- π¨π§π π¦π¨π¨π§ ππ π¨.
The clan had been a blur since Rafe's attack. Poppywish surmised things could have gone worse- those attacked could be dead, after all. Thunderjaw and Minkfur had had to wedge Midnightblaze between them to get him up the path to the medicine den, since he was shaking so badly, while Koishimmer and Foxspring had been helped by equally fretting Viridianfire and Lunardawn, while Summitsky had limped along solemnly with the support of Sleetstar at his shoulder. Poppywish had been between them all in a mad dash, before the call had come that Hazerise and Plumiris had gone into labour at the same time, and he'd been off like a rocket, leaving the den in a sleepy haze.
Minkfur and Thunderjaw had volunteered to take care of Rafe's body with Brackenstrike's help. Viridianfire had refused to leave Koishimmer's side, where she lay curled around her father with her two sisters. Foxspring was visited by his parents and warrior aged siblings, with their kits having been sent to the elder's den. Sleetstar sat with Summitsky; their kits had left earlier to be with their friends, shaken and nervously awaiting news on Plumiris. Now, the two of them shared an exhausted, yet comfortable silence, heads resting together as Summitsky breathed slowly.
"Is it true?" Sleetstar asked quietly, after a moment. "What Rafe said- not any of the stuff about Midnightblaze, but... are you in love with him?" Summitsky's shoulders tensed for a second, before they relaxed again and he sighed, shifting to lean more fully on the smaller she-cat.
"I don't know. I think so, but the last time I thought I was in love, it didn't really work out that well for me." Sleetstar winced as Summitsky smiled tiredly up at her.
"Fair shot," she admitted, "I deserved that one. I just... you're my friends; both of you are. Midnightblaze and I started off on the wrong foot, but he's probably the best deputy I could have asked for and he's certainly better than I deserved when he first showed up. I want both of you to be happy and I... I want you to know. If Rafe was telling the truth, if he was right and you do love him... then I hope you go for it. You deserve to be happy, you've both suffered enough."
"Sleetstar, are you giving me your blessing?" Summitsky's voice was amused, and his smile was wide.
"I know you don't need it, but I want you to have it. You've done more for me than anyone else in your position would have. Now it's time for me to set you free in the same way you did for me. You don't have to worry about moving on or looking elsewhere- nothing is going to stop me from being your friend, and from being there for you. You're still my family, till the end of the line, and honestly out of all the cats in the clan, Midnightblaze is not the worst cat who could be stepfather to our kits."
"Thank you," Summitsky said, with a small nod, "I don't know what's going to happen. It doesn't feel right to talk about that now- not after what just happened but... I do like him. Really like him. I don't want to say I love him just yet because I don't want to be hurt again but... you know how sometimes you don't know what you need until it's sitting right in front of you, and it seems so obvious and you kick yourself for not seeing it all along? That's how I feel about him."
"Do you feel forever?" Summitsky gave her a questioning look. "That's how I feel about Varvara. I know no one else gets it, but when I think of 'forever', for every moon and minute between here and my death, it feels wrong without her in it. Do you feel forever about Midnightblaze?" The tom thought about it for a second, before he nodded firmly.
"I do."
"Then we'll see what happens. Forever isn't meant to hurt as much as it did for me, and I... I have faith. Thunderjaw once said to me that mistakes are the stepping stones to the future, so maybe every mistake between the two of you was just leading up to this. You'll never know until you try, and I know I'm probably the last cat really qualified to give you this advice because I let you down and I didn't catch you when you fell... but you should try. Fear will only hold you back."
"I know," Summitsky said with a glittering smile, "thank you. You know, despite everything... you're a good friend."
"Despite everything, huh? Well that's high prai- hey, Sprucepaw?" Sleetstar cocked her head at the large apprentice as he paused, passing by them with a bundle of leaves in his mouth. "What are you doing?"
"Shaping my destiny," he replied. The pair barely had any time to think on what that could mean before Sprucepaw promptly turned and shifted away from then, striding purposefully from the den and into the night air. He took a deep breath to brace himself as he moved down the path toward the nursery. On the ledge outside, the rest of his friends had gathered, huddled close for warmth in the cold night. Willowpaw looked up as her brother approached, giving him an encouraging smile and a nod, before she pulled Silverpaw closer to her side.
Inside the nursery, Plumiris was sobbing loudly and hysterically, while Fogbelly hovered gravely over Hazerise. Poppywish was frantically trying to calm the young queen, his features haggard with exhaustion and panic. Sprucepaw's heart twinged for him- the poor tom hadn't even been able to see Howlingeye yet, tucked away in Sleetstar's den for some peace and quiet after all that had transpired. Carefully, Sprucepaw nudged Poppywish out of the way, settling himself next to Plumiris with his herbs.
"Sprucepaw-" Poppywish began, tone irate.
"Go. I can handle this," Sprucepaw leveled his chin, "I know the herbs. Sticks for pain, raspberry leaves to help and I have chamomile to help calm down Plumiris and chervil and cobwebs just in case the bleeding is too much. I even have borage for after they've kitted. You told me the herbs, and I remembered, and I can handle this. You won't be of any use to them when you can barely stand on your own two paws. You need to rest."
"But-"
"Poppywish," the ginger tom startled as Sprucepaw's fierce amber eyes landed on him, "trust me." Poppywish took a deep breath, and then he nodded, getting to his paws and padding toward the entrance of the den.
"I can't do this. I can't do this," Plumiris sobbed repeatedly, shaking violently.
