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twilights-800-cats · 3 years

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Chapter 9

Stoneheart opened his eyes to darkness.

It took him a moment to understand where he was, and when he figured it out, he knew he was dreaming – he'd fallen asleep in a bush in a Twoleg’s yard, not in a forest, and especially not in this forest, with its thin, leafless trees and musty odors.

He wondered where he was, as he didn’t recognize these woods. The trees were nothing like the tall pines of ShadowClan territory, or even the thick oaks of ThunderClan’s forests. The ground beneath his paws felt like it was a drop of moisture away from behind too soggy, and the air felt still and stagnant. He looked up and, startlingly, found that the tree branches were locked together so tightly that he couldn’t see the sky beyond them.

A chill settled in Stoneheart’s pelt, and he couldn’t shake it away. He decided that moving was better than staying put, putting his paws onto the only real trail he could see through the thin wall of trees.

Was this a dream from StarClan, he wondered? As Stoneheart walked on, he thought back to his dreams of Mosspaw, his sister who had pulled him into the journey to the lake. His meetings with her had certainly not been in a place like this – the stars, for one, had always been shining. For another, he’d never felt unwelcome in those dreams.

Perhaps it was the chicken, he thought. It had been delicious, no doubt about it; but there was always a strangeness to eating Twoleg food. It just wasn’t made for cats.

A scent crossed his nose, one that tickled at his memory and set his heart pounding in his ears. His paws turned, following the smell, whether he wanted them to or not, as if it were pulling him along, pulling him towards...

The trees opened up, but the sky was still clogged with branches. In the clearing ahead sat a lean-bodied blue-gray she-cat, her pelt like the sky before stars began to appear. Her chin held high, she turned to lock eyes with Stoneheart, a cool, dark blue meeting his paler, sky-blue gaze.

Stoneheart’s mouth went dry. “Bluestar,” he murmured.

There was a spark in his mother’s eye, a flash of emotion that Stoneheart could not bear to read. “Stoneheart,” she called back. “It’s good to see you.”

The sound of her voice made Stoneheart’s fur rise. He wasn’t sure whether to lunge at her, claws unsheathed, or flee from her, his tail tucked between his legs. Bluestar had been the terror of the forest, nearly bringing down the Clans with the force of her ambition, and her dark legacy had never left Stoneheart or Mistyfoot.

Bluestar got to her paws and crossed the clearing to meet Stoneheart where he stood, unable to move. She touched her nose to his forehead, and her scent wreathed around Stoneheart, comforting in some ways and in others feeling like a blanket of claws.

“I am so proud of you,” she meowed.

Suddenly, he felt like he had the strength to move. Stoneheart stepped back, tail lashing. “What do you want?” he demanded. His eyes darted around their surroundings, wary. “You’re here – that means that this can’t be StarClan.”

Bluestar was unphased. “You’re correct,” she confirmed. “You’ve always been perceptive, my son.”

Stoneheart’s pelt crawled. He recalled his battle with Poppy, and realized that it was Bluestar’s voice he had heard. His pelt crawled – had his mother really been encouraging him to kill that rogue?

“I don’t want whatever it is you’re offering,” he hissed, baring his teeth at his mother.

“I am offering you nothing,” Bluestar meowed evenly, “but my pride, and my condolences, and my assurance that I have been watching over you.”

Stoneheart felt like retching. “I want none of it,” he spat. “I haven’t forgotten what you’ve done to the Clans, or how you treated me – no one has. Leave me alone.”

Bluestar only blinked, her dark blue eyes like brilliant stones. “I see great strength in you, Stoneheart. You are the leader that ShadowClan needs, now more than ever.”

She got to her paws, and somehow, though she was smaller than him, Bluestar managed to loom over Stoneheart. Fog gathered at her paws, and the world around them seemed to shift and change and twist, until only she and Stoneheart remained sure and solid.

Bluestar meowed, her voice low and serious, “Don’t ever forget where that strength came from.”

Before Stoneheart could retort, it was all gone – the forest, the fog, the strange land... and his mother. He was lost in blackness, clawing at the dream until finally, he succumbed, falling into darkness.

———————————————————

Stoneheart woke with a start, gasping, his claws digging into the soil. He felt low-hanging branches touch the tips of his ears, and he lowered his head to keep from hitting them. Pinkish-yellow light filtered in through the branches of the bush, and Stoneheart took a deep breath, recalling where he was – some yard in Twolegplace, not whatever horrid forest had invaded his dreams.

