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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 11, 2017 10:36:08 GMT -5
 This is the untold story of Minnowtail, a beautiful RiverClan she-cat exploring the complex seas of love, and learning what happens when things don't go the way you plan. Sometimes loving another can be the most painful experience of them all.
*Note: this story is not canon, though it does take place during the time of Mistystar's Omen and Night Whispers. For the most part i won't be changing much from the original series, but otherwise enjoy as we get to know cats we typically don't. |
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 11, 2017 10:36:20 GMT -5
Prologue
Minnowtail sat just outside her camp with her tail wrapped delicately around her paws, waiting. She hadn’t known what she was waiting for when she came out here, but that seemed like ages ago, when the sun was setting. Now the moon was high in the sky, glittering across the still lake as she waited for the thing she wanted most.
She had never had a clearer mind or heart, especially not in these past few moons. Her paws had been unsteady on a good day, her mind drifting with the changing winds; she was so consumed with her own thoughts and feelings that she’d unintentionally turned herself into an island with one way in and out, and there was only one cat who walked that path.
Reedwhisker was her leader’s son, her deputy, and her clanmate Otterheart’s mate. Those were the three things that described the cat everyone else knew; but for her, he was just a little bit more.
He was the smartest cat she knew; he was kind, too. He put his clan before anything, and he was honest and thoughtful. He had become her friend, her only friend, and one more thing that, in the passing moons, she’d been unable to admit to until now. He was, most significantly, the cat she loved.
And that was the problem, because up until now, until things changed, she’d forced herself to be content with just being close to him. She knew that she couldn’t stop herself from loving him, but fear stopped her from ever saying anything; what if he didn’t feel the same? He had every reason to reject her, and that rejection reared its ugly head every time she saw Otterheart or watched him sit with the other deputies at gatherings. It ate away at her little by little until she could no longer sleep most nights. She’d created a false reality for herself because of it where she could pretend that things were as she wanted them to be instead of as they were, and it carried her through the days enough that she was able to function.
So she waited for him to return to camp. She wasn’t far from the camp, but she wasn’t in the way either so that no one else would bother her. She had groomed her fur to perfection, knew she looked beautiful and hoped that it would sway him even though it hadn’t worked so far. But, really, she’d come to realize that she wasn’t doing this for him; if he loved her back, if he didn’t…she could never say it didn’t matter, it just wasn’t the reason for her bravery. She was doing this because being close to him was no longer enough, not when he didn’t know the truth. She was doing this for her, so that she could finally clear her heart of the pain she’d kept to herself. She would tell him how she felt, and things would happen as they are meant to be.
Chapter 1
“Minnowtail, are we going hunting or not?” Minnowtail almost forgot about Mossypaw for a second; this had to stop happening. She’d been standing in the middle of the camp, ready to take her apprentice out for the day and then Reedwhisker strolled into camp with the returning dawn patrol. He didn’t really look her way so she stood where she was, hoping for a moment…and then somehow, a moment turned into two, and then three, and then-
“Minnowtail!” Mossypaw headbutted her shoulder. Minnowtail shook her head clear; she had things to do. Sure Reedwhisker was handsome, but there were plenty of handsome toms in RiverClan.
“Let’s get going Mossypaw,” Minnowtail meowed. She gave her chest fur a few quick licks and then led her apprentice towards the camp entrance, right by Reedwhisker. She wanted to stop, but then she didn’t; but she did catch his eye, his blue, blue eyes…she shook her head again. What had been going on lately? Reedwhisker had always been just another one of her clanmates, so why was she so distracted by him?
“Are we going fishing?” Mossypaw asked.
“No. You already know how to fish; we’re going hunting deeper into the forest,” Minnowtail decided. Which was good, because it meant she could put a little distance between her and Reedwhisker.
“Hmmp,” Mossypaw meowed, tilting her head to the side. “I guess that’ll be fun.” Minnowtail wasn’t so pleased with Mossypaw’s attitude, but before she could say anything she heard another cat call her name.
“Minnowtail!” he called again. Reedwhisker. It was Reedwhisker, bounding up to her, his sleek pelt flawless in the sunlight. He came to a stop just in front of her and dipped his head in greeting. Minnowtail quickly returned the gesture, not wanting to seem weird, but somehow she did anyway.
“What is it?” she asked, glancing over his shoulder. Was anyone else coming? Would she finally have a moment- no, I don’t want a moment alone with him.
“You’re taking Mossypaw training, right?” he asked.
“We’re going hunting- not fishing hunting, but…hunting…” shoot! He was looking at her like she was a kit! Why did she sound so lost?
“So hunting?” he teased, flicking her shoulder with his tail. “I’d like to tag along; I want to see how well her training is going.”
“Umm…” she glanced from Mossypaw to Reedwhisker, and they were both looking at her like she was the weirdest cat in the forest…Suddenly she felt like a mousebrain. He wasn’t actually asking her permission; what was she doing? “Of course. We’re umm, we’re heading for the ShadowClan border.”
“Lead the way,” Reedwhisker meowed, dipping his head to her. Carefully she took the lead, trying her best not to focus on the fact that Reedwhisker was right beside her. Instead she thought about Robinwing- he was always fun to be around. He was always a little silly, but that could be a good thing, right?
“I thought we were heading towards the ShadowClan border?” Mossypaw meowed. Minnowtail looked around her; in her attempt not to think about Reedwhisker, her paws had lead her upstream, towards the little twoleg thunderpath.
“We are Mossypaw. But a good warrior knows every pawstep of their territory, not just the direct paths,” Reedwhisker meowed. She was grateful for his words, even more so that he didn’t seem to be scolding her for her obvious mistake. “Why don’t you take the lead, Mossypaw? Lead us towards the border from where we are.” She watched her apprentice take off, her brown tail streaming out behind her. Mossypaw was fast, and often she teased her of being better suited to life on the moors, but Mossypaw was a good apprentice. She trained hard, and she wasn’t afraid to say what she felt.
“I’m sorry, Reedwhisker, I-“
“It’s fine Minnowtail. I haven’t been the deputy so long that I don’t remember how intimidating having the deputy watching over you can be,” he meowed. He rested his tail on her shoulders for a moment, and when he did she felt like everything had quickly been washed away from her. Or maybe it was the look in his eyes…was there a look? For a moment, she thought she saw something- but then, before she could be sure, he started following after Mossypaw. She stood where she was for a moment. How would she get through this?
Chapter 2
“Well, Mistystar was your deputy. I’m sure she wasn’t too hard on you,” Minnowtail had been mulling over what to say to Reedwhisker to keep him talking, and while they’d made it half the way to the ShadowClan border, she was still pretty pleased with the joke she came up with. He however, wasn’t.
“Is that what you think?” he wasn’t angry yet, but she knew by the flick of his ear and the flex of his claws that he was on his way there and she’d struck a nerve. “Because Mistystar has always been fair, even when it came to me. She didn’t show me any favoritism.”
“No no, that’s not what I meant- I just, I was just…” she was panicking a little, because the last thing she wanted was to make him dislike her. Or worse, make him think she wasn’t capable as a warrior. He’d ignored her earlier mistake, but if she got on his bad side she could imagine that courtesy would vanish like dust in the wind. He narrowed his eyes, but he still wasn’t angry. It was worse; he looked at her like she was just another warrior.
