Flamepaw's Quest

Chapter 23

            In the morning, Flamepaw was awoken by Clawkit stretching his body against her leg. She looked down at the young kit, smiling as his eyes opened and focused on hers. She expected him to flee in fear when he saw her, but he was relaxed, and his eyes reflected hers.
            "Good morning," she whispered to Clawkit.
            The tom smiled back at her and nudged against her leg. From nearby, Flamepaw heard Tornface speak.
            "He likes you," he told her.
            Flamepaw turned, seeing the tom was already up. Three dead rabbits lay beside him, one already partially eaten. He must've been up hunting early.
            Flamepaw stood up slowly, Clawkit following her as she padded over to Tornface. Flamepaw sat down next to Tornface, looking at the delicious dead rabbits.
            "Can I have one?" she asked.
            "Have the rest of mine," Tornface offered, shoving her his half-eaten rabbit. "There's a lot of cats traveling with us. It was hard just to find three rabbits."
            Flamepaw nodded, beginning to bite into Tornface's discarded prey. Her stomach immediately felt better, no longer stinging from the sensation of hunger. Flamepaw glanced around the canyon they had landed in, seeing nothing but dirt and dead weeds covering the floor.
            "I'm surprised anything can survive down here," she admitted.
            Tornface nodded. "Thankfully the rabbits survive."
            Flamepaw nodded, chewing her meat slowly. She watched Clawkit rub against his father, purring.
            "Does he speak?" she asked.
            Tornface nodded. "Yes, he does. Don't you, Clawkit?" he asked, glancing at the tom.
            Clawkit nodded.
            "He's shy," Tornface admitted, glancing at the brown tabby tom. "I was surprised he took a liking to you. He doesn't like new cats."
            "He wasn't traveling with you?" Flamepaw asked.
            Tornface shook his head. "I lost my mate and three kits. We were separated not too long ago. That's who I was looking for when I found all of you. It's a miracle I found Clawkit. I don't even know how he made it down here."
            Clawkit glanced up at his father, quiet.
            "Whatever it was, it must've been a lot," Tornface sighed.
            Behind her, Flamepaw could hear Rosepettle let out a large yawn. She spun around, relieved to see the she-cat's wounds were no longer bleeding; however, they still were not healing quickly.
            "Is it morning?" Rosepettle asked in a tired voice.
            Beside her, Goldstar and Neko both stirred, Neko taking his sweet time to open his eyes while Goldstar stood up the moment she woke up.
            "Are we ready to go?" she asked Tornface, determined.
            "Why not eat first?" he suggested, shoving the rabbits towards the three cats.
            "Rosepettle needs to eat," Neko explained. "She needs to keep her strength up."
            Flamepaw nodded. "If only there were herbs nearby..."
            "I saw some yellow flowers growing not too far from here," Tornface explained.
            "Marigold!" Flamepaw gasped. "StarClan has answered our prayers."
            Tornface glanced at her, confused. "I'm guessing it's valuable then?"
            Flamepaw nodded. "My best friend is a medicine cat. That's one of the few herbs she taught me. Where is it?"
            "I can lead you," Tornface offered.
            Flamepaw turned to Goldstar and the others. "I'll be back," she assured them.
            "Don't stray too far," Goldstar warned. "Something tells me this place isn't as safe as it seems."
            "We won't go far," Tornface assured her. "Clawkit, you stay with them."
            Clawkit pouted, padding over to Flamepaw's side. She smiled at the kit.
            "Stop bothering her," Tornface told Clawkit.
            "It's fine," Flamepaw assured Tornface. "Clawkit can come with us."
            "Well, all right," Tornface decided, beginning to pad north. Flamepaw followed him, allowing Clawkit to climb onto her back. She felt the tom grasp onto her fur, and she smiled as she heard him laugh as she trotted along.
            Tornface glanced up at his son and smiled, and together they disappeared into a swarm of dust. Flamepaw coughed, struggling to see through the dust storm.
            "Dust storms are frequent down here," Tornface explained, coughing. Clawkit had buried his head in Flamepaw's fur, whimpering as dust rushed past them.
            "Where are the flowers?" Flamepaw asked.
            "This way," Tornface shouted, turning to the right. Thankfully, the dust began to settle at this time, and Flamepaw began to see again. She padded next to him, turning her head to check if Clawkit was okay. He glanced back at her, answering her question.