He shivered. Never again would he eat Twoleg food, not if it meant seeing Bluestar in his dreams! He thought he was done dreaming of his mother by now.

Wolftooth and Pinewhisker were gone, but that wasn’t what concerned Stoneheart as he got his bearings – his nose seemed to have finally adjusted to the cluster of smells that lingered in a Twolegplace, and now it was telling him that there was a stranger just outside his temporary den.

Stoneheart pulled himself out of the bush slowly, his muscles tense and ready to pounce – but he soon relaxed. It wasn’t an IceClan cat that awaited him, nor was it some other rogue or loner; it was a kittypet, her tabby pelt soft and her belly round, and she was chatting easily with Wolftooth and Pinewhisker, the little bell tied around her neck tinkling softly.

“Who’s this?” Stoneheart asked, approaching.

“I’m Cody,” the kittypet meowed, dipping her head congenially. “I live here! You must be Stoneheart?”

Stoneheart nodded, glancing warily at Wolftooth and Pinewhisker. Wolftooth shrugged in response, meowing, “She’s just a kittypet, I don’t think she means any harm.”

Cody didn’t seem offended by Wolftooth’s frankness. She drew a paw over her ear, and mewed, “We were just chatting about how you ended up in my garden. You say IceClan cats chased you off?”

“They did,” Pinewhisker admitted grudgingly. He shifted, trying to hide the scratches on his pelt. “Can’t say we were expecting them.”

Cody blinked sympathetically at the ShadowClan patrol. Stoneheart fought the urge to roll his eyes – they were ShadowClan, they didn’t need a kittypet’s sympathy! The tabby, oblivious to Clan pride, meowed, “Well, you’re obviously not from around here – IceClan thinks the city is their territory.”

“Good to know,” Wolftooth grunted. “Anything else you can tell us?”

Cody curled her tail around her paws. “Well, if you’re going to be wandering around here much longer...”

“Believe us, we don’t want to stay any longer than we have to,” Pinewhisker cut in.

Cody swept on, “... you ought to know that SnakeClan has the suburbs around here – they fight with IceClan over the yards they share all the time, and it’s so annoying...”

“There’s another Clan?” Stoneheart blinked, shocked.

Cody nodded. “There’s FuryClan, too; they hold the junkyards and the outskirts of the town. IceClan and SnakeClan are annoying enough, but they mostly just fight with each other. FuryClan, though... they’re horrible. I’m glad I don’t live anywhere near their territory...” The kittypet shuddered.

Wolftooth curled his lip. “Three of these rogue Clans? Great.”

Cody licked her chest fur to cover her worry. “I think they splintered off from that one Clan that was running around here a bunch of seasons ago – BloodClan? Is that right?” When Wolftooth nodded, Cody went on, “Yeah, they’re all bad news. You three were lucky!”

Pinewhisker’s whiskers twitched. “Lucky? We’re warriors - we could fight circles around those rogues!”

“Well, there’s more of them than there are you,” Cody pointed out brusquely. More firmly, she repeated, “You got lucky this time; next time, you might not make it home in one piece.”

“You’re right about that,” Wolftooth admitted.

Cody looked the three of them over, her head tilted curiously. “So... what are you three doing here, anyway? You said you were from ShadowClan, right? One of those forest Clans? Don’t tell me you’re coming to Twolegplace, too! We’ve got enough trouble as it is!”

“Certainly not,” Stoneheart grunted, and the kittypet sighed with relief. “We’re not here looking for a home, but we are here for a reason...”

Cody blinked, her eyes owlishly wide as she listened to Stoneheart recount the reason the three Clan cats had come to Twolegplace: “... so that’s why we’re here, but... we have no idea where to look, now, and we’re all turned around.”

“I see,” Cody murmured. She lowered her chin, clearly thinking. “Well, I haven’t heard anything about forest cats in Twolegplace, other than you three – I'm sorry. Most of us aren’t allowed in the forest right now, with all the workfolk walking around there. They’re not as nice as housefolk, and their monsters are very dangerous!”

Stoneheart’s heart sank, and Pinewhisker groaned. Wolftooth sighed. “Well, thanks anyways...”

Cody lifted her head, the bell on her collar jingling. “But I do know a cat who might be able to help!” she insisted. “He’s not far – come with me.”

Pinewhisker looked uncertain. “Follow... a kittypet?”

Cody tossed her head, her eyes flashing with annoyance. “Oh, like you’d know where you were going?”

