Warriors: the forgotten hearts: trail of pain (book 1)

Chapter twenty-seven

Dusk flicked his tail, letting the words Hawk had said sink in. Tilly, Feather, and Bee sat behind Hawk The four cats waited for the River Runners leader to answer.

"Glowstar has caused much pain and suffering for me and my friends." He meowed. "She caused the death of Sky. She was my friend. She helped us thriugh hard times when the river dried."
Hawk nodded. He had heard of how the river dried and Sky, when she was an heir and Leaf had just become leader, helped feed the cats and gave them the herbs they needed.

"We will help." Dusk declared.

Mink, who had been sitting beside him nodded. "Should I tell Jay to gather more herbs?"

Feather stepped up. "I can. I know what herbs we'll need." She added quickly. Mink flicked her tail, before wrapping around her paws. Feather slipped out of the covered ledge where Dusk slept.

"Do you have a plan?" Mink asked as the healer was leaving. Hawk's ear twitched nervously. He didn't entirely have a plan yet. Mink sensed his hesitation and rolled her eyes. "You don't even have a plan?"

"We wanted to know who was going to help first." Tilly mewed defensively.

Dusk waved his tail. "Give him slack Mink. He is a young leader, maybe to young." He eyed Hawk with sympathy. "We can help you with making a plan." Mink sniffed beside him, but grumbled her agreement.

Hawk dipped his head gratefully. "Thank you."

"Of course. I'm sorry for your losses." Dusk meowed. "You may stay for a bit if you wish and get know the cats you'll be fighting by." He offered. Hawk glanced at his rogue-mates. Bee shrugged, while Tilly nodded.

"Sure, I'd like to meet you guys." Hawk replied. He had never met any of the River Runners. The rogues didn't exactly have gatherings like the clan cats did.

Dusk stood, gesturing with his tail to the entrance. "If you don't mind I wish to speak privately with Mink."

Hawk nodded, exiting through the branches that gave the ledge shelter. Tilly shouldered him while Bee was right behind him.
Tilly had insisted on coming, even if she wasn't a Fighter & Hunter anymore. Hawk was glad she did though. It was nice to have a older, wiser cat among them. Tilly made him feel more sure of himself, but maybe that's because she was the first cat who had treated him like he wasn't a burden. In fact, the more he thought about it, no one had questioned his presence.

Hawk opened his mouth to ask Tilly why no one had, when Bee cut him off. "Should we find Feather, or mingle?"

"Find Feather." Hawk mewed. "Let's ask where the Healer's den is."

"I can help." A silver she-cat padded up to them from not far away. "My name is Stream. You must be Hawk." Tilly shifted beside him. The two she-cats locked eyes, before Stream broke the eye contact. "The Healer's den is this way." Stream didn't wait for any of the cats to respond before she trotted towards the left. Hawk and Bee exchanged glances as Tilly licked her chest fur awkwardly.
Hawk watched the cats around him. It was a camp functioning just like his own, just with different smells and cats. There were cats sharing tongues, and kits scampering about. Hawk remembered Swallow when she was a kit, and would often end up sleeping under his tail.

"We're here." Stream flicked her tail.

"Thanks." Hawk mewed, dipping his head. Stream flicked her and nodded.

She turned away. "If you need something ask Jay or Mint."

"Are all River Runners unusually cold?" Bee snorted when Stream had left. Hawk shrugged, scratching quickly behind his ear.

"Hush!" Tilly thumped both toms with her paws, earning a grunt. "Let's just see what Feather is doing." The pale she-cat slipped past the slanted rocks. Bee turned his attention to Hawk with a questioning stare. The young leader only shrugged.

Inside smelled strongly of herbs and flowers. It was much stronger then Feather and Peak's den, Hawk guessed because this one was smaller. A tan she-cat, who Hawk knew as Mint, lay sprawled in a nest with a cream and ginger tom sniffing her pelt. Feather and Mint were locked in conversation, Hawk wondered if either even noticed the tom there.
Tilly sat at the entrance, watching the Healers. Feather only turned when Bee complained about a pebble getting wedged in his pads. Mint's eyes suddenly focused on Hawk. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Are we leaving?" Feather asked, her shoulders sagging.

Hawk tucked his paws further underneath him, tearing his sight away from Mint's intense stare-down. "No, we're staying for a bit longer."

Feather smiled. "Great! I wanted to go over some flower picking techniques with Mint."

Bee tilted his head. "There's different ways to pick flowers? Why not just pluck it from the ground?" Almost at once all Healers turned to the tom. Bee blinked, slinking back.

"I don't that's something you say to a group of Healers." Hawk whispered out of the corner of hid mouth.

"You think?" Bee whispered back. His pelt was ruffled.

"Well, there is a reason why only some cats are healers." The cream and ginger tom twitched his whiskers. "We'd all be dead by sunrise if cats like you were left in charge." The healer shot Bee a glance. Amusement danced in the tom's eyes as he scooped out a pile of white flowers.

Bee rolled his eyes. "Oh ha ha." Though the black and white tom couldn't resist smiling at the fact the healer probably wasn't wrong.

For a moment, Hawk didn't feel worry about anything. He didn't have that feeling of doom leaning just over his shoulder. He felt like a beginner again, joking with Bee and having Tilly beside him rolling her eyes at whatever fell out of their mouth. He hoped this wasn't the last time he would feel like this.