Month 20 - Leaffall
Prev | First | Next
The group of cats that Oddstripe found himself in was the largest had ever seen in his life, let alone at the Cornerstones. The clearing felt packed with cats and everyone was in good spirits despite, or possibly because of, the wounds they bore. He had to restrain himself from asking every cat he ran into if they were alright or needed anything from him.
Paying attention to Aldertail made it easier. She was nervous, certainly, but also excited which was nice to see. They sat on the edge of the crowd, where the chilly night air could still be felt, and watched expectantly for the arrival of the kittypets.
“I can’t believe they’re gonna share catnip with everybody!” Aldertail said for the third time.
“I know,” he laughed. “It’s surreal to think about.”
“Have you ever tried it before?” asked Aldertail.
“No, I’ve always saved it for treating the sick,” said Oddstripe, shaking his head. “Have you?”
“Once,” she nodded. “My brother and I snuck into a garden with some of his friends and rolled around until the owner chased us off. It’s the best feeling in the world, honestly.”
“Really?” he asked, his curiosity piqued.
“Oh, yeah,” she nodded. “It’s like you’re floating and all your worries just kind of fade away for a while.” She gave a dreamy sigh and closed her eyes, imagining it. Oddstripe purred at the sight of her looking so peaceful.
“Well, I’m excited to try it,” he said. “It will be interesting to explore a new side of the herb.”
The bushes at the edge of the clearing shook softly and both of them perked their ears and stared at the noise. After a moment, Songdust emerged, a ginger ticked kittypet close behind her. Another cat that looked almost exactly like him but a darker, ruddy color followed, along with a pretty chocolate tortoiseshell. All three city cats had fat bundles of catmint in their jaws and Oddstripe marveled as even more cats emerged carrying bundles of their own. He counted at least ten different kittypets once they had all stepped out of the undergrowth.
“Oh, wow!” Oddstripe gasped. “That’s a lot of catmint!” The cats on the edge of the clearing could smell it and one by one they started to look for the source of the scent. Excited murmurs spread through the crowd and every eye turned expectantly towards their guests.
“Howdy, y’all,” smiled the ginger cat at the front, projecting his voice confidently, “the catnip has arrived!” A SkyClan cat cheered and the cheer spread throughout the crowd until most everyone was whooping and hollering. The noise alone was enough to make Oddstripe feel intoxicated and he raised his voice along with them.
When the noise had died down, Songdust shouted, “Everybody will get some so let’s not push or shove, alright?”
Goldenstar emerged from the sea of cats and said, “Wow! I didn’t expect you to bring so much!”
The tortoiseshell smiled prettily and said, “My garden will be a bit bare for a while but I think it’s worth it.”
Oddstripe stepped up beside Goldenstar and said, “Thank you so much! To donate such a valuable herb-! I’m blown away by your generosity!”
“You’re a healer?” the tortoiseshell’s face brightened.
“I am,” he purred, glancing back at Aldertail as she pressed shyly against his flank.
“I dabble myself!” purred the kittypet.
“Really?” he gasped. “I thought that kittypets left medicine to their twolegs.”
“We do, for the most part,” she purred, “but a few of us try to take care of the cats without Folk as well. I’m Fawn, by the way.”
“Oddstripe,” he beamed. “And this is Aldertail.” Behind him, Aldertail squeaked softly.
“A pleasure to meet you both,” grinned Fawn. “Please, have some catnip.” Around them, other cats had already started to partake. The smell was suddenly overwhelming to Oddstripe and the restraint that Sagetooth had drilled into him was slipping away very quickly.
“Oh, alright,” he said, bending down to rub his cheeks through the buds. Once he started, it was hard to stop and only his awareness of Aldertail managed to pull him away.
“Your turn, dear,” he said, stepping to the side, his head already starting to buzz.
“You’re sure it’s okay?” she asked meekly.
“Yes, of course,” purred Fawn. “Help yourself.” Aldertail swallowed and nodded, diving eagerly down into the bed of catmint and rolling until her cheeks were speckled with the stuff. Oddstripe laughed when she stood up, wobbling, and he pressed forward to rub his cheeks against hers. The purr she gave rumbled through him in a way that overwhelmed him with fondness.
“Easy there,” he said, catching her as she wobbled towards him. “Let’s step back so everybody else can get some.”
“Oh,” she blinked. “Okay. Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he laughed, “it’s okay.” Pressed closely side by side, they skirted the edge of the crowd until they found a good space to settle down. Once they had, Aldertail flopped over onto him and nuzzled up under his chin with a boldness he’d never seen in her before.
“It’s so nice to see you so relaxed,” he purred, starting to run his tongue over her head. She purred loudly and looked up at him with the fondest expression.
“You’re so nice to me,” she sighed. “Nobody’s ever been as nice to me as you are.”
“I’m sorry,” Oddstripe frowned sympathetically.
“It’s okay,” she said, closing her eyes. “I just… I really like you.”
“I like you too,” he purred, rubbing his head against hers. She surged up to meet the touch, nearly pushing him flat onto his side, and they both devolved into laughter.
“There you are!” cried Ospreymask, out of the crowd with Branchbark and Pebblefall on her tail. Judging by their wide blown pupils, they had just come from the catmint.
