Tadpoledrift's Mistakes

Chapter Five

Another half-moon had passed since the Half Moon Meeting and with it the sickness that she had seemed to slowly disappear. Blaming Tadpoledrift's ailment on rotten prey, Muddystar ordered that the prey pile be thrown out for poisoned prey.

The full moon hung in the sky outside, but she knew she had to stay in camp. Whitecough turned to Greencough all around her in the crowded den.

Pawsteps went from the center of camp to out of camp as the chosen cats left for the Gathering. Then a few stray pawsteps split from the group and into her den.

"Tadpoledrift, I need some help."

She quietly sighed to herself and put down some catmint next to a small kit. "Eat this, it'll make you feel better." She then turned around uneasily to see who had walked into her den.

A blue-spotted tabby she-cat stood at the entrance and from a quick easy glance of her somewhat protruding belly, it was easy to see what was wrong with her.

"Grapevine, come here and lay in my nest so I can look you over."

The warrior dipped her head, slowly walking and laying down in the nests set aside for the Medicine Cats.

"Tell me what your symptoms are." Tadpoledrift's tone was more soft and quiet than her normal sing-song voice, but she pushed it aside.

"Well, I've been feeling sick to my stomach, starting to feel a bit heavier than normal." Grapevine listed things out as Tadpoledrift quietly nodded her head and picked up a blue star-shaped flower.

"I have some glad news for you." She turned around and set the herb down in front of Grapevine. "You're expecting kits!" She cheered happily.

"K-kits? No, no I can't be." The blue she-cat shook her head in disbelief. "I can't, if I truly was then I'd have to be exiled, or even worse my own brother would force me out."

Tadpoledrift had sat confused for a moment. Grapevine's brother, Blackberryblaze, was the current deputy, how could he exile her?

"Their father...their father is a rogue...." Grapevine spoke in murmurs. "But I'm not mates with him anymore. Why would I be if I'm to be a loyal warrior?"

The silver and white she-cat gave a comforting smile and put her paw onto Grapevine's shoulder.

"It'll be fine, mistakes happen and you'll live with it. I know Blackberryblaze's hatred as much as everyone else, but I also know that Muddystar wouldn't let him exile someone over a mistake like an accidental litter of kits." Tadpoledrift's voice was quiet and low as she talked, hiding a white lie behind her kind smile.

Grapevine nodded her head slowly, turning to the borage and eating it.

Tadpoledrift looked around her den again, heaving herself up as she ignored the heaviest that had grown on her body.

"When the others come back from the Gathering tonight, I'll tell Muddystar that you've become a queen. Tell the clan when you're ready about your kit."

Tadpoledrift watched the blue-spotted tabby walk out of her den, her attention turned to her herb stores. a few bits of borage and a single juniper berry lay in the fronts of it, catmint and other things needed most during Leaf-Bare next to them.

She shook her head as she thought, no she couldn't be, she'd be betraying not just the code but the clan if what she thought was even close to being true. She moved the borage farther away in the stores, ignoring everything that thought could happen.

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Night fell to day as she slept in her nest, starry reflections in her dream of kits that slowly spiraled into a nightmare of death.

She quickly sat up breathing heavily as she managed to escape it, shaking her head and murmuring to herself.

Tadpoledrift looked over to her apprentice, who was still quietly sleeping, then over to the quiet stream next to her as she noticed something odd. A grey frog sat at the edge of the pool, watching two things swirling in the water, stepping closer she noticed they were two red tadpoles swimming in a circle.