The adventures of Mosstalon - Moonbeam - QuailyCat (icecream ebook reader .TXT) 📗

I watched as Tanglepaw thanked the cats calling his name.
"Now, Tanglepaw, I shall teach you to be the best warrior in the forest. Your mother and father are good fighters, so you shall be better than anyone else in the clan." Spiderleg was saying to his new apprentice.
I was bursting with pride at the thought that my kit was soon to be a warrior.
"Mosstalon!" Firestar called to me. "I need you to lead a patrol around the territory. There has been stale Windclan scent around the border again. We need to be extra careful around now."
"Not them again! Why don't Windclan go hunt on Riverclan's territory instead? Anyway, who should I bring on the patrol?" I asked.
"Take Bluepaw, Spottedhead, obviously Fernpaw because she's Spottedhead's apprentice, and Spiderleg and Tanglepaw." Firestar replied.
"Yes, Firestar." I dipped my head respectfully to the clan leader. As I padded away, I noticed that Firestar looked old with age.
I haven't noticed his aging.

I thought. I felt sick as I realised that Firestar's end was drawing nearer and nearer. Then, I remembered that I needed to tell him something I would regret if I never told him before he died.
I turned around to face him. "Firestar, there's something I need to tell you..."
"Yes, Mosstalon?" Firestar asked.
"You go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later," I told Spottedhead before turning to Firestar. "It's Swiftpath. He's your brother."


I trotted along through the forest, stopping to sniff every fern and shrub I passed.
"Can we hunt now?" I begged Spiderleg.
"This is a border

patrol, not a hunting one!" Spiderleg snapped.
"But Spiderleg, this is my first ever

time out of camp other than the fire! I need to learn how to hunt!" I wailed.
Why won't he let me? It's so unfair!

I thought.
"Oh, go on, Spiderleg! He's never felt the glory of being a warrior! You can go train him instead!" Thanks, Spottedhead!
"No. Firestar sent us on this patrol! Tanglepaw can train later." Spiderleg insisted.
"Oh, fine!" I meowed.
I ran up ahead, and started sniffing the plants again. Fernpaw ran to my side.
"Hi, Tanglepaw! You're going to love being an apprentice! We can catch so many great things, squirrels, mice, and if you're really good, a bird!"
Bluepaw came up to join us now. "And then the gatherings! You can meet so many cats there!"
"Sorry! I had to tell- I mean report to Firstar about uh, having spotted some twolegs close to one of the most popular hunting spots when I was out with Bumblestripe last night." Mosstalon had come.
What's she hiding?

I wondered.
"Ooh! We're here!" We had reached the Windclan border.
I looked around. It was beautiful. You could see the entire lake, and beyond. I suddenly heard a yowl.
"Intruder!" Spiderleg growled. His claws suddenly unsheathed.
I saw a mangy cat with thick jet black fur, long whiskers, and strange white markings on one shoulder dragging along a large rabbit while limping. The cat looked up at Spiderleg's yowl, and leaped into action.
Spiderleg and the tresspasser fought hard, becoming a scratching and hissing ball of fury.
"No! Stop, Spiderleg!" Mosstalon leaped out, separating the two cats. "Spiderleg, this cat is obviously not from around here! Smell her! She smells like the sun-drown place! And of the mountains, and of many other places! This cat has been traveling, and is desperate for prey. We will escort her to camp, and ask Firestar what to do with her, before we attack her."
Spiderleg glared at Mosstalon.
"Don't take me anywhere! I can go where I please, when I please!" The stranger hissed at my mother.
"Don't worry. We won't hurt you, just ask our leader what to do with you," Spottedhead reasured her.

The strange cat gave a growl, but then bowed her head. "Fine, take me to this camp of yours, but I won't stay there for long."

"Spottedhead, Fernpaw and Bluepaw, you continue the patrol, Spiderleg, Tanglepaw and I shall escort..." Mosstalon trailed off, looking at the cat that would come with them to the camp.

"Moonbeam, Moonbeam's my name," she told Mosstalon.

And so I, with my mother, Spiderleg and Moonbeam headed back in the direction of the camp.

Upon entering the camp, many hostile stares greeted Moonbeam. When Rainclaw, my moody brother, spat,

"Who's that?!"

Firestar bounded down from his den.

"Firestar, this is Moonbeam, she is a loner who has travelled for a long time, and who my patrol found on the border to Windclan," I told Firestar.

"Greetings, Moonbeam. Come, our medicine cat, Jayfeather, shall tend to those wounds you have," Firestar told Moonbeam.

"I don't need your help!" Moonbeam spat.

"Please, we just want to restore your health."

Moonbeam bowed her head. "Very well."

Once Moonbeam had been tended to by Jayfeather, Firestar and I sat down with her to hear about her story as to how she got to the lake.

Publication Date: 03-31-2012

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
To the real Moonbeam