Heart Of A Fighter (Book 3): Home Is Calling

Chapter 7: Mother's Love

A great rumbling was enough to rouse the Littlepaw from her slumber as she jolted right awake. "No need to worry," hollered Russet Rush from his perch up in a tree.

"What do you mean no need to worry?!" Cried Swanpaw. "There's a monster coming! A great beast! We must run; they'll come for my fur and the kits!" Dovetail nodded in agreement, looking frantic.

"What monster? It's just steam train headed this way to deliver stones to docks," Xiera sighed in annoyance from her spot near the tree roots.

"Is cat really so stupid you cannot tell train apart from real monster?"

Nearby, Stonepaw and Slatepaw began giggling, only for Gustfang to clout the both of them over the head and scold them, "Don't be rude you rascals!"

As they rubbed the spots on their heads that had been hit, the rumbling got louder and soon another metal beast similar to the one they had rode to get to the park pulled up.

It didn't stop, however, only slowing down, and from this great blue beast's cab, two cats nimbly leapt out and scampered swiftly across the grass after yowling their thanks to the RoadWalkers inside.

It became evident that one of these cats was possibly a loner or a rogue while the other was a RoadWalker pet judging how raggedy the first one looked and how well-fed the other seemed.

The cat that bounded ahead was a solid gray-brown she-cat with dark blue eyes while the other was a plump tawny molly with a white underbelly, green eyes and golden-brown leg stripes.

Instead of greeting them with hostility however, Splash Sprint and Russet Rush immediately flew down from their perches and yowled out their welcome.

"Flora! Bella! Good light to you!" Yowled Russet Rush with a grin.

"Good light, Russet Rush, you handsome fellow!" Shouted the scraggly gray-brown she-cat with a laugh as she skidded to a halt before nosing the red tom with a wide grin on her face.

The RoadWalker cat, visibly shorter than her scraggly companion, reached upwards as Splash Sprint lowered his head to touch noses with her. "Hello, Splash Sprint." "Greetings, Bella," he purred back.

The blue-grey tom turned back and called out, "No need to be skeptical, Flora and Bella are kind cats."

He gave Goslingpaw a cheeky smile before adding, "You might also know Bella as the very mother of one of our tribe's royal advisors Foxglove Heart, if you like listening to our stories."

This was enough to change everything.

Within moments Stonepaw and Slatepaw had excitedly ran up to the surprised tawny she-cat and began peppering her with excited questions while the BlazeClan cats came from their resting areas in awe.

"You're really Foxglove Heart's mother?" Softpaw whispered in awe as she came up to Bella. "Why, of course I am!" She purred back.

"My son certainly hasn't let me down; this is his true destiny though I do wish he had stayed with me a while longer."

The plump, tawny she-cat sighed. "My dearest son used to be so scorned here for his tail even when he was still kneading at my belly for milk, and now he is known as a hero beyond compare. As a mother I feel so proud of him."

Lionpaw's eyes suddenly went wide. "Hang on a minute. Didn't Foxglove Heart fly as the windward sub-commander of a division during the war of the Golden Rose?"

Flora gave a raucous laugh that sent the pigeons nearby quickly scattering into the air.

"Even the youngsters these days know more than some of the stupid dockside cats here who lived here their whole life!" She chortled.

"Yes, he did indeed fly as the sub-commander of the Hellion-speed division, and he fought so magnificently you couldn't tell he had not been Tribe-born!"

"Not as magnificently as me, I should say," hummed Russet Rush pridefully. "Yeah, not like Skriffei called you crazy after you freaked out over your fur in the midst of the bloody battlefield," snorted Splash Sprint humorously.

"I am not weird!" Protested the russet cat. Flora and Xiera snorted with a chuckle. "Mate, you're weird on a good fur day—"

"Downright crazy on a bad one," Flora finished. Xiera grinned at Russet Rush's flustered expression as she continued. "—and we know as you can handle yourself just fine—"

"Then again, you can be just as weird as my other son Oscar too sometimes," Bella cuts in. Russet Rush groaned and swatted at the tawny she-cat half-heartedly as she dodged and laughed.

BlazeClan seemed relieved in a way that these new strangers had no malevolent intentions, and slowly began to gather around them.

Gustfang quickly herded his two excited younger sons towards him and hushed their excited questions quickly, placing a paw over Stonepaw's mouth when he didn't quiet down.

"How about my son, Splash Sprint?" Flora questioned, gazing over at the sleek blue-grey tom. "How is my precious Kunzite doing? Is he alright? Eating well?"

"Your son is being raised alongside Tait by Agate from the Guild of Freedom and his mate Taraka from the Golden Rose Cult, rest assured they are raising him well and he is healthy," Splash Sprint reassured her.

"Aren't they from different tribes?" Cragshade muttered. "How can two cats from two different tribes raise kits together without causing a lot of problems and trouble?"

"There's a lot you misunderstand about the Valley Cats, isn't there?" Chuckled Flora.

"The tribes are perfectly fine with cats finding mates in the other tribes, and will gladly allow cats to switch tribes to be with one another, or to find a home where they can properly use their skills."

Murmurs of surprise spread across the group. It was evident they hadn't heard about this before. "You said you gave up your son to the Valley Cats to raise?" Cottonsong probed gently as she gazed at Flora in wonder.

Flora chuckled and nodded. "'Course I did." The white she-cat gaped at the taller, scragglier she-cat in amazement.

"How.. how could you even find the will to do that? As a mother, isn't that just too.. painful?" Cottonsong whispered.

"Yes. But it was also because the quarry I stay in has no room for a kitten. You must understand that it is noisy there all day and there is the great danger of stones and rocks falling over and crushing the bones of any unfortunate creature," she answered.

She flicked a torn ear. "My son was a bright young one. I wanted him to be raised by cats with a true life purpose instead of being stuck in a dusty and dangerous quarry with me. So when Splash Sprint came by with his tribemate Leaf Wing on a mission I gave him to them."

"Don't you miss him?" Goslingpaw asked softly. "It must hurt not being able to see your one and only child."

Flora smiled and replied, "It hurts, yes. But I am fuelled by the fact that he's alive and healthy, and it is enough to make me happy."

Goslingpaw gazed at the wise, scraggly she-cat in wonder. As the rest of the clan came forward to ask questions and get to know the two cats better, Goslingpaw looked up at the sky.

"Would I be happier raised by Azurestar and Aldertrail, or would I be happier with Rippling Leaf up in the clouds?" She wondered.

And yet, as the faint voice streamed into her ears, singing their setting sun harmony for only her to hear, she knew that was a question she could never answer.