Facing A Forest of Shadows

Chapter Thirty-Eight

IceClan was blessed with little issues as they started to form the basis of their camp. The clearing they had stumbled upon was truly perfect, down to every last detail.

The bushes that lined the edges were so thick, the only way in or out was the small entrance tunnel they had come through. Elkstar had given Lionpaw the duty of finding sticks to lodge beneath the branches to make the hole larger.

Sootsplash and Falcon were tasked to bring any vines they could find back to camp, to weave between the branches of the dens. It had been slow work at first, but the camp finally took form.

Pineheart sat alone, next to one of the leafy branches that jutted from the warrior's den. He had only slept there for a few nights, but it already felt like home. Inside, there was enough room for at least two dozen fluffy, moss nests.

He was quiet, deep in thought, as the clearing started to stir to life at the start of a new day. Elkstar appeared from the depths of a deep hole near the far side of the camp. He had made his den in the abandoned hollow, which allowed Brokensong to claim the hidden cave among the roots of the tree that towered on the opposite side of the space.

Here, she could treat her patients in privacy. The spring that dripped nearby would suffice as a water source to give any cat too injured to walk to the pool in the center of the clearing.

As if I'm cue, Brokensong's slender face appeared from between the tangled roots. Pineheart could hear Blue's voice as he called out behind her, and the medicine cat turned and disappeared back into her den.

He knew the she-cat had still not received signs from the ancestors on what herbs she needed. But that didn't stop her optimism. She had ventured into the jungle only just yesterday, with Falcon and Stone to guard her. Surprisingly, she returned with the familiar leaves of coltsfoot and catmint.

Meanwhile, Elkstar had been busy as he organized the daily hunting patrols. No concrete boundaries had yet been set, so there was no need for border patrols for now.

The freshkill pile, which was placed only a few foxlengths away from the camp's center, overflowed with the warm bodies of prey. It almost felt suspicious, with how well things were going.

But Pineheart wouldn't take it for granted. He took a deep breath to prepare himself for his daily jobs. Elkstar headed straight towards him, his eyes bright and his ears perked and alert.

"Good morning," he beamed, his throat throbbed with the force of a deep purr.

"Good morning," Pineheart replied. Beside him, he could hear some of the others as they stirred in their nests.

"I'd like you to lead a hunting patrol," Elkstar instructed, "after Stone and Olive get up, you can take them too."

Pineheart nodded, "sure thing."

But before Elkstar padded away, he leaned in close to whisper in Pineheart's ear. "Just make sure you're back by sunhigh," he murmured.

His whiskers twitched with curiosity but he did kept his mouth shut as Elkstar stood and trotted away towards the medicine den.

Eventually, Pineheart could hear a single cat push through the branches of the warrior's den. It was Frostfeather.

"When did you start waking up before me?" she teased as she flicked her tail over Pineheart's snout. He snorted as he lifted his paw to bat at her tailtip.

"Maybe you've just gotten lazy," he replied cheekily.

Frostfeather let out a mrrow of laughter, her whiskers twitched playfully. "Yeah and hedgehogs fly.." she grunted.