The Heir

Chapter 4 - The First Moon

Time had gone by quite quickly in the tribes. Life was peaceful, though tensions remained high. They were all wary of each other, and wary of their future. The tribes were a young, spirited idea, and, though the former loners were thankful for even a chance at a true home, they all knew it could come crashing down in an instant.

Still, a moon sleeping in the same nest, without worrying over finding a new place to rest, felt wonderful. Raven stretched appreciatively, large body half outside of his den, his rear quarters still enveloped in the shadows of the cave. The council were separated from the rest of the tribe, sleeping in a small, hollowed out burrow in the ground. Roots of a tree growing above hung over their heads, and the walls were made of compacted sand. The den was an old fixture, the sand turning to stone near the top.

It was a stable, comfortable place to rest, sporting three large nests, all of them occupied. The other two members of the council had been chosen with care, and Raven had offered Moon plenty of advice and knowledge about the cats he had grown up knowing. Back then, he had gathered intel in preparation for battles with them. Luckily, the information had come in handy in a situation that wasn't bloody.

Raven's fellow council members were Leaves That Twirls in Wind and Sky Where Lone Bird Flies. The three had found each other compatible, working well together. Raven and Sky had become close beforehand, so it had just been a matter of the both of them getting to know Leaves.

It would be a while still before the cats that had once lived as loners or came from foreign lands to become accustomed to tribe life, but slowly, they were getting there. Raven had watched with a trickle of pride as cats let go of their past bad blood to work together, creating lives that were no longer all about survival. No blood would be shed just because they bumped into each other.

"Raven!" A husky, slightly feminine voice called to him, breaking the shadow-stained tom from his thoughts. He opened his eyes, his cold gray gaze darting to the she-cat who had called him. Splash of Salmon, her round belly accentuated by her lack of fur. His daughter, soon to be a mother herself. Even if they weren't truly his kin, Raven was still excited to be a grandfather.

"Salmon," he returned, dipping his head low.

"My, always so stoic. Lighten up a bit, will ya?" Salmon jabbed, her eyes bright with amusement. Raven chuckled, a deep rumble in the back of his throat. Salmon grinned when she found that she had made the old tom laugh.

"What did you need, little star?" Raven inquired, nudging her with his shoulder. The use of the nickname made the queen smile softly.

"I went to see Moon and noticed that the herb stock was low, so I asked if I could help fill it up. He told me to bring you with," she explained with a shrug, before adding in a teasing tone, "As if I need the old man's help."

Raven slapped his tail at her, barking out a laugh as Salmon jumped away, avoiding the whip-like strike and almost falling over in the process. He noted that she-cats carrying kits seemed clumsier. Snow had been like that whenever she was expecting, her balance precarious. His sister had also been quite sensitive about it, so Raven knew better than to mention Salmon's near fall.

"Let's get going then," he said instead, allowing her to straighten up on her own. Snow had never taken kindly to Raven offering her help when she was embarrassed enough about tripping. Salmon, too, seemed to appreciate being left alone. "Where to, oh great and wise one?"

Salmon stuck her tongue out at Raven, eyes narrowing playfully as she answered, "The poppy garden is always a good place to start, oh small-brained to-be."

The pair laughed as they walked, falling into step beside each other. The journey was short, merely consisting of leaving camp and traversing the territory that had been claimed by the Tribe of the Glistening Moon. They reached the four towering oaks in no time, the neutral land where gatherings were meant to be held between the two tribes. Situated just before the clearing was a patch of poppies, the bright red and yellow flowers standing out against the green grass they grew among.

Our first gathering should be held soon, Raven thought to himself as he and Salmon came to stop before the clusters of flowers.

They set themselves to the task at hand, Salmon passing a beech leaf to Raven that the tom hadn't noticed she was carrying. Raven nipped at the stems of the flowers, grabbing a small amount and wrapped them in the leaf. Their roots would be useless, so he left them behind. After they were both done with gathering poppies, they headed off for another location, walking side by side once more.

The day continued as such, gathering whatever herbs Salmon said the store had been low on. While they worked, they talked. Salmon answered any questions Raven had about the herbs they picked, from what they did to their side effects to where they were best found.

Salmon told Raven about her life before she joined the Tribe of the Glistening Moon. The hairless queen was originally from a tribe settled on a beach, known as the Storm Upon the Shores. She held a title called "Coral" - a medicine cat, she had explained, similar to the Council. This tribe had had its own council, but their job had been a little different in comparison to the Corals. Corals worked in the path of medicine, but they also communicated with their ancestors. This was how she had come to know so much about herbs.

