The Search for Jetfur

Chapter 7

            Tigerstripe awoke the next morning, finding that most of the clan members were already out of their nests. He pricked his ears, listening to the commotion of camps as they ran around camp, preparing for the day. It sounded so calm to the sounds he used to hear in the MoonClan camp. Usually they were shouts of anger, whimpers, and a lot of hissing.
            "Hey, you're finally up," came a voice beside him.
            Tigerstripe turned to see Snakepelt sitting up, licking one of her paws. He hadn't meant to sleep so late, though exhaustion seemed to overtake him.
            "Yeah, and I'm starving. Where's the food around here?"
            Snakepelt led Tigerstripe toward the fresh-kill pile situated in the middle of camp. He smiled, glad to see each cat got their own share of the prey. He, of course, always got prey in MoonClan for working so well, but did Jetfur?
            As Tigerstripe picked out a plump rabbit for himself, his mind suddenly raced back to Jetfur. He knew he couldn't stay here long. A day or two more, perhaps. Was Jetfur wandering alone in the woods searching for him? Or perhaps she was dead...
            No, Tigerstripe couldn't think like that. He shook his head and bit into his breakfast.
            "I'll be back in a little bit," Snakepelt explained as she finished gulping down her mouse. "I think I may be on patrol today."
            Tigerstripe nodded, watching as she went off. He sighed, feeling awkward now. The other cats had turned their attention toward him and were watching the stranger. Tigerstripe tried to look away, but the several eyes turned on him were embarassing. Nearby, cats were whispering to each other, and Tigerstripe tried to ignore the glares from Mossytail as her kits played near her.
            Tigerstripe was saved, however, when Graystar approached him, a warm smile on the old tom's face.
            "Good to see you're doing well, Tigerstripe," he explained.
            Tigerstripe nodded. "You've been very kind to me here," he replied. "Thank you for taking me in so suddenly."
            Graystar smiled once more. "It's a pleasure. And Snakepelt seems to like you very much."
            Tigerstripe nodded, about to announce that he'd probably leave soon, when Graystar spoke once more.
            "Why did you say you were here again?"
            "I-I was traveling with a friend, Jetfur, and we got separated in this storm, you see--"
            "Jetfur, you say?" came a raspy voice.
            Both Graystar and Tigerstripe spun around to find an old orange she-cat, most likely an elder, listening in on their conversation.
            Tigerstripe eyed the she-cat with suspicion. "Um, yes," he said. "Do you-do you know where she is?"
            The orange tabby thought for a moment. "I believe so," she replied, causing Tigerstripe's heart to beat rapidly. Perhaps Jetfur wasn't too far off!
            "I had a friend awhile back," the elder continued. "She had a black short, shiny coat. Her name was Blackpelt, and she gave birth to kits shortly after I gave birth to my own. Blackpelt's delivery did not go well, and one was born dead," she explained, looking down with grief. "But the other, though small and weak, just barely made it. She looked just like her mother...Blackpelt named her Jetkit."
            The ginger she-cat took on a lighter tone now as she talked about Jetfur. "That Jetkit was always a quiet one," she remarked. "Never had much to say."
            "That's Jetfur!" Tigerstripe gasped. The description of both her pelt and her personality matched perfectly. "Where can I find her?!" he asked, excitedly, startling the old she-cat.
            The elder blinked for a moment. "Well, I don't know where in particular. My daughter knows much more about her than I do. They had a strong friendship, you know."
            "Who's your daughter? Where is she?" Tigerstripe demanded, becoming more frantic by the minute.
            The she-cat chuckled. "Well, I have more than one daughter, but I think the one you're looking for is right over there," she said, pointing her tail directly at Snakepelt.
            "Snakepelt?!" Tigerstripe asked, astonished. Who knew he had somehow run into the best friend of Jetfur?
            The she-cat nodded, leaving Tigerstripe to quickly run towards Snakepelt.
            "Snakepelt! Snakepelt!" he called frantically, leaving the helpful elder and Graystar in the dust.
            Snakepelt spun around in alarm. "What? What?" she gasped, looking around. "Is the clan being invaded?"
            "No, but I heard you were friends with Jetfur," he explained, watching as Snakepelt suddenly settled down, now aware that the clan was safe. "I need your help in finding her."
