Mosskit Book 3: SnowClan

Chapter 17

Mosspaw knew Moonpool was nearby. He knew it no longer a day's walk, but a few hours walk. He could feel it inside him, and he knew he would make it there by the end of the day.

As Mosspaw padded around the forest, he saw the leaves falling off the branches of the tree. Together they swirled in the wind, flying past the tip of Mosspaw's nose.

Leaf-fall had arrived. Mosspaw was certain. He knew by the way the nights had begun cooler. He knew by the way the leaves fell.

Though leaf-fall was now spread through the forest, a warm sun still beat down on Mosspaw's back as he padded though the forest.

His morning journey had been prosperous, and he had walked a great distance. He knew he would reach Moonpool by evening, so he decided to find a tree with some shade to nap.

He gazed around then spotted a glorious tree that provided a large amount of shade. Smiling, he padded down to the tree where he layed down.

Mosspaw knew the memories would end soon. He knew his journey would end soon. He had learned practically everything, and he knew soon Skycloud would leave him, he'd find the thing he was searching for, he'd meet the cat, and then he'd go home.

These thoughts ran through Mosspaw's head as he slowly closed his eyes. With the wind blowing on his back, he slowly fell asleep.

It was no surprise to him that he was back in StarClan. He heard the rushing of a water, and he noticed Skycloud sitting by the flowing river, catching a fish.

"Mother!" he called.

She turned her head and smiled. "Mosspaw," she grinned. Leaving the fish she had caught, she padded towards her son, a wide smile on her face.

"What will I learn today?" Mosspaw asked.

Skycloud smiled at his enthusiasm. "Now, Mosspaw, before we discuss, I must tell you, this will be your last meeting in StarClan. This will be your last memory."

Mosspaw felt his heart sank. He knew the day would soon approach, though he did not know it would approach so quickly. "I'm ready, and I would like to thank you for the opportunity. Will I ever see you again?"

"Knowing you, you probably will," Skycloud purred. "I'm pretty sure you can tell what you'll be learning about today."

"My father," Mosspaw said, letting out a slow nod.

Skycloud nodded. "That is right. You'll learn about your father and your siblings. Are you ready, Mosspaw?"

Mosspaw nodded. "I'm ready to learn, Mother," he said, touching his nose to hers.

A flash came, and Mosspaw opened his eyes to see himself in the SnowClan nursery. Skycloud sat in the nursery with Petalnose's four kits around her. Her stomach was growing, and it was now obvious she was pregnant with Blacktail's kits.

As she sat, Mintpaw suddenly raced in. "Did you hear? Did you hear?"

"What?" Skycloud asked.

"A new tom has just arrived! He's going to join our clan! His name is Mossclaw! Isn't it exciting?!"

Mosspaw watched as his mother stepped outside to get a glimpse of her future mate. His mother turned away shortly, and time passed until Icestar introduced the two.

"And this is Skycloud," Icestar spoke. "Her sister died recently, so she's been raising her kits. Skycloud is expecting kits of her own."

"Hi, welcome to SnowClan," Skycloud said, rising.

"Hi. That's very kind of you to raise your sister's kits like that," Mossclaw said.

He watched as the scene changed, this time showing Skycloud's refusal to go hunting with the tom. It continued to change, showing Mintpaw reveal to Skycloud that Mossclaw liked her and how Skycloud had angrily replied she would not let go of Blacktail too easily.