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Evening was upon them as the cats took time to collect themselves, already quite tired from the previous hunt and the trek down the mountain. Ashcloud could see the weariness in all 3 of the toms’ eyes, but knew they shouldn’t stay to rest for too long. She’d rather not the group be sitting ducks the nocturnal predators. But Ashcloud couldn’t help but sit a moment longer, resting her weary paws.
As the sky began to turn to the soft colors of orange and yellow, the commander finally rose to her paws. “Alright, we better get going while it’s most safe. I know you’re all very tired, but we’ll get a good and comfortable rest back home. Buckstar will be most pleased, and everyone will be able to eat, if not tonight, then at least tomorrow morning.” She said in her most courageous voice, holding her head high.
The others acknowledged her, and they seemed quite pleased with their haul. Not only that, but they also had a large hawk waiting for them back at camp, thanks to Rowanclaw. Ashcloud picked up the squirrel, Swifthare grabbed the vole, and Cinderpeak took the herbs they had found. There were still scraps and herbs back where they left Rowanclaw, so it would certainly be enough for everyone. Even the healer, Fernsong, would be proud. Ashcloud was never too fond of Fernson heading off by herself, especially without notice. The she-cat was always very optimistic and bubbly, the most friendly of all the mountain cats, but didn’t take any caution when venturing off by herself. Not to mention it scared the prey away. Ashcloud could only hope the fresh herbs would help keep Fernsong safe in camp for a while longer.
The commander took the lead, the three hunters following behind her. Jaggedmoon took up the back, and she could tell he still wasn’t in the best of moods, but he seemed to slowly be perking up a bit. It wouldn’t be long now before he could get back with the kits, and hopefully gain Buckstars approval. She thought their leader should come hunting with them more often, it was rare that the leader ever went with them, and even when he went solo, it seemed he never brought back anything for the others. Jaggedmoon always told her the greedy cat ate whatever he caught, putting himself before the others. Ashcloud didn’t believe it, and would rather assume he was just a lousy hunter. He was rather young after all, compared to the hunters, he didn’t seem to quite hold the wisdom and respect an older cat would generally have. Ashcloud had become the former leader's second commander at a young age, but the responsibility already made her feel older than she actually was. And during that time, Buckstar, formerly Buckstorm, had seemed rather fond of Ashcloud, and even seemed polite and caring. She wasn’t sure what changed his ways since then, as it hadn’t been very long ago. Perhaps it was the idea of being in control of them, and the power had gnawed away at Buckstars heart.
The sky began to darken, and Ashcloud couldn’t help but notice how slow everyone was moving. Including herself. Her paws were heavy and sore from maneuvering the rocks at such an angle, and not to mention they were dry, and likely cracked. She was sure the others weren’t any better, but the she-cat did her best to maintain a confident attitude.
She sensed movement at her side, as Jaggedmoon came up beside her. “Perhaps we should rest? I know it’s dark, but just a short while… We’ll be fine, I’m sure of it.” He said, his eyes no longer full of frustration, but weariness.
Ashcloud sighed softly, letting the squirrel drop from her jaws. “Alright everyone, we’ll stop, just for a bit. Once the moon is visible above the trees, we’ll get moving again.” She said stiffly, sitting down and letting her tail curl around her paws. Jaggedmoon sat beside her, while Cinderpeak and Swifthare laid down in a rock crevice. Now that they stopped moving, Ashcloud could begin to feel the cold wind against her pelt. The night air was rather crisp, but was only noticing it now as they stopped moving. She suppressed a shudder, looking back up at the stars. The others wouldn’t be worried, as it wasn’t uncommon for hunting parties to last into the night. Especially during the cold seasons, when prey was scarce, a party would be forced to hunt until they actually brought something back. The clan wasn’t that big when she was a kit, but it seemed the numbers were rising incredibly. There used to be a time when strays were allowed to join them, but Buckstar had implemented the rule of killing any intruders on the spot. Or at least, chasing them away. The cats didn’t need anymore mouths to feed at the moment, but knew that wouldn’t stop others from having kits. But then again, the death rate was quite high. With the high peaks, slippery rocks, and abundance of predators that could be more than 3 times the size of a cat… It wasn’t a surprise that many cats died young. The stupid ones, as Buckstar would call them. The foolish cats who didn’t listen, and deserved to die. She understood living in the mountains was harsh, but not everything was terrible, as Bucksta made it seem.