“Fair,” Pinewhisker conceded. “Put your fur down!”

Cody smiled, looking satisfied. She got to her paws, flicking her tail for the ShadowClan cats to follow. “It’s not far, come on.”

The round tabby led the way to the far fence, leaping up with surprising ease. She waited patiently for Wolftooth, Pinewhisker, and Stoneheart, and she didn’t begin to move until all three had their paws firmly planted.

“Tucker lives a few yards away,” Cody explained, leading the way down her fence. “I know the way around Twolegplace better than him, but I can’t stay out for too long today. He’ll definitely help you, though – he loves the forest, and talks about forest cats all the time!”

“And this... Tucker... knows where the missing cats are?” Stoneheart asked.

“Well, I don’t think he does,” Cody admitted, looking a little guilty. “But he can take you to someone who can definitely help.”

“Great,” Pinewhisker grumbled. “And I’m sure that cat knows someone, too...”

“Don’t look too hard at a gift mouse,” Wolftooth advised, his voice low. “We’ll see where this takes us. What do we have to lose at this point?”

Stoneheart kept his jaws shut, but some part of him wanted to say, Only our lives, or the hopes of the Clans, or Rowanclaw and the others... He knew it wouldn’t help. Cody was being kind, leading them to someone that might aid them, and if she heard their remarks, she didn’t say.

After a few corners and some fence-hopping, Cody stopped, gesturing to a Twoleg den that looked to be made with cobbled-together stones. The yard was small, with a little stone path leading through a few gardens full of flowers and around an aging willow that had lost its leaves.

“This is Tucker’s nest,” Cody mewed. She glanced up at the sun and added, “He should have eaten by now.”

Stoneheart didn’t want to think about it, but his stomach growled at the mere thought of food as he and the others leaped down off of the fence. The grass here was thicker than some of the other yards they’d seen, more like the grass that grew in the forest.

Cody flopped down and rolled herself in the green, purring. “Tucker’s housefolk are older – they take such good care of their yard!”

Stoneheart stifled a mrrow of amusement when Pinewhisker rubbed his own cheeks in the grass, his striped tail twitching. “What?” the young warrior wondered, lifting his head. “It feels like the marsh-grass in greenleaf... Who knows when we might feel that again?”

At that, Stoneheart himself was almost tempted to roll around in the dirt. His heart hurt anew at the thought of the forest’s destruction, at how real it was. Running through the Twolegplace like a few startled sparrows had put that certainty out of his mind for a time, and now it was back, fresh and raw.

The grass at the lake will be better, he told himself. He glanced at Wolftooth, seeing the senior warrior look just as uncomfortable. Why else would StarClan send us there?

Cody was oblivious to the Clan cat’s emotions – she had sauntered her way up to the back door of the stone den, planting herself on a large slab of stone that lay just outside it. There was a curious square of something shiny just at her level, and she batted at it with her paw. It flexed beneath her prodding in a way that reminded Stoneheart of a leaf bending in the wind.

“Tucker?” she called through the hole. “Tucker, are you there?”

It took a moment before another kittypet appeared, pushing through the shiny square and stretching as he did so, the white patches on his tabby pelt glowing in the sunshine. He greeted Cody with a purr, touching his nose to hers.

“Hey, Cody,” he mewled, his voice as soft as his face. “What brings you here?”

Cody nodded to the three ShadowClan cats, and meowed, “They’re looking for someone, but I’m too busy today. Can you take them to Branch?”

Tucker jumped at the sight of the forest cats in his gardens, but there wasn’t any fear-scent clouding around the little tom. Instead, he looked excited, and he lifted his tail. “Of course I can!” he purred to Cody. “Right away!”

“Thanks,” Cody sighed, looking grateful. “But be careful, okay? They’ve riled up IceClan already.”

Tucker’s whiskers twitched in amusement, and he looked over the three ShadowClan cats. “Welcome to Twolegplace, then,” he chuckled. “Don’t worry, we shouldn’t be seeing any IceClan cats on our way.”

“I’m sorry, but who’s Branch?” Pinewhisker wondered.

“I’d like to know that, too,” muttered Wolftooth.

Tucker flicked his tail. “I’ll explain on the way.” He stretched his legs again, offering to Cody, “I’ve got some leftover food inside, if you’re interested.”

Cody shook her head. “You know I don’t like that dry stuff!” she sighed.

“But it’s the good dry stuff!” Tucker insisted. “Give it a try?”

