Chapter 1 – The Curious Tongue

The Curious Tongue

♣

Spottedleaf’s paws already felt tired from early on. When she had heard that some uncommon herbs from her Clan had started growing near the backyard of a Twoleg house, she had spent a long time debating whether to go or not, her mind turning the situation over and over.

She really wanted to get there as quickly as possible, so she had left her duties in the middle of the night. She had left the leaves a bit messy, but made sure the Clan remained calm, she did not want anyone to worry about her absence. She needed to make sure that if she left, no one would suspect anything.

The only thing that struck her as odd was that Firepaw had seemed somewhat exhausted after his recent hunts, since Tigerclaw’s training demanded he stay more alert. Because of that, she gave him an herb to help him sleep better.

Spottedleaf set off with steady steps toward the place. Her gaze was focused, she wanted to arrive as soon as possible.

When her paws crossed an unusually warm area despite the night, she finally saw several bushes ahead, filled with the scent of Twolegs. Spottedleaf felt relieved.

She dashed toward them, moving as fast as she could. She zigzagged carefully and caught a nearby scent. She moved cautiously, ears raised. It was night, and at that hour no one should be awake, she thought. She stepped carefully into the territory and, after sniffing around, as she crossed the Twoleg fence, she saw something that terrified her.

In front of her lay a huge dog, sleeping. The moment she stepped onto the grass, it lifted its ears and stared straight at her.

Spottedleaf swallowed. She thought about backing away as fast as possible, but bumped into the fence.

The dog lunged at her.

Spottedleaf ran. She had to get out of there, no matter what. She did not want to die, not now.

She searched desperately for a way out and managed to climb over the fence with difficulty, dodging the dog’s attack. She made a big leap and landed on the other side. However, the fence began to shake.

Spottedleaf looked around, trying to locate the herbs. As she got closer, she realized they were growing inside the yard.

She sighed. She would have to give up, she could not take the herbs after all. She could not risk her life like that. Her Clan needed her… even if those herbs would have helped ease the pain Bluestar had been suffering lately.

Spottedleaf hesitated for a moment and lowered her head. She truly needed them.

She growled in frustration and, when she lifted her head, a loud crash shook the fence.

The dog had managed to knock it down and was now right beside her.

Spottedleaf’s ears shot up in fear and she ran. The dog nearly bit her tail, but she leaped quickly to avoid it. She could feel its breath getting closer, ready to sink its fangs into her. Her heart pounded as if it would burst out of her chest.

Her paws were slick and her breathing grew heavier. The dog would not stop chasing her, and she desperately searched for a way to survive. Even though her paws were already exhausted from running so much, she knew she could not stop.

She had to find a solution fast.

Eventually, she made it back to the forest. She heard a door open behind her, but ignored it.

As she entered, she found the mess of bushes she herself had caused earlier. She lowered her ears as the barking intensified.

She quickly climbed a tree and settled on a branch, trembling.

The dog kept barking again and again.

Bark, bark, bark.

Spottedleaf closed her eyes, full of fear. She did not want to be trapped there. But those herbs… she had to get them somehow.

Maybe if she jumped to another tree and found help, she could get out of this, she thought. She shook her head and pushed off with her hind legs, managing to reach the branch of a nearby tree. She steadied herself, but the branch creaked. She prepared to jump again, but a loud bark made her lose her balance.

The air rushed out of her for a moment.

She missed the jump and fell.

She tried to move her paws midair, desperate to land properly, but in the few seconds she had to react, she heard a loud noise that startled both her and the dog.

A large figure appeared through the bushes, holding a leash.

Spottedleaf landed on the grass and saw the dog turn toward the Twoleg who had just arrived. She took the chance to climb back up the tree, where she stayed, breathing heavily.

She sniffed the air and caught the Twoleg’s scent. She watched as he restrained the dog with the leash and spoke to it in a language she did not understand. Even so, she could tell he was angry.

When the dog finally disappeared from view, Spottedleaf climbed down carefully. She swallowed and looked around, still nervous.

It would be best to return and try to forget what had happened.

However, she noticed the Twoleg watching her from his house. Spottedleaf stared back, and when he let out a long sigh, she trembled slightly.

She narrowed her eyes and lowered her ears. She needed to return to ThunderClan while she still could. However, she had to come back for those herbs, no matter what.

She approached again after seeing the twolegs fix the fence. This time, she made long jumps until she reached the house window.

The herbs had to be nearby. She searched for them with her gaze and finally found them.

As she was about to go down for them, she made sure the dog was far away. It seemed to be inside the house. Spottedleaf let out a quiet sigh of relief.

She moved toward the herbs, pulled them up, and prepared to leave quickly. However, loud barking suddenly rang out, startling her. She heard the Twoleg shouting from inside, tensed up, and thought about running.

But part of her hesitated… The Twoleg who had saved her might now be at risk if the dog had been brought inside.

