A Misty Path (A Warrior Cats Fanfiction)

Chapter 32

"Help - please, Wilt's -" Cinder choked, glancing down at the stumbling elderly tomcat leaning on his and Holly's shoulders. Mistflower's blood ran cold. He looked sick. Like, really sick. His dark pelt was practically sagging off his bones, his green eyes dull and watery.

"We need your help, Speckledleaf," Holly meowed desperately. "Please. You - you know herbs and medicine stuff, right?"

Speckledleaf sighed. "I'll see what I can do, but..." her voice trailed off and she gazed back at the Twoleg den was, where the RiverClan camp and the more experienced Mistlefrost was.

Something suddenly dawned onto Mistflower. "Wait - how do you know each other?"

Whitefrost perked up, looking alarmed, but Speckledleaf merely flicked her tail dismissively. "Don't worry about it," she meowed, a clear signal to the rest of the group not to say anything. "I'll head back and try find you some herbs -"

"Couldn't you take us with you?" Holly asked, a desperate plea in her mew.

"Huh - wait, Holly, no, remember what the leader of their clan said?" Cinder glanced over at his companion, eyes fearful.

Holly bristled, her ears lying flat. "Why, though?" she argued. "We saved them. It's only right that they return the favour."

"Even so," Whitefrost cut in, his eyes narrow. "I don't think you understand the gravity of our situation. We can't afford to house more sick cats -"

"But we saved you," Holly hissed, sounding angry now. "After all we did for you? You're just going to leave us like this? What happened to your honourable warrior code -?"

"Alright, alright!" Speckledleaf shot both arguing cats a glare. "Fine. Come on. Mistlefrost won't turn down a sick patient. Your father or whatever, he'll get help. No matter our situation." She shot one last look at Whitefrost, before turning and leading the group in the direction of the temporary camp.

Mistflower just stood there, quite dumbfounded by the whole situation. Something wasn't sitting right with her, but she ignored it and turned to the bristling white warrior. "We gonna go hunting, or...?"

Whitefrost snorted. "No point anymore," he meowed dully, but regardless he turned and brisked off into the undergrowth.

Mistflower twitched an ear, frowning in confusion, but decided to follow Speckledleaf and the rogues back to camp. As she caught up with them, she heard Holly muttering something under her breath to Cinder, who was nodding sympathetically, Speckledleaf too far away to hear. "- not my father, why does everyone keep - oh, hullo. Mistflow, right?"

"Mistflower," corrected the silver warrior. "And sorry if I interrupted your... conversation." She phrased the furious mutterings the golden she-cat was growling as politely as she could.

Holly sighed. "No, it's fine, I just..." Her green eyes narrowed, Cinder suspiciously oblivious and ignorant at her side, staring at a limp green weed in front of them as if it was the most fascinating thing he'd ever laid eyes upon (she sincerely hoped it wasn't). "Wilt's not my father. Well - he's not Cinder's father either, he's too - um - old for that, but they're related." A tone of bitterness crept into her voice, and she lowered it as if the tomcat she was talking about wasn't right next to her and could hear everything she was saying. "Cinder was born into a family of travelling cats. Rogues, you clan cats call them. I was born a kittypet. Brought up in a Twoleg shelter, raised on Twoleg-crafted food, slept in Twoleg-made nests." She flicked her tail, agitated. "I remember hearing about clan cats when I was little more than a kit. The life of a warrior... it sounded so..." She let out a breathy laugh. "Well... I suppose it just sounded cool to me. I was too young to understand what fighting for a clan really meant but... family? That was something I wanted. Something I still long for, to this day. I mean... found family? It sounds... odd. Before we met, Cinder never really knew anyone outside of his direct relatives. While I never knew who my real blood family was." Her eyes sparkled, and her voice grew melodic, enthusiastic even. "You clan cats have it the best. One big family who you grow up with, regardless of who shares blood. One giant happy group of cats who all support and look out for each other."