Warriors: Choose Your Own Adventure (COMPLETE)

[❤ Sunberry ❤]

Find Asterpaw's clan, at least to tell them what happened, and your adventures with him. And maybe after that you can travel, but not until Asterpaw's journey is complete.

[agathokakologic]

Travel the world. Spend time with the one cat you have left. Don't look back.

[lady chocobo]

Find Asterpaw's Clan.

[Arcaii]

Choices:

1: Travel
2: Momma's
3: Travel
4: Asterpaw's Clan
5: Asterpaw's Clan
6: Asterpaw's Clan
7: Asterpaw's Clan
8: Asterpaw's Clan
9: Asterpaw's Clan
10: Travel
11: Asterpaw's Clan

Roll says... 3: Travel.


"There's a whole world to see outside," you say. "And that's what you've wanted to do, right? Travel everywhere."

"Well, yeah," Thimble says. "But shouldn't we try to find Asterpaw's Clan again? Y'know, let them know what happened to him?"

"I thought about that," you say. "But I don't think we should look for them."

"Why not?"

"His aunt saw him die." Your eyes instinctively look downwards. "As far as she knows, anyway. It'd be cruel to track her down just to tell her that Asterpaw didn't die at all, but then got killed trying to get home."

Thimble is quiet.

"It'd be like going back to Derby and telling Charlie he's dead," you continue. "Or Momma. They at least have hope that he survived and went back to his old life."

"...I guess you have a point," Thimble says. "His Clan's probably already grieved for him. Well-" She gently taps you with her paw to make you look up at her. "If we do happen to find out where they are, could we visit? I think it'd be nice to at least tell his aunt about how he saved your life and gave me a new one. Maybe she'd even like to hear about his adventures."

With that hope on her face, you know you can't refuse.

---

It's quite relaxing in the little room. Thimble sneaks you a meal, and while she watches the door, you sleep until the evening. At one point, you wake up and see her asleep with the black molly from before sitting in her spot. She catches sight of you and winks. You just go back to your corner and doze.

It's late at night when Athena finally returns. She points both of you to what she calls the "ice room", a compact space with rusted over steel machines. The air vent is open just wide enough for Thimble to squeeze through. She almost gets stuck several times. You'd laugh if you weren't so terrified of someone coming into the deserted lobby and spotting you.

It's pitch black, dusty, and cold in the vents, but you use the sound of the rain to guide you. It's thundering and pouring so hard that you can barely hear Thimble talking once you get out. All the better.

Athena meets you around the back and escorts you past the guards, who are spaced out and too busy edging towards shelter under roofs to notice you. The three of you jog a little ways before she abruptly stops.

"This is as far as I can take you," she says. "Keep going. Someone will be waiting for you."

"Thanks," you say.

"You could come, maybe," Thimble says hesitantly. "We could find you somewhere safe to live."

Athena laughs. "I was born here, Thimble. I'd rather die here, too. Even with what's coming to me. Maybe I deserve it."

Thimble half-smiles. "I doubt that."

You move on through the city, wishing you had Asterpaw's skill with wandering in the dark. Every small noise makes you jump, and every roll of thunder makes you shake. You trip over a lot of things and fall half the time. Thimble occasionally mumbles worriedly beside you. When she does, you tap her with your tail to remind her that you're there, and to remind yourself that she's there too.

It's cold, but you kind of like it.

[Arcaii]

As you go on, you eventually hear someone walking towards you. It's too dark to see them completely, but you stop just about when a form just pokes out of the darkness.

"Is someone here?" Thimble says.

You think you see something nod. It jerks and starts to walk away. You look at Thimble before following it.

"Are you our escort?" Thimble asks, her voice hushed.

The thing nods, and something thin moves above its head. You assume that means quiet.

Hours pass, or so it seems. Sometimes the cat pauses you to let a group move past, or to listen for danger. You hear cats moving around, but none of them approach you or cry out. Thimble starts shivering.

At last, the cat stops for good. You barely avoid bumping into them.

"Are we past the border?" Thimble whispers.

