Cats of Five Pools

His stores were running low on tansy and garlic, which meant he had to go out and fetch some more. Newleaf is young, so there shouldn’t be a problem finding any, he thought. He could always check for herbs around the abandoned Twoleg garden, some cobwebs from the ditches by the fallen log that marked the entrance to the training hollow, moss from the trees around the river–

A squeal sounded from the nursery den, startling Figdream from his thoughts. He padded curiously to the nursery, ears alert for sounds of distress. His fur began to lie flat when he realized it had only been Frogkit playing with Cragquiver and Sunpatch.

Cragquiver must have come to relieve Sunpatch of kit-sitting duties. Last night had been Sunpatch’s turn to watch over Frogkit, which meant Cragquiver would look after her this morning giving Sunpatch the chance to breathe fresher air. Currently, Sunpatch sat outside of the nursery entrance chuckling at the display of Frogkit pouncing on Cragquiver. Ah, Figdream thought, it must be another game of capture-the-warrior.

“Good morning,” Figdream mewed as he approached.

“Good morning Figdream,” purred Sunpatch, licking her whiskers and dipping down low for a stretch.

“Morning there,” Cragquiver grunted, scrunching his face as Frogkit batted at his nose. “Easy there. No claws, remember?”

Figdream chuckled and turned to Sunpatch, “I need to go out and search for herbs. Would you like to come with me?”

“Oh, would I!” Sunpatch shook herself and padded closer to Figdream. She glanced over her shoulder at the other two with a purr, “I’ve been cooped up in the nursery all day yesterday.”

“Then a walk sounds like something you’d need,” Figdream laughed and waved goodbye to the other two wrestling cats with his tail. He began padding out of camp with Sunpatch following close behind.

It was good to be out of the grotto where HavenClan called home. Sunlight filtered through the fresh green leaves and pink blossoms on the trees, leaving quaking dapple patterns on the ground. Birds were singing new yet familiar tunes, and it was still early enough for the crickets to join their song. The cool dew on the grass felt refreshing underpaw and cooling on the cats’ pelts. Taking in a deep breath, Figdream was certain that a walk was what he needed, too. The stress of last night finally seemed to be melting away. “It’s a beautiful morning,” Sunpatch commented, and he agreed.

The morning passed as well as Figdream could have hoped. As expected, there were plenty of herbs to gather at the Twoleg garden. Figdream instructed Sunpatch how to harvest what they needed. It was quiet and busy work, and soon enough both cats had an impressive pile of leaves and roots to take back to camp.

“Have you ever thought about taking on an apprentice?” Sunpatch asked when they had decided to take a break and clean themselves of dust and dirt.

“A bit,” Figdream admitted while licking a paw and swiping it over an ear. “There’s not enough young paws at camp for me to consider it very much.”

“What about Frogkit? She’s very smart.”

“Maybe, but that’s not a choice to make right now. There’s time to consider.”

“I’d love to mentor Frogkit,” Sunpatch purred. “I’d get to continue to watch her grow into a strong warrior.”

Figdream’s tail flicked dismissively, “You and Cragquiver do a good job raising her, but I think it’d be wiser for Frogkit to have someone else as a mentor. She needs to learn new skills and how to be on her own without you two carrying her paws.”

Sunpatch fell quiet for a heartbeat then, then glanced at the golden tabby tom warily. Figdream could see the sparks of insecurity settle in and sighed. Between her and Cragquiver breathed insecurity as much as they do air. “Do you think,” Sunpatch began, “we are being too overbearing on her?”

“No,” Figdream said simply, “But you can’t expect to be next to her all the time. She needs her own experiences and her own thoughts to think. She’s just a kitten now, but she won’t always be.”

Sunpatch narrowed her eyes and nodded as she tried to take Figdream’s words to heart. Figdream couldn’t help but feel some admiration for her. Sunpatch never had kits of her own, so he could see the challenge of raising someone else’s. He had no doubt that Sunpatch and Cragquiver would raise the orphaned kitten excellently and with as much love and care as if Frogkit were their own flesh and blood.

“Words to take to heart, no matter the cat,” came the purr of a new voice. Figdream glanced about, eyes wide until he found the source perched high in the branch of a tree. As soon as he caught her eye, he frowned deeply.

“What is it?” Sunpatch asked, leaning in. “Are you alright?”

“StarClan is here.”

Sunpatch looked startled, then glanced around as if she would be able to find any strange, starry cats. She began to lick her fur in an attempt at a last-minute groom. “Where? Who? Aren’t they supposed to visit us through their den at the Cave of Hidden Stars? Why are they here?”

Figdream’s ear flicked, but didn’t answer. Instead, he watched as the pretty white-and-brown speckled she-cat hopped down from the tree, her starry pelt twinkling. She cast no shadow, as if the sun couldn’t touch her.

Redfern.

Redfern was a very old StarClan member, one of the first from HavenClan. Figdream had never felt comfortable around her; she was a troublemaker, and too confident in her place as a guide to other cats. Her smug demeanor had never settled right with him, and Figdream didn’t like how she treated other cats around her– as if she saw herself as the leader of StarClan.

He gestured with his tail for Sunpatch to crouch down with him and tuck their paws beneath them so that they could more easily communicate with the StarClan guide.

“That’s not necessary,” Redfern said, “I’m only here to speak with you, Figdream. Sunpatch doesn’t need to know.”

“Then what do you want,” Figdream snapped, “and make it quick.”

“Moody today, aren’t we?” Redfern sat between the two cats and hooked her tail over her paws.

“It was a nice day, until you showed up.” Amusement danced in the ghostly cat’s eyes, though horror rooted in Sunpatch’s at Figdream’s disrespect. He ignored it; he didn’t have to like Redfern, and he was not afraid to make it known. “What do you need to talk to me about?”

Redfern licked her paw and drew it over herself casually, “I have a prophecy to share.” Her pale blue eyes landed on Figdream. His hackles raised under her smug gaze. Sunpatch touched his side with the tip of her tail, and he was reminded that there are things bigger here than his distaste for the rude she-cat. He nodded for Redfern to continue, ignoring the satisfied smirk on her muzzle.

“Destruction falls when one becomes five.”

“Hm,” Figdream grunted, “How vague, as always.”

“What did they say?” Sunpatch’s eyes were wide.

“Things I’ll have to discuss with Rootstar about.” Figdream pushed himself to his paws.

“Leaving so soon?” Redfern teased.

“Well, do you have anything else to tell me?”

Redfern tilted her head with a smile, “No. Just be sure to remember my words.” She stood up and began to walk away, calling over her shoulder, “Keep HavenClan alive, won’t you? We’re safe as we are, and we’ll stay safe if you listen to me.” The she-cats pelt began to fade away, and in a blink of an eye she was gone.

Sunpatch reluctantly got to her paws when Figdream busied himself with a bundle of herbs. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Figdream mumbled around a mouthful of leaves. “Let’s just get back to camp.”