“Moth Flight!”
She lifted her head sharply. A familiar voice was calling outside.
Micah! Pelt pricking with excitement, she ducked out of her den. The yellow tom was crossing the clearing, the late sunshine turning his fur golden. She hurried to meet him, hoping her pelt didn’t look too dusty after her long trek through the forest. Her heart leaped as she saw him.
He stopped as he reached her, his eyes shining. “How’s life as a medicine cat?”
“You should know!” Moth Flight met his gaze, joy surging in her chest. “What’s life like with SkyClan?”
Micah swished his tail. “Okay, I guess.” He didn’t sound sure.
“How’s Tiny Branch? Did you cure him?”
“He’s charging around camp with his littermates, as healthy as a lark.” Micah puffed out his chest proudly.
“Clear Sky and Star Flower must be happy,” Moth Flight commented.
“Star Flower is,” Micah told her. “I think Clear Sky’s wishing he hadn’t promised I could stay if I cured his kit.”
Worry rippled through Moth Flight’s fur. Clear Sky could be cruel. “Is he giving you a hard time?”
“Nothing I can’t handle. He meows loudly, but he keeps his claws sheathed. I think—”
“Micah.” Wind Runner’s mew cut him off. “What are you doing here?”
Moth Flight turned to see her mother approaching. Her fur was still flattened where she’d been lying. Sleepiness clouded her gaze. But Moth Flight recognized her tone of voice. She stiffened, wondering whether the WindClan leader was going to find fault with her or with Micah. “He came to see me,” she told
Wind Runner. Then she paused, glancing anxiously at Micah.
“You did, right?”
Micah purred. “Of course! I’ve missed you.”
Wind Runner’s gaze darkened. “I really don’t think you should be here,” she told the yellow tom. “Clear Sky’s not too happy with WindClan at the moment. Not since we accused Red Claw of prey-stealing.”
Or since I told him to take a farm cat into his Clan, Moth Flight thought.
Wind Runner narrowed her eyes. “You smell like the forest, Moth Flight,” she meowed sharply. “Where have you been?”
“I went to Twolegplace to fetch catmint for Rocky.”
Wind Runner bristled. “Did you cross Clear Sky’s territory?”
“It’s the quickest route.”
Micah blinked at her. “I wish I’d known,” he told her earnestly. “I would have escorted you.”
“It’s okay,” Moth Flight reassured him. “Dust Muzzle and Spotted Fur came with me.”
Wind Runner’s tail twitched. “Three of you crossed Clear Sky’s land?”
Moth Flight faced her. “So what? We weren’t hunting. And Rocky needed the leaves.”
“But what if—”
Micah cut Wind Runner off, his eager gaze fixed on Moth
Flight. “Did you find some?”
Moth Flight nodded. “It was just like you said. Once I smelled it, I knew it was catmint.”
“It makes your mouth water, doesn’t it?” Micah purred.
“Stop it!” Wind Runner pushed in front of Micah. “You can’t come into our camp whenever you want to gossip about herbs!” She turned on Moth Flight. “And you can’t go wandering into SkyClan territory without telling me.”
Moth Flight blinked at her. “But it was for Rocky! You’re always going on about the good of the Clan. Well this was for the good of the Clan.”
Wind Runner’s gaze darkened. “It’s not for the good of the Clan if it starts a battle.”
Moth Flight’s pelt pricked. “Surely there wouldn’t be a battle over something as dumb as crossing each other’s land.”
“Clear Sky’s started one before,” Wind Runner muttered.
Micah’s ears twitched. “I think Clear Sky is more interested in being a good father at the moment than fighting battles.”
Before Wind Runner could reply, he caught Moth Flight’s eye.
“I’d better go.”
“Yes.” Wind Runner stared at him. “You’d better.”
Moth Flight sniffed indignantly. “I’ll walk you to the border.”
Wind Runner shot her a look. “Don’t cross it.”
“I won’t!” Moth Flight whisked her tail as she headed for the entrance. Then she paused. “I’d better check on Rocky before I go. I want to see if the catmint’s working.”
Wind Runner stalked away, growling. “Don’t be long. I want
Micah back in his own territory by sunset.”
Micah glanced at Moth Flight, his eyes glittering with amusement. “She’s even sterner than I imagined.”
“I warned you.” Moth Flight headed for her den, stifling a purr.
Inside, Rocky stretched in his nest, spreading his belly happily. A loud purr throbbed in his chest. He wasn’t coughing.
Moth Flight blinked at him. “It sounds like the catmint worked.”
“I feel great!” Rocky lifted his head and stared blearily at Moth Flight.
Micah padded past her and smelled the old tom’s breath.
“How much did you give him?” he asked Moth Flight.
“Two stems.” Moth Flight hurried to the nest anxiously.
“Was that too much?”
Before Micah could answer, Rocky reached out a paw and gave her a playful shove on the muzzle. “It was just the right amount.” His tail flicked over his belly. As it flashed past his nose, he grabbed it between his forepaws. “Got you!” Delight shone in his eyes. “Look! I caught my tail!”
Moth Flight stiffened. She’d never seen him act like a kit before. “Have I poisoned him?”
“He’ll be fine,” Micah reassured her. “He might just be a little playful for a while. But his cough should improve.”
“It already has.” Rocky flopped onto his side, his head lolling over the edge of his nest.
“Come on.” Micah steered Moth Flight toward the entrance.
“Let him sleep it off.”
“I’m not sleepy,” Rocky called after them.
“Stay in your nest,” Micah told him firmly. “We don’t want you wandering off and getting lost in the heather. You might feel better but you still need to rest.” He nosed Moth Flight from the den.
Outside, in the sunshine, Moth Flight blinked at him. “How much should I have given him?” she asked.
“Two or three leaves are enough.” Micah headed toward the camp entrance.
Moth Flight hurried to catch up. “Did Tiny Branch act like that when you gave him some?”
“I only gave him one leaf,” Micah weaved between the tussocks and headed out of camp.
Moth Flight’s pelt prickled hotly along her spine as she followed him. Rocky had been the first cat she’d ever treated.
“I’m such a featherbrain,” she mewed crossly.
Micah looked at her, surprised. “Why?”
“I should have known it was too much.”
“How?” Micah padded at her side. “You’d never seen it before. I’m impressed that you even found some.”
“Really?” Moth Flight blinked at him.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Micah told her. “We’re all learning.”
“Have you made any mistakes?” Moth Flight asked.
“Not yet.” Micah gazed across the heather. “But there’s so much I don’t know yet. Clear Sky seems to think I should have the answer to everything. Most of the time, I’m just guessing.”
The breeze tugged Moth Flight’s pelt, chilly now as the sun began to set. But she hardly noticed. She was relieved to hear that Micah was feeling overwhelmed by his duties too. “I thought it was just me,” she meowed softly.
Micah’s flank brushed hers. “It’s not just you,” he assured her. “I bet Dappled Pelt, Cloud Spots, and Pebble Heart are struggling too.”