            As they walked, Flamepaw glanced around the strange environment, admiring the odd beauty of the clay-colored cliffs and brown weeds that clung to its sides. Glancing ahead, she saw the tiniest bit of yellow color. She was surprised to see how greatly it contrasted from the rest of the environment.
            "Over there," Tornface told her, pointing to the clump of marigold that grew on the floor. Excited, Flamepaw rushed past him, listening to Clawkit's squeals as she sprinted towards where the herbs grew. She crouched down and let Clawkit climb down her back, laughing to herself as he spun around, dizzy from the fast-paced ride.
            "Is this what you were looking for?" Tornface asked, pointing his dark tail towards the clump of flowers.
            Flamepaw crouched down, immediately recognizing the flower.
            "Yes. This will be perfect for Rosepettle's wounds. Help me pick some," she said.
            Tornface nodded, and together, they grabbed bunches of flowers, bundling them up in a stray leaf from a bush nearby. Both Tornface and Flamepaw carried a sack in their mouth, and soon, they were on their way back, Clawkit riding on Flamepaw's back once again.
            Carefully retracting their steps, Flamepaw found Goldstar, Rosepettle, and Neko all unharmed where they had left them. It seemed they had even finished breakfast as well and were waiting impatiently for their return.
            "Did you find marigold?!" Rosepettle gasped, her eyes widening. She struggled to her feet, but Neko kept her down.
            "Do you want the wound to get worse?" he growled.
            "Let's apply the marigold and get out of here," Goldstar grumbled. Flamepaw wondered why she was so suspicious of this place, but she shrugged and nodded, crouching down to let Clawkit off her back. She then padded over to Rosepettle, chewing the roots of the flower and applying them to the white she-cat's wounds.
            Rosepettle winced, sighing in relief when Flamepaw moved the substance away. She thanked Flamepaw, then stood up slowly, standing firmly on her feet.
            "I'm good," she told Neko, who frantically stood on her side, waiting to catch her if she fell.
            "Are you ready to continue on then?" Tornface asked.
            Goldstar nodded. "Yes. Please lead us."
            Tornface nodded, beginning to lead the group through the unknown land. Clawkit trotted alongside the cats happily, causing smiles from both Flamepaw and Rosepettle. Goldstar, however, seem unfazed by the kit's happy attitude. She continued along sternly, padding through the canyon quickly and quietly.
            Flamepaw trotted alongside Goldstar in silence, glancing up at the she-cat. She seemed so motivated to make it through here. She really did have the characteristics of a leader.
            "Everything okay?" Flamepaw asked Goldstar.
            Goldstar nodded. "I just want to get out of here. This place gives me creeps."
            Flamepaw shrugged. "It's unfamiliar, but I suppose it's okay."
            "Still," Goldstar sighed. "I just want to get all my clanmates back safely. We still need to find Snowheart. I hope Mothwing is able to explain everything back at home."
            "May StarClan grant her safety coming home," Flamepaw said.
            Goldstar nodded. "And still, Korosu is out there. I'm frightened, Flamepaw, and I can normally hide it well."
            Flamepaw was surprised. She'd always thought of the leader as so strong, so courageous, so unafraid of whatever came her way. But then she remembered why Goldstar had set off in the first place—to find new members. She had already been frightened before the journey.
            "We'll get through this," Flamepaw told Goldstar. "RiverClan will be fine when we return."
            Goldstar nodded, glancing down at Clawkit who skipped along by her feet. And for once, Flamepaw saw Goldstar's face lift into a slight smile. It seemed the young kit had distracted her from the issues at hand.
            Flamepaw turned around, relieved to see Neko and Rosepettle not far behind, each of them walking well. Rosepettle trotted along as if her wounds did not bug her at all. Flamepaw was relieved to see the marigold had done its job.
            Clawkit rushed ahead towards his father, mewing with delight. Tornface smiled, picking the tom up by the scruff. Suddenly, he dropped Clawkit and came to a halt. The tom fell to the ground with a thud, mewling in anger.
            "What's going on?" Flamepaw asked. She gasped, coming to a halt. A swarm of dust had just passed by, and in its trace, it had left a sly looking Javanese cat. Flamepaw knew who it was immediately.
            "Sorry," she laughed, swooping her feathery tail as she moved slyly. "I didn't mean to spoil your party," she said, grinning maliciously.
            Korosu, Flamepaw thought.