Heart Of A Fighter (Book 1): The Story Begins

Chapter 15: Old Memories

"What's the matter with you?"

Goslingpaw snapped out of her trance when Chervilsky suddenly poked her shoulder with a claw. "H-huh?" "Are you trying to grow another forest in our nests or something?" She replied sarcastically.

Goslingpaw's eyes went wide and she looked down to see that her paws were surrounded with curling tendrils with leaves growing on them.

Many similar ones had sprouted all over the den too, and, much to her dismay, were sprouting on the walls as well.

During the past moon that dragged by, her plant-manipulating powers seemed to be growing stronger and stronger still. And they showed no signs of slowing down.

She yelped and quickly withdrew her paws, and the plants stopped growing immediately.

"I'm so sorry, I-I don't know why my powers are doing this-!" Cloudflower quickly treaded over and rested her tail on the Littlepaw's back.

"And nobody's blaming you," she added gently with her soft, soothing voice.

Murmurs of agreement and sympathy echoed from the other Prickles, except for Hazepaw, who stared at her, facial expression contorted into one of thought.

"Come to think of it, I think I may know why you have those powers to begin with," he suddenly mewed.

Five pairs of eyes turned to stare at him, and he pulled himself up into a comfortable sitting position and arched his tail back.

"Back before my mentor was exiled, I met his mate and she'd told me about a tribe of mystical winged cats with powers like no other."

"They could bend water and fire, turn the calmest winds into shrieking gales, raise their voices to sonic volumes and sing a cat to death, send plants and rocks shooting through the ground and charm snakes into doing their bidding."

Goslingpaw's jaw dropped. "You're kidding!" The former Titanpaw shook his head.

"Am not. The DenFolk pet, she said her name was Morning Glory, could manipulate fire. She could twist beautiful flames from her paws, and embers and sparks would dance across her pelt at night when it was too dark to see. They were like fireflies, those sparks!"

His gaze flickered with those long-ago memories like minnows in a pool of starshine. "Woah..." Goslingpaw couldn't help but marvel at his words.

"Morning Glory also mentioned that cats with those powers would have symbols on their shoulders that represented their element. Those sigils that appeared on your shoulders represent your ability to manipulate plants and your ability to raise your voice to the heavens," Hazepaw mewed.

Goslingpaw blinked as she turned her head and glanced down at the weird shapes that appeared on her shoulders.

"But... Dovetail doesn't have any element like that," Goslingpaw mewed in confusion. "Shouldn't Swanpaw also have something similar?"

Hazepaw shrugged. "Don't know. Apparently your dad was Morning Glory's stepbrother, that's how you got those elements," he answered nonchalantly. Goslingpaw's eyes went wide. "So... dad had powers..?"

"He probably did, but he never showed it. I did wonder why Blazeclaw wore some DenFolk collar thing over his eyes and back though, his elements were probably why," yawned Hazepaw.

"It always seemed weird to me that he had plants growing in his nest all the time and that he would also adorn his pelt with ferns and leaves if given the chance. I'm going to go out on a limb and take a wild guess that he grew them there himself."

Hazepaw paused, then chuckled. "Crowcall even said he had the voice of a lion; I overheard that he scared off a badger by letting out the loudest caterwaul in the forest."

The Littlepaw smiled, but then got up to her paws immediately, and asked the next biggest question on her mind. "Did... did Dovetail ever know about the powers dad had?"

This time, Poppystreak answered her instead. "Apparently not, because if she did she'd be treating you like how she treats your spoiled sister and Swanpaw like a maggot-infested wren. When Blazeclaw died she was so upset she only curled herself around Swanpaw and kicked you out the nursery."

Goslingpaw felt her heart breaking again. "Surely... surely she wasn't that bad?" She tried to reason, even though she knew it wasn't true in the slightest.

"She was. The day after Blazeclaw died she publicly announced that Swanpaw was her only daughter because you, and I quote, cursed him and caused him to die since he'd last been with you before he passed," Poppystreak replied, shaking her head sadly.

"You were only one and a half moons old, yet she told Swanpaw to stay away from you because you were a curse and an eyesore and wouldn't raise you at all," Rabbithum sighed remorsefully.

Goslingpaw felt like frigid talons were shredding her heart apart. "She...she did?"

Chervilsky nodded. "She refused to let you nurse at her belly. When you tried she'd kick you away and tell you to get lost because there wouldn't be enough milk for Swanpaw. The only reason you're still alive and kicking wasn't just because of Azuregale, but because one of the Nettles nursed you instead."

Goslingpaw stopped. A Nettle... had nursed her? Not a Shine?

"Who nursed me?" She asked, staring in astonishment at the former Nettle.

Chervilsky thought for a moment. "I think her name was Aldertrail. She immediately said she'd nurse you if no cat would and one of the Shines, Chanterellestreak, agreed to help her if Aldertrail's milk didn't flow."

It felt like someone had splashed ice-cold water on her face.

Aldertrail had nursed her.

Her own mentor.

"Aldertrail nursed me?" "She did. She was the only one who argued to nurse you. Azuregale never told Cougarstar about it because he has at least SOME decency, and Chanterellestreak covered up for Aldertrail by pretending to nurse you when the leaders were around. A good actor she was, too," Cloudflower meowed.

Goslingpaw stared at the Prickles in shock, her paws feeling like they were frozen to the ground.

"W-what else happened when I was a kit?"

Rabbithum flicked an ear and answered, "Aldertrail also argued with the Leader to mentor you when your future in the tribe was being discussed and Cougarstar decided you'd be a Nettle. There's a rumour that she wanted kits but could never bear them so she wanted to try raising you instead to become a strong and confident Nettle."

Goslingpaw gasped.

Now she understood why Aldertrail had cared for her whereas the other healers only said a word or two to her or never interacted with her at all.

Aldertrail loved her like she was her own daughter. Quickly excusing herself and saying goodbye to the Prickles, she ran back to the Nettlecave to search for one cat.

"Aldertrail?"