"Yeah you can, hey, Plumiris look here, look at me," the ginger molly's wide eyes landed on her friend, "it's me, Sprucepaw, and I'm gonna be here for you okay? I'm gonna help you through this. And do you know what? Everyone else is outside, so when you've had your kits and they're all snuggled up, warm and safe, we'll all be here for you to help you name them. You're not alone, and you're stronger than you think. You can do this." He paused, gently pushing a raspberry leaf toward the molly. "Take this. It won't taste good, but it will help. This-" he pushed chamomile toward her, nudging her chin with his nose until she chewed them both down, "will help keep you calm. And here." He ran to the side of the nursery and picked up two sticks, depositing one in front of Hazerise with a raspberry leaf, and nudging the second toward Plumiris. "You can bite on this if the pain gets too much. Hazerise, how we doing over there?"
"Not... the worst thing I've felt," the molly hissed through gritted teeth, making Fogbelly rumble an affectionate laugh, curling around her mate and grooming between her ears.
"I've got her. Don't you worry about my girl."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Sprucepaw purred, "okay ladies, we're going to breath together and we're going to push together- you're stronger when you're in unison, so lets shake off those nerves and lets have these kits."
Poppywish smiled to himself as Sprucepaw's firm but gentle voice reached him, and he nodded to the assorted group of apprentices and young warriors gathered on the nursery ledge, before he moved up past them to the top most den. It was dark inside, and Howlingeye was curled at the far back, facing the wall. Poppywish moved toward him, and climbed over top to snuggle into his chest, like he liked to do.
"Hello to you too," Howlingeye said with a half-chuckle, as if he couldn't quite make himself get the whole sound out.
"I'm sorry."
"You don't have to be. I know who I decided to love, and it wouldn't be you if you'd abandoned everyone else who needed you. You give and you give, and that's what I love about you." Howlingeye nuzzled his forehead against his mate's. "I am glad you're here though... I guess the queens had their kits?"
"Well... no, actually. I left them with Sprucepaw-"
"What? Is he qualified?"
"Please don't remind me, I'm already stressed enough about it as it is. The only reason I agreed is because the look he was giving me implied if I didn't listen he'd take those big paws he inherited from his parents and use them to forcibly bat me out of the den and all the way up to you. He asked me to trust him... and so I am." Poppywish blew out a sigh. "And you need me too. I know that was hard for you."
"Yeah... well. It was me, or it was Midnightblaze, and I wouldn't do that to him."
"You know, you talk a lot about me giving and giving and never taking... but I don't think you realize how much you give too. I know that it was hard for you, to go back to what you'd learned like that, but you gave your own convictions for your friends, you gave away your happiness to try and keep me safe, even if it was misguided. You give your safety over and over again to protect this clan... you give, and you give, and you give, and I know it hurts you. So now, you heal." Poppywish pressed his nose to his forehead, firmly. "Sprucepaw is going to be fine with the queens, I trust that. I'm not moving from this den all night. I'll be right here, right by your side, and tomorrow morning, we'll go and see Midnightblaze and Summitsky, and the three of you can all heal together."
"Okay," Howlingeye whispered, his voice choked up a little, "I'm just tired." And then the first sob came, shuddering and thick, followed by another and another, as Poppywish carefully guided Howlingeye's face to his chest and curled around him, paws cradling the back of his head as he groomed comfortingly between his ears, and let him cry.
Back in the medicine den, Midnightblaze jolted awake from a nightmare- the third since he'd dozed off to sleep the first time. He felt exhausted and his heart was beating wildly. Instinctively, he turned to look for Summitsky; curled up asleep in his nest with Sleetstar grooming him meticulously, her face stormy with a brewing concoction of plenty of different emotions. Among them, he recognized fury, and he recognized resolution. The clan would be fine with Sleetstar's wrath at the helm, and that gave him some small recourse, but it didn't shake the nervousness rattling in his chest.
"I know Poppywish said to rest, but I think it's only making you more tired," Midnightblaze blinked, turning to face Lunardawn as she watched him, carefully. Out of all his daughters, she was the slowest to reconnect. Koishimmer had been angry, but her forgiveness had been immediate after their conversation. Primrosepetal had remained optimistic and had never been angry, but he and Lunardawn were still shy around each other.
"I suppose, but I'm more scared of him than I am of the dreams," he said, stifling back a yawn. Koishimmer shifted beside him with a shiver, and he turned to groom between her ears until she relaxed again. "How... how are you doing? I know how hard it was for me, I can't imagine what it was like for you... I wish you hadn't had to have seen all that."
"It was horrible. I'm never going to forget this but... I don't wish I hadn't seen it. I think we all needed to- when you first told us about what happened between you and Father, it was obvious that Koishimmer and Primrosepetal had forgiven you, and you had time to rebuild, and of course I forgave you and I believed you, but it was still hard to reconcile what had happened. I didn't know how bad it was... and now I see. Now we all do." Lunardawn paused. "I don't know how to go back to normal, but I know I'm not mad. I'm mostly sad, I just... I wish we would have known all the way back then so we could have helped you. I don't know what we could have done, but to think you were suffering alone this entire time..."
"Oh, sweetie," Midnightblaze touched his nose to hers, "I never wanted you girls to have to see that. I couldn't imagine what it would have done to you to know, and I... I know I shouldn't, but I feel guilty that you had to see him like that. I know I shouldn't have tried to shoulder that burden alone but... I'm still your dad. I still want to protect you from everything, even when I put myself on the line to do it."
