The Cure

The Cure is a fan fiction written by Wavepaw.

Prologue
A plump gray kittypet was curled on a fence in a deep mountain forest. It was leaf-bare, yet a rare sunny day, and the she-cat was taking advantage of it, the sun seeping into her think, glossy dark grey fur. A cool breeze rustled the leaves of the pine trees in the forest outside the snugly built Twoleg nest.

The she-cat suddenly froze, pricking her ears and tasting the air. Pawsteps sounded on the mossy earth on the other side of the fence.

“Stonewhisker?” the she-cat whispered.

The pawsteps stopped.

The kittypet froze, wrapping her thick tail over her muzzle. Oh no, oh no! Hopefully it isn’t a Clan cat…

Then a meow sounded back. “Pumpkin? You’re out?”

The she-cat leaped onto the fence and looked down on a lean gray tom, his amber eyes betraying his fear. “Hello,” he meowed, sounding confident. “I didn’t know you were out.”

Pumpkin narrowed her eyes. “I know you too well, Stonewhisker. What’s wrong?” she asked, her tone softening.

Stonewhisker sighed. “Oh, Pumpkin…Plumflower’s very sick. Cherrystem says she will recover, but she has the frost sickness…”

Pumpkin stiffened. “You came for wintergreen.”

Stonewhisker dropped his head, staring at his paws. “I’m sorry, my love. I wouldn’t have come take some for your garden. I was planning to take some from Peony’s, or Mossy’s.”

Pumpkin sighed. She glanced into her garden at a clump of leaves, shining green in the middle of frost and snows. “Oh, Stonewhisker…” she whispered. “I will let you take them. But just this once.”

Stonewhisker purred. “Oh, thank you, Pumpkin! I know how hard it is to give up wintergreen, but in the middle of leaf-bare, but with the trouble with StormClan and Darkstem already dead…well, I had to come back with something!”

Pumpkin purred and stood aside. “Go ahead.”

Stonewhisker leaped onto the fence and down into the garden. He raced over to the wintergreen patch and nipped off a couple leaves. “Thank you!” he called as he jumped down and sped under the trees.

“Go safely!” Pumpkin called. But then she called him back. “Wait!”

Stonewhisker froze and turned to her. “Yes?” he asked through the leaves.

Pumpkin held herself taller. “I’m going to have your kits!”

Stonewhisker froze. ''Oh no, oh no, what will Plumflower think? What will ForestClan think? I thought this would end, but… ''

“That’s great!” he meowed, faking happiness. “I must get these to Plumflower and Cherrystem! Goodbye!” Waving his tail at Pumpkin, he raced away into the forest, panic hurrying his paws. He bounded into a tunnel and stopped, panting, in a sheltered hollow made in the center of a large, hollow redwood tree.

“Stonewhisker!” The call came from a slender tortoiseshell she-cat, standing at the entrance to one of the dens formed on overhanging branches. “And you’ve found wintergreen!”

“He found wintergreen?” a sturdy brown tom mewed. “Where?”

Stonewhisker squirmed. I can’t give Pumpkin away, or her friends! “It was just the last of a patch in a Twoleg garden,” he meowed hurriedly. “I have to get this to Plumflower!” He jumped with ease into the branch where the she-cat stood. “Thanks!” she purred. “No problem, Cherrystem.” Stonewhisker practically choked on the words. ''No problem? My two mates are BOTH having kits!'' He bent his head to brush the purple-gray she-cat lying in the nest, her nose and forepaw blackened.

''Plumflower, I’ll always choose you. But I don’t want to hurt Pumpkin or our kits either!''

***** 3 moons later ********

Pumpkin purred, staring at the two tiny bodies that squirmed at her belly. “Thank you, Ivy,” she purred the white she-cat that stood beside her. Ivy opened her mouth to say something, but then the flap opened and Stonewhisker poked his head in. “Pumpkin.” he meowed, crossing the floor, ignoring Ivy. “This isn’t going to work.” Pumpkin stared at her mate. “What do you mean? Your kits are right here! Two she-cats. One for me to raise, one for you!”

Stonewhisker stared at her as the meaning set in. “No,” he whispered. “I came here to tell you that I realized I love Plumflower. I never wanted to hurt you. But now she’s carrying my kits. My Clanborn kits. And I can’t see you anymore.”

Pumpkin unsheathed her claws. “So. Now that I want you to raise a daughter, you turn up with your new mate. Verrrry clever,” she sneered. “Well, Stonewhisker, you may be a lying, deceitful fox-heart, but your daughters are half ForestClan, and the Clans will raise one, whether you like it or not!”

Stonewhisker whipped around and raced out of the den, away from Pumpkin’s nest, into the terriotry of ForestClan. But hear could hear whispers, not Pumpkin’s voice, or Ivy’s, but StarClan whispers, telling him the same thing.

''One of your daughters will be the cure. Half Clan, one will join, one will stay. You cannot  escape your destiny. ''

Stonewhisker flattened his ears as he skidded into camp. He ignored the curious stares of his Clanmates, jumping as fast as he could up to the warriors’ den, where Plumflower was waiting.

“Hello, my love,” she purred. Stonewhisker pressed himself against her, basking in the warmth of her fur.

But he could not escape the whispers of StarClan.

''No. Plumflower is my only mate. Pumpkin’s daughters will grow up to be kittypets, nothing more. ''

But he knew it wasn’t true.

Background Information

 * The Clans live on a mountain, and they are ForestClan, IceClan, HailClan, StormClan, and
 * There is a "war" between the Clan cats/rogues and kittypets, because of the frost sickness (frostbite) and it's only cure, wintergreen, grows only in Twoleg gardens, like catmint. But the kitty pets treasure wintergreen, and they fight to get it.