Moonclan's fall (Hollyleaf's second life sequel)

A New Camp

            A moon later...

              Ivyleaf heavily planted her paw down on a thick patch of long, soft, morning dew glazed grass; sending a swarm of crickets flying into her fur and toward the dimly lit, hazy, grey sky. The sickly thin shecat winced as her paws throbbed in pain from the many sunrises of traveling she was forced to endure due to the destruction of their home. Only allowing for a few hours of rest a day, Sunleap had led the clan blindly away from the tunnels in search of a new camp, as he lost hope in recovering the old camp after a few futile sunrises of digging. Ivyleaf felt her kit swing softly in her jaws as she continued on down the path of trampled grass Sunleap had made in his wake. Behind her, her mate Duskfall affectionately pressed against her side as her other kit: Sootkit hung sleepily in his jaws, his tail dragging against the trampled grass.  

        Ivyleaf slowly turned her head to see the rest of the clan wearily trekking behind her, their ragged and thin pelts clung to their protruding bones. Twistedfoot limped along in the back of the group, struggling to press on and keep up even with the rest of the elders. Ivyleaf felt a wave of pity wash over her as she saw the toms embarrassment at slowing down the already sluggish pace of the group. 

       Suddenly, Ivyleaf felt a faint raindrop hit her pelt from the ominously murky grey sky above. Moments later,  freezing rain came gushing down from the sky, drenching her as the rest of the clan stood in the rain, unsure of what to do. 

        Sunleap yowled against the noise of the rain pounding against the solid dirt "Follow me!" He screeched as he quickly raced forward into the grass with Mouseleap and Dewwhisker on his heels. Ivyleaf followed obediently as the blinding rain continued to smack her pelt relentlessly.  Eventually, she began to notice the ground began to incline. The shecat began to gradually climb the hill, her tired legs trembling weakly with the added effort. 

         Finally, just as she reached the top of the hill she saw a tree. A tree so huge it seemed to gently graze the rainy skies above as its long, thick branches stretched across the entire hill; protecting it slightly from the heavy rain. Ivyleaf sniffed as she approached the tree, it smelled strongly of pine sap. Her tired paws let out a sigh of relief as she stepped on the soft, padded nest of pine needles surrounding the tree trunk. Her eyes glanced at the two large boulders leaning on each other and the tree trunk, allowing for coverage from the rain. She saw Sunleap drying off from under the toppled boulders, waiting for the rest of the clan to join him patiently.

       Ivyleaf dashed under the boulders, relieved to be free from the rain as the rest of the clan joined them. The space under the boulders began to become cramped as more cats joined in. She gently placed her kit on the ground as the tiny kit let out a tired yawn pressed against her side for warmth and milk. Duskfall soon arrived after her and nestled beside Ivyleaf as she finally felt herself becoming warmer. Her stiff, aching joints began finally getting some much needed rest. 

      The next morning she was awoken by the soft noises of the clan shuffling around her. It was dawn, and therefore it was time to start hunting for prey before they began walking again. She reluctantly opened her eyes as she saw two tiny faces right in front of hers, eagerly awaiting her permission to allow them to leave the cover of the boulders. Ivyleaf shakily brought herself to her paws and looked around. The boulders were slowly dripping water with the rain it collected from the sides, forming small, muddy puddles near the bottom of the boulders. The sky was a clear blue with a few wisps of clouds scattered around and a faint, chilly breeze. Ivyleaf stretched tiredly as she padded out from under the boulders with the two kits on her heels.  

       Her kits looked up at her with sparkling, curious eyes. Ready to explore. The Shecat let out a tired sigh. Normally, she would never let the kits out of her sight and forced them to follow her closely out of fear of predators or them getting themselves lost. If they disobeyed, she carried them around in her jaws all day.