Moth Flight’s Vision

Resentment tugged at her belly. You’ve taken Micah’s place. She swallowed back her bitterness and met her mother’s gaze. “Why shouldn’t they cross the moor?”

Jagged Peak lashed his tail. “How can you ask that after everything Clear Sky’s done lately?”

Moth Flight faced the tom. “What has he done?”

“He keeps sending hunting patrols onto our land!” Jagged Peak bristled.

Wind Runner growled. “Willow Tail and Jagged Peak found more rabbit remains on the border this morning.”

“Willow Tail spends too much time checking borders,” Moth

Flight snapped. “She should be hunting for her Clan, not searching for gossip.”

Wind Runner flattened her ears. “Prey theft is more than gossip!”

Acorn Fur’s tail twitched crossly. “Clear Sky hasn’t sent hunting patrols!”

Jagged Peak curled his lip. “Then why do we keep finding signs of fresh-kill on the moor?”

Acorn Fur stood her ground. “How do you know SkyClan left them?”

Moth Flight’s paw prickled with anger. What a dumb argument! Greenleaf was only just beginning. No cat was hungry. Who cared whether prey was left on one side of a border or another? She glared at Wind Runner. “This has nothing to do with Dappled Pelt and Acorn Fur!” she snapped.

“They are medicine cats, not hunters.” Blue Whisker scrambled across the clearing. “Moth Flight!” she mewed as she reached her mother. “Why does Wind Runner look so cross?”

Jagged Peak glared at Acorn Fur. “Because SkyClan cats are thieves and liars.”

Blue Whisker looked at Jagged Peak with round, anxious eyes. “Micah was a SkyClan cat. Did he lie too?”

Jagged Peak stared at the kit, his pelt rippling uneasily. “I never knew him,” he mumbled.

Wind Runner shifted her paws. “Perhaps we should save this discussion for another time.”

“Perhaps we should not have it at all!” Moth Flight snapped.

She dipped her head to Acorn Fur and Dappled Pelt. “I’m sorry about my Clanmates. They think borders are worth fighting over.” She glanced at Blue Whisker. “Go back to Slate, dear. I have to speak with our visitors.”

Blue Whisker blinked at her mother. “Will you be long?”

“No,” Moth Flight promised. She guided Dappled Pelt and Acorn Fur toward the stones beside the entrance. She could feel

Jagged Peak’s gaze burning into her pelt. “Is something wrong?” She lowered her voice as they reached the rocks.

“Nothing,” Dappled Pelt assured her. The tortoiseshell’s gaze drifted after Blue Whisker as she scrambled down into the sandy hollow beside her brother. “Your kits are beautiful.”

Moth Flight followed her gaze, her heart swelling. Beside the hollow, Bubbling Stream was still urging Storm Pelt to go faster. “They remind me so much of Micah.”

“They have his spirit.”

Acorn Fur’s words surprised her. “What do you know about Micah’s spirit?” Moth Flight questioned.

Acorn Fur dropped her gaze, flinching as though Moth

Flight had raked her muzzle. “I worked with him,” she mewed quietly. “He was my friend and I miss him.”

“We all miss him,” Moth Flight snapped pointedly. Jealousy bristled through her pelt.

“He spoke about you all the time.” Acorn Fur lifted her gaze cautiously. “He loved you very much. I’m sorry that you lost him.”

Moth Flight blinked, surprised by the warmth in Acorn Fur’s mew. It’s too late to be nice! She wasn’t going to forgive the SkyClan cat so easily. “You spied on him!”

Dappled Pelt’s tail flicked uneasily. “Moth Flight, I think you’re being unfair—”

Acorn Fur interrupted. “You’re right. Clear Sky ordered me to watch him. But I knew, after the first day, that Micah could be trusted. He cared about his Clanmates right from the start. I enjoyed working with him. And I loved helping. One time, Blossom got a thorn in her paw. It was really deep. Micah had to dig around for ages to get it out. He talked to her the whole time, distracting her with jokes and stories of when he was a farm cat. He showed me that there was more to being a medicine cat than learning herbs. You don’t just care about the wound; you must care about the cat.” Her eyes rounded. “He said that’s why StarClan chose you. Because you always knew that better than anyone.”

Moth Flight stared at her. She suddenly understood why

Micah had liked Acorn Fur so much. She was kind and honest and open. Moth Flight dropped her gaze, her pelt prickling with guilt. How could she have judged Acorn Fur so harshly? She hardly knew her. “Thank you,” she murmured.

Dappled Pelt glanced to where Wind Runner and Jagged Peak were crouched beside the camp wall, watching their visitors through slitted eyes. “We came here for a reason,” she mewed. “Acorn Fur has learned all she can from me and Cloud

Spots. Pebble Heart has shared all he knows. Now it’s your turn to train her, just as we trained you.”

Moth Flight’s ear twitched nervously. “But I have kits now.”

“You’re still a medicine cat,” Dappled Pelt reminded her.