Cody rolled her eyes, and she decided, “Fine...” She flicked her tail at the ShadowClan cats, and meowed, “Good luck!” before she pushed her way through the square in the door.

Tucker’s gaze lingered on the space where Cody had been, until Stoneheart meowed, “Are we leaving?” and the soft kittypet jumped back to attention.

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go!” he mewed chipperly. He headed for the fence, then turned and asked, “Uh... what’re your names, again?”

“I’m Wolftooth,” growled Wolftooth, prowling towards the fence. “That’s Pinewhisker and Stoneheart – we're from ShadowClan.”

Tucker’s eyes went round. “ShadowClan? I’ve heard about you guys! You live in the marsh, right?”

“We do,” Stoneheart answered.

Pinewhisker leaped up onto the fence, his tail-tip flicking impatiently. “And we want to get back there, as soon as possible,” he said curtly. “So, can we get going, already? We can chit-chat on the way.”

“Right, sorry!” Tucker bunched his muscles and leaped, landing on the fence with ease.

Stoneheart followed, jumping ahead of Pinewhisker. By now, it seemed an easy thing to keep his balance on the thin wooden planks. Tucker waited until Wolftooth was on the fence as well before he headed off, tail up.

“So... if you guys are from the marsh, that means the workfolk are on your territory, right?” Tucker meowed as he walked. “That sucks.”

“It does,” Stoneheart admitted. “They’re destroying our homes.”

Tucker’s expression was hard to see in single-file, but Stoneheart thought he looked guilty. “Well... Twolegs need homes, too,” he meowed. “I doubt they even know you’re there. They have a hard time seeing what’s below them, trust me – it gets worse as they get older!”

They crossed from Tucker’s fence to a new one, which was slightly taller. Tucker waited patiently for every cat to make the switch before he moved on. “I’m sure if they did know, they’d stop,” the kittypet went on. “They’d probably make sure you forest cats had a good home before they kept working.”

“Pfft,” Pinewhisker scoffed. “They’d make us into kittypets in a heartbeat!”

Tucker’s whiskers twitched. “Probably! But any home is better than no home, right?”

“I wouldn’t say so,” Wolftooth grunted. “I’ve no desire to live in a Twolegplace again, and I’m going to guess every other Clan cat feels the same way.”

“Twolegs aren’t so bad!” Tucker insisted, leading them over another yard. “But I guess if you’re a wildcat, you’re a wildcat – not everyone can handle being a kittypet.”

Stoneheart bit back a comment. A kittypet’s life was so different from a Clan cat’s that Stoneheart had a hard time wrapping his head around it – surely there was a benefit that these cats saw in living this way. There wasn’t any time to debate who lived a better life.

Tucker turned a corner, leading them along a long stretch of wooden fence. Stoneheart, looking over Tucker’s head, had no idea how the kittypet was navigating so confidently. A dog barked in the distance, but Tucker paid it no mind, and he seemed to ignore all the noise and bustle like it was nothing.

I guess, in a way, it’s like a forest, Stoneheart thought. He’d had similar thoughts about Purdy’s Twolegplace. Just... different looking.

“So, how do you know Cody?” Stoneheart asked.

Tucker’s ears pricked. “Cody? Oh, I’ve known her for a while. She likes to roam around her block and explore, so it was only a matter of time before we met. She’s such a sweet cat!”

“Sounds like you’re smitten,” Wolftooth chuckled.

“Me? Oh, no!” Tucker paused, looking back at the ShadowClan cats. His eyes were wide at the thought. “Cody’s a really good friend, for one, and for another, she’s more interested in she-cats. I like her, but she’s only a friend.”

Stoneheart purred in amusement. “Well, it seems she has a good friend in you, as well,” he offered. “You were the first cat she thought of to help us.”

Tucker’s tail curled, and he looked pleased. He started walking again, his steps springy like a kitten’s. Stoneheart’s heart warmed. He does love her, he thought. Even if it might never be.

When the fence ended, Tucker warned them of the Thunderpaths they’d have to cross: “Branch lives at the vet,” he explained, “and it’s across a few roads.” Stoneheart looked ahead. All he could see were Twoleg nests. Behind him, Pinewhisker wondered, “Isn’t there any way to avoid the Thunderpaths?”

“Not really,” Tucker sighed. “I wish there were, too; believe me!”

“We just need to be careful,” Wolftooth grunted. “We’re no strangers to Thunderpaths – lead on, Tucker.”

