, Tinystar called out – Mudclaw answered, trotting up to the ThunderClan leader.

After another moment, Mudclaw turned back and yowled, “Crowpaw!”

The WindClan apprentice was near the back, walking alongside his mother Ashfoot. His ears pricked at the sound of his name, and he excused himself to trot up to his mentor. “What is it?”

“Fetch Whitetail,” Mudclaw meowed, “tell her that the two of you are to scout ahead. Understand?”

“Got it,” Crowpaw answered, blinking.

He turned from Mudclaw and wove through the trees. Stoneheart watched him approach a small white she-cat, and, after a quick explanation, the two took off, speeding ahead of the group. Stoneheart felt a flash of pride for the WindClan apprentice – such a task would likely have been meant for a warrior, but Crowpaw was a very experienced apprentice, and Stoneheart was glad that it seemed like Mudclaw was valuing that experience.

———————————————————

It was sunhigh before Crowpaw and Whitetail returned with news. By then, the Clans were taking a moment to rest – they had come to the edge of the woods beyond Highstones, and what lay ahead was rolling hills and moorland that stretched on into forever.

The route would be treacherous if the cats weren’t careful. Stoneheart recalled how steep some of these hills were, with some having hidden drops on the other side, instead of gentle slopes. Still, spirits were high, especially among the WindClan cats. They seemed ecstatic to see unspoiled moorland again.

“There’s a Thunderpath ahead.” This close together, Stoneheart could hear Crowpaw’s report. “It’s looking pretty busy.”

“What do we do, then?” Mistyfoot asked. She turned her head, looking for advice, and her eyes caught on Stoneheart. “Stoneheart?”

Stoneheart’s ears pricked at the sound of his name. He’d been resting with Rowanclaw, and he lifted his muzzle from his mate’s sore pads to get a better look at his sister. “What is it?” he mewed.

“A Thunderpath,” Mistyfoot answered. “A busy one. What do you think?”

Whitetail frowned, her tail twisting. “Shouldn’t we talk to the leaders about this...?” she wondered.

Stoneheart felt a prickle in his fur, and Mistyfoot’s whiskers twitched awkwardly.

“The leaders chose Mistyfoot to take charge,” Crowpaw pointed out brusquely. He stretched, then added, “And I can’t think of a cat better suited to problem-solve than Stoneheart.”

Whitetail looked uncertain. The small she-cat got to her paws and trotted into the crowd, clearly heading for the Clan leadership. A flash of frustration lit Stoneheart’s fur – didn't she trust Mistyfoot, after all she had done so far? Stoneheart felt Rowanclaw brush up against him.

“Rude,” Rowanclaw remarked. “What do you think, though?”

Stoneheart frowned. He looked to Crowpaw, and asked, “How busy was it?”

“Lots of monsters, all going very fast,” the smoky black cat reported. “There were some breaks, but I don’t think it’d be safe to take a large group across.”

“How wide?” Mistyfoot wondered.

“Just two monsters wide,” Crowpaw explained, “but still...” His gaze traveled over the crowd of cats around them. “I don’t know if we can do it safely.”

“We should wait, then,” Stoneheart suggested. He looked to Mistyfoot and pointed out, “The monsters grow slower around dusk.”

“That’s a long time to wait,” Mistyfoot remarked, her gaze uncertain. “It’s only sunhigh.”

Rowanclaw put in, “What does it matter how long now? We’ve enough warriors to fight off predators. As long as we make it to the lake, that’s what’s important. I’d rather do that in once piece.”

“I know,” Mistyfoot agreed, “but some cats might not see it that way – and we need to consider the mountains. How long can we afford to wait before the trails close up with snow and we can’t pass through until greenleaf? It would take ages to find a way across that doesn’t involve going through a Twolegplace. If we wait it out, all four Clans in a small location will hunt the place dry in a half-moon! Not to mention our squabbling with one another...”

Stoneheart could see the anxiety in his sister’s eyes. “I don’t think a few hours will make much of a difference,” he soothed. “We knew the timing would be tight from the start – I’m willing to risk it if it means we don’t get separated by Thunderpaths, or worse – hit by monsters.”

Mistyfoot stared into his eyes, for a moment. He could tell she was considering his words carefully, weighing them against her own thoughts. Finally, she dipped her head, and meowed, “Alright, I’ll tell-”

“What’s going on here?” The gruff voice cut into Mistyfoot’s words. Stoneheart sighed, and turned his head – Mudclaw was there, his tail twisted and his eyes narrowed. The dark brown tabby was clearly not pleased, and he growled, “Well?”

