Clan of the Eclipse, Amanda and Tabitha [the little red hen ebook txt] 📗

will talk when you awaken."
The cat tried to stay awake, but it was futile. His eyes slowly shut.
"Those wounds are from Dragon." Bear meowed quietly. "No way he's a spy."
Eclipse began to groom him. He was matted, filthy and too ill to do it himself.
"I want you two to go to the human camp." She meowed between licks. "I need to stay with him. But Maya, Ghost and Pepper must become used to this life. Get them. Any cat who wants to come and can hunt or fight may."
"The laws...?"
"I've already come up with enough to get started. I can't predict everything, though. I'll work on them as problems present themselves."
Bear and Raven hesitated. "What's wrong?" She demanded.
"Dragon and Lion..." Raven meowed as if it were obvious.
"There are so few cats who are around here that they and their goons never bother to patrol. It's too open. Go on; if you're fast you won't have to wake a cat up. Bear knows where they are. Ghost is sickly; don't leave her to fend for herself if she comes and is a bit slow. Remember; they're soft-pelts. I want them here by sun high."
The two rose, consumed by the shadows of the setting sun. Eclipse was soon lulled to sleep.

Movement woke the healer. She opened her eyes to see Bramble shifting.
"Where are your friends?"
"They'll be here."
"You...helped me. Why?"
She looked him up and down. "Because you needed help. Dragon is a cruel cat."
"Dragon?"
Eclipse blinked. "Are you new?"
"Yes."
"I see. He's the cat who wounded you. He also killed my parents right in front of my eyes, destroyed the peaceful cats who lived before him and took control of the forest."
"Sounds like an awful cat. How do you know it was him who wounded me?"
"He has very special claws. My mentor told me he learned it from the humans."
Bramble was quiet. "Where did you learn to heal?"
"My mentor. He taught me to not just heal, but lead others. That's what I'm doing. I'm taking others to a better place, to learn to hunt and fight for one another; to support one another just like the cats before the tribe; the clan."
"Clan?"
"Yes." Her eyes became starry. "They were a group of hunters and fighters who were led by a healer. My mentor was very old, and saw the tribe settle in after the clan left when he was still young. I know their ways from him. Now I'm going to make my own."
"...I can't hunt or fight...but...if I'm willing to learn to heal, will you take me in?"
She stared at him. "You want to learn to heal?"
"Yes. You saved me with plants, not claws. Please?"
"Of course. Here; I'll tell you what each plant is as I apply it."
She took some leaves from the purple flowered plant. "This is comfrey. It's good for healing when there are swollen, red wounds like yours. The leaves are good for that. The root is used for healing bones." She took the yellow-flowered plant. "This is fever weed. It's used for fever when you eat the leaves and wound-healing when you chew and apply the root. Let me show you."
She chewed the two together and applied it.
"Ouch..."
"Shh."
"What were the black seeds?"
"Poppy seeds. They're for pain and shock; they lull a cat into sleep, or at least calm them down in smaller doses."
"What about the webs?"
"Those are cobwebs; they stop bleeding."
"Wow."
Just then the leaves rustled. Both cats jumped. Raven and Bear slipped into the light of early dawn.
"They're here." Raven meowed. "Five."
"Are you ready?" Her brother asked.
"Yes."
Chapter Two: Clan Laws