Minnowtail worked harder than she ever had to try and make up for her mistakes with Reedwhisker, but it didn’t seem to impact him. He was nice, smart, observant; he praised Mossypaw for her hunting skills, and congratulated her when she caught a squirrel. But it was like she was with the deputy Reedwhisker, instead of the cat, and that bothered her to no extent.
By the time they padded back to camp the sun was high in the sky and they had a decent catch to add to the fresh kill. They’d stopped on the way back to fish, and luck had been on Minnowtail’s side and she’d expertly nabbed two fish. Reedwhisker caught a fat water vole, and all in all it’d been a good day. He was pleased with Mossypaw’s progress, which meant she was doing a good job as her mentor. They could feed the clan, and everything was quite along the ShadowClan border; for any other cat, that would be enough. She wanted that to be enough for her, but there was this feeling of unrest pecking at the back of her head like a squirrel trying its best to crack a nut.
Of course she knew what it was, it was Reedwhisker. She knew she’d upset him, and she wanted a chance to make it right. But he was good at acting like he was fine, and even better at diverting a conversation. He was presently sharing a meal with Mistystar and Graymist, and she was doing her best not to stare, but every so often she caught herself glancing his way.
“Mind if I join?” Minnowtail looked up at the tortoiseshell tom standing in front of her, Robinwing. He had a silver fish in his jaw, making Minnowtail realize that she hadn’t eaten.
“Sure,” she meowed, eyeing his fish. He settled down next to her, his tail tip twitching in delight at his meal.
“I hate doing the dawn patrol,” Robinwing meowed, taking a bite of his fish. “Sunhigh, dusk, sure, I’m all for it. But dawn patrol? That should be for the apprentices.”
“Well, at least you probably won’t run into trouble on the dawn patrol,” Minnowtail pointed out.
“Trouble? I live for trouble!” he exclaimed, fluffing out his chest fur. He had a piece of fish dangling from his jaws and he looked so ridiculous that Minnowtail couldn’t help but let out a mrroww of laughter. “So why are you sitting over here all by yourself? Did you tread on someone’s tail?”
“In a way, yeah,” Minnowtail sighed. She knew that had been a joke too, but somehow he’d been completely accurate. He blinked his eyes at her, and dropped his meal.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked hesitantly. Could she? This was a legitimate problem after all; she could seek his advice without getting too personal.
“Well Reedwhisker came with me and Mossypaw hunting, and I said something to him that rubbed him the wrong way,” Minnowtail began, “And I don’t know what to do. He seems fine, but I could tell that it bothered him when I said it.”
“Well if he doesn’t seem bothered by it, then I say let well enough be,” Robinwing told her. That wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but he’d already given his attention to his meal. He tore off another piece of the fish and then stopped; she could only guess that he realized his advice wasn’t helpful. “Unless that’s not what you want to do. There’s always the chance that he’s been over there with Mistystar telling her all about what you said, and the two of them are going to have you changing the bedding in the apprentice’s den for a moon.”
“What? They wouldn’t actually do that would they?” she hadn’t thought he’d be that upset by what she said, but Mistystar was his mother, and if she got on both of their bad sides…
“Wow Minnowtail, don’t start plucking out your claws just yet, it was a joke,” Robinwing meowed.
“Oh,” she looked at her paws, thoroughly embarrassed. Of course it was a joke; how did she let herself get so swept up like that?
“Look, Reedwhisker is a good cat, and so is Mistystar. I doubt he even mentioned it to her,” Robinwing meowed. “But if it bothers you that much, you could always just talk to him.”
“I guess I could,” Minnowtail meowed nonchalantly.
“Glad I could help,” Robinwing meowed, his tongue running over his fangs as he got to his paws. “When you do, talk to him about that dawn patrol idea for me.”
Chapter 3
“Reedwhisker,” Minnowtail hissed his name as quietly as possible; it was late in the night, and she’d waited in her nest in the warrior’s den until he came in. She thought about talking to him there, but she saw her opportunity when he got up to make dirt. So she followed him and waited until he was finished, hoping to not startle him too much, but it hadn’t really worked.
“Minnowtail!” Reedwhisker meowed, his blue eyes wide. She watched him force his fur to lie flat as he relaxed. Surprisingly she liked him even more like this, unkempt and off guard. It was somehow more attractive to her. “What are you- did you follow me?”
“Well…a little,” Minnowtail confessed. “I wanted to talk to you Reedwhisker.”
“Here?” he glanced around them, confused. This was where most of the clan went to make dirt; perhaps she hadn’t thought this through…
“Well, not really here- it’s important,” Minnowtail meowed. She panicked as he rolled his eyes, but then was filled with joy when he caved.
“Fine. Why don’t we go for a walk? I’m up now, might as well be useful,” he lead her away from the dirtplace and towards the lake. It was beautiful; there was a chill in the air, and the moon shone down brightly. The grass was comfortable underneath her paws; she couldn’t have picked a better time for this. He didn’t stop until they reached the shore, far enough away from camp that no one would disturb them.
“So what do you want to talk about, Minnowtail?” Reedwhisker asked. She let her eyes travel over the handsome black tom. He was muscular, but he wasn’t bulky like some cats. She couldn’t tell if he groomed his fur constantly or if it just obeyed his desires, but even though she’d ruffled it earlier it was still sleek and gleaming in the moonlight, like a shining black shadow.
“What I said earlier today-I didn’t mean it, Reedwhisker. I guess I was just trying to break the tension,” Minnowtail told him. He let out a deep sigh, and his head hung a little.
“Minnowtail, you brought me out here to talk about that? It didn’t bother me,” Reedwhisker told her, but she didn’t believe it.
“I think it did. I could see that it did, even though you hid it well,” Minnowtail insisted. She took a step closer. “I just want you to know that I don’t think that way about you. I think you deserve to be deputy, more than any cat.”
“I guess it did bother me, a little,” Reedwhisker confessed, “But not because you said it. A lot of cats have said it, ever since I became deputy. Not necessarily to me, and when they do it’s disguised as a joke.”
“Disguised?”
“Behind every joke is an air of truth,” Reedwhisker meowed. “So when you made the joke, I was mostly immune to it, but only because I’ve gotten used to it. Most of the time, it’s harmless…”
“Except it isn’t.” he looked at her then; he wasn’t really sad, or hurt…he was frustrated. She felt this desire to fix whatever was bothering him, whoever was bothering him. “It’s okay to be upset Reedwhisker. I know being deputy means you have to be strong, but you are still a cat.”
“I just don’t see why it matters,” Reedwhisker meowed. “Even if the only reason I was chosen to be deputy is because I’m her son, so what?”
“Reedwhisker that’s not why she chose you,” Minnowtail told him. “You do know that, don’t you?” He didn’t respond right away, and when he did, it wasn’t what she expected.
“Minnowtail, the truth is I’m sure a part of the reason why I was chosen to be deputy is because I am her son. But that’s not the only reason. I believe that I’ve proven myself to this clan time and time again, and I work hard as the deputy to prove that I am capable, no matter why I was chosen. It’s just that sometimes, it feels like it doesn’t matter.”
