Leafshadow's War [Warrior Cats]

Chapter Nine

It was evening. Another day had passed, rather uneventfully. Hunt, eat, sleep, repeat. Shadeheart had fallen ill, but the kits were getting better. Nightkit and Eaglekit, the strongest of the four, had emerged from the medicine cats' den, and spent a lot of time in the elders den, hearing stories from Stormclaw. (Although it was highly unusual to have two cats with the same name in one clan, Nightkit had been named after Nightleap - Mousechaser, the kits' father, had insisted that one of their kits be named after the Mossball Tournament winner, but Roseheart had rejected the name Leapkit. In the end, Nightkit had fitted perfectly.) Four moons old, the kits looked much stronger than when the sickness first struck, though Leafshadow didn't know whether that was because of their improved condition, or simply their advanced age.

The tabby glanced around the camp, a vole in her jaws, but Nightleap and Ravenwing were nowhere to be found. She realised with a bemused twitch of her whiskers that many of the cats she was close to had black fur - those two, and Amberwhisker, her old mentor. Huh.

She flicked her tail, and made for the elder's den. The apprentices had been training all day, so someone had to check Stormclaw had eaten. She slipped into the den, to see the two healthier kits sitting near the old warrior, while he entertained them with stories and legends, and, once the kits got tired of that, they'd chase his tail.

Stormclaw was an interesting cat. Leafshadow remembered him on the verge of being a senior warrior - agile, strong, and full of energy and spirit, described by Amberwhisker as 'a little hot-headed'. And even as an elder, he was by no means any quieter. He'd retired after the Greencough had hit, when Leopardflight had asserted that he shouldn't really go on because of his arthritis. But he tried anyway. Every now and again he would ask (see: beg) Oatwhisker to let him go on a border patrol, 'just this once'.

The grey tom and the pair of kits looked around at her as soon as she entered, probably because she brought the small of vole with her. Stormclaw let out a rough purr. "Is that for us?"

She placed the vole on the floor of the den. "If you want it."

Stormclaw nodded, slowly getting to his feet, but Eaglekit got there first, nudging it towards him. "You don't have to try and move yourself around, Stormclaw! You're still all stiff!"

Leafshadow grinned, impressed by the kit's foresight, and Stormclaw smiled warmly at the tiny cat. "I'll be better once the weather's a bit drier. Thankyou, Eaglekit. I appreciate it."

Eaglekit puffed out his chest proudly, while Nightkit just rolled her eyes. Stormclaw turned to Leafshadow. "How have you been getting on?"

The tabby warrior dipped her head. "Okay. Glad to see the clan getting better."

The elder was about to respond, but Eaglekit climbed onto his back. "Tell us another story!"

Stormclaw's whiskers twitched. "I don't know. I might just be all out of stories for today."

Nightkit narrowed her eyes disbelievingly. "But you're old. You must have seen all sorts of stuff."

Leafshadow hardly suppressed a purr. She'll be a fun apprentice for whoever gets to mentor her.

The grey tom paused. "I suppose. What do you want to hear about?"

The pair of kits exchanged a glance, unsure. Then Nightkit said, "Do you have any stories about Featherstar?"

"Yeah!" Eaglekit agreed. "How did he become leader?"

Leafshadow and Stormclaw exchanged a glance. That sure was an interesting story. How much should they know, at their age?