A Clan's Tragedy #1

Chapter 4 (COMPLETED)

Chapter 4

 "Hazelfur!" a cat's mew sounded in her ear."Hazelfur, wake up!" Featherpaw sounded worried and scared. She was pacing around her nest. Hazelfur bolted upwards.

   "What's the matter?" Hazelfur sounded more calm than she felt inside. "Did come cat get hurt?"

   "No, but our catmint is gone! All of it!"

   A jumble of questions filled Hazelfur's mind. "Okay... did some cat need it? Did someone take it out of the den?"

   Featherpaw's face was scrunched up with thoughtfulness. She always did that when Hazelfur quizzed her on which herbs were which. "No! I asked every cat, even Rabbitstar!" wailed Featherpaw. "I think someone stole it!"

   How would any cat know we have this much catmint, and how did they get in here? It's rock!

   "I'll go ask Rabbitstar what to do." mewed Hazelfur. She padded out of the den and into Rabbitstar's. "Rabbitstar? Featherpaw and I think somecat stole the catmint." Rabbitstar was in his nest. 

   "Featherpaw did ask me that earlier..." He trailed off in thoughfulness." I bet I know who did this, and who knows the camp as well as any of us."

   "Fireclaw." Hazelfur awnsered for him."But how did he get past our gaurd?" Hazelfur shrugged.

   "We didn't have one last night," he began."Because everycat was awake during Kinkfoot's vigil." The cranky elder died last sunrise, and all the clan was mourning her.

   "He could've snuck in with his scent discuised, and when me and Featherpaw were mourning her, he grabbed the herbs and snuck back out." All the pieces were coming together. Hazelfur felt anger bubbling up inside her."All my hard work, ruined!" she wailed.

   "Don't worry." He tried to calm Hazelfur."He will not go unpunished. We will do a search party today and try to find where he has set camp." Hazelfur nodded and went outside. She glanced up at the rising sun. Dawn was going away, and the day had begun.

   Later a party of four cats set out to find Fireclaw. They found his scent along the edge of the territory, so Hazelfur's guesses were confirmed. She went back into her den. Not even a trace of catmint was there. 

   Featherpaw bounded in. "Hey, Hazelfur. I just pulled out a thorn in Greeneye's paw. Do I put marigold and cobwebs on it?"

   "Yes." she said." If it was bleeding." She got out the herbs from the storage den. Now they were in the part where they origanally slept, so they were more safe. Hazelfur and Featherpaw now slept in the place where the herbs and sick cats were. She brought the medicine back to Featherpaw "Here." she mewed. Featherpaw brought them to Greeneye outside.

   Another cat came in, and Hazelfur let out a mew of frustration. "What now?" She then saw who it was-Frostail. A wave of embarrassment went through Hazelfur. "Sorry. I just had a busy day, with all the cats coming in, and-"

   "Shh." He interrupted her."It's okay. We all did. I just wanted to ask you how you've been." His eyes were lit up. Surprise flooded her. All the cats got here just to ask her for herbs, or bother her- not ask her how she's been!

   "Umm... busy." amusement welled up inside her. And something else... was that- no it couldn't be. Was that- love? 

   Frostail purred with amusement. "Of course. So well... do you want to take a walk?"

   "I-uh- sure." she stammered. They walked out of the den, and in the clearing was the fresh-kill pile, pitifully low. "We can hunt on the way back."

   He looked at her in surprise. "Do medicine cats even hunt?"

   "Of course!" she meowed."We all have to learn it just in case." He nodded, and they walked out of camp, their pelts brushing slightly aginst each others.

   When they got to the river, Frostail sat down, and stared at the flowing freshwater. 

   "Do you miss Fernheart?" He asked suddenly."He was your mentor, after all." Hazelfur just remembered that he was his father.

   "Yes, yes I miss him so much." She mewed."And he was your father, after all."

   He purred slightly at her. "Yes. I also miss my mother, Redwillow. You're lucky to have both you parents alive. So never take that for granted."

   I guess he's right. 

   "Ya," she tried to change the subject. " Look at how all the fish know exactly where they're going. Not one of them tries to go back, or one going off to the side. They all go in a straight line."

   "Then I'm not a very good fish." he meowed." I don't ever know where I'm headed in life, always making a bad mistake, or letting other cats make a mistake." Frostail's face looked sad.

   "I think you're a great cat, Frostail. I won't blame you for anything." His face lit up with pleasure. Then it fadded into something more serious.

   "I love you Hazelfur." he said after a while."I know I'm not suppost to, but I do and I can't help it!"

   Surprise flooded like a river in Hazelfur. "But- the warrior code..." she stammered. "I- I do too. I love you, but we can't do this! I'm a medicine cat!"

   "I know, and I can't ask you to give all that up for me. And you have an apprintice."

   "After my apprintice is a full one," she began." I can become a warrior."

   "The clan won't like that. I won't let you do that, because your path is a medicine cat, not a warrior." Frostail got up. "I- I wish we can be together, but that will have to wait until we join Starclan." He padded away, out into the forest- away from Hazelfur.