"There were many different roles. The leader was known as the Tide, heirs were the Currents. We called the council the Waves and, as I already told you, healers were the Coral. Warriors were the River, to-bes were the Stream, caretakers were the Pool, and kits were Fishes," Salmon said.

"What about elders?" Raven inquired, tilting his head to the side as he absorbed the information. At the question, Salmon's eyes seemed to dim a little.

"They were known as the Sacrifices. Cats were not allowed to retire, so when they grew too old to work, they were dubbed as Sacrifices. If need be, the tribe would throw them to the sea. Storm Upon the Shores was not a kind tribe, they did not treat those who had spent their whole lives working with respect once they became too old. No one took care of the elders, not like how they are taken care of here. The best fate an old feline could hope for was to die in peace."

"I see," Raven replied, his voice quiet. In an effort to comfort the queen, clearly saddened as she explained the darker parts of her homeland, he pressed his pelt against her dusky pink skin. Salmon smiled at him, and the old fool couldn't help but return it. When he was with Salmon, he found such unfamiliar acts easier than they had ever had a hope of being before. He had smiled more in this single moon than he had in his entire life. Snow practically jumped with joy whenever she saw it.

Improvement, Snow would say. And she was right.

Raven had improved tremendously, even he could admit that. He found it easier to express emotions he used to keep locked away. He found it easier to communicate, however little it may seem to others. Raven was still withdrawn, but he was slowly coming out of his shell. Talking more, spending more time in the company of others, smiling and laughing more. All of it was new, and all of it felt quite nice.

They focused back on their task, conversing about the herbs and about their pasts. They stayed away from darker subjects, talking only about the lighter times. Raven didn't have much to contribute, and most of it was about Snow, but they talked nonetheless.

𓄿


Raven and Salmon returned to camp as the sun began to set, loaded with herbs. The bundles were clasped tightly in their jaws, stems and flowers poking out from their beech leaf wraps. The sky was a mix of vibrant oranges and pinks, bathing the land in a warm glow. The clouds that dotted the colorful expanse were tinted in the same vibrant hues, melting into dusky grays the further they got from the dying sun's reach. The blue of the day was beginning to fade, the sky turning navy as the sun sunk lower.

It was a sight to behold, truly.

Raven watched it with awe, his expression as stony as ever, but his heart moved. If he wasn't who he was, his jaw would be hanging at the sheer beauty of the view.

His extensive training made it impossible to do so, but Raven still admired the sunset, in his own emotionless way. His permanent scowl eased some, the knitting of his brow unfurling ever so slightly. His tense muscles relaxed as he took it all in. For once, he felt content. Happy with where he was and with whom, happy with the life he had been cursed to bear.

Salmon did not share her father's bad habits, so she watched the sunset without restraint. With her mouth agape and her dull eyes sparkling with a light usually unknown to them, she looked just like a small kit seeing a beautiful view for the first time ever. Raven couldn't help but smile as he glanced at her, a gentle curl to his lips as he watched the she-cat admire the beautiful colors of the sky.

"It's a nice evening," Raven murmured, his rough voice soft. Careful almost, as if he was afraid of startling her.

"It is," Salmon replied, turning to look at him with a broad grin on her face. Her eyes danced in the dimming light of dusk, and Raven was struck with just how adorable she was. He couldn't help but wonder how a full grown cat, expecting her own litter no less, could look just like a kit.

If Salmon were really my kit, I wonder what it would have been like to raise her. I never understood the whole parenting thing before, why Snow adored it so much. I think I understand the appeal now.

If he had been a little different in his younger days, could he have had this feeling even earlier? Raven cleared his throat, his pelt warming at the thought. Just as he was about to speak, a familiar voice sounded from behind him.

"Raven, you're back! Come see this, Falcon taught me this move and I want to know if it's any good or not!" Came the squeaky, kit-like voice of Frost.

"Coming, critter," Raven returned, turning around to look at the little brown to-be. He shook his head, a smile still on his face. "I'll see you later, Salmon," he threw over his shoulder with a sigh, walking off towards Frost, who bounded forward to meet him halfway.

"See you, Raven," Salmon answered, heading off to the nursery.

Raven felt that, with time, he could get used to this. He had never had such a thing before, such a big family to spend time with. He had only known his parents a short while, and since, it had just been him and Snow. But he felt like he belonged here, with the Tribe of the Glistening Moon, and for that, he was grateful.

Raven was changing, slowly but surely. He was not the same cat he had been a mere moon ago, when Sun and Moon first cornered himself and Snow in the tree stump they had found shelter in. He would never be that same tom again, and he didn't mind that. As unfamiliar as it was, he liked his new self. He liked the warmth, the new family he had found, and the peace.

Despite his rational mind, he found himself hoping that this would last.