Mosskit awoke in the forest. The last thing he had remembered was riding on Ginger's back down the mountain. Mosskit looked around, noticing the sun had already risen. Why hadn't Ginger woken him up?
Mosskit got up and stretched, looking around for Ginger. He noticed the she-cat setting down two robins that she had caught.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Mosskit asked. "It's nearly mid-day."
"You need some rest," Ginger said. "You've been going through some tough times."
"Thanks," Mosskit said, grabbing a robin and biting into it.
"You know, you could try catching prey too. You caught that squirrel before," Ginger said.
"That was once," Mosskit replied. "I was just lucky."
"Lucky? Or skilled?" Ginger asked. "Try catching something today. You'll impress your clan when you return."
"Alright," Mosskit said. "Where are we heading to next, Ginger?"
"We are more than halfway through our journey. We're going to reach SnowClan's old territory now."
"Old territory?" Mosskit asked. "I don't understand."
"Well, when your mother was an apprentice, MoonClan made them leave the forest. They traveled for awhile until finding a new forest. They've been there ever since. But MoonClan of course followed them...The new territory is near another set of mountains," Ginger explained.
"We're crossing more mountains?!" Mosskit groaned.
Ginger laughed. "It's near the mountains. We just have to go up one hill. That's it."
"Thank StarClan," Mosskit laughed, finishing his robin.
"We should head off now," Ginger said.
Following Ginger, they headed through the forest once again. It felt great to be back on flat ground. Mosskit hated climbing.
He sighed, thoughts of Snakekit flowing back into his head. Could Snakekit have survived the waterfall? She was tough, but...not that tough. Mosskit tried to think positive, trying to convince himself that she wasn't dead unless it was confirmed.
He began to fall behind Ginger as they padded through the forest.
"Keep up, Mosskit," Ginger warned.
"I will," Mosskit said, following in her footsteps.
He pricked his ears, listening to the sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling in the wind. Mosskit smiled. He hadn't been able to experience new-leaf on the mountains since they were higher up and covered in snow. But here, he was fully able to experience his first new-leaf.
"New-leaf is wonderful!" Mosskit exclaimed.
"Oh, this is your first one, isn't it?" Ginger asked.
Mosskit nodded. "Oh, yes. This is my very first new-leaf! I'm so excited!" he said, hopping around like a rabbit.
"New-leaf and green-leaf are great seasons," Ginger said. "They provide us with excellent prey. But...there are droughts and storms in these seasons. I guess we can't always have perfect seasons."
"Droughts? Storms?" Mosskit asked, tilting his head.
"Well, it rains a lot in new-leaf since the snow longer falls. It's replaced with rain. When green-leaf comes, there are many storms. And sometimes, there is no rain, which leads to the rivers losing water or sometimes...they lose all the water," Ginger said.
"Wow," Mosskit said. "We really do not have a perfect season."
"But that's what it's like out here in the woods. You have to survive through the toughtest seasons," Ginger said. "I'm sure you will too."
"You think so?" Mosskit asked.
Ginger nodded from up ahead.
Mosskit's stomach began to growl. He opened his mouth to ask Ginger to catch him something, but then realized that he was supposed to catch something for himself today.
"Can we stop so I can catch some prey?" Mosskit asked.
Ginger rolled her eyes. "My, you have an appetite, Mosskit," Ginger laughed.
Mosskit was larger now than the time he had caught the squirrel. Nearly four and a half moons old now, he could catch larger prey.
Mosskit looked around the woods, listening for the movement of prey. He stopped, seeing a gopher nibbling on a plant.
Mosskit crouched down, carefully watching the gopher. With each step, he moved closer until he was right next to the gopher. The gopher noticed Mosskit, but Mosskit leapt, trapping the gopher in his paws and killing it.
"I DID IT!" Mosskit exclaimed. "I CAUGHT A GOPHER!"
"Hush," Ginger hissed. "Do you want to scare every piece of prey away? Besides, there might be other cats in this forest. Do you want to get in a fight with a rogue or clan cat?"
"Sorry," Mosskit said, crouching down. He sat down, quickly eating the gopher he had caught.
"Are you ready to continue?" Ginger asked.
Mosskit nodded, burying the remains of the gopher. He continued his journey, following Ginger farther into the woods.
They traveled all day, this time still walking past sunset. But once that the stars were fully shining, Ginger stopped.
"Time to find a place to rest. Do you see anywhere?"
Mosskit jerked around, only spotting trees and rocks. "No. Maybe we can find some moss."
"Maybe," Ginger said, looking around. "Ah! I found a stream!"
Mosskit followed after her, drinking some fresh water from the stream. He licked his lips with satisfaction, ready to sleep.
"We could sleep by the stream," Mosskit suggested. "It's not much comfort, but I don't mind sleeping on the forest floor."
"Well, if it's alright with you," Ginger said, laying down beside the gurgling stream.
Mosskit laid down too. As he heard Ginger's breaths steady and become more calm, he knew she was asleep.
Mosskit stared into the stars. "Please come back, Snakekit," he whispered, lowering his head down. He closed his eyes, finally falling asleep.
YOU ARE READING
Mosskit Book 2: The Journey
Fanfiction[Warriors Cats Fanfiction] Mosskit, who has just escaped the horrible fire that has taken his mother, travels far away from SnowClan and ends up accidentally being adopted by twolegs. As Mosskit assumes his new name of Frosty and meets new cats who...