She wasn’t thinking; she touched her muzzle to his. She had wanted to comfort him, but the gesture had done so much more for her than she’d expected. Before she hadn’t known what it felt like to be this close, this intimate with Reedwhisker, and now that she did…the burst of emotion she felt was unlike anything she’d ever experienced, so much that she pulled away from him. There was surprise in his eyes, but he hadn’t pulled away, and he didn’t seem upset by what she did…
“You’re a great deputy; the greatest around the lake,” she meowed, unable to meet his gaze. “It’s only a matter of time before everyone else sees it too.” He was silent for a while, so long that she had to look up again. But he wasn’t looking at her; he’d settled in the grass and was gazing out at the lake, lost in thought. Was he thinking about her? She thought about saying something, but he seemed peaceful for now, and she didn’t find the silence uncomfortable or awkward. If before, she’d been distracted and mousebrained, now she was focused, more than she could ever remember being. And as she settled in next to him, close but not always touching, she didn’t have to wonder or think or obsess, because she was right where she wanted to be, and it was the most peaceful thing in the world.
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 11, 2017 10:36:33 GMT -5
Chapter 4
Minnowtail had been vibrating with energy ever since that night with Reedwhisker. She found a joy in training Mossypaw that she never had before, a new desire in making sure that the clan was always fed and organized that turned more than a few heads. But mostly, she had Reedwhisker’s attention. He talked to her now; they went hunting, he shared meals with her occasionally, he even asked her to lead the dawn patrol the other day! And there was nothing he could’ve asked of her that she wouldn’t willingly do, and the best part of that was that he never seemed to take advantage of it.
Over the past half-moon she’d grown so much closer to Reedwhisker than she ever thought she would, closer than she ever thought she wanted to. Yet she could never seem to get enough of him, and when she spent too much time away from him she grew restless, like a storm was brewing inside of her. And then she would see him, hear his mew, smell his scent, and everything would settle inside of her. What is he doing to me?
“Minnowtail!” she lived for the familiarity with which he called her name now. He trotted up to her and they touched noses. “Did you want to go to the gathering tonight?”
“Sure,” she meowed. She glanced at the group of warriors gathering by the camp entrance. “Do you think Mistystar will mention the border skirmish we had with ShadowClan?”
“I doubt it,” Reedwhisker meowed, casually licking a patch of fur on her shoulders down. “She wants to wait to see what Blackstar will say about it first. Play it cool so they know they can’t get under our fur, no matter what.”
Minnowtail purred with delight. “That sounds like your thinking, Reedwhisker,” she meowed, playfully headbutting his shoulder.
“Well Mistystar makes her own choices; she just listens to what I think,” she liked that he was never boastful, but didn’t get uncomfortable when he received praise like some cats did.
“Reedwhisker!” that was Mistystar, who had emerged from her den, her glossy pelt flawless. She was older than most the cats in the clan but she sure didn’t look it, and absolutely still moved with the grace of a cat Minnowtail’s age. Reedwhisker had her eyes, and he sort of moved like she did, confidence in every pawstep. They touched noses and then they were heading out of camp. She started to wonder if his kits would have the same blue eyes, and hoped they would; she would love to see those eyes on a litter of kits, gazing up at her.
“You know I was going to wait until you moved, but now I think you might have died,” Robinwing’s teasing mew dropped a well needed dose of reality on Minnowtail.
“Oh yeah I was just waiting for you,” she lied, giving her fur a few licks. She glanced at him long enough to know he didn’t believe her.
“Right. Well we should probably go, unless you actually didn’t want to go to the gathering.”
…
“You know, you two are pretty cute together,” Robinwing had been making comments like that ever since she chose to sit next to him at the gathering. He kept his voice low, murmuring in her ear, but it was all she could do not to swat him over the ears.
“Shut up!” she hissed. The ThunderClan queen Poppyfrost was only a mouse length away, and while she hadn’t heard what Robinwing said, she saw him constantly in her ear. She gave the two of them a knowing glance, then rested her tail across the shoulder of her mate, the ThunderClan kittypet. She could see Reedwhisker through the throng of cats, his black fur almost allowing him to hide amongst the roots of the tree. I could spot his pelt anywhere. The thought surprised her, because she realized it was true.
“Minnowtail and Reedwhisker swimming in the stream. Purring, purring loud-“ he gasped as she jabbed him in his belly with her paw. He was relentless! He may have found his taunts funny or harmless, but Reedwhisker was right; there is an air of truth to every joke.
“The passing moon has been good to RiverClan,” she was thankful for Mistystar finishing up her report so quickly, and happy to see that she’d taken his advice. She noticed Blackstar narrow his eyes at her, but he didn’t say anything, and with that the gathering was over. She couldn’t wait to get away from Robinwing and make her way to Reedwhisker, but somehow she’d found her way to Poppyfrost. The tortoiseshell queen padded up to her, another tortoiseshell with her.
“Seems like the two of you are getting along fine,” Poppyfrost meowed, angling her ears towards Robinwing.
“The two of you couldn’t stop talking during the gathering,” Sorreltail, Minnowtail remembered the she-cat’s name was, put in. “I remember when you had a band of apprentice’s following you around like bees to a hive. It’s nice to see you’ve picked one.” She glanced back at Robinwing who was watching her, no doubt preparing new taunts to annoy her with on the way home. She sighed.
“Robinwing is a mousebrain,” she meowed, her tail tip twitching.
“All toms are mousebrain’s,” Poppyfrost told her. “Berrynose especially.”
“Not Brackenfur,” Sorreltail objected. “Sometimes he’s a bossy little fur ball, but he’s my favorite fur ball.” The purr in her throat was all for her mate, who was a little ways off with a group of WindClan and ShadowClan cats.
“Berrynose is my favorite mousebrain! But he’s still a mousebrain,” Poppyfrost meowed. How long could this conversation last? She didn’t want to make it obvious that she was eager to leave; that would be rude, and then it would draw attention to where she really wanted to go.
“Hey, Minnowtail, you want to go for a walk?” it was Robinwing; however much she didn’t want to go with him, it still was better than staying with these two and listening to them talk about their mates.
“Robinwing,” she meowed, dipping her head to Poppyfrost and Sorreltail. She hurried to his side, knowing that the pair of ThunderClan cats were watching them. Together they glided through the mass of cats, her eyes focused on finding one. She was only just aware that Robinwing was still by her side she was so focused, but then she stopped. She’d found Reedwhisker; he was talking with Brambleclaw, the broad shouldered ThunderClan deputy. Normally she would join Reedwhisker, but there was another cat with them, a cat she’d chosen to avoid and ignore unless it was absolutely necessary. Otterheart.
Chapter 5
“So, you wanted to go for a walk right?” Minnowtail meowed, turning to Robinwing.
“Well…seriously? Are we not going over to Reedwhisker?” he asked, surprised.
“Why would we do that? It doesn’t seem like the clan is ready to leave,” Minnowtail meowed, forcing herself to sound cheerful. He looked at her for a moment, then at Reedwhisker. Just let it go! She thought, praying to StarClan that he wouldn’t bring up the obvious.
“Fine,” he meowed. She let out a breath of relief and followed him out of the clearing. He lead her through the brush, along a seldom used path until they reached the shore. There was a steady breeze and without the shelter of the bushes it sent a chill over her spine, but it didn’t take long to adjust. She could hear other cats around them, but for the moment they were alone.
They padded along the shore, occasionally letting the gentle waves lap at their paws, and Minnowtail was beginning to enjoy this moment of peace. She didn’t even mind it when Robinwing brushed up against her, or when he ran his tail along her flank.
“Ok, what’s going on here?” Robinwing demanded, stopping in his tracks.
