Battlecats - The Path to the Trees

Chapter 5

          Nothing too exciting had happened in the following days of Gingerkit and Goldenkit's exploration of the territory. Gingerkit had only heard so much gossip about her and received many teasing jabs from Viperkit and a few of the young battlecats.

          She now sat in the seniors' den, listening to some of Tallbriar and Mothshadow's stories, while also avoiding the eyes of her teasing podmates. Gingerkit had always been interested in their tales. The other kits never wanted to listen, they would scowl in disgust and say they were boring, finding battlekit moves and stories more interesting. Not her. She enjoyed them. They were enthralling and the seniors themselves seemed to enjoy her company.

          Her favorite was about Fallenheart. The day he was dragged into the grounds as a battlekit, bloodied, scarred, and unconscious after being hit by a rumbler.

          "It was horrible..." Mothshadow meowed, her mew grim. "You couldn't even see the right side of his face; it was so battered..."

          "At first we had thought he'd lost his eye and his entire ear; it was just hanging when they dragged him through the holly." Tallbriar added, closing her eyes as if perfectly picturing the scene in her mind.

          "How could he have survived?" Gingerkit inquired, scooting closer, her ears pricked with interest.

          "Graycloud..." Mothshadow replied, sadness filled her mew. "She leapt in front of him at the last moment and took most of the impact."

          Gingerkit gasped, "Did she survive afterward, or did the rumbler kill her?" Tallbriar shook her head solemnly, "When they found her, she was breathing, barely, but when she arrived back at the podgrounds there was nothing Spiderleap or Coldeyes could do..." The old she-cats voice trailed off for a moment. "All her ribs had been broken and her legs were mangled so badly they knew she would never be able to walk again if she had survived."

          Mothshadow nodded in agreement, "It was especially hard news for Archear, Graycloud was the last of his living kin."

          Gingerkit's head tipped to one side, "But I thought Fallenheart and Fluffpelt were his littermates...aren't they?" Tallbriar shook her head, "No, Graycloud raised Fallenheart and Fluffpelt but she didn't give birth to them. Hollowtail, Fluffpelt and Fallenheart's mother, contracted redcough soon after they were born."

          "Graycloud offered to care for them and Dusklight was very grateful." Tallbriar continued. "If it hadn't been for her, Fallenheart and Fluffpelt would have never grown into such fine battlecats." Her resounding purr echoed around the den. Mothshadow joined in.

          "That's such a scary story." Gingerkit whispered, her fur spiking nervously.

          "Yes, it is quite a scary story. But life isn't easy for us pod cats and there isn't much we can do about it. You will see blood and death but it's a part of our way of life and you will have to learn to live with it and accept it." Mothshadow meowed sternly. Gingerkit nodded quickly, not breaking eye contact with the old, wise she-cat.

          "So that rumor..." Gingerkit began quietly. "About Fallenheart killing Graycloud...it's not true?" She looked up at the two aging she-cats, who glanced at each other and purred half-heartedly.

          "Of course it's not true," Tallbriar meowed, "it was stirred up by some gossiping youngin's who had nothing better to do."

          "She's right, dear," Mothshadow meowed matter-of-factly. "No cat would believe that he could have survived such an attack, so they made up some rabbit-brained conspiracy as a reason why."