Tucker nodded, doing just that, and soon enough they encountered their first Thunderpath. It was small, and the four cats managed to cross easily. Tucker called the dens that the Thunderpaths enclosed “blocks”, and as he led them along another series of fences, he explained that Twolegs tried to cram as many dens into a block as they could.

“It takes a long time to build Twoleg nests, and roads, too, you see,” Tucker meowed. “I knew a cat who waited four whole seasons before his home was built. Twolegs are big, so their homes need to be, too!”

Stoneheart felt bile rise in the back of his throat. Midnight had said that Twolegs were invading and destroying the forest to make more dens – and the ravaging had only just begun. The thought of trying to wait four whole seasons for the Twolegs to leave made Stoneheart feel sick.

Soon enough there was another Thunderpath, no busier than the last. Tucker led the way confidently, block after block, while the sun made its way through the sky. By sunhigh, Stoneheart had thoroughly lost his sense of direction, and the only hint of where they might be – the forest that peeked over the tops of the lower dens – was all but gone behind them.

Branch had better be worth it, he thought, nerves firing in his limbs. We don’t have time to search for the others and try to find our way back!

Finally, though, Tucker led them to what he called the last Thunderpath – this one was busier, but like Purdy’s Twolegplace there were paths made especially for crossing. Tucker led them along one of these special trails, confident despite the monsters being so close Stoneheart felt they might rip his pelt off. He scurried along, conscious of their growling and the heat they radiated.

On the other side was a block unlike the ones before – the buildings had no yards, and the grass was covered in a blanket of stone. The buildings here weren’t built like Twoleg dens – they were boxy and much, much larger, with bigger windows and strange colors. Tucker pointed out the vet’s den, the smaller of the buildings, with a large expanse of blank green grass nearby that felt oily and stank of hundreds of different animals. There was a little patch of woodland just behind it.

“We’ll wait in the woods for Branch,” Tucker promised, leading the way along the grass. “Lots of animals and their Twolegs come and go from the vet, so we’ll be out of sight back there.”

“And you’re sure this Branch cat can help us?” Wolftooth asked, trotting ahead. Now that they weren’t forced to walk single-file, the ShadowClan cats fanned out like a normal patrol. Stoneheart found he could ignore the strange way the grass felt – he was grateful his pads weren’t being pinched by wooden fences anymore.

Tucker seemed confident. “Listen, you’ll never find a cat like Branch anywhere in Twolegplace – he might seem weird, but he’s really smart. Once, a little Twoleg girl went missing and her kittypet went to Branch to help find her... and he did it! He found exactly where she was. He’ll find your cats too.”

“I hope so,” Pinewhisker sighed, glancing at Stoneheart.

Stoneheart looked away. He was already trying so hard not to think of never finding Rowanclaw again, he didn’t need the others looking at him like he was a kit that lost their favorite feather.

The cats reached the small patch of trees without incident. Stoneheart’s heart was pounding in his ears as he watched Twolegs come and go from the vet’s den, leading dogs by leashes or carrying their pets within what looked like too-small dens.

Tucker found them a spot beside the stump of a tree, stretching his legs and laying on his side in the dirt. “Branch usually comes out around dinnertime,” he meowed. “You guys should relax – if you’re hungry, birds like hanging out here. Don’t worry about the town Clans, either – they don’t bother Branch. No one hurts an animal that lives with a vet!”

“Huh, so there’s some honor among them!” huffed Wolftooth, looking surprised.

“Thank StarClan for that,” Pinewhisker complained, “I’m starving.”

“I’ll stay here with Tucker,” Stoneheart offered. He was conscious that Wolftooth was technically leading this patrol, but Stoneheart just didn’t have the appetite to hunt right now, not with this Branch – his only hope of finding Rowanclaw – showing up at any time.

Wolftooth seemed to understand. “Stay safe,” he meowed. “We’ll be back.”

Pinewhisker and Wolftooth left, heading deeper into the trees. Stoneheart turned away from them, focusing his eyes on the vet’s den. He spotted a door in the back, with another square-shaped opening like Tucker’s den had. If Branch was coming, he’d likely come out that way.

The goal was so close. Stoneheart hadn’t felt so nervous since the night before leaving for the journey, and he didn’t have Rowanclaw’s presence to soothe him now like he’d had then. Instead, he laid himself out beside Tucker, resting his chin on his paws, trying to ignore the way his heart was thudding in his ears.

StarClan, he thought. Please... let Branch have the answers we... that I... need!

#tb au #tb dawn

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