“What do you mean? I thought we were going for a walk,” she meowed. “Did you not want to do that?”
“Of course I do. I just can’t remember a time when you wanted to,” Robinwing told her. Why was he making this so difficult? She wasn’t stupid; she knew that he had feelings for her, and now he was getting her attention. “Let alone when you’d let me be this close to you.”
“I was trying to enjoy your company,” Minnowtail told him, slightly annoyed. “I didn’t know that wasn’t something you wanted.”
He held her gaze for a moment, trying to see through whatever was happening in her head. “So what were those two ThunderClan queens pestering you about?”
“Oh just how mousebrained toms are,” she meowed gratefully.
“Mousebrained? I myself am a proud bee brain,” he meowed, holding his head up high.
“Oh yeah? I don’t see the difference,” she teased.
“There’s a big difference Minnowtail!”
“Do tell Robinwing, I’m all ears,” she meowed, her eyes full of laughter.
“Well you see, bees are smarter than mice, because they work together. Mice just chase their own tails round and round till the pass out,” Robinwing explained. “So you see, major difference.”
“You’re absolutely right, bee brain,” she meowed, playfully swatting him over his ear. She darted away but he was fast, playfully tackling her to the ground. She wrestled with him for a moment, purring like a kit as they tussled, but he again had her pinned.
“You know bees sting, right?” he meowed, his muzzle pressed against her ear. Slowly, she leaned up and ran her tongue up his cheek. His ears shot up and his gray eyes popped open, full as the moon. Quickly, she slithered out from beneath him and swatted his shoulder.
“Let’s go, bee brain.”
…
The thing about fantasies is, if you commit to them enough, almost nothing can break them. And for Minnowtail, there was only one thing that could shatter her fantasy, and that was Otterheart.
She didn’t know when she started disliking the she-cat, but now she could barely stand to sleep in the same den as her. She knew she had to hide it because there was no way she could spend as much time as she wanted with Reedwhisker if she didn’t get along with his mate. So she forced herself to be decent around her, and avoided her when she could. But she couldn’t help but think that Otterheart wasn’t right for Reedwhisker.
The three of them had gone hunting that morning, and all she could think about was how Otterheart wasn’t as pretty as she was, and how Otterheart wasn’t as good of a hunter. The brown she-cat seemed to just exist; it was like she was no more than a kit, mewling loudly and begging to be fed. She didn’t seem to be as interested in clan politics even though she should be given his position. Yet somehow, Reedwhisker was enamored with her.
She watched the two of them now, sharing tongues just outside the nursery. The nursery! What could a she-cat like that do with kits? If Otterheart had kits, they’d probably be born without claws or teeth. Annoyed, Minnowtail got to her paws. If Reedwhisker wanted to fawn over Otterheart, she wasn’t going to sit there and watch. Angrily she stalked out of camp, her tail and head held high.
She hadn’t had a particular destination in mind, but her paws carried her upstream. Soon, she could no longer see the camp behind her, and she began to relax. What was she so mad for, anyway?
“Reedwhisker is just a friend,” she meowed firmly. “Just a friend.”
“If that were true, you wouldn’t be here.” Minnowtail nearly leapt out of her fur as she hissed in surprise. Standing in front of her was a cat she didn’t recognize; she was a beautiful silver tabby, strikingly so, but there was something off about her. Minnowtail looked around them; there were no other cats around, and she couldn’t scent anything but RiverClan. There were more trees in this part of her territory; maybe the she cat had been waiting in one of them.
“Who are you?” Minnowtail asked.
“My name is Silverstream,” she meowed. “I was a RiverClan cat, once.”
“Was? Wait, you mean…You’re…”
“A StarClan cat? Yes, I am,” Silverstream meowed. A StarClan cat? Why would a StarClan cat be visiting her? She wasn’t a medicine cat.
“Is this a dream?” Minnowtail asked.
“No, you’re awake. I’m here because you need a little help,” Silverstream’s mew had a touch of fondness in it, but it didn’t comfort Minnowtail. She didn’t need help with anything.
“Help? With what?” Minnowtail meowed, feigning ignorance. Silverstream’s whiskers twitched with amusement.
“Trying to keep secrets is a lot of work, isn’t it? Especially when it involves your heart,” Silverstream meowed.
“I don’t have any secrets,” Minnowtail insisted.
“I once loved a cat, many moons ago. He was a ThunderClan tom; you know him. His name is Graystripe,” Silverstream lamented.
“Graystripe! You were in love with a cat from ThunderClan?” Minnowtail meowed shocked.
“There was a time when I was greatly defensive of it too,” Silverstream meowed, the slightest edge in her voice.
“Sorry, it’s just…why?”
“Have you ever asked why a river flows downward, or why the sunrises? It’s the way things are meant to be, the journey they are meant to take. Asking why is as useless as trying to change it,” Silverstream meowed. “I loved Graystripe, because he was the cat who my heart belonged to. And loving him made my life all the more difficult.”
“What does that have to do with me?” Minnowtail asked, though she already knew the answer.
“Maybe nothing, maybe everything. Perhaps I’m just an old dead cat who wanted someone to talk to. Either way you should listen; there is a lesson to be learned in every cat’s story, regardless of how it applies to you.” Minnowtail dipped her head in acknowledgement, and Silverstream continued. “We chose to pursue a relationship, even though we were from different clans. Graystripe has always been stubborn, and loyal; loyal to his heart, to what he believes to be right. We both knew the consequences of our actions, and we knew that one day, we would have to deal with them. Love is pure, Minnowtail, and should be cherished. But that doesn’t mean you are immune to the backlash it may bring.”
“And what were those consequences?” Minnowtail pressed.
“I died while giving birth to his kits,” Silverstream meowed, her mew framed with sadness. “It was a long time ago. I ended up kitting outside of camp, and I only had Firestar and Graystripe with me.”
“Firestar? He knew?” that surprised Minnowtail even more than the relationshjp; she’d always seen him as Mr. goodypaws, always doing the right thing and being so noble and honorable.
“Friends help you and support you, even when they don’t agree with what you’re doing,” Silverstream meowed. “I wish that I had lived, but I didn’t. It took me awhile to accept that, and not to see it as StarClan punishing me.”
“I thought you said there were consequences to your love?”
“There were, but that wasn’t one of them. I didn’t die because I loved Graystripe, and StarClan didn’t swoop down and kill me. I died because it was my time; but, I at least I got to love the cat who cherished me, and got to see my kits, if only for a moment. And Graystripe did his best with them, and they turned out to be two fine warriors.”
“But doesn’t Graystripe have a new mate now?” there was a flash of something akin to anger in Silverstream’s eyes, but it passed quickly.
“He does. But I’d already adjusted to that possibility before it happened, though it did sting,” Silverstream admitted.
“But how? How can you be okay with him loving another cat?” Minnowtail was surprised with how much she needed to know the answer to that question.
“I love Graystripe because of who he is. And at first, I wanted him to lock his heart away, and at first he did. But the truth is, loving means wanting the one you love to be happy, even if it isn’t with you. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but once you do you’ll learn that the truest act of love is sacrifice,” Silverstream rested her tail on Minnowtail’s shoulders. “And it would have made me miserable to watch him denying himself a life because he was clinging to me, a cat he couldn’t have. My life is over, but his isn’t.”
