"Are you going to see your friend?" Wolfspirit yawned gently, causing Swiftblossom to halt in her steps. She was at the entrance of the medicine cat den, the mask of night covering her tricolored pelt. But she turned around to face her mate, who just lifted his head. It was only them in the medicine cat corner; a half-moon hung above, so Baydawn and Brookpelt were gone. Before the two medicine cats left, Brookpelt tasked Swiftblossom with some herbs for Wolfspirit.
"Celadine is for his eye, dandelion leaf is for pain, and thyme here is for shock," Brookpelt had meowed to Swiftblossom when the sun was setting. The brown tabby was pointing to each herb and the calico warrior studied each herb carefully. "Shock? I'm not surprised," Swiftblossom murmured, glancing back into the medicine cat clearing. There, Baydawn was checking on Wolfspirit.
Swiftblossom blinked slowly and told him, "I have to. We need these cats. I'll be back in no time, trust me," His eyes narrowed slightly before he romantically meowed, "May I have a lick before you go?" The calico she-cat exhaled and she chuckled lightly. Making her way over, she gently licked his lips. The black tom then pressed his face into her chest affectionately. He ordered, "Come back, or I'll come to get you yourself."
"I will," she reassured him. Her tail stroked underneath her chin before she hurried out of the den. Her mate watched, a bit hopelessly. His mind ran with all of the dangers she could face, but he knew he couldn't tell her no.
The she-cat narrowed her eyes at the cat on night patrol, Dovefeather. The soft-furred molly was perched just outside of the stone arch entrance, her back turned to Swiftblossom. Easily, the calico slid into the Dirtplace and exited there her pawsteps light and silent. Once the warrior was out of the camp, she broke out into a sprint. The cool grass welcomed her paws as she passed through a small clearing before entering the willow forest. Underneath the half-moon, the moonlight shone down unto her pelt, illuminating her amber eyes and her white pelt. She kept an ear out for any sudden sounds as she made her way.
The forest is beautiful at night, she thought as she skipped over twigs and stones. An owl called softly to her left, a stream gurgled to her right. But what she really admired was how the plant life around her shimmered in the moonlight. It gave the night more life, a hidden lifestyle under the moon. As Swiftblossom brushed past a patch of wildflowers, she breathed in their sweet scents.
The field broke out and she halted at the start of it. Her eyes rested on the border between TideClan and the Northern Forest, ominous darkness emitting from it. The shadows were something that was unfamiliar to her but she swallowed back her fear and pressed forward, this time, her paws carried on in a jog. The tall grass brushed her shoulders and it soothed her slightly. Her eyes anxiously followed the shadows of the unfamiliar forest, her ears picking up the swaying of leaves, her legs growing shaky with every fox-length closer.
Her nervousness was almost the same as earlier before with nearly drowning. Redstar had sent her a warning and it spooked her overtime. She was scared of making the wrong choice and eventually everything raining down unto her. The fall of the clans stained her mind and she paused before the border to think over what she was about to do.
Was it the right thing to do?
She inhaled, her anxiety clawing at her heart. Closing her eyes, Swiftblossom thought of how everything would go tomorrow when Swiftblossom would bring in Nectar and her group. Of course, TideClan would be angry. But Woflspirit is on my side. She reassured herself and to calm down, she counted to three.
"One...two..."
"Three."
Swiftblossom's eyes opened wide and she nearly yelped when she saw Nectar standing in front of her. "Gah! Nectar, don't sneak up on me like that!" Swiftblossom whimpered, her tail now hiding between her legs. Nectar lightly chuckled, her yellow tail lashing in amusement. "Aha, sorry. You were just so in the moment. I wanted to snap you out of it in the right way," Nectar purred. The calico's ears flattened against her head before sighing, "Anyway... Nectar, what does your group say?"
Nectar's eyes closed slowly and she meowed, "Follow me. There's...something I would want you to see." The rogue grew solemn and Swiftblossom tensed up slightly. Nectar's stressed, she guessed as she quietly followed the rogue, her paws stepping unto untouched grass. The smell of the Northern Forest enticed Swiftblossom slightly but she suppressed it.
The pale she-cat led the warrior, weaving into the many shadows of the trees. The fluttering of birds broke out to Swiftblossom's right and the she-cat nearly jumped. The two she-cats passed by a small clearing of bramble bushes and wild wheat, something that calmed Swiftblossom down. The forest sloped down slightly and Nectar breathed to the calico, "Follow directly behind me. This is slightly dangerous and I know a safer route."
The two stayed close to a line of alder trees, walking on the slightly raised roots. Soon, they reached the bottom of the hill, and Nectar turned left to a much larger tree. It was old, tilting forward, but it was sturdy. Surrounded by the tree were tall weeds and two bramble bushes. Nectar turned to Swiftblossom and meowed, "Swiftblossom, welcome to my group."
To any cat, this place was still and quiet. But behind the bramble bush, Swiftblossom could see some movement. She narrowed her amber eyes before Nectar sprinted to the bush. "Gold! I told you not to leave the den at night," Nectar scolded in a hushed voice. Swiftblossom blinked in surprise and followed the rogue, wondering who Gold was. Walking around the bramble, Swiftblossom's eyes widened. Behind the bramble, there was an opening of the tree and barely there was a soft purr. But Nectar and this "Gold" stood in front of it.
"But I want some fresh air," This Gold meowed before her eyes landed on Swiftblossom. Gold was a white she-cat with golden tabby patches, but distinctively, her eyes were two different colors. One was blue, the other was green. Swiftblossom was about to meow a hello before a tom's voice broke out in a hiss,
"Who is that?" A brown tabby tom emerged from the tree den, his amber eyes narrowed in suspicion. What Swiftblossom found interesting was how this tom protected Gold. Are they...mates? She thought.