Her eyes met the twinkling stars once more, her eyes brushing across each one with care. As kits, they were all taught about the spirits in the stars. The shapes of bears and foxes in the stars with special names, the spirits they prayed to at night. Ashcloud couldn’t help but close her eyes and begin to whisper a prayer of safety for the party, and that everyone back home was safe and sound. But it made her feel better that at least two Guardians were there, likely staying awake in wait to see the hunting party return home safe. She hadn’t told Rowanclaw how far down they had planned and going, and now wished she had. She imagined some of the kits, small and restless, lying in wait for Jaggedmoon to return to play with them. None of the kits actually had a father and a mother that lived with them. Jaggedmoon had his daughter, Cherrykit, whom he’d had with a she-cat outside of the mountains. The same with Cinderpeak, who had two sons, Bonekit and Hawkkit. Then there was Mala and Skykit, the two young who had no real parents that lived with them. Ashcloud didn’t have any kits of her own, but almost felt like a motherly figure towards Mala and Skykit, but of course, Jaggedmoon certainly treated every kit as his own just as well.
Ashclouds thoughts ended as she saw the rim of the moon just coming up above the trees. No cat had moved from their bodies, and Ashcloud realized she was even feeling more tired now that they had rested. They should’ve just kept going. She rose to her paws rather quickly, causing Jaggedmoon to flinch. “Alright, let’s get moving.” Ashcloud said with a loud voice, shaking out her cold pelt. The others rose to their paws slowly, letting out faint grunts and murmurs. Ashcloud reclaimed the squirrel, as the others picked up the prey that had been carrying before. The commander didn’t wait as she began walking again, the others beginning to follow her after a moment. At this point, Ashcloud was just ready to get back, no longer feeling any hunger that she had before. She could wait till morning, as she was sure the others would. Many of them were used to not eating for long periods of time, and grew accustomed to it.
It wasn’t long before they finally had the location that they had departed from Rowanclaw. Jaggedmoon dug up the scraps and picked them up in his jaws, as well as the herbs that were left behind from earlier.
The wind bit her face, and Ashcloud was forced to squint as the elevation increased. But soon the peak that held their home came into view against the skyline, causing Ashcloud and the others to quicken their pace, in hope to reach their destination sooner. And they felt more than relieved as their pelts pressed against the thorns, pushing their way into the starry clearing. Blueice and Rowanclaw were sitting outside the caves, looking up as the others came in.
“Oh good, you’re back!” Rowanclaw said, rising to her paws as she came to examine the group of four. The cats dripped their prey and herbs with sighs of relief, and Blueice began carrying the prey to the stone cave for storage, and carried the herbs to the healer's den as well. No cat had much to say, too exhausted to really mention anything. But what was there to mention? The hunt had gone well, and everyone was safe.
Ashcloud nuzzled Rowanclaw, “Thanks for waiting for us, we had a good hunt, everything went well. We went quite a ways down though, which caused us to take so long. Tell Buckstar not to wake us for anything too early, the hunters need their rest. Besides, we have plenty of food now.” She said softly, looking back to see the others behind her had already headed off to the dens. Rowanclaw nodded at her, before trotting off to a den to sleep.
Ashcloud saw Jaggedmoon disappear into the dens where the kits slept, and she couldn’t help but follow him. They both snuggled up against the kits, falling into a very deep slumber.
-
A warm light awoke Buckstar, as he rose to his paws. The sunlight began to eat away at the entrance of the cave, and he stretched out, feeling quite well rested. Rowanclaw had told him that night that the party had returned, breaking his sleep. He would’ve rather waited until morning to hear the news, as it could’ve waited. The leader soon found himself outside his cave, and it seemed he was the first out and about. Well, other than the young kit Mala, sitting on the edge of her own cave.