Minnowtail sighed; she knew what Silverstream was saying, and she could feel the mix of emotions the silver queen still had after all this time. But she had one more question. “Do you regret it?”
“No. Not once.”
Chapter 6
When Minnowtail returned to camp, she knew exactly what she was going to do. She was going to tell him! Silverstream was right; there are always consequences, but they’re worth it when it comes to the cat you love. And she loved Reedwhisker- and now she could admit it. To him, and to herself, she could admit it. And it felt so good! She’d thought that loving Reedwhisker had felt good, but this new feeling that came with her decision to tell him felt even better. She loved him, and maybe he didn’t love her just yet, but she knew he felt something. She hadn’t been imagining things these past few moons.
“Minnowtail,” where had Robinwing come from? Here he was, standing in front of her, gray eyes full of excitement. “Where have you been?”
“Oh I uh…I went for a walk,” Minnowtail told him. It wasn’t a lie, but she didn’t think she should tell him about Silverstream. She had a feeling that encounters with StarClan cats were personal, unless you were a medicine cat.
“I leave you alone for one moment and your already taking walks with other cats?” he teased, gently touching his muzzle to her cheek. “Guess I’m going to have to keep a closer eye on you.”
“I was alone this time,” she meowed, “But next time you might have to watch out.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he purred. He glanced around the camp, and then something in his eyes changed. His mew got a little softer too. “Would you want to go hunting with me?”
“What, now?” Minnowtail asked.
“Well yeah, unless you had to go train with Mossypaw,” Mossypaw! She’d almost completely forgotten about her apprentice. In fact she didn’t even know where she was. “She could come with us.”
“Actually, that sounds great,” Minnowtail told him. “But Mossypaw is busy, so it’ll be just the two of us.”
“You sure you can handle that? I’ve been told my dashing good looks turn she-cats into mewling kits,” Robinwing boasted.
“I don’t know who told you that,” Minnowtail rolled her eyes and swatted him with her tail. “How about we see if you can keep up with me?”
“Oh I’m pretty sure I can, given the way Mossypaw hunts,” he taunted, playfully bumping her shoulder and then darting away.
“Mossypaw is a great hunter!” Minnowtail called out indignantly, giving chase. She followed him out of camp, where he broke into a sprint. She did the same, her paws full of energy as she glided over the grass and into the reeds. He was leading them towards the lake, and she couldn’t wait to feel the cool water soaking her fur.
She caught up to him before they reached the lake, and tackled him to the ground. “Looks like my skills are good enough to catch you.”
“Only because I let you,” Robinwing meowed. With a great heave he threw her off of him, but she regained her footing before she could fall to the ground. She liked Robinwing; being with him was fun. He made her laugh, made it easy to be around him. But he wasn’t Reedwhisker, and now that she’d stopped trying to turn him into Reedwhisker, now that she’d given up pretending like she could want anything more than friendship from Robinwing, she could appreciate his company. “If I hadn’t, you’d be chasing your tail in circles.”
“Why don’t you use your dashingly good looks to catch us some fish.” She meowed joyfully.
…
“Mistystar?” Otterheart peered into her leaders den, more unsure than she was comfortable with. It wasn’t Mistystar that she was unsure about, it was what she needed to talk about.
“Otterheart! Come in,” Mistystar purred. Mistystar’s den was cozy, and Mistystar was sitting in her nest enjoying a fish. She’d grown a lot closer to
Mistystar since she became mates with Reedwhisker, but she was always reminded that she was talking to her leader, especially when she was in here. “What’s going on? You sound worried.”
“I am,” Otterheart admitted. She looked down at her paws, knowing Mistystar would look at her with the same compassionate eyes that Reedwhisker did.
“Sit down,” Mistystar meowed. “What’s going on, Otterheart?” Otterheart was still seriously considering abandoning the conversation all together, but when she looked at Mistystar she knew that it was no use. Mistystar cared about her, and if she knew something was bothering her she wasn’t likely to just let it pass by. Otterheart settled in across from Mistystar and began.
“It’s about Reedwhisker…” Otterheart watched the blue-gray leader’s ears perk up at the mention of his name, “and Minnowtail.” Otterheart stopped for a moment. Mistystar was looking at her, as if she were thinking carefully about what she would say next.
“Oh,” she finally meowed. Oh? Was that all she was going to get from her? “Otterheart-“
“Before you say anything, I don’t think there’s anything going on. And I know he loves me, but when I see them…when I see her…am I crazy, or is there something? That’s all I need to know Mistystar, because it looks like there’s something. I see the way she looks at him. I see how cozy they look together. Do you see it too?” Mistystar closed her eyes for a while, and when she opened them, Otterheart already knew what she would say.
“I don’t think you should be worried, Otterheart, but you’re not crazy either. I see them too,” Mistystar told her, her mew heavy. She could only imagine how uncomfortable this was for Mistystar, but she needed to speak to someone who she knew she could trust. “Have you talked to him about it?”
“No, not yet. I didn’t even know if I should, if there was something to talk to him about,” Otterheart meowed. “That’s why I came to you.”
“Otterheart, he loves you. Another she cat having a crush on him isn’t going to change that,” Mistystar told her, urging her to believe it. If only she could. She wanted to, but doubt was a powerful thing, and over the past few moons it’d worked its way into the back of her mind and continued to grow until she couldn’t bear it anymore. Until she found herself being extra affectionate towards Reedwhisker whenever Minnowtail was around, and having conversations about the kits they might have so that Minnowtail would hear. And then she’d hated herself for doing it, because she wasn’t sure; wasn’t sure if she was just being petty and insecure or if there was really something happening right under her whiskers and she wasn’t seeing it.
“I know, I know. I guess…it’s just…” Otterheart let out a frustrated sigh, laughing at herself. So there was something there, but something there wasn’t the same as something going on, and she couldn’t talk to Reedwhisker about it without looking insecure, especially when the cat she was talking about was Minnowtail. Younger, prettier Minnowtail.
“You want to feel secure again,” Mistystar meowed softly. She got to her paws and touched her nose to Otterheart’s shoulder. “But I think the best thing you can do is talk to Reedwhisker. He is your mate, Otterheart, and you have a right to be heard and respected.”
Chapter 7
“Reedwhisker?”
“Close,” Minnowtail bit back a yowl of surprise when she realized that Mistystar had been the cat to follow her out of the camp. She assumed- wanted it to be Reedwhisker, wanted him to know to follow her even when she didn’t call for him, and she was a little unnerved to be laying by the lake in the moonlight and have her clan leader surprise her. She sat up a little taller, then thought better of it and started to get to her paws.
“Don’t,” Mistystar meowed. “I’ll join you.” Minnowtail moved a little as the lithe she cat settled down next to her. In the moonlight Mistystar’s fur was almost silver, and Minnowtail could only hope that she wouldn’t want to talk. She did.
“I wasn’t looking for-“
“Reedwhisker? You were,” she wasn’t sure what Mistystar’s angle was, but she was wishing more and more that she’d stayed in her nest. “Reedwhisker has a mate, Minnowtail.”
“I know that,” Minnowtail meowed.
“He loves her, really loves her,” Mistystar meowed. Why was she telling her this?
“Mistystar, I’m not really sure what you’re trying to say, or what you think is going on, but I- we, were just friends,” Minnowtail told her.
