WARRIORS // Uprooted

Chapter 10

"There's some catmint here," Foxstone said. 

Leechstone padded over and sniffed at the herbs, looking for the relatively nice ones, and leaving the best ones. Dunlin had taught her to leave the nice ones, because they'd be able to make better herbs in the future.

"Good spot," Leechstone said.

"Hey, are you okay?" Foxstone asked, touching her sister's flank with her fluffy-tipped tail. "You seem kind of quiet."

"Just thinking about the Stone Ceremony," Leechstone said while she picked the catmint.

"Wanna talk about it for a minute?" Foxstone asked. "It's morning, we have plenty of time."

Leechstone hesitated, then put down her catmint leaves. "I'm just - it made me sick, you know? How someone - our friend - could do something like that to tiny babies. There wasn't even any fear or regret or sadness in his eyes. He seemed excited and honored to do it," she mewed shakily. "Like it didn't matter that the babies were crying and screaming. He hurt them."

"It has its purpose," Foxstone said blandly.

"What sort of purpose is that?"

"Rushstar said it," Foxstone said, indicating nothing as if to refer to Rushstar at distance. "To make it easier to tell Clustercats and RootClan cats apart."

"That doesn't make it right," Leechstone mewed.

"But it's necessary. Sometimes things have to be done to make things better for everyone."

"Was it better for Tigerstone?" Leechstone demanded. "He's so little. Snailpaw could've killed him!"

Foxstone twitched her ear. "Gullstone and Sedgestone lost a sibling when they were tiny like that. Mintstone. Remember? And nothing bad happened."

Leechstone flattened her ears. "I... I'm gonna go... think..." her gut was rolling from Foxstone's words.

Foxstone blinked at the sudden turn. "Oh. O- okay. See you around then."

Both mollies picked up their herbs and padded in opposing directions. 

On her walk she picked up some impressively hearty marigold and parsley for the late autumn season. There's a huge ragwort shrub near the Great Clearing, right? she thought. I wonder if that grows in autumn. And there's a beech tree right next to that, maybe it'll have dropped some beech nuts...

She walked along at a steady trot, tail flicking back and forth as she tried to distract her anxious mind from what Foxstone had said. Did she really think that maiming kittens' ears was the appropriate way to mark Clustercats? Couldn't there be a less painful way? 

She walked to the edge of the Great Clearing, wondering what they were gathering herbs for. Did someone have an affliction, like Sunnykit - Sunnypaw, now - once did? She had to wonder.

She was about to emerge into the Great Clearing when she realized there was a training session going on. At first she was ready to leave and go find the other ragwort shrub near the spot where the Lifestream met the Great River, but then she got curious when she heard Snailpaw's voice.

Stalking to a part of the clearing's edges that got her closer to the action, she hid beyond a holly bush and listened in.

"... Yesterday's ceremony is a thing of beauty. The Stone Ceremony shows that Rushstar has approved of Snailpaw's effort and improvement, and that she's confident he's going on the right track. Few cats get Rushstar's approval to perform the Stone Ceremony. The last cat to perform it was Newtclaw." Shrewwater's tail drew around Snailpaw's back as he puffed his white chest out, purring so loud Leechstone could hear it from where she sat.

"Congratulations, Snailpaw," one of the apprentices - a white molly, who gave Snailpaw a look of deep admiration - said.

"What was it like to Mark a Clustercat?" a thin brown molly asked. At first Leechstone thought it was the same molly that had ended out the Ceremony of History, but then she realized - no, she was thinner, with a slenderer face and a bright pink nose.

"What did the dirty Clusterers taste like, anyway?" this was a hardy white tom with glittering amber eyes so intense they looked like brands of pure fire in his head.

"It was..." Snailpaw paused, "It was kind of thrilling, in a weird way. Having all the cats looking at me and cheering me on was exciting. It felt like my pelt was on fire! I was terrified of doing something wrong. And I was afraid their dam was going to attack me, like when Newtclaw got hit by Brindle."

"Yeah, that queen is a total savage," the thin white molly grunted. "I'm surprised Rushstar didn't have her kittens culled. We can't have aggressive blood like that in the Clusterers."

"Well, they're not all that aggressive. I've been around them a few times," Snailpaw said, "and they're actually pretty chilled out."

"They're unpredictable," the angular brown molly said.

"I know, Heatherpaw," Snailpaw jeered. "But as long as they're well-behaved we don't have anything to worry about right?"

"You didn't answer my question!" the fluffy white tom complained.

"Sorry, Perchpaw. What was it?" Snailpaw asked.

"What did they taste like?"

"Yeah, did they taste like prey?" the small white molly chimed in.

"No," Snailpaw said. "They tasted.. different. The blood's taste was on my tongue a long time after I put the ears away, and it was sort of sour after a bit."

Leechstone felt sick.

"That's not like prey at all," Perchpaw said.

"I hope Rushstar chooses me next," The brown molly said.

"As long as you're attentive in your training," Shrewwater said, "Maybe she'll pick you next.."

Leechstone could hear no more. She turned and slipped away unnoticed, padding back to camp the long way by going around the Great Clearing. She walked into the Southern Entrance, dropping her herbs off in Acornflower's den. Anger flooded her head as she looked at the turned back of the medicine cat, lashing her tail bitterly. You could've offered cobwebs for the kits' ears, she thought angrily. StarClan knows you have enough of them!

She gritted her teeth as she made her way to the burrows. As if StarClan cares about us.

Brindle was sitting in front of their den, chatting with Dipper, who had her kittens tucked close to her belly.

Brindle met Leechstone's fiery gaze. "Are you alright, my little love?" she asked, twitching her tail.

"I'm fine," Leechstone said dismissively, dipping into the den with claws outstretched. She heard Brindle sigh.