Spottedleaf lowered her head, scratched lightly at the ground… and finally set the herbs down carefully on the grass so they would not scatter.

She approached the window and looked inside cautiously.

She positioned herself, ready to flee at any moment.

And when she looked through the window, her eyes widened.

The Twoleg shut the door firmly, leaving the dog outside the room. Then he moved toward his large, soft nest. Spottedleaf lowered her ears and, startled by the noise, ended up slipping inside the room. She quickly ran to hide beneath the bed.

She watched as the twolegs began removing his clothes, letting them fall one by one onto the floor.

What in StarClan…?

Spottedleaf backed up under the bed and stepped on something sticky. She pulled her paw back, narrowing her eyes as the last pieces of clothing dropped.

The Twoleg must have been on the bed, right above her.

Spottedleaf carefully moved forward until she emerged, hearing the Twoleg’s breathing grow heavier. Once out, she thought about escaping as fast as possible, her life could be in danger here.

She jumped toward the window, but another sound made her turn.

Her eyes went wide.

The Twoleg was completely bare, without any fur on his body.

Spottedleaf froze, not fully understanding what she was seeing.

Her paws tensed… because the Twoleg was holding himself, moving in a way she had never seen before. She had never shown interest in the warriors of her Clan, partly because of the warrior code and her duties as a medicine cat, but also because none of them had ever drawn her attention like that.

But in this case… this Twoleg was noticeably large. Almost the size of her paw.

She stared, surprised, and felt her tail lift.

“No, no… tail, down, please,” she muttered to herself, blushing, trying not to think about it. But her embarrassment only deepened as she watched him react more and more, his body responding as he breathed heavily.

It sounded almost like he was in discomfort, yet it only made him react more. Was he hurt? she wondered for a moment. But no, it seemed more like he was having a rough moment and trying to ease it.

Spottedleaf could understand that.

Still… was this really necessary?

The Twoleg did not seem to notice her presence. For a moment, she became aware of what she was doing. Maybe she should give him privacy. After all, she was intruding.

But… she could not take her eyes off him.

Her hind legs tensed, and she felt her body react. Her breathing grew uneven as she watched him continue moving.

Then she noticed something else.

A small amount of fluid began to appear.

She licked her whiskers.

The Twoleg’s breathing grew more intense, and she closed her eyes as she listened. She had never heard a Twoleg make sounds like that. It was… strange, but also oddly fascinating in a way she could not quite explain.

She wanted to hear more.

Without thinking too much, she climbed down from the window and approached the bed. Carefully, she climbed onto the wooden frame, where she could see more clearly how his muscles reacted with each movement.

His hand moved faster and faster, until his body tensed and finally released.

A moment later, something shot outward… landing, unintentionally, on Spottedleaf’s muzzle.

She blinked.

Her face flushed instantly, and she covered her mouth to keep quiet.

Her paws were stained as well. She tried to clean them quickly by bringing them to her mouth and, without really meaning to, or perhaps not entirely by accident, she tasted it.

The Twoleg let out one last breath and, exhausted, lay back, soon falling into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, above him, the ThunderClan medicine cat remained still, her body unsettled, unable to look away… caught between confusion and something she could not fully understand.

The taste… she had liked it.

She felt deeply conflicted, her chest rising and falling with a strange intensity. Guilt, of course, but still, she wanted more.

She quickly raised a paw to her face and shut her eyes, letting out a soft, frustrated sound as she tapped herself, then answered her own thoughts.

“Calm down… we need to leave…”

“But… in the Clan, we know relationships with other warriors are forbidden.”

“Yeah, so what?”

Spottedleaf flushed, grateful the Twoleg could not see her talking to herself.

She only did that in moments of high tension.

“…He is not a warrior, nor part of the Clan… that is true, right?”

“W-What?!”

Spottedleaf silenced that intrusive voice in her mind and lowered her ears.

She had every intention of leaving.

But she could not.

No… more accurately, she did not want to.

For one, she had held herself back a lot during her last heat, so much that she had needed to take several herbs afterward, and by StarClan… they were not pleasant at all.

And after that, she still had to deal with overly affectionate cats in her Clan talking about their nights together. She even had to watch them act flirtatious or restless… sometimes even stopping apprentices from sneaking off together.

Mating, mating, mating… all the time.

Why, being a cat like any other, was she forbidden just because she was a medicine cat?

It’s just an excuse to control the Clan’s birth rate.

“Yeah… exactly!”

Medicine cats know more about personal care and herbs that make us smell better. It’s obvious that rule was made by some leader jealous of our beauty.

“Well of course… that makes sense!”

Spottedleaf shook her head from side to side, answering herself and the intrusive thoughts that kept giving her stranger and stranger arguments.

She stamped her paw firmly and fixed her gaze on the Twoleg.

Blushing, yet convinced by her own reasoning, she climbed down from the bed onto the mattress… and moved closer.

Even if doing this with a Twoleg is strange… it won’t increase the Clan’s numbers, and he cannot even appreciate our beauty…

“Enough! I don’t need you!”