“I suppose I just like when my clan is stable,” Mistystar meowed. “You can’t always help what you feel-“
“I don’t mean to speak out of place, but I don’t have feelings for Reedwhisker, if that’s what you think. And even if I did, I don’t really see how that’s your business,” she’d expected her to get upset and was surprised when she didn’t. Mistystar gave her a knowing look, and that annoyed Minnowtail to no extent.
“I don’t know if you know this, but my mother was the ThunderClan leader, Bluestar,” Minnowtail’s ears perked up; she vaguely remembered hearing something about it, when she was younger and Stormfur had returned to the clan, but she didn’t actually know it to be true. It was interesting then, to see that Mistystar had too chosen the same path as her mother. Maybe leadership ran in the family.
“My father was Oakheart, a RiverClan warrior at the time. Neither of them ever talked about one another- by the time I found out about Bluestar, Oakheart was already dead, and I’ve only had precious few conversations with Bluestar while she was alive. They both realized that even though they loved each other, they couldn’t be together. Of course they realized that after it was already too late,” Mistystar meowed. She couldn’t really tell how Mistystar felt about all of this, but she was interested in finding out.
“How did you find out?” Minnowtail asked.
“Secrets never stay secret,” Mistystar meowed. “No matter what, eventually they come to the light. The irony was that when I found out about my mother, it was also when a dear friend of mine was engaging in her own secret love affair, that didn’t stay secret either.”
“And what did you do? About your friend, and about your mother?” Minnowtail probed. For a moment she thought she might be getting too personal, but Mistystar had opened the door. If she didn’t want to talk about it, she wouldn’t.
“About Bluestar? There wasn’t much I could do, but it did cause a little trouble for me and my brother, Stonefur. Bluestar was one of the greatest leaders the forest had ever seen, and had she raised us, she might not have gotten the chance. I had to come to terms with my heritage on my own Minnowtail, which meant embracing who my mother was.” She then gazed out at the moon, and her tone changed. “Silverstream was a bit different. I let her make her own choices, which included keeping her secret. But, perhaps if I’d found out about Bluestar before that I would have made a different choice. Maybe I would’ve tried to stop her, or told the clan, but StarClan only knows how that would’ve turned out. We have choices to make Minnowtail, and we are held accountable for what happens because of those choices. That is what I believe.”
Mistystar got to her paws and began to pad back to camp, then stopped. She turned back around, and rested her blue eyes on Minnowtail. “You can’t control how you feel; feelings just are. My mother loved Oakheart, and Silverstream loved Graystripe. We can control what we do about our feelings, and that is what defines the kind of cat we are. You need to decide what kind of cat you want to be Minnowtail.”
Chapter 8
Minnowtail padded back into camp, confusion clouding her thoughts. If Mistystar knew, did that mean Reedwhisker did too? And if he knew, and he hadn’t done anything, did that mean he didn’t share the same feelings? Before she’d spoken to Mistystar everything had seemed so perfect, and loving Reedwhisker seemed like something in the near future for her. Now her future seemed cloudy at best.
“I just don’t know anymore,” she sighed, her tail dragging behind her as she entered the sandy camp. There were few shadows moving around in the night; it was the midnight patrol, ready to head out of camp. They had a purpose, they knew exactly what they needed to do. Doubt wasn’t something she was used to feeling, and she didn’t like what it did to her.
Paws heavy she shoved her way through the bush that was the warrior’s den and made her way towards her nest. She glanced over towards the center of the throng of sleeping cats to where Reedwhisker’s nest was; he was curled up in a tight little ball like always and his tail was just draped over his nose. She watched the steady rise and fall of his flank. He was so beautiful; what should she do? Eventually, she moved on, picking her way through the other cats until she reached her nest. She settled in for a night of sleep, hoping it would be peaceful.
…
Silverstream gazed down into the starlit pool, her heart beginning to ache for the young she-cat. She knew all too well the pain loving another could bring, and it seemed that she was destined to have her heart broken.
“What exactly has driven you to meddle in this young cat’s business?” It was Bluestar, Silverstream realized as she turned her head. The blue-gray leader was padding up to her, head held high. She’d seen her around the RiverClan cats a few times, particularly Stonefur and Oakheart.
“Probably the same thing that has driven you to meddle in RiverClan’s,” Silverstream meowed evenly.
“I guess that’s what drove you to meddle in ThunderClan’s then,” Bluestar retorted. Silverstream rolled her eyes. “This isn’t a productive direction for a conversation, but it can continue.”
“I guess I’m wondering why you’re here,” Silverstream meowed, getting to her paws. She continued to watch the pool beneath her as the images of cats faded and only her reflection remained, until she saw Bluestar’s reflection too as she joined her. Bluestar was a little taller than her, but looking at her reflection she couldn’t imagine how no cat realized she was Mistystar’s mother; the she-cats could be twins.
“Because I’m curious about what you’re doing, Silverstream, and why,” Bluestar told her.
“I’m trying to help my clan,” Silverstream meowed.
“By obsessing over the love life of one she-cat?”
“You know, just because she doesn’t have a prophecy hanging over her head doesn’t mean she doesn’t need our guidance,” Silverstream replied, an edge to her voice. “That may not be the popular opinion around here with all the ultra powerful cats, but it is true.”
“So you think we shouldn’t focus on the three and the rising threat in the Dark Forest?” Bluestar questioned. Silverstream was beginning to realize that Bluestar had never stopped being a clan leader; it was apparent in the way she talked and how she carried herself. For a moment Silverstream thought to back down, but they were all members of StarClan, which meant her voice mattered too.
“Of course we should. But the fate of the clan’s has never rested in the paws of one or two cats; every cat plays a role, and every cat is important. Focusing all your energy on your favorite one’s creates a rift between the rest, one that gives way for darkness to rise- like it has,” Silverstream felt Bluestar stiffen beside her, then she relaxed.
“It seems you’ve grown a little wiser,” Bluestar meowed, a touch of laughter in her mew. “You’re right, but the survival of our clan’s, of us does rely heavily on the survival of the three, and that doesn’t explain why you’ve chosen to focus your attention on this young cat’s heart.”
“Because I know how much that can impact an entire clan,” Silverstream meowed, “Just like you do. The choices she makes can change the future of RilverClan, simply because of the cat she’s fallen in love with. We have both made choices because of the cat we loved that have greatly impacted our clans.”
“Fine,” Bluestar meowed sharply. “If you want to hound this cat, do so; but don’t lie to yourself about it. This isn’t about her; it’s about you.”
“How is that?”
“You look at her and see yourself. You see the choices you made, and the ones you regret. And you wonder what would’ve happened had you had some cat peering over your shoulder, guiding your pawsteps. Neither you nor I had that because it was up to us to make our own choices, and we did. Make sure that you don’t take that from her,” she listened as Bluestar padded away, glad that she’d left without her having to ask.
“She’s wrong,” Silverstream meowed. “I don’t look at Minnowtail and see myself; I look at Minnowtail and see Feathertail.”
…
“Looking for me?” Bluestar was distracted by her thoughts and she hadn’t noticed Oakheart approach, which was unlike her. There was a playful light in his amber eyes, and she eagerly touched noses with him. “I was doing a little hunting with Crookedstar.”
“No I wasn’t. You’re not the only reason I come to this part of the forest,” Bluestar realized she sounded a little harsher than normal, so she pressed her flank against his.
“Really? Since when?” he teased. “I know you don’t come for the fish, and you won’t let me teach you how to swim.”
