Naming Clay

Chapter Five

Over the next moon Clay grew. He lost the last vestiges of his pup fluff, his face sharpened, snout narrowed, chest and shoulders broadened, and pelt grew coarser. He was a miniature Ripper now, minus the scars, and not even that miniature. He figured he had surpassed Haywood in height and size now, though it was a theory only since he hadn't seen his friend in a moon. He'd also stopped having the night terror of drowning in a pit of clay, which he considered a win.

It turned out that Firash had been right from the beginning, the two could and had learned a lot from each other. Gotu kola wasn't the only herb Firash used. Firash knew the whereabouts of useful healing herbs in the jungle and in the desert. He showed Clay where to find pelargonium, a flower which stood as tall as Clay when he was balancing on his hindlegs with long, heart-shaped leaves forming a rosette with striking purple or black flowers. Firash had sought it out when he'd developed a dry, creaking cough. Within three days of taking pelargonium the cough was gone. Clay's own injury had healed by that time as well and he was amazed that a simple plant could cure illness.

"I mean I've heard the ancient myths. My mother told me them when I was a pup." Clay told Firash one day at dusk as they strolled along the tree line. "In them some meer were called healers but it was never said how they healed others. I assumed it was all just stories to entertain us."

"What are these legends?" Firash asked with interest.

Clay swept his tail at a dragonfly perched on a bending blade of grass. It shot into the air, wings a shimmer of movement, body a cobalt flash. He snapped it in his jaws and swallowed it in one gulp, spitting out a thread of wing that caught in his teeth. "You don't want to hear those, they're pure fantasy."

"Nothing is pure fantasy." The leopard insisted, his ears flicking forward. The dusky light cast a red glow over the desert that dyed Firash's tawny fur blood orange and his spots deep black.

Clay shook out his pelt and sighed. "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." He explained the legend of the Firstbloods, how one meer, one greatwing, one clawbeast, one rainbird, one black fox, and one cobra had all been friends long ago. They survived together, supported each other, until the cobra betrayed the others. He spoke of how the first family of meerkats, First Family, itself had splintered and divided after moons of hardship. He even delved into some of the lesser myths, Daylight meeting the sun and Darkness crossing a vast lake that spanned most of the desert.

Firash's amber gaze shone with curiosity as night fell. "Do the other creatures descended from your Firstbloods have similar lore?"

"I never really thought about it." Clay shrugged. "Maybe."

Firash gave him a playful swat from a huge paw that Clay ducked and returned. "I now know the names of Star and Death Bringer, Darkness and Daylight, from your legends and Click, Suri, and Haywood from your family, yet you have not told me yours. Why is that?"

It was true, Clay had never offered the leopard his name, but this was the first time he'd been asked why. "I don't know what it is anymore." He admitted, voice quiet.

Firash uttered a thoughtful hum. "Well, let me know when you find it."

Clay blinked at him, tiger eyes bright with gratitude, thankful that his friend hadn't judged him. "You don't find it strange?"

"What strange?"

"That I don't have a name."

Firash smiled and swished his tail over Clay's back, an action that Clay had determined was a form of affection for cats. "You have a name."