Spottedleaf shook her head more forcefully as her own thoughts began to contradict her.

She looked at the sleeping Twoleg and wondered if he always slept like that. Wouldn’t he get cold? What if he got sick? Or what if he already was?

No… he did not smell sick. That was her conclusion.

She held onto that thought and opened her mouth.

What was in front of her… slowly disappeared from view.

She touched it carefully with her tongue and began to explore with gentle curiosity.

She moved slowly, tasting what remained. It was no longer as firm as before, but still responsive to her touch. She closed her eyes softly, focusing on the sensation.

The taste was just as she remembered, smooth, slightly thick… and salty.

She did not feel ashamed. In fact, it was different from what she had sensed before in the Clan, when she had to tend to apprentices after forbidden encounters.

She had spent so much time surrounded by that atmosphere… that, in a way, it was inevitable.

Her mind went blank for a moment, until the Twoleg let out a faint sound.

Spottedleaf tensed.

Had she hurt him?

She pulled back slightly and watched carefully. Maybe her tongue was too rough…

No, she did not want to hurt him. He had saved her earlier… and now she was here, in a situation she barely understood.

“Please… stay still a little longer… I won’t hurt you,” she whispered.

The Twoleg barely reacted, only making a soft sound before settling again.

Spottedleaf needed to be more careful.

She focused on what remained around, cleaning gently, avoiding any sudden movement.

She lowered herself a bit more and observed with curiosity.

She was surprised.

Was this how Twolegs were?

Well… they were large in general. It made sense.

Or was she the small one?

No… in her Clan she was average-sized.

…But compared to a Twoleg, clearly not.

She opened her mouth carefully and continued exploring, using her tongue gently, making sure not to cause any discomfort.

She placed her paws carefully and continued, becoming more absorbed in what she was doing.

Then she moved back up and noticed everything felt wetter.

She really wanted to keep going… but she risked waking him.

And that was not what she wanted.

She licked her muzzle, ears flattening. The choice was already made. She would take the risk.

After all… she was a brave cat.

“Just let me try this…,” Spottedleaf whispered, lining herself up. She lowered her head. “Just a little!”

The tip slipped in carefully, and she held it with her tongue.

She felt how, as she allowed more, it pressed against her throat. She only managed a little more before discomfort made her tense, like she might gag.

However, it reacted, pulsing, and more liquid filled her mouth.

Spottedleaf’s eyes widened, her face flushing. The Twoleg breathed heavily, one hand resting against her while the other pressed her head, pushing without awareness.

She tried to stay calm, careful not to hurt him with her teeth, even as things became more intense. The pressure increased, making it harder to breathe, forcing her to adjust.

The thick, lingering taste surrounded her. Despite the discomfort, she could not deny how confusing it felt, leaving her caught between instinct and uncertainty.

Her body reacted on its own, her thoughts blurring.

The Twoleg began moving more forcefully, as if acting on instinct. Spottedleaf took brief moments to pull back for air, only to be drawn in again.

She held on as best she could, trying to keep control.

The liquid began to spill from her mouth, reaching her whiskers. The Twoleg’s hands, large and firm, held her in place without him seeming aware of it.

Finally, everything tensed.

Spottedleaf closed her eyes.

For a moment, everything went dark as his breathing intensified.

Then it came again.

The sensation overwhelmed her completely. She could barely focus on anything except enduring it and adapting, trying not to hurt him in the process.

Fortunately, the pressure faded soon after.

When she was finally released, Spottedleaf exhaled with difficulty. Some of the liquid slipped from her mouth, and her tongue, exhausted, hung out for a moment.

She watched as it rested to the side, slowly losing tension.

Her breathing was uneven, her mind still blank.

She moved closer again, almost instinctively, and touched him with a paw. Then, more gently, she traced along him, as if trying to understand what had just happened.

The taste lingered. It was hard to ignore.

Despite her exhaustion, she continued a little longer, guided by curiosity… until the Twoleg’s body reacted once more.

Again.

This time, the result landed on her, making her react instantly.

“M-Mroaaw!” she yowled, startled.

She shook herself quickly, feeling her face and body stained. She blinked, stunned, staring at her paws.

Silence.

Her expression said everything.

Complete confusion.

“By StarClan…!”

Her paws were sticky, and her muzzle could barely open properly.

“…Uah…”

A soft sigh from the Twoleg snapped her back to her senses.

She jumped off the bed as fast as she could.

She turned and ran toward the window, making several quick leaps until she reached it.

Before leaving, she glanced back one last time.

The Twoleg was starting to stir, confused.

She heard him murmur, wondering why he felt strange…

And before he could look toward the window, Spottedleaf slipped out, completely flushed.

“I can’t believe what I just did… I’m sorry… StarClan…!”

She disappeared into the bushes, far from the house, completely forgetting the herbs she had gone to fetch.

Without realizing it… she would need them very soon.