“It’s not like I need to know it now,” Bluestar pointed out.
“You could learn because it’s fun! You won’t drown- well, you won’t drown again,” Oakheart meowed.
“Oakheart!” she exclaimed, pulling away from him.
“What? That was seasons ago Bluestar! And you wouldn’t have drowned if you’d let me teach you how to swim!” she rolled her eyes at him, and he leaned into her before she could pull away. He nuzzled up against her neck, and she couldn’t hold back the purr in her throat. Even in StarClan, being around Oakheart like this made her feel young and alive, like nothing else in the world mattered.
“Mousebrain,” she muttered, gently butting his cheek with her muzzle. They began to walk through the lush forest where the RiverClan cats liked to dwell, shoulder to shoulder, tail tips touching. She liked a lot of things about Oakheart, more that she’d discovered here in StarClan when she actually had time to get to know him than when they were alive, but what she liked the most- what made her love him was how when she was with him, everything else began to seem easier. Even the threat the Dark Forest posed could seem like nothing more than a thorn in her paw if she spent enough time with Oakheart.
Suddenly she pulled away from Oakheart. There was something she needed to ask him; something that, since they’d given this a try, She hadn’t. But if this was something real, something worth the things they’d both sacrificed, it had to happen.
“I gave up our kits so I could protect my clan,” Bluestar began. She thought about looking away, but she wasn’t nervous or embarrassed, or even ashamed. She looked straight into his bright amber eyes. “I gave up you. To some cats, it was selfless; but to others, it was reckless. Ambitious. What do you think?” she watched his eyes cloud over and he leaned down and gave his chest fur a few licks. As she’d begun to learn Oakheart, she’d seen that he wasn’t one for deep, serious conversations.
“Bluestar, does it really matter?”
“It does. You offered to leave your clan for me, and you were the deputy. But then, I wouldn’t…I didn’t choose you Oakheart. I didn’t choose our kits.”
“Bluestar…I love you. Why are you bringing this up?” he asked, though she knew he didn’t really want to know the answer to that. He wanted to end the conversation.
“Could you just answer the question?” she knew she sounded more like a leader talking to a warrior than a she-cat talking to her mate, but she couldn’t help that.
“We didn’t really talk about it when it happened, Bluestar, so I guess I didn’t know what you were thinking. All I knew was you were pregnant, and I loved you, and then you brought me our kits and never looked back,” Oakheart meowed, reluctant with his words. “I guess…I guess it hurt Bluestar. I thought maybe you just didn’t want any reminders of us, because you didn’t want us. And then you became deputy, and then leader. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together.”
“And did you see a cat who was selfless or a cat who was ambitious and cold?” Bluestar pressed.
“I saw both, Bluestar. I saw the cat I knew, and the things you did. The truth is you did put being leader before being with me, before being a mother. You could have joined RiverClan; we could’ve been together. I guess I don’t hate you for it, but I didn’t- I don’t exactly like the choice you made. I understand why you did it, but I don’t like it.” She was grateful that he had been honest, but knowing how he felt didn’t give her the kind of solace she’d expected. Perhaps he wasn’t the one she needed to be okay with what she did.
“Thank you, Oakheart. I…I did what I thought was right, and if I had to do it over again…”
“I was the deputy too, Bluestar. I get it.” He paused for a moment and looked away. When he looked back, he was back to his old self again. “I do love you Bluestar. Besides, if you had joined RiverClan you would’ve been my deputy, and I don’t think your ego could handle that.”
“My ego? I think that, of the two of us you’re the one with the ego,” she teased. She rested her head on his shoulder. “I love you too, Oakheart.”
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 11, 2017 10:36:46 GMT -5
Chapter 9
The sun was high in the sky as Minnowtail traveled with Mossypaw to a small clearing not too far from camp. She’d been so consumed with her own thoughts that she’d been neglecting her apprentice, and while no cat other than Robinwing had pointed it out, she still felt guilty. So she’d planned to devote the whole day to training with Mossypaw. This morning they’d gone hunting, and now she was taking her for a little battle training.
“Is Troutpaw joining us?” Mossypaw asked hopefully. “We’ve been training together a lot.”
“No, I think she’s on a border patrol with Graymist,” Minnowtail told her.
“What about Rushpaw? He’s the best fighter,” Mossypaw meowed.
“It’s just the two of us this time,” Minnowtail responded. “We haven’t trained one on one in a while and I think it’s long overdue.”
“Well that’s mostly your-“ Minnowtail silenced Mossypaw with a glare, and her apprentice dipped her head apologetically. “Just the two of us. Got it.” Truthfully Mossypaw was right, but Minnowtail wasn’t really interested in hearing about it or the million other thoughts that would pop in her head if she did.
“Besides, I think I could turn you into a better fighter than Rushpaw,” Mossypaw’s eyes lit up at that, and Minnowtail knew that she could. Mossypaw was already better than she gave herself credit for.
“He’d hate that! He loves being able to beat us in battle,” Mossypaw meowed.
“Well you’ll show him just how capable you are,” Minnowtail reassured her. They reached the clearing that Minnowtail suspected had once been of use to twolegs; she remembered seeing the flimsy forest nests they built, and there were rocks on the other side of the clearing and the ground was even and smooth. She padded to the center of the clearing so that she was in front of Mossypaw. Most cats didn’t come here to train, so she knew they would go undisturbed.
“Alright, Mossypaw-“ without warning, Mossypaw leapt at Minnowtail, paws outstretched. Minnowtail was only just able to dodge Mossypaw, but Mossypaw still managed to deal a blow before she skidded to a stop. “What was that about?”
“You once taught me to expect the unexpected,” Mossypaw meowed, her eyes full of excitement. “I thought it applied.”
“It does, but why don’t you try that again? This time, when I dodge, relax your muscles and roll with the fall so you’ll have more control,” Minnowtail advised. Mossypaw narrowed her eyes and a moment later she leapt again; Minnowtail side stepped her again, and watched as Mossypaw clumsily tried to follow her advice.
“Like that?” Mossypaw asked, shaking a few leaves off of her fur.
“You’re getting better; watch me,” Minnowtail meowed. She circled around Mossypaw, never letting her eyes leave her apprentice’s. Minnowtail bunched up her muscles and sprung, and when Mossypaw dodged her initial attack she was already back on her paws, swatting at her apprentice.
“That was pretty nice,” Mossypaw admired.
“The point of the move is to cover your vulnerability. If you just crash to the ground, your opponent will pounce on you. But if you roll with the fall, you’ll be able to get back to your paws as quickly as possible.”
“Okay,” Mossypaw meowed. She watched Mossypaw square up her brown shoulders then she leapt. This time, when Minnowtail dodged her, she rolled smoothly and was already back on her paws by the time Minnowtail was ready to attack her.
“You’ve got it! Now, add a counterattack with it,” Minnowtail told her. This time, when Mossypaw rolled with her fall, she pounced back up, springing at Minnowtail with her paws outstretched, forcing her onto her side.
“You two are looking good,” Minnowtail’s head snapped up as she saw Reedwhisker trotting up to them. Immediately she got up, shaking off Mossypaw to greet Reedwhisker. Ever since she’d spoken with Mistystar three sunrises ago, she’d been avoiding Reedwhisker like a rabbit running from a fox. His apprentice Hollowpaw joined him, making it easier for Minnowtail to focus. The more cats that were around them, the better.