The cat nods. You think you can see her grey face.

"Which way should we go?"

The cat lifts up her paw and points directly forward.

"When can we turn off and leave the city?"

The cat gives a gesture of the head that very obviously translates to "I'unno".

"Well, thanks for the help," Thimble says, trying to sound cheerful and quiet at the same time. "Do you want to come with, or-?"

The cat shakes her head. You can just see a sad smile.

"You wouldn't bother us," Thimble insists. "Don't you want to see the outside?"

At this, the cat hesitates, but she eventually shakes her head again.

"Okay." Thimble sounds disappointed. "Well, good luck in there."

Just over the rain, she gives a tiny purr that's more remembered than heard.

You tap Thimble again. "Let's go."

Thimble nods unhappily, then starts moving. It's far too dark for you to even bother giving that place one final farewell look. You do, however, pause to kick at a water puddle, aiming for where you think the Corps is.

"They can all bite it," you say.

Thimble laughs. "Yes, they can."

[Arcaii]

"They're not coming."

"Just give them a second!"

You shuffle uncomfortably. "This is a bad idea. They might try to chase us off."

"They probably will," Thimble says. She raises her head with a noble expression. "But we at least should try."

You make a face of your own. It took you four months to track down this stupid lake. It took you a whole week to realize you were on the wrong side of it, and another two days just to wander all over these hills, dead needles pricking your feet and unfamiliar birds squawking at you. Thimble simply loves the "outdoorsy experience". She even liked having to switch her sleeping schedule around so you could meet the cats on their time. You simply can't understand.

"You know, as much as Asterpaw loved this place," she says slowly, jerking you out of your internal grumbling. "And as much as he talked about it, I can't forget the one bad thing he told me."

"When was this?" you say.

"When we first met," she says. "He said that his neighbor Clan had some cats trying to kill their leader, way before he was born."

"So?"

"It's just unusual here, I guess." Thimble shuffles a little. "From what I know, this is a community-driven place. No one tries to kill anyone here. They all work together and like each other."

"I doubt that," you say.

"It's not impossible." Thimble peers into the trees. "Some day, I'd like to start up a place like that. Like what the nomads had, too. A home for the sick, and weak, and lonely, working for the whole of the group instead of its individuals. Everyone in tandem. Wouldn't that be nice?"

You don't respond, partly because you don't want to tell her 'no, I'd rather keep as far away from everyone else as possible' and partly because you hear someone coming.

A group of cats forms out of the shade of the forest. One of them calls out in surprise, and all of them immediately jog right for you. You bristle, but you stay seated.

"I thought you loners knew this is ForestClan territory," one of them says - a dilute torbie, with the same aged look that Asterpaw had.

"Hello!" Thimble says brightly. "Is there someone here named Robincloud?"

The group looks at each other in surprise and confusion.

"I'm Robincloud," the torbie says. Now that you look carefully, you can see the family resemblance (it's all in the eyes).

"You're Asterpaw's aunt, right?" Thimble says.

Robincloud flinches like she was stricken. The group collectively stares agape.

"I- yes," she finally says. "How...how do you..."

"We're friends of his." Thimble gestures to you, and then to herself. "This is Scat, and my name is Thimble. We've been looking for you- is this a bad time? We're probably gunna be here a while."

Robincloud looks back to her patrol. "Er, Stormwhisker?"

"I want to hear them out," says a dark grey tom. He steps forward, looking at both of you with wariness. "The patrol can continue without us. We'll be here."

The patrol hesitates, then continues on, every single cat constantly glancing back at you until they turn a bend and disappear from view.

"What are you saying?" Stormwhisker says, once they've gone. His voice is trying very hard not to tremble. "Asterpaw died half a year ago. How could you know about him?"

"How couldn't we?" Thimble laughs. "He saved our lives, and a couple more for good measure. All so he could come back here to tell you he was sorry."

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Robincloud says carefully.

"You will, don't worry," you say.

"Yeah, but before we get there, we've got to start from the beginning." Thimble sits up and grins. "Have you ever heard of a place called Derby?"

The End