A Clan's Tragedy #1

Chapter 3 (COMPLETED)

   Chapter 3

When Hazelfur was done checking on the kit, she went straight to Rabbitstar's den. She slipped under the lichen growing in front of his den. In the corner stood Rabbitstar. He seemed to be looking at something in the air no other cat can see.

   He snapped out of his daze. "Yes, what can I do for you Hazelfur?"

   "Umm...." she began." Featherkit has a mild case of greencough-"

   "What?! Do you need catmint, don't you?" Rabbitstar interrupted.

   "Yes. Actually thats what I came to ask you. Can you send a cat out with me to collect some at the Tall-leg place? It's the only place where It grows." At the end of Rippleclan's territory was a small Tall- leg place where they nested. In their small territories was sometimes bunches of catmint and most of the time kittypets.

   "Sure. But stay away from all Tall-legs and kittypets if you can." mewed the leader."And get here as fast as you can." Hazelfur wondered if she could hear worry in his meow. What could he be so scared of in a Tall-leg place?

   Hazelfur nodded and walked out of his den. She went over to the warriors den to see who was left out of the patrols. Frostail was the only cat in the den. She padded over the nests and shook him awake.

   "Frostail!" she mewed loudly into his ear." Wake up." The white tom woke and grumbled about not getting his rightful sleep. "It's already sun-high. And we're going to the Tall-leg place." He perked up at the word Tall-leg.

   "We are? Great! Are we going now?"

   "Yes. We need to be careful there though, and we are going there to collect catmint."

   "Okay. Maybe I can beat a little kittypet if he tries to take our catmint!"

   The two cats headed toward to Tall-leg place and when they got there, Hazelfur sniffed deeply to see if she could scent catmint. The fence in front of them had a faint scent behind it. Hazelfur pointed with her tail upwards on the top of the fence. Frostail nodded, and jumped onto the fence. Hazelfur followed him up. On the other side was a short patch of grass with lots of flowers and small Tall-leg objects jammed into the ground. Frostail and Hazelfur jumped into the grass and snuck quietly behind a bush. Hazefur stuck out her head and located the catmint. It was in a round stone hung up with vines onto the Tall-leg nest.

   "It's in that stone thing hung up by the nest. See it there?" she pointed her nose at the catmint."We could jump onto the clear hole in the Tall-leg nest, and reach up there. You can drop the catmint down to me. Get as much as you can." He nodded and they rushed up to the nest and Frostail jumped onto the clear hole and reached for the herb. Hazelfur watched as he plucked off the stems and dropped some down to Hazelfur. She gathered them into a pile. More rained down.

   "That's it!" he called and jumped down. There was more than both of them could carry in their mouths. "We can carry some under our chins." He bent over and grasped some of the stems under his chin and some in his mouth. Hazelfur did the same.

   Suddenly there was a high-pitched barking coming from the nest. The two cats bolted up and over the fence, leaving a small white furred dog to bark frantically behind them. They walked to the camp,  trying not to drop the stems. Happieness fluttered in her heart. This was enough to last the whole snow-ground and the next!

   Frostail and Hazelfur dropped the herbs on the floor in her den. 

   "Thanks, Frostail!" mewed Hazelfur.

   "Your welcome. It was fun to leave that mangy yapper barking like crazy!" amusement sparkled in his eyes. "Almost like Vemonheart!" he padded out of the den and into the clearing to eat.

   Hazelfur spent the whole day cleaning out her den and putting the catmint in it's whole huge pile. She thought of how Frostail looked at her, seeming to search her eyes for something only he could see. And for the first time, a spark of happieness for spending the day with him.

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   That night, Rabbitstar called the clan together for a meeting. Cats padded into the clearing, talking quietly to each other. As soon as every cat was seated, he jumped onto the tree and called, "I, Rabbitstar, call this clan together for a meeting that will change two cats. All the apprinteces looked exited. "Featherkit, Volekit, come up here please." The kits scampered to the tree, and Rabbitstar jumped down to them.

   "I call Starclan apon these two apprintices. I wish they plan to serve the clan and Starclan until they die. Volepaw, your mentor will be Frostail. I hope he gives all he knows to Volepaw, for he is a great warrior." Frostail came up to them and touched noses with Volepaw.

   "And Featherpaw's mentor will be-"

   Featherkit interrupted him. "I want to be a medicine cat."

   Rabbitstar looked surpirsed he was interrupted by an apprintice. "Very well. Your mentor will be Hazelfur. I know she will guide you to be a great medicine cat, and Starclan will welcome her as well." Hazelfur bounded through the crowd and to the little she-cat. She bent over to touch noses with Featherpaw.

I have an apprintice! Hazelfur was overjoyed to have a cat to mentor. Her mentor, Fernheart was a wonderful one.

   "I also want to warn the clan," mewed Rabbitstar."That Fireclaw has been scented along Pineclan's border. All apprintices should go out with their mentor or a warrior until we have delt with him." He went back into his den with Crystaleyes following.

   "So, what are we going to do first?" Asked Featherpaw."Treat greencough?" 

   Amusement lit Hazelfur's eyes. "No. It's too late right now, but tomorrow we can."

   Lizardpaw came over to Featherpaw."We built a nest for you in the apprintices den, but now your a medicine cat we can put it in you den."

   "Yeah!" mewed Featherpaw exitedly."Let's go move it now!" The two apprintices ran over to get the nest. Hazelfur want inside her den to clear a space for Featherpaw.