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The bright morning sun shone through the windows of the small home that now housed four active felines. The three tigers had woken up nice and early and gone for a stroll, leaving the sleeping cheetah cub alone to face the morning in his own time. Using the back of his paw to wipe the sleep out of his eyes, Kyyanno remembered where he was in an instant. This was his first time waking up in Kunima’s house, how new home for a few seasons. Then the crushing memory that before being sent to bed, he’d been forced to kill his mentor-to-be. ThunderClaw was dead, and it was all his fault. There was a strange feeling in his gut, however. Not the guilt or sorrow that would normally accompany such emotions, but instead a feeling of duty. After all, ThunderClaw did instigate the fight, and demand it was to the death. Not to mention the cat did inflict two very painful, if not serious, wounds upon the cheetah’s body. It was pure and unadulterated self defence.

Kicking his legs off his bed, the cub got off from his place of slumber and staggered over to the sink in the kitchen. His nose twitched as a familiar scent caught him off guard. The smell of ThunderClaw seemed to linger in the air, as if trying to force the cheetah into feeling something resembling guilt. Kyyanno sighed, and put a small pot of water over the fire to boil some water to make a cup of tea.

“I’ll have one too, if you’re brewing a pot,” came a voice from near the door. Kyyanno turned with a start as behind him sat ThunderClaw. He looked as good as he did before he had fought the cheetah, with no signs of the wounds he suffered during the battle. Now the cub could find the power behind an emotion, and he screamed in terror. Kyyanno yelled like he had never yelled before. He did not know how ThunderClaw was back, or if this was a vision sent to punish him, but he knew he should be scared. He wanted to run, but his legs were rooted to the spot. ThunderClaw seemed to expect this reaction, and he sat in the chair laughing. This did not help Kyyanno’s mood in the slightest.

“Okay, okay,” ThunderClaw said, getting up from his seat and holding out his arms to comfort the cub. “It’s okay. I’m fine, and no I’m not dead.”

“But, I… You,” the cheetah stammered. He stopped trying to talk when ThunderClaw wrapped his arms around him, letting the cub feel his warmth and drink in his scent. They were more comforting than Kyyanno imagined they would be.

“Sit down,” the grey cat said, motioning for the cub to sit in the now unoccupied seat. Kyyanno did so, allowing ThunderClaw to finish off making the teas.

“I don’t understand,” the cub finally muttered once he had figured out how to talk again.

“This was not quite the way I expected to start your training,” laughed the grey feline. “Believe me when I say I had a whole other plan lined out for you. Still, there has never been a better time to talk than over a cup of tea.

It took ThunderClaw moments to make two brews once the water had gotten up to heat. He placed one mug down in front of Kyyanno. The cheetah gripped it with both paws, letting the heat of the liquid melt through the clay and into him. It was almost as comforting as a warm hug.

“I suppose I should start with how I’m not dead,” Kyyanno’s training had begun. “When a tribe cat becomes a warrior, he earns the title Claw. There are a few of us around. There are other titles, of course, like Seer and Lion, but the main celebration is becoming a Claw.” ThunderClaw’s chest bulged a little with pride as he remembered the day he earned his title.

“I know about Lion,” Kyyanno ventured. “LlewLion and CloudLion are two of them. The Lion titles are for the tribe leaders, aren’t they?”

“That’s right young Kyyanno,” his mentor said with a smile. “See, you are learning all ready. Once a cat has earned his, or her, Claw title they are looked upon as ready to earn NineLives.”

“NineLives?” Kyyanno asked, his eyes wide with wonder.

“Yes,” ThunderClaw answered. He elaborated with an air of mysticism to his voice. “We do not speak of the ceremony itself, but when one achieves the state of NineLives it means they can suffer a fatal injury during battle and still come back to continue the fight.”

“So, you cheat death?”

“Oh no,” ThunderClaw made sure he put heavy emphasis on stressing the no. “You still die, but you have a small cache of chances to try again with. Though once you reach your ninth life, your next death is your last.”

“But that’s only during battle?” Kyyanno tilted his head, running the concept through his mind over and over again. “You die during your daily life and that’s it? Life over?”

