Mosspaw dropped into a hunter's crouch, staring at her prey from a fox-length away. It was absently chewing on a piece of grass, unaware of her presence. Wriggling her haunches, she pounced forward, catching it squarely in between her paws.
Thank you StarClan for this prey, she thought, happily picking it up and carrying it over to the river to eat.
"Mosspaw!" a voice broke through, startling Mosspaw. She glanced from side to side.
"Mosspaw!"
Mosspaw shook her head awake. She was back in the forest, and Mistyfoot was hovering above her with a scowl.
"You're always asleep."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Mosspaw grumbled, standing up.
"You say you're too tired to hang out, too tired to go hunting, too tired for anything. But you're always asleep. How can it be both?"
"Being a medicine cat is hard work!"
"Being a warrior is, too! But you don't see us sleeping all day. And Spottedleaf and Featherwhisker don't seem nearly as exhausted as you claim to be."
Mosspaw hissed and turned around.
"You've barely even talked to Bluefur since she recovered! Do you have any idea how that makes her feel? How it makes any of us feel? You only cared about us when she was dying!"
"That's not true!" Mosspaw spun around, claws unsheathed.
"Then prove it! Spend some time with your family for once. Stop hiding from us." Mistyfoot turned and ran away into the overgrowth.
Mosspaw looked down at her paws, noticing how messy her fur was. She shook off quickly and started walking back to camp, each step feeling like a massive effort.
Since Bluefur had been injured, Mosspaw had spent nearly every night in StarClan. That was two moons ago, and Bluefur was mostly recovered now. But the stress of treating her mother had gotten to her. She could barely stand to stay awake.
Mosspaw arrived back to camp, nearly running into Mistyfoot.
"Mistyfoot-" she started.
"I'm going on patrol," she growled. Sparrowpelt and Dappletail were behind her. Mosspaw sighed and walked into the camp.
Golden hues of leaf-fall covered the camp floor, and the sun hung high and bright in the sky, only covered by scattered clouds. Mosspaw entered the medicine clearing.
"Where's the catmint?" Spottedleaf frowned.
"Couldn't find any," Mosspaw lied. "There was a dog in the way of the garden."
"A dog?" Spottedleaf's ears perked. "What was it doing?"
"It was with its twoleg, walking around the garden. I couldn't get in."
"Did you wait for them to leave?"
"They were walking really slow."
"Well, you better go back. We're out of catmint and leaf-bare is approaching," Spottedleaf sighed. "Until then, will you help me organize these flowers?"
Mosspaw nodded and stumbled over to Spottedleaf. They worked quickly alongside each other.
"Help!"
Mosspaw and Spottedleaf spun around to see Mistyfoot, with an agonized Sparrowpelt leaning on her.
"My tail," he gasped.
YOU ARE READING
Mossdapple's Faith
FantasyBluefur is a ThunderClan warrior who has had a prophecy hanging over her head since she was a kit. She has broken the warrior code by taking a RiverClan tom, Oakheart, as a mate, and is now expecting his kits. What will become of her half-Clan kits...