"I know," Lunardawn said, "I love you, Dad. We all do. And we're here for you now... even if you already have pretty good friends." She smiled past him, to where Summitsky was turning over onto his back to blink away the sleep, glancing up at Sleetstar with a sluggish smile. Midnightblaze followed her gaze, and his own expression softened into fondness. Lunardawn knew her father had been right- that there had been something there. That was the only thing he'd managed to see clearly, apparently.
"Yeah," Midnightblaze said, gently, "my friends are pretty great."
-
Twosight couldn't sleep. The mood in the clan was somber, even the news of five healthy kits in the nursery from a proud Sprucepaw had done little to help the clan's mood. Word was that Hazerise was already grouching about the nursery being full, as the group of young warriors and older apprentices had decided to camp out with Plumiris in the nursery to watch over her and her kits, and to not be alone after the harrowing confrontation from earlier.
"Thought I might find you out here," the odd-eyed tom looked up, before he smiled warmly at Dawnbreeze. The calico fluffed her fur up against the breeze, settling down. "I suppose you're not exactly relishing the idea of drifting off to sleep after everything." Twosight hummed, shaking his head.
"I'm... I never understood cats like that, who had everything but it wasn't enough for them. That tom threw away his family, a mate and kits and for what? Power? Reverence?" Twosight shook his head again, fiercely. "I don't know. He wasn't even upset that he'd lost them, mostly that he'd lost the power he had over them. I can't understand that. Not after everything. Not after what we went through."
"You're thinking about your family," Dawnbreeze's voice was quiet but sure. Twosight nodded once, firmly. "Losing everything is hard. Starting over is hard. You could have thrown yourself to the wolves quite literally and it wouldn't have changed a thing. That cat didn't see that, I suppose, and that's no consolation but there's not really anything I can say that will bring any of your family back."
"Well, my mother did always say I was going to be an unlucky kit. I always thought it was ironic that she died so young, after the way she treated me, but now I wonder whether she was right, and whether living is a greater curse."
"Loss and grief are a part of life, I know, but life is only what we make of it." Dawnbreeze paused, swishing her tail over her paws. "I didn't choose to come with you because I pitied you, you know. My family had each other, and you'd lost so much, but... you've always been like a second father to me. Ever since my mother died, everyone always treated me like I was fragile, and no one ever said it but there was always the understanding that if she hadn't had us kits, she would have lived. My dad never blamed me, never blamed us, but he shut down for a bit there, and so the only person I had... was you. And you ran me hard. You pushed me, and you never once treated me like I was delicate. I don't know if any other apprentice is ever this close to their mentors, but you knew what I needed when no one else seemed willing to provide. The truth is, you're my family too, and I could have chosen to go either way, but when it comes down to who needed family more in that moment, the answer was clear."
"You know, you've always been like a daughter to me. Nothing like my real daughters of course, they had their Pop's sullenness, and you were vivacious and loud... but you were a daughter nonetheless. And whatever your reasons for coming with me were, I'm glad you're here now."
"There's nowhere I'd rather be," Dawnbreeze said with a smile, "and I mean that. Shall we sit and watch the stars for a bit?"
"No," Twosight smiled, shaking his head, "I think I'm alright now. Besides, the last thing we need is for you to catch a cold."
-
Several days later, the clan was more or less back to normal. The rain and the snow had washed away any bloodstains on the basin's rocky ground. No one knew what Minkfur, Brackenstrike and Thunderjaw had done with Rafe's body, and no one cared to ask. It had taken a while for Howlingeye to come out of Sleetstar's den, where he spent most of his time with Poppywish or otherwise alone while Sleetstar camped out with her kits in the warrior's den, or with Summitsky and Midnightblaze in the medicine den. Howlingeye still couldn't bring himself to look others in the eye, and he stared at his paws blankly even as the clan gathered beneath the great rock, where Falconstreak sat with her shoulders proud and strong, and Sycamorepaw vibrated with excitement. The clan's newest addition- a young warrior named Lynxdash who had appeared from beyond the ski slope and spoke very little- sat right at the back, seeming confused at the goings on.
"Cats of NorthernClan," Sleetstar began, "the last few days have been hard for everyone, and I am proud of this clan for weathering another hardship. The most important thing we can have right now is friendship, love. Our newest warrior may not have been born here, but she has surrounded herself with friends in this clan, and she has trained tirelessly to understand the warrior code and to cement her place in this clan. That is why I am honoured to announce that I recommend her to StarClan wholly and ask her to step forward to answer this question: Sycamorepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to defend your clan even at the cost of your life?"
"I do." The quiet molly's voice was firm, ringing around the basin.
"The vow."
"To my clan, to my home, to the blood that binds; I pledge myself to the cliffs and the snow. The North is all."
"Then you will be known as Sycamorepath, for your excellence in tracking and your ability to navigate these mountains that you call home. StarClan honours your quick thinking, and I am personally delighted to announce you as a full warrior of NorthernClan. Honour her!" Cries went up for the newest warrior, the clan calling her new name over and over as Falconstreak nudged her daughter forward to exchange ritual with Sleetstar. The clan began to shift, older warriors moving toward Falconstreak to express congratulations and catch up with the molly, while Sycamorepath's friends converged on her like flies to a carcass.
"Finally, another one joins us!" Blizzardheart said with a grin, nuzzling his forehead against Sycamorepath's with a purr. She laughed, pushing at his face with a paw.