“Exactly,” the grey cat replied. “A death in battle is often the result of an opponent dealing a fatal blow. It’s an unnatural death. However, when your time is up, your time is up. A natural death is unrecoverable from, because nature has decided, not the blade of our foes.”

“So that’s why it was so important that I be the one to deal the finishing blow yesterday?” the light dawned on the cheetah cub. He downed his rapidly cooling tea. “And why you made it a fight to the death. I was never going to lose, was I?”

“Of course not,” the cat laughed. “Though I had to make you feel threatened.”

“That reminds me,” Kyyanno said, pointing at the scar on his chest. “I’m not talking to you any more. Have you any idea how much this stings?”

“About as much as getting stabbed in the heart, I imagine,” ThunderClaw replied, pointing at his own chest in retaliation. “Receiving NineLives doesn’t mean you don’t feel pain, trust me. I felt every blow you threw at me. Which is one of the reasons my training schedule for you has been thrown away. I need to first teach you to learn to control your temper. Had I been aiming to end your life yesterday, I could have killed you in an instant once your red mist came down.”

“At least you’ve healed,” came the cub’s grumbled reply. ThunderClaw shook his head. It seemed Kyyanno had latched on to the wrong end of his point.

“You’ll get worse injuries than that while training,” the grey cat muttered, finishing his own mug of tea and taking both cups to the sink to wash them. “Though if it’s bothering you that much, I’ll take you to see Med and we’ll see if he can patch you up.”

“Who’s Med?” Kyyanno asked, jumping down from the chair to accompany ThunderClaw.

“He’s a ginger Tom cat,” ThunderClaw said, drying the mugs and putting them back on their shelf. “And what he doesn’t know about herbs and poultices just isn’t worth knowing. If any of us have a problem or pain, we go see Med.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Kyyanno with a chipper grin and a flick of his tail. “Let’s go.”

***

The walk to the place where Med worked seemed to almost take both felines out of the forest. Even the twisting and random paths trickled down to just a single path to Med’s home on the edge of the tribe lands. Soon Kyyanno could identify a single cat scent over the others. It was a strong male smell. ThunderClaw noticed the young cheetah sniffing the air.

“Yes, that’s Med you can smell,” he confirmed. “His scent is strong around these parts because it isn’t often cats have to come this way, so he makes strong markings to ensure no one loses their way.”

“How far have we left to go?” the cub asked.

“Just a little way,” the grey cat replied as he pointed beyond the tree line. “Med lives in a small hill, well in a cave in the hill. That way he can store all the things he needs without the threat of the weather destroying his horde.”

“How would the weather destroy his stuff?” Kyyanno asked, a little surprised. Everything in Windrush so far had looked sturdy enough to cope with whatever the weather could throw at it.

“A lot of his things are incredibly small, and very light,” ThunderClaw replied as the hill came into sight. “Even a moderate gust of wind through the front door could cause chaos to his neatly organised stores. Living in the cave, he can direct the wind to where he needs it to go.” The grey cat shook his head, as if trying to shake the conversation out of his mind. “Look, you’ll understand when you get there.”

***

The mouth of the cave was well hidden to the eyes by bushes and moss, but by using his nose to follow the scent trail, Kyyanno found the entrance to Med’s home with ease. Once inside the dim environment, the young cheetah found an explosion of scents for his nose to taste. Floral notes wafted through the air, which were joined by the unmistakable flavour of two tribe cats. Both of which Kyyanno now felt he could recognise in a heartbeat.

His senses were then assaulted by the curious odours from the unusual herbs and plants kept in the stores. They were all new and the cheetah found it difficult to break the scent down to its components and tell each one apart. His problem was made more difficult by the wooden screens that had been erected in the cave’s opening and covered in a creeping plant which gave off a scent of its own.

There was little light in the opening of the cave, most came from the daylight entering the tunnel mouth or from the torches placed along the walls at irregular intervals. The screens carried on appearing for a few feet into the cave, causing the two intruding felines to dodge and weave around them. By the time the screens had finished, Kyyanno realised he could no longer feel the effects of the breeze from outside.

The main chamber of the cave housed the two felines that Kyyanno could smell on the way in. The main scent was of Med, a ginger Tom cat. He was busy rubbing a green coloured slime all over the other feline’s paws while the patient sat and held his legs as high as they would allow him to. The second cat, a jaguar, turned his head when he heard ThunderClaw and Kyyanno arrive.