Nectar's ears flickered and she sighed, "This is the cat I've been talking to. Her name is Swiftblossom, she's a friend." The tom's hostility eased and his hackles lowered. Gold tilted her head and gently apologized, "I am sorry, Swiftblossom, your welcome wasn't very pleasant. I'm Gold, and this is my mate, Hawk." Swiftblossom's eyes glanced down at Gold's figure; Gold is expecting kits! Hawk, the brown tabby, who was very territorial and protective, was this way for a good reason. Nectar is like that too... but the two she-cats look so similar.
"It's alright. Hello," Swiftblossom greeted, dipping her head. Hawk stepped forward, the large tom eclipsing the warrior. He studied her for a moment, then dipped his head, "It's nice to meet you."
The calico turned her head to Nectar, "Is your group okay with joining my clan?"
"Of course. But...is your clan okay with it?" Nectar asked.
Swiftblossom closed her eyes and held back a sigh. "I'm not sure," she admitted.
Hawk narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean, 'I'm not sure'? Nectar said you can get us in."
"I will, I promise," Swiftblossom interrupted the tom, her amber eyes blazing, "I know all of you are worried for Gold, and I will get you all in. My clan isn't savage." When those words came out, they came out rather harshly than she intended. Swiftblossom quickly meowed, "We have two cats that are good with herbs and kit delivery. Gold will be alright."
Hawk and Nectar exchanged looks before Hawk meowed, "We have two kits, too. But if your clan can take in my mate and my kits, then that's enough for me to stay." Swiftblossom exhaled in relief. With kits and a queen, this will show to my clan that they mean no harm. Nectar brushed against Hawk, "Swiftblossom is a kind soul. Everyone will be alright."
Swiftblossom lowered her gaze to her paws, He has every right to be tense with me. "Nectar and I spoke that tomorrow morning, I will come to get everyone. Will that be alright?" Swiftblossom asked.
Gold interrupted Hawk and Nectar, "Of course. We will be ready for you." Her eyes gleamed in hope and Swiftblossom felt relieved. The warrior glanced over into the den, curious to see the two kits. Nectar nudged Hawk, who then reluctantly asked Swiftblossom, "Would you like to see my two kits?"
"O-oh, yes," the calico stammered, and slowly lowered her head to peek into the den. Hawk squeezed into the den and gently laid down, wrapping his body around two small bundles of fur. Even though Hawk was large and stocky, he knew how to be gentle, something Swiftblossom admired.
Hawk lowered his muzzle and gently licked a brown tabby she-kit, "This one is Honey. Her sister is Snow." The second kit, a white one, meowed gently in her sleep. Swiftblossom's heart swelled with how cute the kits were, "They're both beautiful, Hawk." After a few more words, Swiftblossom gave her final instructions to Nectar and Gold for tomorrow, with Hawk hearing from the den. Swiftblossom and Nectar both walked together up the hill, but the rogue stopped at the top of the hill. Swiftblossom turned to Nectar, "Prepare yourself for tomorrow, okay? Tomorrow will change everything."
Nectar blinked slowly, "Thank you, Swiftblossom... for everything you did for us."
"Save that for tomorrow." Swiftblossom meowed positively with a cuff to Nectar's ear. The rogue she-cat purred before Swiftblossom broke out into a sprint back to TideClan, watching Nectar move back to the den from the corner of her amber eye.
Swiftblossom slid through the Dirtplace and tiptoed to the medicine cat clearing. The calico breathed in relief, seeing that Wolfspirit was asleep, curled up as comfortably as he could. She made her way to him and laid down, pressing her body against his.
After a few heartbeats, Wolfspirit let out a short shriek and writhed around violently, kicking Swiftblossom. The calico shot up and stared at her mate before speaking, "Love! Love, calm down!" Wolfspirit's eyes flew open and the tom stopped writhing around, his body shaking. Swiftblossom was shaken up from the sudden shriek but she sat up and prodded Wolfspirit. "Love, love, I'm here," she reassured him, staring into his wide eyes.
Wolfspirit panted heavily and tried to sit up, but she forced him to lay down. Swiftblossom laid beside him, "What happened, dear?"
"The fox... it... I..." Wolfspirit tried to find the words to explain what he saw. Swiftblossom was about to get up to fetch the thyme when he pleaded, "Love, don't leave me."
"I never will," she promised.
He dug his face into her soft neck fur and Swiftblossom closed her eyes. She saw Snow and Honey, peacefully sleeping with their father, Hawk. Gold's swollen stomach flashed in her eyes. Then she saw Wolfspirit and imagined how scared he was of the fox he fought off.
I will deliver the group safely into the clan, for the safety of those kits... but for tonight, I'll be here for Wolfspirit. Swiftblossom breathed in his scent, and for the rest of the night, she would curl her tail around him tightly.
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I have something funny to share with you guys. It's 12 am, I'm sitting in the dining room and I am wearing Bluetooth headphones that are good at blocking out outside noise, but not entirely. I'm watching Shane and Ryan exploring the Ohio State Penitentiary and they're talking about ghosts. I can feel heavy footprints make their way over to me and I look to my right, where the stairs are. I see my dad and I literally jump. But he's wearing a yellow shirt and the first thing I saw was YELLOW. Guys I nearly died.
When I told my dad why I got spooked he just shook his head at me in disappointment.
Also, yes, Gold is pregnant. And yes, Hawk is a protective bean boi.
-Morgan