Hermitclan's Stories (A Hermitcraft x Warrior Cats AU)

(The Traveling 5 Arc) Rotten Burns

"I'm still taking you, we've got alot of catching up to do and you've got alot of cats to meet." Scott said, beginning to walk off in the direction before an odd smell caught his nose. He sniffed in the air again, just to be sure.

"What's wrong?" Martyn asked.

"Do you smell that?" Scott asked back, sniffing a bit again. It smelled smoky, like a fire was nearby.

"I don't smell anything," Martyn said. Soon Scott looked up to see a cloud of grey smoke floating to the sky.

"Is that... it's coming from the barn!" Scott cried, dashing forward in the direction as Martyn followed closely behind.

The smell only got stronger as they approached until the trees gave way to the fence surrounding the abandoned farmland and the now burning barn. The red and white outlined building, if were even that color anymore with all the burnt bits and pieces, was falling apart on itself as the bright flames consumed it. The fence was relatively short, only there to outline the property, so Scott and Martyn made their way over just in time to see Pearl dashing out of the front doors carrying a brown, orange, and white calico kit. Dozens of other cats pooled outside, including Cleo, who Scott ran over to.

"What happened?!" He asked, noticing the burn mark on Cleo's left shoulder.

"I don't know," she answered. "Some cats said something about a smoky smell and I saw a light coming from the very back, so I opened the door and there was a fire!"

Cats tended not to live in the very back of the barn, since it was dark and the door never stayed open. As soon as they finished their explanation, the 3 cats who left for water jumped over the other side of the fence, all of them looking panicked. A calico with pink tipped fur on her head and a cat with a brown and white split pelt ran up to the kit Pearl had carried out, cheering with relief. Jimmy ran over to his friends and mate, wrapping his head around Scott's shoulder despite his panting.

"Thank goodness you're okay," Jimmy said, not taking long to catch his breath. He was getting pretty good at running long distances.

"Mhm, I was out hunting while you were gone," Scott said, returning the gesture.

Almost as soon as Pearl walked over to to group, shaking the soot out of her fur and cloak, the brown and white cat from earlier spoke up. And by spoke up, I mean-

"WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND SET THE BARN ON FIRE?!" He yelled.

"Hey, don't start pointing claws already Smallbean!" Cleo said. "No cats go into the back. For all we know it could've been one of those Carrion place rogues!"

"Wait, didn't you get exiled from a clan for starting a forest fire?" The calico, Shadowqueen, asked.

"I keep telling you I was framed for that!" Cleo argued. "Besides, fire hungry or not, I wouldn't burn down the one place we all have for shelter!"

"Cleo's right," Jimmy said. "We should be more worried about where we're gonna find shelter now!"

"Oh, not the kittypet telling us not to worry about who burned our nests down," a ginger cat with a red scarf, Whiplash, argued.

"Yeah! We've been here for years, you can't just tell us not to worry about a fire-hungry cat who could still be among us!" A golden tabby cat with a black brindled cape, folded ears, and a scar on his left eye, Sausage, agreed.

"That's not what I said at all!" Jimmy corrected. "I said we should be more worried about a new shelter, once we get that then we can find-"

"We? Who's this we?" Whiplash asked rhetorically. "I don't know about you but whatever's about to come out of your mouth, I'm not listening to."

"COULD YOU PUT DOWN YOUR MASSIVE EGO FOR 2 SECONDS?!" Jimmy lashed out, fur standing on his back and ears pinned downward as his face scrunched up in anger. "I'M TRYING TO HELP!"

"THE ONLY THING I SEE YOU TRYING TO HELP IS LETTING OUR CULPRIT GET AWAY WITH WHAT THEY DID!" Whiplash yelled back, his own stance angry and defensive as well. "I'D EVEN THINK YOU DID IT IF YOU WEREN'T GONE!"

As much as Jimmy hissed at the bigger cat, it was Whiplash that landed the first blow, striking Jimmy in the head. If his claws would've aimed any lower, he would've hit Jimmy in his right eye, blood cascading down and making him temporarily sightless in it. Everyone seemed shocked at the attack, and so was Jimmy. Whiplash seemed rather selfishly driven at times, but never to a degree to harm another cat out of pure malice, especially not a fellow barn cat.

The pale yellow cat expected to cry, to scurry away from the situation and to the side of his friends who would make sure he was okay. But it was as if the past week gave him a change of heart. While he still teared up, it was no longer out of fear and horror. It was out of pure anger.

So his claws went unsheathed and straight into the ginger cat's pelt.

Tackling him to the ground, claws firmly grounded in Whiplash's skin, Jimmy bit into his shoulder blade, frightening the cat under him for a moment into thinking he aimed for his neck, but still causing enough damage to have blood dropping from his previously white muzzle. Whiplash swiped at his side, creating a much larger gash just above his waist and successfully throwing Jimmy off of him. Both cats limping from their injuries but neither willing to give up, they charged back at each other only for a certain cat to jump in between them, head butting Whiplash in his chest to get him to topple over and stop his attack.

"That is for starting a fight for no reason!" Pearl scolded. Jimmy almost went to thank her, but she quickly turned around and batted him in the face with her paw, still not unsheathing her claws.

"And that is for using what I taught you to continue said fight!" She said.

"Ow! It was self defense!" Jimmy argued.

"Self defense is standing your ground and defending yourself, not TACKLING ANOTHER CAT TO THE GROUND AND RIPPING OFF THE SKIN ON THEIR SHOULDER!" Pearl hissed, turning back to the rest of the crowd of cats when Jimmy had nothing left to say.

"You 3, Whiplash's friends," Pearl pointed out the group of Sausage, a small light brown and white spotted cat named Shrubberry, and a black cat with a crown of purple flowers, white ears, soles and tail named Katherine, "there are some herbs over in that direction that can help with his wounds. I trust Katherine would know which ones to take, just watch for clan borders and monsters."

Pearl pointed towards where the Thunderpath was, directing them to the land across it. She then turned to the group of 4, Cleo, Scott, Martyn, and Jimmy who had sheepishly walked back to the side of his mate after being told off.

"There are some more bushels of herbs this way," she pointed out, the exact opposite direction from where she pointed the other group, "normally I'd take all injured cats to the same place, but I'm done with breaking up rogue fights. Follow me, the rest of you can come too if you want."

"Does that include me? I feel kinda awkward being here right now, after all that," Martyn asked. Pearl nodded.

"I don't know who you are, but you smell exactly like Scott did when he first got here, and you two ran up at the same time so I'm assuming you know each other. Besides, your other options are either trying to find your way back home all by yourself or joining up with some of those goons." She said, nodding towards the rest of the now ex-barn cats.

Martyn gulped and shook his head, prompting him to follow the rest of the group as Scott and Pearl helped their limping friends, Jimmy and Cleo respectively, to the herb area.