“StarSeer,” Kyyanno called, resisting the urge to run over and hug his guide during the journey to Windrush.

“Hello young Kyyanno,” the jaguar said, taking care to stay still in case he accidentally kicked Med. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you face to face. You’ll forgive me if I don’t get up just yet but Med’s a little busy tending to my old paws.”

“Greetings Med,” ThunderClaw said in a quiet voice to avoid startling the cat any further. “As you have by now guessed, I bring young Far with me, better known as Kyyanno.” The ginger Tom looked up and gave a cheery nod before going back to his work. “Don’t think of him as being rude, young one,” the grey cat said to his companion. “Med doesn’t speak much when he’s working. He’s busy concentrating. We’ll wait until he’s finished seeing to StarSeer. In the meantime, get to know both his and StarSeer’s scent. I’m sure by now you know how valuable it will be to know everyone by smell, especially when out hunting with one of the hunting groups when you get older.”

“I think I got to know Med’s scent on the way here, and I’m already well acquainted with StarSeer’s scent,” the cheetah cub replied. “When I was travelling up here, it became one of the most comforting things I had. That and Keeper’s company. I can’t wait until I get a chance to see him again.”

“You’ve not long said goodbye to him,” ThunderClaw laughed. The pair continued to make idle chatter until Med finally spoke.

“Right,” he said to his patient. “You’ve got to take it easy for a few days. No long walks. I want to hear that you’ve been spending time off your foot paws as they need to be rested. If I hear that you have been up wandering around the village all day helping everyone out, I shall be very upset with you. I might even ask Garlon to make a wheeled chair that we can strap you into if you don’t behave.” The ginger Tom reached over and grabbed a couple of large leaves, which he tied to the seer’s feet. “These should hold the poultice in. Keep them on your feet until sundown and then destroy them. Okay?”

“You’re the boss,” StarSeer agreed.

“You’re right,” Med laughed, “now get out of my cave so I can treat my new arrivals.” The old jaguar did as he was bidden, promising to catch up with Kyyanno later as he left. Once the seer was clear of the cave, Med turned his attention to the cub and his mentor. “And how can I help you two?” Kyyanno pointed to the cut on his chest. It was a little dirty with bits of dried blood on it but otherwise looked like it was starting to heal.

“It’s only minor,” the cheetah admitted, “but it hurts more than any cut I’ve ever had before.”

“That’s an impressive wound young one,” the ginger cat said. He looked at ThunderClaw before following with a slightly annoyed “And how did he get it?”

“I might have lost a life last night,” ThunderClaw said, sounding rather small and a little embarrassed.

“Just as long as it wasn’t wasted,” Med sighed, shaking his head and visibly exasperated. “You don’t have many left, do you?”

“I have enough to get by,” the grey cat replied. “I’m still here, aren’t I? But it certainly wasn’t wasted, I can assure you of that.” The ginger cat said nothing and instead turned his attention back to the injured feline in front of him. He rubbed his paws over the area around the cut, making Kyyanno wince a little. The medical cat then went to the far back of the cave and returned with some leaves and a small clay bowl of water. He tore up some of the leaves into large strips and immersed them in the bowl. These were then used to wash the cut until it was clean. The cheetah clenched his teeth a little during this, making little noises of pain. ThunderClaw placed a reassuring paw on his shoulder. It did not take long for Med to finish his work. He replaced the bowl and fetched a couple of seeds, which he wrapped up in a small leaf and handed to the cub.

“Take these in the evening if you’re having trouble sleeping,” he said. “Come back if the wound gets dirty. It’s already healing nicely though. You may end up with a slight scar but it won’t be visible under your fur. Just try to be more careful in future, okay?”

“Certainly,” nodded Kyyanno. He was not planning on letting his mentor strike him like that again. “Thank you Med.”

“My pleasure Far,” the ginger Tom replied. “It was a pleasure to assist you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to prepare some supplies for later on this season. If the ancestors are willing, we should be having a few of our females with cubs by the time the leaves have all regrown on the trees.”

“Of course,” ThunderClaw said as he ushered his young charge out of the cave. “Thanks again.”