Five Creatures - Chapter One
Allegiances Allegiances W/References Next Chapter
Squirrelstar sat near the lakebed, staring blankly across the water’s surface. Her ginger fur was fluffed up to block out to last cool breezes of leaf-bare. Her green eyes looked down at her own reflection. She looked gaunt, her fur dull and scruffy, and her eyes lacked the normal blaze that she so often saw.
“Squirrelstar?” A gentle voice aired behind her.
The ThunderClan leader turned her head, making eye contact with the blue eyes of her deputy. “Ah, Fawngaze, how can I help you?”
“Just checking up on you. Alderheart told me that you lost another life,” the cream she-cat sat next to Squirrelstar.
“Yes, although I’m not quite sure what took it,” Squirrelstar sighed, looking back at the dark water.
“These have been strange times, no one can deny that,” Fawngaze inched closer to the frail leader. “But, the weather is warming and prey is running. Our clan may be small, but we are strong.”
“How strong can we be after that leaf-bare? We lost so many, and so many are close to starvation.”
“Badgerpaw and Adderpaw are both shaping up to be fine hunters, and in just one moon we will have three more apprentices to help aid in strengthening the clan,” Fawngaze responded.
“I’m surprised those kits even lasted through leaf-bare. Happy, but surprised,” Squirrelstar flicked her ear,
“I doubt that Creekwing would’ve let anything bad happen to them. She would’ve starved before she let them die. Harescar too,” her deputy mused. “I also doubt that we were the only clan to be affected by this past leaf-bare.”
“I suppose we shall see in a few days,” Squirrelstar looked up at the moon, noticing its nearly full shape.
Squirrelstar walked beside Blazejaw, the dark ginger giving a running commentary for his apprentice, Badgerpaw. She glanced sideways at the black-and-white tom, his eyes were bright and full of admiration for his mentor.
“Blazejaw, if I may?”
The warrior looked at Squirrelstar and nodded, “Be my guest.”
“Badgerpaw, when hunting, you’re going to have to get closer to your prey than almost any other warrior,” she commented.
“Because of my tail,” the apprentice’s deep voice meowed, a hint of sadness underlying his tone.
Squirrelstar flicked her tail in annoyance. She was brought back to when the kit had left the nursery and ran into a badger while exploring the woods. Luckily Lionblaze had been out to save him from losing his life, but Badgerpaw did lose his tail.
“Do you ever wish your name hadn’t been changed?” Blazejaw asked, stopping in front of his apprentice.
Badgerpaw, although not born with that name, shook his head, “Not at all. Badgerpaw is a way cooler name than Patchpaw.”
Squirrelstar glanced at Blazejaw, the pair twitching their whiskers with amusement. “Of course, my mistake.” Blazejaw laughed.
“Show me your hunting skills,” Squirrelstar directed Badgerpaw towards a thick patch of oak trees due north of them.
Badgerpaw nodded and headed off, his pawsteps light and face determined. Squirrelstar sat next to Blazejaw, the two ginger warriors watching Badgerpaw with keen eyes.
Badgerpaw froze, his ears perking and rotating towards a noise. The apprentice crouched low to the ground, his dark fur blending in with the still-barren forest. He crept forward slowly and bunched the muscles in his hips before leaping forward in a wonderful display of power. He lifted his head, a vole dangling from his jowls.
“Excellent catch!” Blazejaw purred.
“Beautiful technique,” Squirrelstar commented, smiling at the apprentice as he trotted over with his kill.
“I almost didn’t catch its scent. There was something over there I couldn’t identify,” Badgerpaw said, kicking dirt over the vole.
Squirrelstar immediately got to her paws, unsheathing her claws and walking over to where the vole had been caught. She sniffed around, trying to pinpoint the scent Badgerpaw spoke about. A faint scent wafted over her. Not badger, not fox...Definitely a cat.
“It’s probably just a loner walking through, but I’ll be sure to let Fawngaze know so the patrols can look out for them,” she reassured the apprentice.
Blazejaw flashed a questioning glance towards his leader but did not comment. Squirrelstar motioned for the pair of toms to follow her, “Let’s continue hunting.”
Squirrelstar was surprised by how much fresh-kill Badgerpaw had managed to catch. The apprentice had caught two mice in addition to the vole. Blazejaw and her had also been successful in their hunting.