"It's only been one moon, dummy," she said, "although I have missed you in the apprentice's den. No offense, guys."
"None taken. Without Blizzardheart, there's not really anyone to play pranks on," Willowpaw said evenly, which rippled a laugh around the group. Blizzardheart pouted, even as Lightningivy leaned her head against her brother's and rubbed their cheeks together with a comforting purr. Sycamorepath snickered, before she nodded behind her.
"I'll be back in a second, I just need to say thanks to my Mum," she turned, and came almost nose to nose with a passing Lynxdash, her eyes widening. The tom looked startled too, gently drawing back a step as his pelt ruffled up, and Sycamorepath's own began to feel hot. "Oh, sorry," she mewed, "you're uh... Lynxdash right? The new warrior."
"And you're... Sycamorepath. The new-er warrior."
"Hi."
"Hi." The pair stood awkwardly, blinking at each other. Sycamorepath cleared her throat.
"I like... your fur."
"I... also like your fur." He nodded once, sharply. "Very nice."
"Thank you, I grew it myself."
"Oh this is painful," Silverpaw murmured to Willowpaw, who nudged her shoulder in a signal to shush.
"Right. Yeah. That's cool." He nodded sagely, as if this was wisdom for the ages. Brewingice winced.
"I um. I have to go... and stuff. Yeah." Sycamorepath nodded, and then bolted past him for her mother's retreating form. Lynxdash awkwardly scanned the group of young cats, standing together and watching him. Duckbriar gave him a half smile and shrugged her shoulders, looking amused.
"Welcome to NorthernClan," she said, and Lynxdash expelled a nervous laugh that was echoed by the laughter of the group of friends.
ππ‘π’π¬ π¦π¨π¨π§.
Sleep hadn't come easily to Hollyfeather over the past moon. Despite offering to listen in to conversations for her, Twilightflower had come up with nothing, and no new leads had surfaced on Hollyfeather's mystery cat. The oddity of it all gnawed at her, and had her tossing and turning each night, especially with how on edge the clan had felt after Rafe's appearance. Ever since Poppywish had finally caved and agreed to formalize Sprucepaw as his apprentice, the clan had breathed easier. The queens had kitted safely thanks to the young tom, and no more unpleasant surprises festered on the horizon. Still, Hollyfeather found herself awake far before dawn, when stars still glittered overhead.
Paws crunched across the campground as she exited the dirt place, and her ears flattened against her head. Moving quietly so as not to alert the other, she rounded the corner, ready to jump, only to see The Stranger standing in the centre of camp and blinking at her quizzically, as if he'd known she was there all along. Her ears pricked a little as she eyed him suspiciously.
"What are you doing up so early? Poppywish will have a conniption if he finds out that the elders are wandering about in the middle of the night."
"It's almost daybreak," The Stranger said, "I must fulfill my task."
"Your task? Aren't elders jobs to lie around, tell stories and generally enjoy retirement?"
"Perhaps, but I have been tasked with something unbound by my status as an elder, or my commitment to a clan. I must guide those who are lost, and my task cannot be completed, not within the walls of this basin, as you cats are not lost. Here, you are home, finding your rightful steps toward the path you are meant to take. My help is not needed in here, but it is somewhere else." Hollyfeather clicked.
"You're the one that Rafe saw leaving. You're how he got into the camp." The Stranger looked sad, nodding his head.
"It is true that he used one of my routes. I wish I had known he was watching, but there is not much I can do about that now. The best I can do is to complete my task and guide those who are lost back to the paths they are meant to walk." Hollyfeather squinted at the tom a little. He was old and raggedy, tall and skinny, but his eyes blazed with life and the set of his shoulders was proud. Hollyfeather knew he would find a way through the blockades whether or not she tried to stop him. So, she acquiesced.
"Okay," she said with a nod, "but I come with you. Just in case." The Stranger smiled.
"Alright then, Hollyfeather. Let's go." The molly cast a hesitant look back at the camp, before she bounded after the old tom. He moved swiftly for such an old cat, and navigated the territory easily, even as early morning snow fell. Hollyfeather knew he must have done this many times before; most of the time cats just assumed he was asleep in the den throughout the day. Magpiefeather liked to be elsewhere, and the snow deterred others from checking up on him, but it occurred to Hollyfeather that most of the time, or at least with some degree of frequency, he must have been out in the territory.
Her fur bristled the further they got. The Stranger headed due south, toward the border with the city and thus, Merchants territory. They walked right up to it, and The Stranger stepped across the line, ignoring Hollyfeather's hiss. He wiggled his way through a loose fence board, and Hollyfeather looked around before darting after him. He was weaving through a garden, rubbing himself against herbs and flowers until his scent was completely masked. He paused, waiting patiently for her to do the same. Unhappily, Hollyfeather copied his movements, hissing as he stretched onto his hind paws and swatted at flowers, raining pollen down onto her. She shook out her fur, irritated, before looking down at herself and realizing that the pollen had stuck to her fur in places, damp from the dew, and sunk it to make her pelt look splotched with ginger. Suspiciously, she narrowed her eyes at the tom, who simply chuckled and ducked out of the garden, leading her further into the town.
He seemed to know where he was going, weaving down streets easily until he found a crudely constructed shelter, where a makeshift platform for two-legs had collapsed, leaving a few boards to cover a wooden box with one side snapped off. The Stranger stepped into it, and settled down, and closed his eyes. After a moment of hesitation, Hollyfeather did the same. They waited. They waited some more. Hollyfeather swished her tail impatiently. "What are we doing?"
