Эрин Хантер - Moth Flight’s Vision

Moth Flight screwed up her nose. “No, thanks.”

Sun Shadow ducked and killed it, snapping its spine with a crunch. As he straightened, she saw his whiskers twitching with amusement.

“What?” She ruffled her fur.

“You looked funny, that’s all,” he purred. “I can tell you’ve never hunted frogs before.”

Moth Flight sniffed. “I bet you couldn’t catch a rabbit.”

“Probably not,” he meowed warmly. “But you still looked funny, like a kit chasing its tail.”

Moth Flight purred, pleasure rising in her without warning. I must have looked pretty dumb. Then she stiffened. Her purr dried in her throat.

Sun Shadow watched her, his gaze darkening. “Come on,” he mewed briskly. “Let’s take this back to camp and you can taste it.”

“I’m not hungry.” Moth Flight turned toward the camp.

“A mouthful won’t hurt.” Sun Shadow picked up the frog between his jaws and padded after her.

They padded back to camp in silence. How could I have purred? Guilt ripped her belly. It’s like I’m already forgetting him. Suddenly she wanted to cling to her grief. It was all she had left of Micah now. She ducked first through the bramble entrance.

“You caught one!” Tall Shadow greeted them, lifting her tail happily as she crossed the clearing toward them.

Sun Shadow dropped the frog. “Moth Flight doesn’t want to taste it.”

Tall Shadow padded around her. “We can’t send you back to your Clanmates without having tasted frog ,” she meowed.

“What will you have to boast about?”

Moth Flight lifted her gaze wearily to the ShadowClan leader. “I don’t want food.” She padded across the clearing and nosed her way into Sun Shadow’s den. Curling deep into her nest, she closed her eyes and let sadness sweep over her. So what if Sun Shadow had gotten used to his new home? How could she betray Micah by getting used to life without him?

She woke into a misty meadow and knew at once that she was dreaming. “Micah?” She scanned the swirling fog, straining to catch a glimpse of him.

“Moth Flight?” His voice echoed from the murk.

Her heart leaped. Joy surged beneath her pelt. “Micah! Can you hear me?”

“Moth Flight, are you there?”

Moth Flight darted forward, searching for him, but there was no sign of him. Only his scent. “Can you hear me?” she repeated, panic rising.

“Moth Flight?” His voice echoed back, sounding lost. “I need to tell you something.”

He doesn’t know I’m here!

“It will be okay.” His mew was tight with worry. “I know you’re sad. I miss you too. I love you. I’ll always love you.

Don’t let sadness change you. You have to keep going!”

“Micah!” Her cry turned to a wail of frustration. “I need to see you!” Why couldn’t he show himself, like Half Moon and the others?

She glimpsed his eyes sparkling through the mist on the far side of the meadow. They seemed to stare right through her, anxious and searching. She raced toward his gaze, his scent enfolding her as she neared.

“Keep going!” he called.

“I’m coming.” She raced harder, pushing against the dewy grass.

“Don’t give up. You have to be strong. Not just for yourself but for—”

A paw buckled under her and she stumbled, rolling onto the grass. Pain jerked her awake. “My leg!” Her forepaw was twisted clumsily under her chest. She pulled it free, kneading her paw against the bottom of the nest to ease the cramping.

“Dumb leg!”

Shadow surrounded her nest. It was still night. She growled crossly. Micah was trying to tell me something important!

As the pain eased, Moth Flight thrust her paws under her muzzle. Perhaps she could finish her dream. She screwed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the pounding of her heart as irritation pricked beneath her pelt. With every waking moment, her dream would be fading, and Micah with it.

Be strong! Not just for yourself but for— What was he going to say?

Outside, an owl screeched through the pines. A ShadowClan cat was snoring somewhere in camp. Wind swished through the branches high above her.

I’ll never get back to sleep. Heart sinking, she lifted her head. As her eyes grew accustomed to the moonlight that filtered dimly through the brambles, she wondered if dawn was near. She opened her mouth and let the night scents wash her tongue. The dewy air tasted of dusk, not dawn. I’m sorry, Micah. Guilt pricked at her belly. She’d let him down. He’d tried to speak to her and she’d woken up.

Why was he still roaming the murky meadow? Why wasn’t he in StarClan’s hunting grounds yet? He’d be safe there, with Half Moon and the others. Do farm cats join StarClan? Her fur lifted along her spine. What if she never saw him again? She stared, frozen. The brambles seemed to close in around her. I’ll never be with him. Ever.

She lost track of time, her thoughts spiraling in and out of panic. I should take a walk. There was no chance of sleep now.

But her paws seemed rooted beneath her, her body heavy with dread.

When dawn comes, it’ll seem better, she told herself. But how long until dawn? Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched though the endless night.

She must have slept eventually, because Pebble Heart woke her.

“Moth Flight!”

She lifted her head sharply. There was fear in his mew.

“I need your help!”

She leaped to her paws, her heart lurching. Dawn light showed at the den entrance. “What’s wrong?”

“Juniper Branch started kitting in the night.”

“But she’s not due for—”

“I know!” Pebble Heart’s eyes were wide. “The kits are stuck. She’s pushing, but they won’t come. I’m scared they might die. That she might di—”

Moth Flight cut him off. “We won’t let them.” She bounded from her nest and ducked through the entrance. Scanning the camp, she tasted the air. The sour scent of fear pulsed from an opening in the brambles beyond the patch of long grass. She headed for it, Pebble Heart at her heels. She nosed her way through a gap in the branches, surprised by the size of the den inside, hollowed from the thick bramble wall.

Juniper Branch lay beside her nest, her eyes wild with pain.

Raven Pelt crouched beside her, his pelt spiked with fear. He glanced at Moth Flight as she slid in beside him, his hackles rising. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to help.”

“It’s okay.” Pebble Heart padded past her. “She’s a medicine cat too.”

“She’s young.” Raven Pelt eyed her warily. “Does she know anything about kitting?”

“Do you ?” Pebble Heart returned sternly.

Moth Flight pressed her cheek to Juniper Branch’s belly.

“They’re still moving.” She could feel the kits squirming inside.

“They want to come out.”

Juniper Branch moaned. “I’m trying!” Her body convulsed and she shrieked as pain rippled through her.

Moth Flight darted behind her and checked to see if there was sign of a kit. The ground was bare. “Could something be blocking them?” She glanced at Pebble Heart. The den was dark, but enough light filtered through the brambles to see his face.

He looked grim.

“Raven Pelt.” She turned to the dark tom. “I want you to fetch moss and soak it in water. Juniper Branch will be thirsty.”

Raven Pelt glanced at Pebble Heart questioningly.