“We’re trying to think of how to tackle a Thunderpath up ahead,” Mistyfoot meowed, her tone careful. “We think-”

“You should have told us first,” Mudclaw snapped.

Mistyfoot flattened her ears. Stoneheart stepped forward, squaring his shoulders at the WindClan deputy. “You appointed Mistyfoot the head of this journey,” he growled back, defensive of his sister. “Are you going to let her make decisions or not?”

Mudclaw bristled. “Watch your tone, ShadowClan!” His voice was drawing onlookers now, several cats lifting their heads from their own conversations to observe what was happening.

Stoneheart unsheathed his claws, digging them into the dirt despite wanting to strike at Mudclaw’s face. He knew it would do no good for the situation, though. Did Mudclaw really have to be so obstinate?

A thin, railing voice rose from within the crowd: “Mudclaw! Enough!”

It was Tallstar. The black-and-white tom seemed to have gained some strength, for he hobbled up to his deputy and cuffed him around the ear with a shaky paw. Mudclaw winced and stepped back, nearly ramming into Leopardstar, Tinystar, and Russetstar, who were approaching as well.

Mudclaw whipped around, looking scandalized. “She was making decisions without our knowledge,” he explained, glaring from the leaders to Mistyfoot. “That wasn’t what we agreed!”

“If you would’ve let me finish,” Mistyfoot said patiently. “I was going to say that I would bring it up to the rest of you.” She looked to the Clan leaders imploringly, and added, “I might know a lot about the world outside the forest, but I would never do something like this without your knowledge or opinions.”

“See? Everything is fine,” Tinystar mewed to Mudclaw, his tone like little claws at the cat who was harassing his warrior. To Mistyfoot, he offered, his tone suddenly less sharp, “Now, tell us what’s happening... Whitetail mentioned a Thunderpath?”

Mistyfoot nodded, and then went into her explanation of what they might do. When she spoke of waiting till dusk, there was clearly some hesitation on the faces of the Clan leaders – and Mudclaw especially looked annoyed by the idea – but by the time she was done, she had Tallstar and Leopardstar, even, nodding along.

“We have young kits among us to consider,” Leopardstar meowed when Mistyfoot was done. Her pale gaze flickered into the crowd, where Dawnflower was herding her kittens before they got lost among the many cats surroundign them. “We can’t expect them to charge across a Thunderpath with the rest of us.”

“I certainly don’t want to lose anyone to a monster,” added Russetstar. She wrapped her tail around her paws. “I’m for this plan.”

“Do you know how busy the other Thunderpaths might be?” Tinystar asked, his eyes flashing between Mistyfoot, Crowpaw, and Stoneheart.

“There were only a few busy Thunderpaths,” Stoneheart recalled. “Most were far more relaxed during daylight hours, not to mention smaller. I think waiting now will save us time in the future.”

“Agreed,” Crowpaw grunted.

“Then we wait,” Tinystar decided. “Mudclaw, spread the word. Crowpaw, was there a spot we might take shelter near the Thunderpath?”

Crowpaw nodded. “There was a small patch of woods not far away. Decent coverage, possibly some prey, and a ditch with running water that goes under the Thunderpath. We could rest there.”

Stoneheart couldn’t help but slide away from the conversation now that everything seemed to be settled. Mudclaw’s movements caught Stoneheart’s eye as the dark brown tabby slipped away from the leaders, slinking towards Blackfoot and Tawnypelt. After a moment of conversing with the other two deputies, he let them go, sitting down on his haunches.

“He probably feels like a kitten who just ate mouse bile,” Rowanclaw remarked. Stoneheart felt his mate’s flank twitch with a chuckle of amusement. “Tallstar has some bite left after all! That’s good to know.”

“Yes,” Stoneheart agreed. But for how long? Mudclaw was clearly trying to put himself into Tallstar’s spot now that it was clear WindClan’s leader was on his last legs – trying to be the strong cat his Clan would need when the time came. There was some merit to that, Stoneheart figured, and perhaps Mudclaw did deserve some additional respect for the troublesome position he was in, but wasn’t he pushing too hard?

A gray cat stepped up to the WindClan deputy, settling down beside him to talk. Falcontail.

Stoneheart tensed. He didn’t like the way that Falcontail’s tail twisted and turned, or the look in his eye. He recalled Feathertail’s wariness of him when he was RiverClan’s deputy, and worried.

Cats from all four Clans were conversing with one another right now, as if borders meant nothing, so why did Falcontail talking to Mudclaw make Stoneheart feel so uncomfortable?