"Waiting." Hollyfeather glowered, before a scent hit her nose and her eyes widened in fear. She turned to warn the Stranger, but he simply smiled as a face ducked around the corner.
"Howdy, Stranger," she said with a chuckle, voice muffled by a freshly killed mouse, which she placed at his paws, before she cast a glance toward Hollyfeather, "I see you have a friend today. If I'd have known, maybe I would have brought you something else." The she-cat was unfamiliar to Hollyfeather; a tall, slender Somali, but her scent was unmistakable. Merchants.
"You are too kind either way, Sienna," The Stranger said evenly, "my grand-niece is young and can catch her own prey. This is Polly. Polly, this is Sienna. She takes care of your old uncle."
"Don't listen to him, I don't do all that much. I just like to listen to his stories, mostly, and ask him for advice. Your uncle is a very wise cat, you know."
"I know," Hollyfeather managed, trying not to sound too surprised, "I thought he was on his own out here, I didn't realize he had... friends."
"It's... not a very safe place to be on your own," Sienna said, a cloud coming across her face, "that's mostly what I talk to him about. I'm from a group of cats, the Merchants. We've been in this town for a long time, and many don't remember the Before because so many died then, and many more have been lost since, but I do. When my parents were younger, the Merchants had a monopoly based on respect. We were fair, and we had more numbers, but others respected us because we cooperated. Now, all that has changed. Our leader is a tyrant and he's losing the plot, but hardly anyone remembers a time before we used fear and violence to control, and many others willfully forget the things he's done."
"Why don't you challenge him?" Hollyfeather asked. Sienna shook her head, roughly.
"He doesn't fight fair. It's rumoured that he killed the last leader just to take her place- his own mother, in fact. And I know for a fact he killed his sister. She questioned him, and he killed her right there where she stood, in front of everyone. He doesn't care who gets hurt, so long as he gets what he wants. I don't have nearly enough cats who would willingly support me, and I'm not smart enough to organize that kind of uprising. I'm not strong enough to take him on alone, and in the Merchants, strength is the only thing that matters."
"Sometimes, strength can be your biggest downfall. It is finite," The Stranger said, "but patience is not. Sometimes it is about waiting for the right moment, the right opportunity. In the meantime, all you can do is endure, and to wait." Sienna sighed, rocking back on her paws before she got to them in order to pace back and forth in front of the box. She shook her head a little.
"I know that's the logical response, I know it is. I just... well. This is going to sound weird after everything I told you, but I miss Sloane," Hollyfeather jolted at the name, "whatever anyone says about her, traitor or not, she would have known what to do. Smarter than a fox, that one, and twice as tricky. She would have been able to turn Boscoe in circles for moons, and it's hard to say on simple supposition... but maybe she would have been able to stop him from doing half of things he does. He's gone too far, he crosses lines every day and no one can stop him for fear of what he would do to the rest of the group. Varvara isn't much help- convinced everyone she would be the better choice, but these days she's just a shell, wandering about like a waif."
"Yin cannot be so strong without her yang," The Stranger said, and Hollyfeather stared at him, wide-eyed, "without push, there is no pull. Without challenge, there is no drive. How can there be balance if yin and yang are severed? Varvara cannot save you now, not without her opposite pole, and thus change must be made through other means."
"I want things to change," Sienna said, "I'm sick of looking over my shoulder all the time, I'm sick of feeling like I'm living by a countdown, with time ticking away until Boscoe changes his mind and eventually turns on me too."
"I cannot walk this journey for you. You have many decisions ahead of you, Merchant Sienna," The Stranger smiled, "but in your heart there is good, there is compassion and there is wisdom. Now you must learn to listen to your heart so that you will know when the moment comes for your change." Sienna chuckled, shaking her head with an awed whistle.
"I hope if I ever live to your age, I'm even half as wise," she stood, regal and bright in the sunlight, "it was nice to see you again, Stranger. The raiders are moving further out every day with Leafbare making food scarce. I wouldn't stay here too long, if I were you." She turned to move away, glancing back over her shoulder hesitantly. "Take care of your uncle, Polly. It's rare to find cats with such knowledge to guide you." And with that, she bounded away, leaving The Stranger smiling and Hollyfeather confused. He did not touch the mouse.
"Are we done? Can we go?"
"Not yet."
"What do you mean not yet? Did you forget that these cats attacked our clan? These are the cats that killed Galepaw and we are right in the middle of their territory. Enemy territory?" The Stranger hushed her.
"She will be here soon. Sienna is not the only cat who has not yet discovered her path."
"Wh-"
"I told you to stop coming here," the voice made Hollyfeather's blood run cold as she tilted her face up to see Varvara, sitting on a fence, watching them.
"The herbs have been working, then." The molly hesitated, and then nodded once. The Stranger chuckled. "And have you thought on what I said since you last came to scare me off?" She scowled, but nodded again, this time sharper and a little more disgruntled. She leaped down from the fence and padded toward them. Hollyfeather's instinct was to crawl to the back of the box and hide, but she forced herself not to shrink as the chocolate molly appeared in the front of the box.
"It's not safe for you to be here. You or your friend." She paused, peering at Hollyfeather quizzically.
"What?" Hollyfeather snapped, gruffly. Varvara narrowed her eyes.
"You seem familiar."
"I have that kind of face," she said, scowling, "what? Can a cat not visit her uncle without being hassled by some molly coming around to threaten him?" Varvara balked, opening her mouth to reply when The Stranger chuckled, curling his tail around Hollyfeather with a placating hum.