He headed to the prey den, to see what the cats had brought back. He sniffed through the pile, finding the fresher squirrel and vole. Hm, not bad. But the large hawk in the pile seemed daunting compared to everything else. He had eaten a baby rabbit from the pile last evening after the hunting party had left, figuring it wouldn’t matter too much. He was the leader after all, he earned his position, he didn’t have to abide by the rules. He wouldn’t eat with the group when they chose to eat, tell the others he’d let them eat first, let them ooh and awe over his kindness. He grinned at the thought, but his thoughts dispersed as a cat entered the cave beside him.
The large guardian, Blueice, stood beside the leader. “How are you, Buckstar? Planning on snatching something up to eat?” He asked with a grin as he pulled a small piece of scraps out of the pile and chomped it down.
Buckstar watched Blueice with a chuckle, “I stole a baby rabbit last evening, I’ll be fine for a while.” He said, watching his close friend quickly eat something small from the pile. Blueice was his closest friend, and was the cat he only truly shared his true thoughts with. Blueice and Buckstar were alike in more ways than one, and he would’ve made him his second commander if he hadn’t insisted on keeping his position as guardian. His friend was the only cat he’d let break the rules with him. But it wasn’t breaking the rules, really, eating before the others. He told himself he was the leader, he could do what he wanted. Blueice was older and wise, of course he deserved prey and special treatment… As long as he promised not to tell the others.
“Buckstar?” A small voice sounded from behind, causing both toms to jump in surprise, whipping around to see the kit Mala on the ground before them. Blueice quickly licked the blood from his lips from the meat he had just eaten.
“Why did Blueice eat? Did the rules change? Is he ill? Can I try some prey?” The bouncy kit asked, eyes raised in curiosity.
Buckstar’s tail lashed in fury, grabbing the kit roughly by the scruff and tossing her to the ground, just enough to knock the wind out of her, to get his message across. “You saw nothing!” He hissed, standing in front of the kit with a glare so sharp, it seemed to send claws right through Mala’s pelt. The kit was in too much shock to even cry out in pain, beginning to shake and quiver, stumbling back and away from Buckstar. But Buckstar stepped on her tail, keeping her in place. “You tell no one, you understand?” He snapped, staring her down.
Mala nodded quickly, whimpering slightly in fear until Buckstar let her go. She ran clumsily back to her den, and the place fell silent once again. The leader sighed, looking back at Blueice. “You think she’ll keep quiet?” He asked, anger hinting his tone. Blueice nodded, “Oh I’m sure she will, you scared her good alright.. Probably won’t wanna talk at all.” He said with a chuckle, “Nice work.”
Buckstar nodded, eyes still focused on the den where the kit had gone back into. “I hope so..” He mumbled, finding himself walking towards the entrance of the den. Inside he found Jaggedmoon and Ashcloud curled up with the kits. Mala was curled up against Ashclouds belly, her eyes closed, but her body quivering slightly. Buckstar grinned, chuckling to himself before turning away… She wouldn’t say a word.
-
The sun finally awoke Ashcloud, and her eyes began to open. A yawn left her, not quite wanting to get up. Her paws were rather sore, and she still felt quite tired. She looked beside her, seeing Jaggedmoon with some kits sleeping around him. He seemed so happy and peaceful as his pelt rose and fell gently, his happiness practically radiating off of him. Now that the prey pile was decently full, she would get the day to herself.
She looked down, seeing Mala curled up beside her. But her eyes were open, and she was quivering quite rapidly. Ashcloud frowned, “Mala, are you alright dear? Are you feeling okay?” She asked with worry, cleaning the young cats’ fur.
Mala looked at Ashcloud, “I’m okay,” She said softly, “Just… a bad dream.” She mumbled, looking up at the commander.
“Oh dear, do you want to talk about it? Or maybe try sleeping it off?” She asked gently, noticing Jaggedmoon had woken up beside her, but didn’t yet move as kits were still sleeping beside him. But his eyes were on Mala.
