Moonflower's Story

Moonflower’s Story

My beginning
From the moment I opened my eyes, I was full of energy. I wanted to run around and explore. Of course, I couldn’t, for I was far too weak. My mother took good care of me, but my father was barely ever around. My mother’s name was Moonlight. My father’s ... Scourge. My father was an all black cat with a white right front paw. My mum was white with one rear left black paw, and a black crescent moon on her forehead. I looked more like my father. I was all black except for one front left white paw. When I was old enough, my father taught me how to hunt. It was exciting, and you can’t even imagine how proud I was when I caught my first squirrel. Then, my father started to become more and more distant again. He started to become a very sour cat.

Our Sad History
I had seen him do many bad things. Like when he and two of his clowns tried to kill Violet when I was 8 moons old. Oh, “Who’s Violet,” you ask? Barley’s younger sister. You know, Barley, the one who used to live on the farm… with... Ravenpaw... oh nevermind. Just stop mewling like a kit and listen! *ahem* Now back to the story… they had tried to murder Violet because Scourge had made a rule that all cats had to fend for themselves when they were old enough to catch their own prey. Well, Violet and Barley were living together, and so Scourge “had to” punish them. Barley pleaded to Scourge to punish him, not Violet, for it was Barley’s idea for them to stay together. Scourge replied, ”Of course I should punish you because it just wouldn’t be fair to punish her, would it? After all, as you said, it was your idea.” He thought for a moment. “What better punishment is there for you than to make him watch your sister die?” And with a flick of Scourge’s tail, his guards leaped onto Barley and pinned him to the ground, as Scourge leaped onto Violet and ripped her stomach open with his hind claws. What my father didn’t realize, though, was that I was watching from behind a nearby garbage can. Ugh, right. A big box that holds two-legs’ trash. I stepped out from behind it and my father saw me. He looked frightened and bounded away with his guards following close behind him. Note how I keep calling him my “father”. He is my father but he was no ”dad”. I ran over to Violet, we had been friends for a long time. Our mothers were very close friends also. Barley started to cry because he couldn't imagine living without his sister. Then Violet opened her mouth and whispered ”Barley,” she struggled to draw another breath, “Moon, help me.” She was hanging onto life by a mouse’s tail. We hoisted her onto our backs and carried her to a two-leg den that Barley had gone to for help before. The two-legs had a cat named Fuzz. He wasn’t a very bright cat, exactly what I would expect from a kittypet, but his two-legs were very helpful and could heal cats as well as a medicine cat can. I caught a couple of mice to bring back so that I could say that I went out hunting, Barley decided to bid us farewell and went on his own way. Little did I know that he would be back here, fighting alongside us as the sun and the moon rise and fall on each day with the name farmtail. I went back and gave my father and my mum a mouse, and I ate one too. It’s amazing to eat the occasional mouse and not having to dig through two-leg garbage to try to find food. After finishing his mouse, my father stalked away. My mother was calling him but he didn’t pay much attention to what she was saying. She was asking if he had smelled fox at all because she had. I could tell from his eyes staring out into space, that he wasn’t listening. He said ”Oh, no, umm, everything’s fine. Yeah… yeah.” and stalked away.

The Biggest Change of My Life
That night, I heard a loud yowl. It sounded like my mom was screaming. I jumped to my paws and ran over to where my mom was sleeping, and there was a fox clawing off her fur. She had lost a leg, an ear, and the skin on her face. I got into the hunting crouch, jumped on the fox’s back, sunk my claws into its shoulders, and started ripping its back open with my hind claws. It howled in pain as it tried to throw me off. I fell off and quickly slipped underneath the fox. I used all of my claws to rake the fox’s soft underbelly. It collapsed on top of me. I knew that I’d killed it. I struggled out from beneath it and ripped a tooth out of its mouth for my father. He had room for one more tooth on his collar. My mother, though, was on the ground, breathing her last breath as she called my name. “Moon,” she said, I love you and always will.” She beckoned for me to lean in closer. ”Take this to remember me by.” She touched her forehead to mine and the moon disappeared off her forehead and appeared on mine. She smiled and said ”Goodbye.” Her body went limp and she stopped breathing. I carried her on my back to the two-leg garden that never has flowers and buried her there. I ran away afterward because I figured “Why should I live with my father when I don’t have a mum to take care of me. Without my mum, and Barley and Violet gone, I don’t have anybody. I’d probably be better off alone.” And off I went looking for a place to stay.

The Start of My Adventures
I was walking in a huge forest when I came across a clearing with a tree on each of the four corners. Does it sound familiar yet? No? It had a big stone in the middle with four sets of four paws imprinted on it. Now does it sound familiar? Yes! It was fourtrees! I jumped up on the rock and realized that I was still carrying the fang. I took a nice little nap and when I woke up, it was midnight. The full moon was out, shining its light down on this magical place. I sensed other cats heading my way, so I picked up my fang and ran away. I hid behind a nearby bush and watched four strong looking cats jump up onto the rock. One large, flame-colored tom quieted down all of the cats. He is Firestar, leader of Lionclan. Yes, yes I know lionclan doesn’t exist anymore. Ask Firefur about that story another time. Now shhhhhh. Listen. He was talking about how there was a big threat to all of the clans and that every cat, from every clan, should be careful. I left as soon as possible. I didn’t like the thought of being in that much danger. I had been wandering for days when I had heard that Scourge was having a battle with some cats. I decided that I would go and help out my father. I got there and I realized that we were fighting against the clan cats that were gathered at that magical place. Also, the fang was right where I’d left it. Behind a bush. I was engaged in a fight with a fluffy grey tom when I heard a triumphant yowl from my father. I looked at the ground by his feet, and I saw Firestar lying there, dead. Then something surprising happened. Firestar’s wounds healed, and he got back up. He jumped on Scourge, flipped him over, and raked his stomach with his hind paws. My father was laying on the floor, blood spilling out of his open stomach, dead. I stepped towards him and said goodbye. Nothing less, and nothing more. I picked up the fang, and stuck it into his stomach, kicked dirt onto him with my hind paws, and walked up to Firestar.

A New Life
I told Firestar that I was looking for a place to stay. He noticed that I was tired, hungry, injured, and nervous and said that I can stay in his clan until I was better to continue my journey. He said that I could bring a friend with if that made me feel more confortable.