“Ospreymask!” Oddstripe purred, reaching for her with his front paws. Aldertail giggled and burrowed down into his side to watch the others with one eye, the other buried in his fur. Ospreymask headbutted him firmly and rubbed herself all the way down his side before looping back to slam into Branchbark in a similar manner.
“Stars!” she cried, looping her paws around Branchbark’s neck and sinking to the ground, taking him down clumsily with her. “Catmint is the best! Why aren’t we doing this all the time?!”
“Because we need to save it for the sick,” laughed Oddstripe.
“Ugh!” Ospreymask groaned performatively and the whole group laughed. “The sick can go suck frogs!”
“How dare you,” laughed Branchbark, swatting her over the face and she lunged with sudden velocity at him. They wrestled and writhed on the ground in a frantic tangle of limbs then stopped for a beat before resuming their struggle with vigor. Pebblefall bounced up on their toes and swatted at them from the sidelines. Oddstripe fell apart laughing at them all and Aldertail squeezed her paws around him, purring so loudly it rumbled through his chest.
When the wrestling broke apart, Ospreymask flopped on her side and hummed to herself, eyes closed. Branchbark slumped against her and chuckled to himself while Pebblefall fell on her other side. She reached up with a paw and pulled their face over to her and gave them a few long licks under their chin. They purred and shifted closer and she worked her way down their chest, nuzzling as she went.
“Aw, man, right now?” Branchbark groaned, shoving Ospreymask away from him and she laughed as she was smushed up against Pebblefall’s chest.
“We’re not gonna do anything crazy,” she protested, undercut a bit by Pebblefall nuzzling into her scruff and breathing deeply of her scent. Oddstripe realized suddenly what was going on and his face flushed brightly.
“Are you two going to-” he cut himself off, not wanting to say the words out loud for fear that he might get them in trouble. Aldertail stopped purring and held very still against him.
To his surprise, Ospreymask glanced over and said, “Maybe,” with a suggestive grin. “You should join us.” Oddstripe’s cheeks were burning. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. What was worse, he didn’t hate the idea.
“I- I shouldn’t,” he laughed. “You know healers aren’t supposed to do that kind of thing.”
“They’re not?” Aldertail whispered in surprise.
“Besides,” her continued, “I didn’t even really enjoy… that the one time I… when I tried it.” He looked away, lips pursed, his face hot with the scandalous nature of the entire conversation.
“Yeah, but you weren’t a tom back then,” Ospreymask argued casually, rolling to press her back up against Pebblefall’s belly. “Maybe it would be different now.” Oddstripe hadn’t considered that and he wasn’t going to let himself consider it, at least not right now. Pebblefall wrapped their paws around Ospreymask’s torso and ran their tongue over her ear which was enough to spur Oddstripe to his feet.
“I’m gonna go,” he said, looking askance.
Aldertail scrambled to her feet and went to follow him. “Me too.”
“Aww, come on,” Ospreymask whined, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I meant it completely platona- platona- pluh-ton-ic-ally. Stars, why is that so hard to say?” Pebblefall whispered something in her ear and she laughed, craning her neck back to lean into their shoulder in a way that was terribly intimate.
“I’m coming too,” Branchbark said as he heaved himself to his feet.
“Noooo!” Ospreymask suddenly looked remorseful. “We’ll stop, I promise.”
“It’s fine,” Branchbark said, “do what you want. We’re gonna head out though.”
“How ‘bout we go to the river?” Oddstripe suggested, already leading Aldertail into the trees.
“That sounds good,” Branchbark said. After a short pause, he said, “I’m sorry about her. She’s just… like this.”
“It’s fine,” Aldertail said softly. “That’s just what people on catnip do.”
“Really?” Oddstripe raised his brow. “I’ve never noticed any patients getting… worked up like that.” He shook his pelt, still feeling scandalized, although the catnip buzz was starting to wash that feeling away. “They’re mostly drowsy
“I think it’s different if you eat it than if you just smell it,” said Aldertail.
“Huh,” said Oddstripe. “Good to know.”
The three of them walked in silence, the noise of the celebration fading as more and more leaves came between them and the Cornerstones. After a while, Oddstripe closed his eyes and hummed a little song and Aldertail joined in as best she could, leaning on his shoulder. He smiled and started to sway back and forth with every step like he used to when playing with his kittens.
Aldertail laughed as he wobbled underneath her and said, “cut it out!”
“Cut what out?” he feigned innocence, “I’m just walking.”
“No you’re not,” she giggled, still trying to lean on him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Aldertail,” said Branchbark who had started walking with the same wide, swaying gait. “You’re the one walking weird.”
Aldertail laughed again and jumped into the air to swat at him although she pulled each paw back before it got anywhere near his head. Branchbark snorted and took off running towards the river.
“Don’t let him get away!” Oddstripe cried and they bolted after him. Oddstripe felt as light as a feather, like the weight of his duties had lifted off of his shoulders for the moment. When they finally caught Branchbark, the three of them collapsed in a tangle of paws on the river bank and laughed far longer than they ought to have. Oddstripe’s face hurt from smiling by the time they picked themselves up and went to camp.
“I love you guys,” he sighed fondly, sandwiched between his friends.
Branchbark sighed in kind and Aldertail mumbled, “you too,” and the world felt beautiful and bright.
