Mossdapple's Faith

Chapter 27

   The camp was dark and dreary. Snow covered the ground and all the dens, and black clouds filled the sky. The fresh-kill pile was empty. The camp was half empty, with everyone searching for food. Those who remained laid pathetically in their nests, weakened by hunger and unable to move.

A moon had passed since the greencough epidemic. Dappletail, Brindleface, Redtail, Oakheart, Willowpelt, and Bluestar had all gotten sick, but recovered. All but Bluestar. The Clan leader had lost three lives to the sickness, determined not to let her Clanmates suffer in isolation. She had decided not to tell the rest of the Clan about her lost lives, but Spottedleaf and Mossdapple knew.

Bluestar wasn't the only one to suffer. Hunger now had the Clan in a chokehold. Thrushpelt had died in his sleep, and Mossdapple grieved greatly for her old mentor. Swiftbreeze and Poppydawn also laid in the medicine clearing, weak and dying. Everything they ate made them sick now.

The grief and sickness was too much for some cats. Dappletail, Patchpelt, and Smallear laid in the elder's den now.

A voice brought Mossdapple out of her thoughts.

"Moss," Stonefur called. "Come on, we're leaving camp."

"Who?" Mossdapple called back.

"You, me, Mistyfoot, and Oakheart."

"Why?" The thought of all that walking made Mossdapple's head spin. She was even thinner than she already had been. Her ribs jut aggressively out of her sides.

Stonefur shrugged. "Oakheart had something to show us."

Mossdapple sighed and followed Stonefur out of the camp. Mistyfoot and Oakheart were waiting outside the fern tunnel.

"Where are you taking us?" Mossdapple asked, ears perked.

"I have something to teach you. Come on," he encouraged, padding away. Mossdapple and her littermates followed Oakheart into the forest, which was covered in snow from the night before. It chilled Mossdapple to the bone to walk through.

"Is it much further?" Mossdapple asked, shivering.

"No. It's by the river."

"The river?"

Oakheart didn't respond, just kept leading them. They arrived downstream of Sunningrocks.

"I'm going to teach you how to fish," Oakheart announced.

Mossdapple tilted her head to one side. "Isn't it too cold?"

"The river isn't frozen yet, so there will still be some fish," Oakheart reassured her. "Come sit next to me."

The three cats sat in a line next to Oakheart, who stared at the water.

"What if we got caught?" Mossdapple fretted.

"We won't. First, you have to watch. Right now our shadows aren't on the water, which is good. It would scare the fish away."

Mossdapple nodded attentively. Mistyfoot and Stonefur glanced at each other.

Suddenly, Oakheart struck a paw at the water and pulled out a long silver fish. He quickly bit it and laid it out on the snow.

"Then when one comes by, you quickly strike it like that."

Mossdapple gulped as her mouth began to water at the scent. She was starving, despite her frequent meals in StarClan. They hardly helped her here, only serving to keep her alive while she starved.

Mistyfoot struck her paw at the water, pulling a fish out. It struggled on her claw for a moment before flailing out back into the water.

"Mouse dung," she whispered.

"That was great!" Oakheart encouraged. "Do it just like that, but bite it afterwards so it doesn't get away."

The four of them spent from sunhigh to sunset by the river. By the end of the day, they had caught a respectable pile of fish. Mossdapple's paws prickled with anticipation at the thought of feeding her hungry Clanmates.

"This will feed all the queens and elders," Stonefur trilled proudly, picking up a couple of fish.

"What are you doing?"

Mossdapple guiltily looked up, meeting the eyes of Crookedstar. Oakheart let out a friendly meow.

"Crookedstar," he mewed. "Good day for fishing, no?"

"You better not let anyone else see you," he growled.

"We won't," Oakheart promised. "Have you met my kits? This is Mossdapple," he nudged her. "And this is Mistyfoot and Stonefur."

Crookedstar dipped his head. "My daughter just became a warrior," he mewed proudly. "Her name is Silverstream."

"That's great!" Oakheart purred. "I hope we can see her at the Gathering."

Crookedstar nodded in agreement. "I better get back to my patrol," he mewed. "You should leave. Don't let anyone else catch you."

Oakheart nodded in agreement. They each took two fish and ran the whole way back home, energized by the good hunt. Mossdapple looked forward to telling Birchface about it.

Bluestar stopped them as they entered the camp.

"What is this?" she growled, her ears pinned back.

"I taught them how to fish," Oakheart purred. "Look at all the fish we got! We could feed-"

"The river isn't ours!" Bluestar spat. "You could have gotten caught. You could have-"

"It's fine!" Oakheart insisted. "What's more important? A potential fight with RiverClan or feeding our starving Clan?"

Bluestar sighed and picked up a fish. "It all goes to queens, kits, and elders," she decided. "And don't do this again."

"Fine," Oakheart agreed. "We won't."

"Good," Bluestar mewed. "The last thing we need is a battle with RiverClan."

The five of them gave the fish to the few queens that were left, and the full elder's den. By the end of it, there were still a few fish left. Oakheart and Bluestar shared one, and Mistyfoot and Stonefur shared another. Mossdapple took the last one to Spottedleaf.

"I got this for Poppydawn and Swiftbreeze."

Spottedleaf eyed her suspiciously. "Where did you get this?"

"The river," Mossdapple chirped proudly. "Oakheart taught us."

"Us?"

"Me, Stonefur, and Mistyfoot."

"Does Bluestar know?"

Mossdapple shrugged. "She does now. We won't do it again. But the Clan is starving, we had to do something."

"Fine," Spottedleaf sighed. "And the kits and elders have eaten?"

"Spottedleaf," Mossdapple warned. Spottedleaf fondly shook her head and took the fish to the two sick cats. They took a few feeble bites before giving up.

Mossdapple sighed. "It seems like a waste to throw the rest out."

"We could share it," Spottedleaf suggested. "It's not like they'll make us sick."

"I guess not," Mossdapple agreed. They hungrily gulped down the fish.

"That was delicious," Mossdapple breathed.

"I didn't like it," Spottedleaf commented, wrinkling her nose. "But it's better than going hungry."

"It'll give us strength to take care of the Clan," Mossdapple reassured her.