"That's enough, Polly, Varvara is a friend, although she does not wish to act as such," the chocolate she-cat rolled her eyes, "a friend, however, is what she needs, and so I persist."
"Maybe if you tell your uncle he shouldn't be camping out on the territory of an unhinged demon who is increasingly claw-happy because he runs the risk of death considering he's functionally useless to the unhinged demon, he'll actually listen to you, because I've been trying to tell him for moons now that it is not safe for him to be here." She glowered at The Stranger, who simply smiled, but did not open his eyes.
"He doesn't listen to me," Hollyfeather said dryly, "or common sense in general, really."
"It is not safe for me, or for anyone else in your group, no?" Varvara looked away. "It is not even safe for you."
"Yeah, well. The herbs are working, but it's only a temporary solution. A barren mate does not a legacy make, and even if he's too stupid to realize that something is going on, he's not going to keep me around if I can't give him some way to ensure his power over the Merchants never dies."
"So, will you?" The Stranger asked, cocking his head. "Surely you cannot keep them safe if you're dead."
"Maybe, but I would rather die than bring kits into this world to be manipulated and abused by him. I'm not proud enough to pretend that my death would inspire any kind of change, or revolution, but it would institute weakness, and if there's something that ever cat in the Merchants craves, it is power. At least maybe in death, I could give someone else a fighting chance." Hollyfeather glanced at The Stranger, who simply nodded, evaluating this speech.
"But you would have to leave behind your love, no? The one who is lost to the North." Hollyfeather felt her muscles tense beneath her pelt, eyes wide as she cast them sideways at the tom. Varvara wasn't looking at them. She was looking toward the border, troubled, before her head swung back and she closed her eyes.
"What's the point in staying," she said, her voice raw, "I haven't seen her in moons. I know she's busy and I try to believe she's safe, but I don't have the strength to push on if I don't have a future. My only future is with her. We got it so wrong, but there has to be a second chance to make it right, and now I don't know if I even have that. Boscoe gets more agitated every day. Maybe if I was gone, he wouldn't focus so much on her. Maybe he would leave her alone."
"You know that's wishful thinking."
"I know. I just miss her. Sometimes so much that I can barely breathe." She shuddered, her shoulders tensing. "I'm afraid. I'm scared, and I'm alone, and I don't know how to do this without her." Silence descended upon the three, and Varvara finally looked up, unshed tears swimming behind her eyes. "You should go now." The Stranger nodded, and nudged the mouse toward her, before he got to his paws and padded forward, Hollyfeather trailing him. She got a few tail lengths away before she frowned, and stopped, turning back to Varvara.
"There's still a future," she said, and the molly jumped, lifting her head to meet her eyes, "I don't know you- either of you- but I can feel the pull between you. If yin and yang had truly severed, there would be no magnetism pulling them back together, but you can feel the string of fate stretched taut; suffering, but unbroken. With strength, you can make it back to one another, you can balance once again." She paused, nodded stiffly, and then brushed past The Stranger, who followed her quickly. Varvara stood alone in the alley, thinking about that, when a shadow fell on her.
"I knew it."
"You knew what, Boscoe," she asked, irritated, looking up to see a distinctly unfriendly gleam in his eyes.
"I knew that you were a traitor, just like her." He launched from the fence, and Varvara only had a second to brace before his bulk smashed into her, pinning her to the ground with claws in her throat. She gasped, struggling beneath him. "She warned me. She told me you were colluding with them, that you were playing me. You think I wouldn't find out that you were taking herbs to stop you from being pregnant?!" Varvara squeezed her eyes shut, and grit her teeth.
"I told you I'm not ready for kits," she managed to hiss out, "and as for the rest of it, I don't know who or what you're talking about."
"Do you think I'm stupid? Are you really going to lie to my face after I caught you red-pawed talking to cats from her clan?"
"What do you mean? That's just an old loner and his niece?" She started to feel faint now, paws scrabbling weakly against his foreleg as she tried to push him away from her.
"Don't lie!" He hissed at her, spittle hitting her in the face. "That's one of her warriors, one of the first ones. Do you think I wouldn't remember the face of a cat I've tried to kill?" The familiarity hit Varvara suddenly: the black and white warrior who they'd observed on patrols multiple times, with serious features and a scowl. That night in the tree, Sleetstar had called her Hollyfeather, had laughed affectionately and declared she was moody and suspicious but fervently loyal and fearless. She had seemed standoffish when Varvara had approached, but the truth hit her now; that she remembered and she was afraid.
"It's no matter," Boscoe was saying, chuckling half-hysterically now, "it's no matter. We have to be strong, or someone else will try to exploit that weakness, so you and I, my dear, are going to put a stop to any doubt about your position to rule." He lifted his paw off of Varvara's throat and she gasped, choking in deep, gulping breaths. "We are going to that clan, and we're going to wipe them out, one by one. And you are going to land the finishing blow on Sloane to prove that you're loyal to me and to the Merchants, or else I won't hesitate to kill you and her, and every one of her little blind followers." Varvara winced away from his rancid breaths as he stepped away from her, turning his eyes toward the border, missing her hateful stare. "You and I have a war to win."
Hollyfeather didn't breathe easy until she and The Stranger crossed the border, plowing through the snow in the early morning sunshine. They walked in silence, swirling thoughts and a million questions surging across her mind. It was he that broke the silence first, with a little chuckle.