“Successful day?” Fawngaze asked sarcastically, taking one of Squirrelstar’s squirrels from her.
“Very much so. You were right about Badgerpaw,” Squirrelstar purred.
“The fresh-kill pile hasn’t been this stocked in a long time, you should be sure to enjoy some along with the rest of us,” Fawngaze nudged her leader with a shoulder.
“I’ll eat once everyone else has.”
Squirrelstar saw Adderpaw coming out of the elders’ den, tufts of moss clinging to his thin pelt.
“Adderpaw! If you’re done cleaning the elders’ den, then you can eat,” Honeyspeck, a light ginger she-cat and Adderpaw’s mentor, called from across the clearing.
The pale tom nodded and headed over to the fresh-kill pile, taking a mouse for himself and settling next to Badgerpaw. Harescar was coming out of the nursery, his eyes brimming with happiness and his three kits following after him. Squirrelstar took this moment to appreciate her clan, how strong it was even after a tough leaf-bare.
“Have you decided who’s going to mentor them?” Fawngaze asked, her eyes looking at the three kits as they tackled their father.
“I only know that Dogpelt will be getting Firekit. StarClan knows that Firekit needs someone strong-willed and patient,” Squirrelstar meowed.
“Couldn’t agree more. Between you and me, I think Foxdust would be a great mentor for Acornkit,” Fawngaze commented.
Squirrelstar blinked at her deputy. Why hadn’t she thought of that? Foxdust’s outgoing personality and bravery could hopefully help Acornkit out of his shell. “Excellent idea.”
As Fawngaze turned to leave, the ThunderClan leader was struck with the scent of the loner once more, “Oh, Fawngaze. I forgot to mention, Badgerpaw scented a loner near the SkyClan border, make sure the patrols are on high alert.”
“Will do, Squirrelstar,” the pale she-cat responded, curling her tail high over her back.
As the moon rose above the ThunderClan camp, Squirrelstar finally allowed herself a mouse from the fresh-kill pile. Fawngaze smirked at her leader as she walked into the warriors’ den. Squirrelstar rolled her eyes and laid down to eat her mouse. She savored every bite, finally realizing how hungry she truly was.
She could hear the three kits inside the nursery, no doubt it was Firekit and Hawkkit trying to persuade Acornkit to do something stupid. She sighed fondly, remembering her own time in the nursery. But, by now her kits were no longer kits. Alderheart was a fully-fledged medicine cat and Sparkpelt, unfortunately, had passed this past new-leaf when a dog got loose from its twoleg.
And, of course, Squirrelflight missed her mate dearly. Another sigh escaped her when she thought of Bramblestar, the previous leader of ThunderClan. His dark tabby pelt often filled her dreams, saddening as it was for her to think of his passing.
“Enjoying a meal all alone?” Alderheart asked, looking down at his mother.
“Finally allowing myself a meal,” she corrected, sitting up and looking at her son.
Alderheart sat next to her, his fur was soft against her prickly coat. He followed her gaze to the nursery and connected the dots, “Do you wish you had more?”
“More kits?” Squirrelstar asked, twitching her ear, “Sometimes. But I know that neither Bramblestar or I could’ve taken on that responsibility during our downfall.”
“During ThunderClan’s downfall, I presume?” Alderheart asked, his thick tail wrapping around his paws.
“Yes, it was an unfortunate time for this clan. During Bramblestar’s last few lives, who could’ve seen SkyClan rising up against us? And our enemies with WindClan didn’t help either,” Squirrelstar lamented.
“Bramblestar spent his entire last life trying to smooth things over with both clans, and now, so many seasons later, I fear that no clan is strong enough to even think of an uprising or attack,” Alderheart hesitated.
“I suppose you’re right Alderheart. You’ve always been the wisest in our family,” she said to her son playfully, “But you didn’t hear that from me.” She finished as she headed back towards her den, whisking her tail across his nose as she left.
As she laid down to finally rest, she could feel the age seeping through her bones and joints. With a huff, she flopped onto her side to give her legs some rest. She would never tell her clanmates, but even her hunt today with Badgerpaw and Blazejaw exhausted her more than she ever thought was possible.
When she drifted off to sleep that night, the familiar stench of blood filled her nose, but she was far too exhausted to make herself stay awake. When her vision went black, a sharp pair of fangs dripping in blood flooded the darkness.