Mala squeezed her eyes shut, “I… I was alone and someone grabbed me… and threw me… knew too much… I… I don’t remember much but it was… terrifying.” She whispered, scrambling the truth. She knew she couldn’t keep the secret, at least, not the whole secret. She wouldn’t let the others know what really happened, but she needed to get it off her chest. Ashcloud and Jaggedmoons soothing gaze already began to make her feel better. She always felt Buckstar had something in his eyes, something selfish, or evil. But he never seemed rude towards her or any of her adopted brothers and sisters. Maybe to the older cats, but never them. She didn’t dare defy him now, the spirits only knew what he would do to her if she told someone he was allowing Blueice to eat without the others. Surely, that meant Buckstar was secretly eating before the others as well. Was he hiding anything else? Would he actually go through something such as killing her if she spoke against him? The thoughts made her shudder even more, but she told herself Buckstar couldn’t be that cruel. She would just force herself to forget it ever happened. Maybe Blueice was ill, and truly needed food, and Buckstar didn’t want to tell her the truth in fear she wouldn’t believe him. Yes, surely that was it. She was overestimating Buckstar, he was just helping out old Blueice. Yes.
Ashcloud frowned, continuing to stroke Malas pelt. “Oh don’t you worry now, the dreams can't touch you here. Me and Jaggedmoon will keep you safe.” She purred, causing Jaggedmoon to also purr softly as he watched young Mala begin to calm down. “Why don’t you rest a bit more? I know I’m definitely not ready to get up after the long haul last night.” She said with a chuckle, laying her head back down. She felt the hunger gnaw at her slightly, but knew it could wait. Mala didn’t respond, as she was already fast asleep beside Ashcloud.
Jaggedmoon watched Mala fall asleep, and soon Ashcloud. He couldn’t help but feel a bit stirred by Mala's dream. He’d heard of dreams that spoke truths, dreams that foretold the future. Dreams sent by the spirits above. He felt so strange, he couldn’t help but slowly rise to his paws, gently making sure the kits against him stayed asleep before padding out of the den.
The tom yawned again, blinking, trying to wake himself up a bit more. The place seemed empty, every cat oddly still sleeping. Everyone had had a late night. Besides Buckstar, surely he was awake enough to get out of his den? Perhaps he’d decided to take a stroll. But suddenly he froze as he heard speaking, watching Buckstar emerge from the stone cave that held the prey, followed by Blueice, as they headed back towards Buckstars den, not noticing Jaggedmoon. It seemed odd Buckstar didn’t call for a meal yet, surely he was hungry? And Blueice? He knew the two cats were close, but it still seemed strange the cats weren’t ready to eat yet. With that big hawk in the pile, wouldn’t Buckstar want to get first dibs on eating that? The leader would never miss a chance to take the best of the best. But then again, what were they doing in the stone cave anyways? Had they taken an early hunt and dropped something inside? But Blueice had been up quite late as well, surely the guardian wouldn’t have gone with Buckstar on such an early occasion. Even if they had brought back something to eat, Buckstar generally liked to pride himself by showing the others. Something didn’t seem right.
Jaggedmoon slipped past the other caves and entered the stone cave, looking around at the pile. It seemed the old prey was missing, while the freshest prey was still there. Odd. His mind went back to a day when he heard one of the other hunters spreading a rumor about how Buckstar always looked full and never showed any bones through his pelt, because he snuck food. Jaggedmoon felt sick, not wanting to believe it. He picked up the hawk, moving it aside as he searched for any trace of the prey that should have been there, moving another piece of prey away, in hopes he was just missing something. But no, none of the older prey was there to be found.
“Jaggedmoon?” A sharp call came from behind him, and Jaggedmoon turned quickly, to find Buckstar watching him. “What are you doing in there?” The leader asked with narrowed eyes, staring the hunter down with an accusing gaze.
Jaggedmoon opened his jaws, but couldn’t find a way to explain himself. He knew exactly what he was doing, checking to see if Buckstar had added something to the pile, or if something else was going on. But now that he knew prey was missing, he opened his mouth to protest, but Buckstar cut him off.
“You selfish rat! I see the blood on your muzzle, on your teeth! Shame, I was just about to call for a group meal!” He snarled, stepping inside the cave and looking around. “You’ve stolen the old prey and shoved it down your throat, hoping no one would notice… You stupid excuse for a noble hunter, you will not eat at the next two meals! And you will go out and hunt today, despite how tired you may be, to earn back what you’ve cost everyone.” He hissed, shaking his head in dismay, turning sharply and leaving the den to go to the middle of the clearing. Jaggedmoon just stood there, jaw agape, watching in shock as he struggled to believe what had happened. The blood in his mouth was simply from moving the prey in search of the missing ones… and now he was being falsely accused of stealing prey?! He was enraged, but could do nothing, his body exhausted and more than famished, he wanted nothing more than to just lay down and actually eat. But according to Buckstar, eating was cancelled for him.
