Moonsong's Echo (BEING RE-WRITTEN)

Chapter 9

              "Don't listen to him Moonsong, lets go." Bumbletail hissed, "He's untrustworthy."
               Moonsong nodded and limped away, leaning on Bumbletail for support. After a while of walking, she had lost to much blood and her vision went dark.

              Moonsong opened her eyes, she was in the medicine. den back in WindClan. Bumbletail was sitting near her nest, his tail swishing on the ground with anxiety. Petalfur was at the herb store, grabbing some leaves from the stone shelves sticking out from the sides of the den. Bumbletail saw that Moonsong was awake, his eyes lighting up with joy, "Petalfur, she's awake!" He called to the medicine cat.
             Petalfur walked over with some leaves in her jaws, she placed them down in front of Moonsong, "Eat those leaves, they'll help you with the shock." Petalfur meowed to her.
               Moonsong nodded and swallowed the leaves, the bitter taste stinging her tongue. "You have some deep wounds and you lost a lot of blood so try not to move since you might reopen them," Petalfur told her as she sat down near her nest, "You might have a few scars but in about a quarter moon I think you'll be able to get back to your warrior duties."
             Moonsong nodded as she stared at Petalfur, she wanted to ask her a question about what Flameheart had said. "Petalfur can I talk to you in private?" She asked.
            Petalfur nodded and flicked her tail for Bumbletail to head out of the den. Bumbletail nodded and padded up to Moonsong and touched his muzzle to his cheek, he had some wounds too but was good enough to walk around and stay in camp, "I'm glad you're ok," Bumbletail purred and headed out of the den.
             "What is it?" Petalfur asked her.
            "Petalfur, before me and Bumbletail left and headed back to camp, Flameheart told me something." Moonsong meowed, "He said that Frostleaf isn't my real mother, he said-" she cut off as she looked up at Petalfur, "He said that you're my mother."
             Moonsong saw Petalfur's eyes slightly widened with shock.
              "Is that true?" Moonsong asked her.
            Petalfur stared at Moonsong, her eyes cloudy as she nodded, "I was going to tell you sooner but I thought you weren't ready." She meowed.
            Moonsong felt her heart grow heavy with anger, "Why did you lie to me?!" Moonsong asked angrily.
            Petalfur looked at her, guilt and love clouding her eyes, "I gave you to Frostleaf because I knew that I would get my job as a medicine cat taken away from me. And I knew my clan needed me since I was the only medicine cat then. I thought it would be the best for you too, I wouldn't have been able to take care of you if I had stayed as a medicine cat." Petalfur meowed to her, "But I was always watching you and I always loved you, I knew deep down in my heart that no matter what happened you would still be my daughter."
              "So you abandoned me for cats that weren't even your kin?!" Moonsong snapped at her, her eyes narrowed.
              "I didn't abandon you, and my clan needed me, if I had given up my job who would care for the injured cats?" Petalfur meowed back at her, clearly trying not to snap at her.
               Moonsong huffed and rested her head back in her nest, her head turned away from Petalfur. She heard Petalfur sigh and go to the back of the den. Bumbletail stuck his head through the entrance, "Can I come back in now?" He asked. Moonsong nodded and he padded up to her nest.
"Thank you for saving me back there, I probably would have died if it weren't for you." Moonsong purred to him.
"You don't have to thank me, I would have saved any cat if I saw them like that." Bumbletail meowed, resting his tail gently on her back.
Moonsong purred and closed her eyes, feeling exhausted, and she drifted off to sleep.