"You know, Hollyfeather, perhaps one day you too will take up the mantle of a guide," he said, "what you said to Varvara surprised me- I know you and your clanmates don't care for her, but you saw the pain in her heart and you gave her the strength to keep going. You don't know it yet, but when Varvara reaches her next crossroads, that strength will aid her in finding her path, it will guide her toward what is in her heart and not what is in her head."
"I have a question," Hollyfeather said, seeming distracted, "why do you go by The Stranger? Don't you have a name? Don't you want one?"
"Hollyfeather, I'm an old cat now. My presence in many a life has been brief, hardly more than enough to qualify as anything but a stranger, and for many moons I have traveled and been simply that: a stranger. I had a name, once, but it is no longer who or what I am. You have heard Bearears speak of her old clan, and their soul names? Well, I suppose my real name is a bit like that: it represents my soul and my inner core, but outwardly and to many others, I am simply The Stranger that they will never endeavour to know." Hollyfeather blinked, and then turned away from him, looking up toward the rising mountains, where the day would be starting.
"You're going to get caught if you keep sneaking out like this, with everyone on high alert."
"Perhaps, but I must complete my task."
-
"Hey handsome, come here often?" Breakerhowl looked up from where he was sunning himself in the last rays of Leafbare sun to see Rivermask leaning against the wall of the basin, looking amused. He purred, stretching upward as she leaned down to touch noses with him. "Long day of training?"
"Uh-huh," Breakerhowl chuckled, "I feel sorry for our mentors back in the day. Blackpaw is quiet, and he's still a pawful, I'm not sure how our mentors ever managed to put up with any of our antics- and don't try to act like you weren't involved in all of that, I still remember the time you collapsed the clan entrance."
"Well, I was going to ask if you were up for a walk, but since you're accusing me of heinous crimes, I guess that I won't," Breakerhowl laughed, getting to his paws as Rivermask nudged his shoulder, "come on, old tom, I want to get at least a few passes around this campground before the sun goes down and my toes freeze off." Together, the pair walked around the interior of the NorthernClan camp. Just a moon ago, it had been common to see Hazerise and Plumiris doing the same, but now they were more occupied in the nursery, taking care of their kits. Rivermask and Breakerhowl's daughters were playing a game in the centre of camp with their large group of friends, although Sprucepaw had disappeared from the goings on, having dubbed himself Plumiris' new best friend and general overseer of her happiness.
"We did good on them, didn't we?" Rivermask pricked up her ears, turning to find her mate smiling fondly at their kits. Silverpaw looked so much like her father, slender and wiry like her mother, but with her father's striking blue eyes and regal silver stripes while Aurorapaw's pointed face looked just like her mother's. The pair were half covered in snow and laughing, Silverpaw swatting large pawfuls at Willowpaw who in turn dumped far more onto her, causing her to splutter.
"Yeah, we did good." She smiled up at her mate, before she squinted. "Uh oh, I know that face. That's your thinking face."
"Why is my thinking face uh-oh?"
"Because whenever you think, things tend to go pear-shaped?" The pair exchanged a laugh, leaning together, as Breakerhowl affectionately butted his head against hers. Rivermask purred, clearly pleased with her joke, sighing contentedly as he licked her forehead with a light chuckle.
"Well, stop me if I'm out of line, or wrong but... would you want more kits? Like... around now, I mean." Rivermask blinked at him, flicking her eyes between their grown kits and her mate, before a grin crossed her face.
"Did you just hit yourself with kit fever? Oh, sweetie," she laughed a little as Breakerhowl rolled his eyes, smiling again as she reached up to touch her nose to his cheek. "Of course I want more kits with you, dummy. You're kind of the love of my life, or something like that."
"Gross, that's so sappy," he grinned, rubbing their foreheads together, "but for the record, you're the love of mine too. Whatever though, don't make a thing out of it." His voice wavered a little at the end, nearly breaking out into a laugh at his own joke.
"You're so dumb."
"And you love me."
"Yeah," Rivermask nodded, forehead still pressed tightly against his, "I really, really do."
-
"You know, I'm very lucky to have you," Brackenstrike said to Willowpaw, who smiled bashfully at her, "all the other apprentices seem to have been having a whole lot of trouble, but you and your brother breezed right through training. Guess you'll be going for your warrior assessment next moon, then." The molly puffed up her chest in pride, before she glanced at Silverpaw, who was watching her with amusement.
"Well... I'm excited, but it won't be the same without Sprucepaw, Silverpaw and Aurorapaw. Ever since we were born we've done everything together, and now it seems like I'm moving on without them, but... at least I'll have friends in the warrior's den. I'll miss you though." Silverpaw laughed, shaking her head.
"Don't you dare. Me and Aurorapaw will be right along, and you'll still be able to see Sprucepaw all the time! I bet Poppywish will even let him sleep wherever he wants, and I'm sure he wouldn't care if you stayed in his nest with him in the medicine den. You have to think about what it's going to be like in a few moons time: we're all gonna be warriors and Sprucepaw is gonna be darting around showing off his cool medicine skills and being really stupidly smug about being an intellectual."
"Yeah, that's him to a T," Willowpaw agreed with a laugh.
"Be nice to your brother," Minkfur said sternly, "but we are very proud of you."
"And you too, Silverpaw. Just because Willowpaw bulldozes everything in her path like her mother doesn't mean you shouldn't be proud of everything you've accomplished. You're a smart little lady, and very sweet too. Your parents are lucky to have such a wonderful daughter." Silverpaw ducked her head bashfully at the praise.