“It is time to gather for a meal, everyone! Come round the center, let us take turns to fill our bellies!” He called, looking at Jaggedmoon. “Drag the prey out here, would you, Jaggedmoon?” He asked with an icy tone, but the hunter swore a hint of mischief seemed to gleam in his eyes. Jaggedmoon didn’t speak, only beginning to drag the prey out for everyone to choose from.
Cats slowly began to emerge from their dens, gathering round the pile of prey that Jaggedmoon brought out for them. Buckstar stood proudly, “Now that you are all here, let me say a great thank you to the hunters who worked hard to get us all the prey we needed, working harder than anyone else.” He said, taking time to nod at Ashcloud, Cinderpeak, and Swifthare. “But.. I have some unfortunate news. Jaggedmoon, has been caught stealing prey from the cave early this morning! How selfish he is, to take the food away from you all… He will not be eating with us for a while now, and he will go out and hunt today with me while the rest of you get to rest and relax. And due to this turn of events, I will not be taking any prey for this meal. This food is for everyone, and I want you all to get what you want.” He said in his most respectful tone.
Jaggedmoons pelt was burning with embarrassment, while mentally, he was seething. He could see Ashcloud give him a confused glance, but he only looked away in anger. Buckstar… A sick leader he was. But many cats began to cheer great thank yous to the hunters, and even more thanks to Buckstar, for giving away his meal for the others. His claws dug into the ground, and he walked away, choosing to sit by the thorn barrier to wait for his time to go hunting.
Ashcloud felt odd stepping up first to eat, taking two scraps from the pile to eat before returning to her spot in the circle. Cinderpeak chose a vole, and others followed suit at taking their choices to eat. Every now and then cats looked over at the lonely Jaggedmoon, the cat who always seemed wise and honest. It seemed so strange.
As Ashcloud finished her meal, she approached Buckstar. “Could I possibly take Jaggedmoons place for hunting? I had a lot more sleep than he did, and would be a better use for hunting.” She offered, but Buckstar only shook his head. “I appreciate your offer, my commander, but Jaggedmoon must learn what he did is wrong. This wasn’t the first time prey has gone missing.. But I haven’t had anyone to pin on until now. Go back and chat with the others, rest. I’ll make sure Jaggedmoon is taken care of.” He said, nodding her away.
Ashcloud nodded, dipping her head and returning back to sit next to Fernsong, the healer. Fernsong only congratulated her on a hunt well done, and rambled on about how thankful she was for the wonderful hunters they had here. But didn’t say a word about Jaggedmoon.
“Blueice!” Buckstar called, “Please accompany me and Jaggedmoon on our hunt as our guardian, please.” He said, making his way towards the exit. Blueice quickly finished his food before hurrying after Buckstar, Jaggedmoon soon sadly trailing behind them.
Buckstar was silent for a bit as they began to move away from their home, up towards the higher peaks. Jaggedmoon kept his mouth shut, deciding this wasn’t the place to argue. He could do it back there, in front of everyone if he really needed to. Not here, where Buckstar could turn his words against him. Anger continued to eat Jaggedmoon away as he glared at the back of the leader's head, unable to suppress these feelings as his claws dug into the dirt under him.
The group reached a location of greenery, but there was no signal as Buckstar and Blueice got into their hunting positions, expecting Jaggedmoon to follow. So he did just that, watching the bushes and tall grass ahead, hoping they could catch something early, so he wouldn’t have to suffer this punishment anymore. So he could get the rest he needed, and maybe, eat. If he got on Buckstars good side, perhaps, he could do just that. Surely it was Buckstar who had taken the prey, maybe he would give the hunter a bit of sympathy as long as Jaggedmoon kept quiet? Jaggedmoon tried his best to push his ideas away, to focus on the hunt ahead.
[ 4267 words ]
