Cats of Amari - Version 2

Chapter Six

Scorchspark was woken by a sharp prod. Emberflare stood over him. "Emberflare?" He yawned, stretching. "Shouldn't you be resting?" He sat up, shaking his fur. Emberflare began turning away, her back moving with surprisingly sleek movements. The gash on her neck still glistened with blood, and it was stiff despite the smooth waves of her tail and jibes of her paws as she kneaded her claws in the ground. She seemed happy and frustrated at the same time, filling Scorchspark with confusion.

    "Well, I'm your leader now, so I can't waste my time with that. I need to be getting on with more important tasks, and so do you, like―"

    "Emberflare, what are you talking about?"

    "Oh, it's Emberstar now." Emberflare responded, turning back to the ginger tom from where she now stood at the entrance to the den. The others were beginning to wake around him, and Scorchspark realized for the first time that Webwhisker wasn't in his nest. "SolarClan--they're our new ancestors--came to me in a dream." Her eyes sparked, and she raised her chin with pride. "They gave me my nine lives. I'm the leader." Scorchspark blinked in astonishment, uncertain of what to say.

    "W-Well!" He finally managed to stammer. "That--That's amazing!" The others were now fully awake, and Scorchspark saw a black-and-white pelt heading towards the den. Tigerfur pushed himself up, sitting and smiling at his daughter.

    "What'll be your first act as leader?"

    "We're naming the Clan EmberClan." Emberstar meowed. "And Tigerfur, you're the medicine cat." Tigerfur blinked, then dipped his head.

    "Very well," He meowed. "I'm honored to be chosen. I'll serve the Clan with my life."

    "I'll choose the deputy once we've gotten some more matters out of the way," Emberstar continued, and Tigerfur stood, flicking his tail. Twigtail's stubby half-tail swished the floor, weary happiness glittering in her eyes. Slatepelt's eyes were closed and his chest-fur was trembling, as if he were attempting to purr. Flowerfern shifted, smiling softly, but she was clearly uncomfortable. Scorchspark was still stunned at the unexpected announcement, and Webwhisker now stood beside the new Clan leader, somehow more calm than the other six, as if he had seen this coming. Scorchspark narrowed his eyes, wondering if the tom had already been told of this. A growl began to grow in his throat, but he pushed it down and instead stood with Tigerfur.

    "What would you like to do, then, Emberstar?" He asked.

    "We'll start naming what'll be important to the Clan. Then we'll begin digging dens, starting with the medicine den." She paused, raising a paw and glancing over at Tigerfur. "You've finished the nursery, yes?" The brown tabby nodded.

    "Yes, I finished it not too long ago." Emberstar nodded in response.

    "Alright, so we'll start with the medicine den and we'll see how things go from there. Once all the dens are finished, we'll need to recruit more cats if we want to have any realistic chance at becoming a proper Clan." Twigtail nodded slowly, giving a silent agreement. "So," She slipped back into the den and looked towards Twigtail, padding over to her. "What importance should lie in this camp?" Twigtail paused, then rasped,

    "Well..." She cleared her throat, which seemed to make her voice much less rough. "There's the announcement area. Usually a rock, but since we don't have one, I suggest the big tree at the edge of camp. It's tall, an amazing vantage point, and has sturdy branches. You could definitely stand on one of them to make your announcements. The roots behind it could make a good den, if you weave some bracken and pad down the sharp edges with moss."

    "Alright," Emberstar flicked her bushy tail. "What else?"

    "Well, an area for fresh-kill--which we have. We have a dirtplace, too, but we'll need a burial place. Of course, not inside the camp, but, well, you understand. As for the dens, you'll need a nursery--which we have--an apprentices' den, a warriors' den, a medicine den--which you know to work on--and an elder's den. As I said earlier, the tree-roots should provide a good den for you."