Stormy Nights

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

            “No, yarrow goes over here. Deathberries? What are those doing in here? Gotta get rid of those… Coltsfoot, I still need that. Poppy seeds are for pain and sleep, and they go back here. Borage leaves for nursing queens. Juniper berries for bellyache. Catmint, I need that back here in the Cool Crack to keep it fresh.” Fawnspots muttered to herself as she sorted her new herbs and disposed of the old. After a long day of collecting herbs, it was now almost time to leave for the Gathering at moonhigh. Tonight was the full moon. Just a half-moon from now, she would get to go to the Moonpond! She trembled in exhilaration.

            The Moonpond was an ice-cold pond that the medicine cats visited to share tongues with their warrior ancestors in StarClan. Set deep in a sun -and moon- filled meadow, it was also bursting with prey; from forest prey like mice, voles, shrews, rabbits, fish, and birds to swamp prey like snakes, lizards, frogs, and bugs. The other medicine cats, Sweetberry from BirdClan and Wavetail from SparkClan, were her best friends, besides her sister, Beachwave, and Wolfsong, the deputy.

            “Fawnspots! Come on! It’s time to leave!” Redstar yowled. Padding out into the camp clearing, Fawnspots once again admired the natural beauty of the rainforest. With its tall mossy trees, and lush bushes and undergrowth, it really was breathtaking. Scarlet macaws, toucans, and ordinary parrots swarmed the canopy while disgusting, hairy creatures like giant tarantulas and ants skulked the forest floor, all the while staying clear away from the Clans’ territories.

            Surprising as it must be, the Great Clans walked the rainforest, too! TigerClan, LeopardClan, and LionClan stalked through the trees and snatched our prey, and sometimes cats. We do not believe that they are the actual thing, possibly descendants of the Great Clans, but hey. If StarClan lets them be here, than we won’t question it.

            “FAWNSPOTS! Hurry up!” Wolfsong cried impatiently. Her kits, Tumblefoot and Badgerpelt, sat proudly beside her. This would be their first Gathering as a warrior. Actually, it would be their first Gathering ever. It was the Clans’ second. Two moons ago Redstar became leader and the new Clans arrived in the forest. The greater portion of the rainforest belonged to RainClan, but the part they hadn’t claimed BirdClan and SparkClan split between themselves, which was pretty fair.

            “I’m here, I’m here. We can go now.” Fawnspots growled. Her tail lashed, the fluffy white tip shedding a few hairs. It was the beginning of newleaf, and shedding season was starting a bit too soon, in Fawnspots’ opinion. For a cat like her, with a short coat and fluffy tail tip, it was really quite annoying, to her and everyone else, when she lost a clump of fur every time she moved her tail. More likely this was because the clumps tended to float around and cause cats to sneeze a lot than the fact that they made a huge mess everywhere.

            “About time!” Bloodpool growled. He had made quick friends with another new warrior from SparkClan, Dragonflame, and was eager to see him. Pepperfleck sat quivering beside her brother, her amber eyes shining in delight.

            “Who else is coming?” Fawnspots murmured, sidling up beside Redstar.

            “Bloodpool, Pepperfleck, Wolfsong, Badgerpelt, Tumblefoot, Prickletongue, Rusteyes, Tigercloud, Bigfoot, and Nightfur.” He replied quietly. Fawnspots looked around. Rusteyes, Nightfur, and Tigercloud were missing.

            “Shall I go get Rusteyes, Nightfur, and Tigercloud?” She offered.

            “Yeah, sure. Please tell them to hurry. It’s almost moonhigh, we should be there.” Redstar shook his majestic head, his whiskers twitching irritably and his tail rippling in a wide arc. Fawnspots rushed off, unfamiliar and unwelcome thoughts charging through her mind.