Horsemoon's Silence

Chapter 47

Horsemoon looked at Creamleaf with wild eyes. "We gotta help!" She mouthed.

Creamleaf nodded and turned to the tom. "Take us to it."

The cat dipped his head. "Thank you." He looked uncertain. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"Yes," Creamleaf answered.

The cat took Creamleaf, Horsemoon, and Amos inside the mound.  Horsemoon was amazed as they hurried through a tunnel in the monster rubble. The inside of the mound was hollow! Cats were everywhere; eating, sleeping, nursing kits, gossiping... it was like a clan.

But where most of the cats were was near the back of the mound. They were in a rugged circle around something with a white pelt.

Horsemoon and the others made it over to the circle. They squeezed past crying cats and made it to the middle.

Horsemoon's heart dropped. Great StarClan, it's a kit!

The white pelted creature was a small cat. It's beautiful snow white fur was coated with blood near one back leg. It's pitiful wails were heart wrenching.

"Please help!" He croaked. "It hurts!"

Horsemoon crouched near him. "What's your name?" She mouthed.

The kit processed her lip movements for a heartbeat. "My name? It's Scrap," He meowed painfully.

Horsemoon nodded. "Okay, Scrap, Creamleaf and I are going to try to fix your leg. It's going to hurt, but I need you to be strong and brave for us, okay?" She soothed mutely.

Scrap shut his eyes tightly. "Okay," he agreed softly.

Horsemoon motioned for Creamleaf, who inspected at the kit's leg. She looked up at Horsemoon and whispered, "It's defiantly broken,"

Horsemoon nodded. "I know. Let's just try to... ugh..." she said silently and squinted from uncertainty.

Creamleaf leaned forward. "We need to try to set it." She finished.

Horsemoon bobbed her head. "Yes. We need a stick so he can bite on, and another stick to as a splint for the leg. And cobwebs." She mouthed, guessing.

Creamleaf smiled. "Yes. Exactly." She grabbed two cats by their legs, and instructed them to find sticks and cobwebs. They set off quickly out of the mound.

Horsemoon took a deep breath. She looked at Scrap who's flanks were moving up and down unevenly. They need to hurry back! She thought worriedly.

Creamleaf soothed Scrap while they waited. Soon, that cats came back with cobwebs and sticks. Then the medicine cats got to work.

Horsemoon handed Scrap the stick, and he took it gratefully. Creamleaf said something to him in hushed words and he took a deep, raggedy breath and nodded to her, who gave a small smile.

"We're ready to set the leg," She meowed to Horsemoon.

Creamleaf carefully took the leg, and put her paws on it. "Ready, Scrap?"

The kit nodded.

Creamleaf pulled the leg, and set the bone back in place. Scrap screamed, and bit the stick so hard that it splintered. It was over quickly, and his cries only lasted a moment.  Horsemoon handed her the longer stick and she set it against the broken leg. Then she wrapped it in cobwebs.

Scrap looked up, his brown eyes shining. Behind the happiness, they were glazed with pain, but he was beaming. "Thank you!" He cried, attempting to muzzle the medicine cats.

Horsemoon smiled and felt her heart swell with pride. She helped this kit!

She nuzzled Scrap back, and he licked her. "It feels better already!" He lied.

Horsemoon chuckled on the inside. He was a good-hearted cat.

"Thank you for helping my son," a voice said behind them. They turned and saw a gray tom with tan stripes and blue eyes.

"Who are you?" Creamleaf asked.

The tom smiled. "I'm Frill."

<•>
"So, how do you come on wings?" Creamleaf questioned. It was after they explained why they were looking for him, and what he knew about healing.

"I'm from far away," Frill explained. "I came on a plane that flies in the sky. It had two wings and it was high in the air."

"'The one who comes on wings.' Perfect!" Creamleaf murmured. "Now what do you know about sick cats and coughs?"

"My owner's a vet. He helps sick animals. Sometime I go to work with him, and he gives them something called medicine. I don't have any of that there, but sometimes he uses this flower called a Camilla." Frill meowed. Horsemoon has no idea about what he was saying except that he knew how to heal sick cats. "I go here every year on vacation, and it just so happens that I brought some with me! I'll go get it; you deserve it after all that you've done." He padded away into the crowd of cats.

Creamleaf and Horsemoon smiled. Amos stood there awkwardly. Horsemoon forgot that he was there. "Are you going to tell her?" He asked Creamleaf.

"What?" Horsemoon mouthed, her heart pounding.

Creamleaf looked up, sadness brimming her green eyes. "I-I've decided to stay with Amos and Frill."

Horsemoon tilted her head in confusion.

Creamleaf eyes filled with tears. "I'm not going back to the clans, Horsemoon. I want to stay and live here. I'm sorry,"

Horsemoon felt dizzy. She couldn't comprehend what Creamleaf was saying. But she did know one thing: her life would never be the same again.