"Thanks, Thunderjaw, it means a lot to hear you say that. I'm just glad that Sleetstar agreed to let me go on patrol with all of you since Koishimmer's hurt. I know she feels guilty about not being able to train me."
"She'd feel worse if she got an infection and Poppywish ripped her to shreds," Birchfang said, sounding amused, "they needed Frostclaw for patrols, but I promised her I'd take care of you until later, right? So does that make me the coolest stand-in stand-in mentor or what?" Silverpaw laughed as the big tom chuckled as well, purring a little.
"Double stand-ins, a special honour," Silverpaw agreed.
"Well, your stand-in times two mentor says that you should check up ahead for any signs of anything suspicious." Silverpaw rolled her eyes, casting a glance at Willowpaw and Brackenstrike as she and Birchfang passed. Minkfur and Thunderjaw continued onward evenly, used to the hustle and bustle of a border patrol, while Birchfang trailed after them, while Silverpaw waited for Brackenstrike and Willowpaw to catch up, tail raised happily as she purred. Willowpaw smiled and sighed deeply, turning her face up to the sun, where something glinted sharply, catching her eye.
At the top of the cliff stood a white cat, almost blindingly so in direct sunlight. Willowpaw squinted, the shape unfamiliar. The cat looked her dead in the eyes, and Willowpaw frowned, eyes scanning the landscape before her blood ran cold as she spotted the spike. A sharp, triangular rock had been wedged into the loose rocks at the top of the cliff. The cat lifted its paws, and slammed down hard on the spike. There was a rumble as the rocks began to move.
"It's a trap," she murmured, before shouting as loud as she could, "Silverpaw! RUN!" The molly stared at her quizzically, and Willowpaw growled, slamming her shoulder sideways into Brackenstrike, knocking her mentor against the wall so she couldn't follow. The large molly shouted in surprise as Willowpaw tore off, hearing the rumbling of rocks falling against the sound of her frantic, sprinting paw-steps. Silverpaw's eyes widened as she realized what was happening, and Willowpaw skidded in sideways, digging her paws in hard enough to wrench a claw as she slammed into Silverpaw and came to a stop. The force of it sent the small she-cat flying, bouncing off the rock and tumbling to a stop at Minkfur's feet.
"WILLOWPAW!" Silverpaw screamed, trying to struggle to her paws, but the rocks kept falling and falling and falling. She saw the shock, the horror, and then the acceptance on her friends face. And that was the last thing she saw, as the rocks cascaded down and fell straight on top of her, obscuring her brown pelt from view. The rocks continued falling and falling. Thunderjaw shoved Silverpaw close against the rock as she sobbed, and she felt his body shake as he shielded her, loose pebbles scattering down off his pelt. Beside him, she could hear Minkfur's shocked gasping and Birchfang's murmured reassurance. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the rumbling stop, and all was still.
"WILLOWPAW!" Silverpaw screamed for her again, shoving past Thunderjaw to run for the rocks, paws scrabbling at them to no avail, "WILLOWPAW! ANSWER ME! WILLOWPAW!"
"Silverpaw," Thunderjaw's voice was raw, horrendously grieved, "Silverpaw, sweetie, you have to stop yelling. You're going to cause an avalanche." Silverpaw was sobbing as he gently pulled her away, and curled himself around her.
"She's under there," she cried, "she's under there, we have to help her, we-"
"I know, I know," Thunderjaw licked between her ears, but she felt the drop of his tears on top of her head, "it's okay, Minkfur and I will help her. It's going to be okay." He straightened up, making eye contact with Birchfang. "You have to take Silverpaw back to camp and take her to see Poppywish and Sprucepaw. You have to tell him what happened, and tell him we'll be back soon and that we love him very much." Silverpaw sobbed louder. "Brackenstrike, if you can hear me, find Sleetstar and tell her what happened. Minkfur and I are going to dig her out."
"I- yeah," Brackenstrike's voice was faint, and stunned, "okay." Minkfur nodded stiffly to Birchfang as he shepherded Silverpaw away, with a reluctant look back at the mated pair, before he rounded the corner and disappeared from sight to take the back way around to camp. Minkfur and Thunderjaw wasted no time in getting to work.
Bigger than Silverpaw, together they could move the rocks, shoving them over into the ravine below, pushing smaller ones down onto the trail behind them, moving carefully to avoid being swept off the mountain. Neither of them spoke, Silverpaw's sobs still echoing around the craggy mountainside, but the unspoken truth lay between them: their daughter was dead. Digging her out would only serve to have a body to take home to bury, but neither of them were prepared to simply leave her there. And so they worked, the sun obscured by dark clouds, indicating snow, or a storm. Either way, Thunderjaw couldn't have cared less about the weather.
The hollow feeling in his heart vanished for a few moments as he dragged a rock toward him, rolling it onto the ground beside him while Minkfur worked at the other side, shoving rocks away with massive heaves of her shoulders. The rock rolled over, and a striking, glittery white streak caught his eye. He paused, feeling his chest well with something other than emptiness; anger, mostly, borderline fury. He stared at the rock, balefully, as if it would shout out answers to him.
"Hey," Minkfur's voice called out to him and he turned, using his body to shield the rock, broken out of his haze, "do you need to stop?"
"No," he shook his head, pushing the rock over the cliffside, "rock was just heavy, I was catching my breath." His eyes shone with renewed fire beyond the grief, as he climbed back on top of the mound and pressed his forehead to his mate's. "Let's get our baby girl."