Eclipse stood to leap into onto a fallen log.
Raven told her as she came to sit with her tail around her legs. "I'm not sure any of them will make it a day."
Bear gave a low meow. From the undergrowth a two black and white cats merged. One was a she-cat. She was large, but lean. Her fluffy soft-pelt fur was splotched. The other was a small, wiry and wide-eyed tom. He had a white heart-shape on his otherwise black face. His back and legs were black. The underside and paws were white. Following them was a thin white she-cat with a calico tail, ice-blue eyes and a gray muzzle, paws and ear tips. She nervously licked her chest. Two black tabbies shivered into the clearing lastly.
"Maya...Pepper...Ghost. Good of you three to come. You know why you are here?"
Maya bowed her head. "I've waited for this day...and will hear what rules you've set. Then I will decide."
"I'm coming with you no matter what!" Pepper said.
"S-so am I." Ghost meowed musically - if not anxious.
The other two cats remained quiet.
"This is Bramble. We will remain here while he recovers, giving you time to learn the rules and grow accustomed to the harsh life of a wildcat. He will be learning to heal."
"And lead?" Bear asked quietly.
"Of course. It's the way things work."
They grew quiet. "Now, the founding rules are thus; there will be those who hunt and those who fight. Hunters feed everybody. They don't only hunt for themselves. Prey is brought to wherever we're resting and shared. Those who fight for the clan don't run off and leave others to fend for themselves. They stand and fight together. Cowards aren't welcome in my clan. Hunters who can't fight will not leave the camp without a cat who can; it's too dangerous. And lastly, any injured or ill cat isn't left behind. They are assisted and cared for. We don't move on without them."
She paused, thinking, reading the cats faces who had assembled.
"What is the punishment for breaking the rules?" Maya challenged.
"First warning is no prey and extra duties. The second time...you will taken home. This is only until Bramble heals. Remember, we're small and still learning. New laws will be set to challenge problems that I haven't foreseen."
"And not everything can be planned." Bear told them.
Eclipse looked down at the quiet youngsters. She wasn't familiar with them. "Who are you and what can you offer my clan?"
"I'm Misty." The smaller one meowed. "I can hunt a little."
"A little?"
"My humans didn't let me out a lot, but my mom taught me very early."
Maya looked her up and down strangely, then snorted and looked away.
"I'm Scratch." The other replied. "My dad taught me a little about fighting, but I've never really done more than play fight with my friends and beat up a house dog or two."
Eclipse looked thoughtful.
"Bear will keep an eye on you two - a very careful eye. He can help you learn if you show promise. But I leave it up to him to decide whether you're worth his time. If I hear you're not, then I will have a cat take you home."
"We'll try hard!"
"Yeah. We promise."
Eclipse looked around. "Do all of you understand and agree with my conditions?"
No cat spoke up, accepting silently.
"Good. Why don't we try these new laws? Bear can take Misty and Ghost to hunt. Pepper, you patrol with Raven."
"What do you want us to do?" Maya asked, indicating Scratch.
"I need a couple of cats here who can fight. Up the tree, Scratch. Tell me if any strange cats come around, or if you see a fox." Eclipse watched him scale the tree with little grace. She shook her head. "Keep an eye on him?" She whispered to Maya. "And for predators?
"No problem, miss boss."
"Get used to it or leave."
"I just may."
"See if I miss you."
Then the healer turned back to Bramble, who looked mystified. "Ready to learn?"
"Always."
Eclipse pushed another herb up. "This, Bramble, repeat what I told you earlier."
"Umm...the purple flower plant is comfrey; it’s good for inflammation. The fever weed is the one with yellow flowers, and the root is for wounds while the leaves are for fever. The little black seeds are for pain...and um...sleep? And the cobwebs...they...stop bleeding."
"You're a natural."
Eclipse meowed, honestly impressed. "Bear will bring me more herbs from my old den. I didn't gather them because I didn't think I'd stay here."
"I'm sorry..."
"No, no. It just mean I can test these rookies."
Maya snorted.
Eclipse ignored the older queen. It wasn't long before Bear, Ghost and Misty returned. Ghost had two mice and a jay bird. Misty had a...frog.
"Um..."
"She has a very long way to go." Bear growled. "She scared a way a mouse and completely missed a dove."
Eclipse sighed. "It is her first day."
"Yeah." Maya agreed. "The forest is a lot different than our gardens.
"Speaking of, Bear is back. Why don't you and Scratch trade those three?" Eclipse offered.
"You don't know anything about hunting!" Maya growled. "Why should you tell us when to hunt?"
Bear snarled "So you want to go hungry? I think my sister knows when there's not enough prey! You didn't disagree with her rules!"
"She didn't say she was leader!"
"Sorry. I kind of thought that one was obvious." Eclipse hissed. "I'm the one building the clan."
"Keep your voices down." Bramble offered quietly. "They carry without a lot of under brush to muffle them."
Maya called Scratch down. "You're right, Eclipse." She meowed. "We do need to hunt. Sorry; I just...don't like being ordered around."
"Like I said, get used to it or leave."
The she-cat meowed that they were leaving. Misty dropped her frog.
"I hunted, Eclipse. Do I have to go out again?"
"Yes. Because you didn't bring enough back."
"It's my first day..."
"Do you think we can survive off each cat bringing a single piece of kill back when not all of us hunt?"
She shook her head.
"Then it's only fair that you go out again. Now catch up. They're leaving you behind."
The she-cat sighed and took off. Eclipse heard Maya hiss when she barreled into the older queen.
"Watch out, you clumsy kit."
"Sorry Maya."
There was a pause. "It's okay. These woods give me the chills too. Common."
This isn't going to be easy...

Chapter Three: Encounters

Eclipse was dreaming.