            The tabby she-cat tilted her head for a moment, as if she were processing her thoughts. Suddenly, her eyes flashed with an unbelievable look in them.
            "Jetkit!" she exclaimed. She then stopped, her mood settling into a grim one once more. "But how do I know you're talking about the same cat I am thinking of?"
            "She has the sleekest black fur I've ever seen," Tigerstripe explained. "And she's quiet, doesn't talk much, but when you get to know her..."
            "That must be her!" Snakepelt exclaimed, almost excited as Tigerstripe. "Yes, yes, I remember now," she continued, causing Tigerstripe to become more excited by the minute. He was this close!
            "We were best friends until..." Snakepelt's voice wandered off, and she glanced down, her excitement vanishing in a flash.
            "Until what?" Tigerstripe asked, becoming more anxious with each second that passed.
            "I-I don't like to talk about it," Snakepelt muttered, glancing down at her paws and refusing to make any sort of eye contact with him.
            "Please," Tigerstripe begged. "Jetfur means a great deal to me, and whatever you know might help me find her."
            Snakepelt remained silent.
            "Please," Tigerstripe murmured once more, this time quieter. He knew Snakepelt wasn't obligated to spill her past to him. After all, they'd just met. But he felt that they had a growing friendship already and that she could trust him.
            "Snakepelt, Graystar wants you on hunting patrol," a white she-cat mewed from behind Snakepelt.
            "But she has to finish telling me something!" Tigerstripe argued. He finally made eye contact with Snakepelt, saying, "You will tell me, won't you?"
            Snakepelt sighed, turning to face the other she-cat. "Cleverspirit, tell Graystar I'll come in just a heartbeat."
            The white she-cat, Cleverspirit, nodded and went off once more, leaving Tigerstripe and Snakepelt alone again.
            "So, what happened?" Tigerstripe asked after a short period of silence.
            Snakepelt took a deep breath and began.
            "Well, Jetkit and I were best friends as kits. We grew up alongside each other. We played constantly, night and day, until our mothers pushed us to bed, and even then, we always slept near each other. We were inseparable," she recalled, a faint smile appearing as she spoke.
            "The friendship, however, did not last long. These horrible cats came to our clan, a different clan at the time, and demanded we leave, or else they'd do something terrible to all of us. Jetkit's mother did not approve and argued that the cats  leave us in peace..." She paused for a moment before continuing her story.
            "Blackpelt fought for us and was killed. My mother, Orangeflower, tried to take me, my siblings, and Jetkit to a safe place. It was going well until we were pursued. Jetkit had fallen behind, and while I had tried to assist my friend when the cats caught up to her, my mother held me back, and I watched as the cats left with Jetkit as a prisoner of their clan."
            Tigerstripe paused. "That's...terrible," he said, suddenly realizing why Jetfur was so against clan life. As a young kit she had been oppressed by evil cats, and joining MoonClan had brought her even more suffering.
            "I never knew what their clan customs were or if they ever hurt her," Snakepelt sniffed, tears gathering in her eyes.
            "Hang on!" he gasped. "Was one of the cats who took her a silver-blue she-cat?" he asked, wondering if perhaps these were MoonClan cats. He had never heard of his mother capturing young kits, but then again, there were several things about Moonstar he had never and would never be aware of.
            "I don't remember," Snakepelt murmured, still upset. She glanced back up at Tigerstripe, her eyes focusing on his. "But I do remember this terrible tabby with green eyes that killed Jetkit's mother."
            "That's all you remember?" Tigerstripe asked, a bit disappointed. This story had not helped him find Jetfur at all. It had only given him a small insight into the she-cat's life. "Do you remember the clan name? The names of any of the cats? Do you even remember the cats besides the tabby with green eyes?" he asked, suddenly finding his voice raising with anger.
            "No, I'm sorry," Snakepelt replied. "I was only a kit, and I wasn't polite enough to ask their names," she snapped, suddenly growing angry as well.
            "Are you sure?"
            "Yes!" she hissed, hitting her tail against the ground. "Now, excuse me, but I've got a patrol to tend to," she growled, pushing past Tigerstripe.
            "Fine!" he hissed, anger flooding through him. He didn't need Jetfur or this stupid clan to give him help. He'd find Jetfur on his own.
            Padding angrily toward the forest, he glanced back at the clan one last time and disappeared into the woods. He'd just have to find Jetfur on his own.