Jayfeather's Curse

Chapter 18

"Lilypaw! You're back!" I hear Shimmerkit squeal and I open my eyes to see him standing right over me. Him and his sister are bouncing up and down in anticipation, but of what I couldn't tell.

"Hey you two! I missed you! What are you so excited about?" I ask and they give each other a knowing glance. I look around and realize what happened. "Did Jayfeather go to the barn? I knew I should've told him not to," I suppress a growl at his stupidity. What makes him think the fox hasn't returned? There's no way he could fight off the fox by himself.

"Yes! He said there's a chance we can go back to the clans! I'm so excited!" Shimmerkit squeals and I feel like cuffing Jayfeather's ears for getting the kits so excited. I don't want to be the person who crushes their spirits if it's the wrong barn.

"Well you two, let's head out there and see if we can catch Jayfeather on the way," I mew and they resume their bouncing. I roll my eyes and head out of the cave trying to follow Jayfeather's scent.

He was clearly following the right path and I can't help but wonder how he is able to get around so easily being a blind cat. I knew that, if I were to lose my sight, that I would just retire to the elder's den and chat with them all day. I've always loved their stories.

"Lilypaw, what was your favorite task to do as a kit?" Shimmerkit asks and I twitch my whiskers.

"Well, I was always fond of anything that had to do with the elder's den. Replacing their moss, pulling their ticks, or just spending time in there. Their stories always fascinated me and I picked up on a lot of their wisdom. I guess it helped me a lot while I was alone out here," I take a look at the two kits, who barely pass as kits anymore, and realize that I was about their size when I first found them. "Did you know that I was about your size when I started to take care of you?"

"No way!" Willowkit exclaims. "I would never be able to take care of a kit! They're too squirmy and energetic. I think I'm getting old."

"Well if you're getting old, then I'm ancient," Jayfeather mews, falling into step beside Willowkit.

"Jayfeather! You're back! Was that the barn you thought it was?" Willowkit inquires, looking up admiringly at him.

"I believe it was. I didn't want to get too close to it without the support of my two little warriors," he teases the kits with a flick of his tail, "But I'm fairly sure that it's the correct one. The scents seem familiar."

"Well, it's now or never I guess. I hope everyone is ready for the walk ahead of us," I mew and excitement flares in the kits' eyes. "Keep close to me though, you never know when a fox will sneak up on you." And with that, they line up on both sides of me.

As we're walking, I feel my nerves increasing. It's been a long time since I've been back in the clans. I worry that I won't be prepared to live with that many cats again. I've gotten used to hunting and providing for four cats.

I can tell Jayfeather can sense my anxiety, because he asks, "What's on your mind?"

"I just don't know whether I'm ready to enter clan life again. I haven't been around large numbers of cats in forever, and everyone had probably moved on without me. All my friends should be warriors now, and I was barely an apprentice when I left. I still have six moons of training ahead of me when I return, if they let me back into the clan."

"They will let you back in. The clan was in such disarray when you disappeared. Dovewing was trying to make me appear in your dream every night. I almost cuffed her ears off," Jayfeather jokes, and my whiskers twitched.

"Thanks Jayfeather. I just always imagined returning with Stream alongside us. We became so close after being together for that moon, and I think Dovewing wouldn't be as mad if I came home with a mate," I joke, but quickly realize that it didn't go over well with him.