*****
A quarter moon had passed and Moonsong was able to return to her warrior duties but was ordered by Petalfur to not strain herself. Fine, she is the medicine cat after all and I know she's not just fretting over me, She had thought to herself.
She went out on a patrol with Bumbletail, they had grown closer than they were before after he had saved her. They headed to mark the ThunderClan border and Moonsong heard rustling in the undergrowth. Moonsong hissed as she saw Flameheart step out of the brambles.
"Moonsong," Flameheart hissed as he saw her.
Bumbletail stood in front of Moonsong, "Leave her alone, you have already done enough!" Bumbletail spat at him.
Flameheart stared menacingly at Bumbletail, "Very well then," he meowed to him.
Flameheart gave Moonsong one last glare before he sunk back into the shadows of the forest.
"Come on, lets go Moonsong." Bumbletail meowed to her as he flicked his tail.
Once they got back to camp, Hollystar was picking the cats that were going to go to the gathering that night. Hollystar nodded to Bumbletail and Moonsong, "Would you two like to come to the gathering?" Hollystar asked them.
"Sure," Bumbletail meowed.
"I'll come too," Moonsong meowed.
Hollystar nodded and turned to the other cats.
That night they headed to the gathering. They arrived at the clearing and Hollystar took her place on one of the branches of the tree. RiverClan followed into the clearing with WindClan since they had been taking shelter in the WindClan camp but both clans usually kept to themselves. Twigtail had gone to the moonpool and gotten her nine lives from StarClan and was now Twigstar. Twigstar also took her place on the tree. When ThunderClan and ShadowClan walked in to the clearing, they were given hostile stares from the other cats. Flameheart jumped up onto the tree to and Hollystar stared at him, clearly think the same thing Moonsong was thinking, he doesn't belong up there, he hasn't even gone to get his nine lives from StarClan. Moonsong thought.
Nightstar warily took her place among the other leaders. The ShadowClan warriors seemed to be thin and their fur unkempt, scars marking their muzzles and bodies. ShadowClan seems to be having it rough, I'm guessing that Flameheart hasn't been very kind to them. Moonsong thought to herself.
The gathering began and Flameheart was the first one to speak, "RiverClan and WindClan, I know I have already said this before but you still have the chance to join us. ShadowClan has already made the smart decision to join us and make their clan stronger." Flameheart meowed as he glance over at Nightstar who was shuffling her paws. "So this is the last time I say this, join me and make your clan strong again." Flameheart meowed.
"RiverClan will join you." Twigstar meowed, giving and apologetic glance at Hollystar.
Moonsong heard the RiverClan cats give yowls of protest but Twigstar blocked them out.
Flameheart nodded, "You have made a smart decision Twigstar." He meowed. He looked over at Hollystar, "And what about WindClan, will you join us?" He smirked.
"WindClan will never join you! You are a cruel and evil cat, I won't let my cats suffer the same fate as the others." Hollystar hissed as she stared at the other leaders.
Flameheart chuckled evilly, "Would you change your mind Hollystar if a kit's life is at stake?" He meowed as he flicked his tail.
Moonsong heard a squeal come from the edge of the clearing as a ThunderClan warrior shoved two small kits forward. Moonsong stared at the kits for a moment, they looked awfully familiar, Flykit and Briarkit! Moonsong thought as she noticed Conefoot's kits.
Conefoot had also come to the gathering and she got to her paws, "Flykit, Briarkit!" Moonsong heard her wail.
Flameheart grinned evilly as she stepped down from the tree and picked up Flykit and climbed a boulder in the clearing so they could see him. "No leave my kit alone!" Conefoot wailed as she saw Flykit wailing and thrashing around in fear.
Flameheart places the kit on the ground and put his paw on it to keep it from running away, "Now will you join me Hollystar?" Flameheart meowed as he looked up at her.
"Will you really murder a kit because of this Flameheart? I still won't join you and you know that!" Hollystar hissed.
"Very well then, watch what you have cause because of your choice!" Flameheart hissed as he bent down to pick up Flykit.
Flykit squealed as Flameheart grabbed it by its neck and picked him up. "No leave him alone!" Conefoot wailed as she tried to race up to him.
Flameheart quickly bit down on the kit's neck, snapping it, and let go of it. Flykit's body fell onto the ground, his neck stained with blood.
Conefoot wailed and cradled the kit's tiny body in her paws, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Moonsong's eyes were wide with shock, I can't believe this evil cat was once the one I had loved, she thought to herself.
Flameheart smiled evilly as he looked down at the brown she-cat. The cats around them were murmuring with each other, clearly shocked at what Flameheart had done.
Hollystar stared at him with shock, he looked up at her, "Next time you refused, that might me one of your warriors instead," Flameheart hissed and flicked his tail for ThunderClan and his allied clans to follow him.
Hollystar leaped down from they tree and she flicked her tail for WindClan to follow her and they headed back to camp. Moonsong settles down in her nest beside Bumbletail, who was resting his tail on her back as he slept. Moonsong drifted off to sleep as she thought about Flameheart, still shocked that Flameheart was evil enough to murder a kit.