“Reedwhisker,” Minnowtail meowed, dipping her head politely to the deputy, “What are you doing out here? I was just training Mossypaw, and I thought she might benefit from some one on one training.”
“I am the one who showed you this place, remember?” Reedwhisker meowed. “I’d like to see what your apprentice has learned.” He motioned for Hollowpaw to join Mossypaw, and reluctantly Minnowtail allowed it, retreating to Reedwhisker’s side.
“Mossypaw, remember to hit and move!” Minnowtail called out. Mossypaw flicked her ear in acknowledgement, keeping her eyes trained on Hollowpaw’s dark brown fur.
“Mossypaw’s form looks good,” Reedwhisker commented. Minnowtail kept her eyes trained on the apprentices, unwilling to engage with Reedwhisker. Suddenly Hollowpaw sprung, paws out stretched. She watched Mossypaw bunch up her muscles and right before Hollowpaw crashed into her she sprung, carrying the tom out of the air and onto his back. “That was a good move.” One that Minnowtail hadn’t taught her, but she wasn’t going to point that out.
“Yeah,” Minnowtail meowed, moving a little so that Reedwhisker’s pelt was no longer touching her own. She knew he was looking at her, trying to figure her out, but she could only hope that he wouldn’t say anything in front of the apprentices. But then, why wouldn’t he? She was the one who had feelings; she was the one who had something to be ashamed of, not him.
“Is everything ok?” he asked.
“Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be?” Minnowtail meowed, trying her best to sound casual. She still wouldn’t look at him, but she knew he’d narrowed his eyes and flicked his ear, like he always did.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” he pointed out. “We were supposed to go hunting two sunrises ago, and you spent the day collecting moss. Then yesterday, you were supposed to join me on the dawn patrol like we always do, but you slept right through it and sent Mintfur in your place. And now…you’re acting strange. What’s wrong?”
“I- nothing’s wrong, Reedwhisker,” this time she did look at him; why did he have to be so perfect? He was giving her this knowing yet patient look, letting her know that he wouldn’t push her, but he was still there for her.
“Hollowpaw, keep training with Mossypaw,” Reedwhisker ordered. The two apprentices sprung apart, sides heaving, each with the same amount of determination in their eyes. Mossypaw was truly an apprentice to be proud of; she just wished she could take the credit. “Let’s take a walk.”
They didn’t travel far; Minnowtail could still hear Mossypaw and Hollowpaw training, but they were far enough away that they couldn’t be over heard.
“Do you remember when you thought you’d done something to upset me, and I kept acting like nothing was wrong?” he asked, looking into her eyes.
“Yes,” she told him, wanting to break the stare, knowing she couldn’t.
“And then you followed me out of camp and forced me to talk about it. I’d like to think we’re past that stage, Minnowtail. I talk to you about things; we’re friends. Talk to me.”
There it was, that word. Friends. Just friends.
Such a stupid, useless word.
“I’ve just- I guess I’ve just been feeling…” he was watching her, waiting. This could be the moment, couldn’t it? This was a perfectly good moment, or was the moment supposed to be special? Or was it what she had to say that made the moment special? But he was looking at her…and the words shriveled up in her mouth. She had never really thought about it until now, what it would actually be like to look him in the eye and tell him what she felt. But now that she was faced with the opportunity to do so, she didn't.
She thought back to what Mistystar said to her…what kind of cat did this make her? Standing here, telling a cat who had a mate she was in love with him, a cat who’s friendship she took advantage of in an attempt to win his heart. A cat she admired because he was loyal, brave, smart, kind…all the things she would be asking him not to be the second she said I love you, and waited for him to say it back. And what if he didn’t?
What if he really, truly didn't? But no, that wasn't what was important; if I really love him, then I wouldn't try and take something from him- and that's what I'm doing.
“…Like I haven’t been doing a good job as Mossypaw’s mentor.”
“Really? You’ve got to be kidding me Minnowtail; you’re a great mentor!” He told her, his blue eyes full of kindness. “Just look at Mossypaw. Don’t doubt yourself Minnowtail; you’re more than capable as a warrior and a mentor. At least that’s what I believe, even if you don’t.”
“You’re right; I guess I’m just being too hard on myself,” Minnowtail meowed, blinking her thanks to Reedwhisker. He gave her cheek a friendly lick, and then turned to head back.
“Now that that’s settled, let’s get back and make sure they haven’t tried to claw each other to death.”
Chapter 10
“Minnowtail! Minnowtail! Minnnoooowwwwtaiiiillll!” Minnowtail lifted her head and slowly blinked open her eyes, still tired from the midnight patrol. The early rays of dawn crept into the den, highlighting the tortoiseshell warrior currently prodding her shoulder with his paw.
“What, Robinwing?” Minnowtail grumbled, burying her nose deeper into her fur.
“Nothing. I just wanted to say hi,” he meowed. Minnowtail hissed at him, swatting him with her tail. He leaned down and pressed his muzzle into her cheek. “Now get some sleep okay? You’re one great big grumpypaws when you don’t get enough sleep.” She listened to him pad away, probably off to join the dawn patrol.
Robinwing’s idea of affection was his own special blend of annoying and silly, and while she enjoyed the silly side of him, it was moments like this that she could do without. But taking the good with the bad was a part of any relationship, and with Robinwing she didn’t feel any of the anxiety or pressure she used to. Things felt easy and simple with him. She always knew where she stood, and she’d begun to really care for him.
She curled up tighter in her nest of moss and feathers- Robinwing had made her this new one- and willed herself to go back to sleep, hoping for a dreamless rest.
…
“Robinwing!” Robinwing looked towards the camp entrance where Reedwhisker and Icewing were waiting for him. The small white she cat had been the one to call his name, though Reedwhisker seemed to be the one who was impatient. Quickly, Robinwing joined them, not wanting to hold the patrol any longer.
“What kept you? We were supposed to be gone by now; this is the dawn patrol,” there was a knowing glimmer in Icewing’s blue eyes that told she was only teasing him. He glanced back towards the warrior’s den, then to Reedwhisker and Icewing.
“Right. Well let’s go,” Reedwhisker ordered, somewhat awkwardly. He left the camp, and Robinwing and Icewing followed.
“So how is Minnowtail?” Icewing asked as she padded alongside Robinwing.
“Sleeping,” Robinwing told her, stretching his jaws in a small yawn. “Like we should be.”
“You know, all warriors do the dawn patrol,” Reedwhisker meowed over his shoulder. “I’m the deputy, and I do it.”
“Did you ever hear about my idea to have the apprentices do the dawn patrol? Because I think-“
“I think a patrol of only apprentices would get very little done without a warrior to guide them,” Reedwhisker cut in. Robinwing paused and looked at Icewing, confused. Was he imagining things, or was there a hint of hostility coming from Reedwhisker? Icewing merely shrugged her shoulders and kept on, leaving Robinwing to bring up the rear. “Keep up Robinwing; for a cat who doesn’t want to be here, you sure are making it take as long as possible.”
Robinwing muttered something under his breath that would have gotten him stuck fetching mousebile for a moon before trotting up to Icewing’s side. This would be a long patrol of the WindClan border if Reedwhisker was determined to be short with him.
“Hey!” Robinwing called out. He stalked to the border, Icewing at his side. Two WindClan cats, Heathertail and a ginger tom he recognized from the gathering had been hanging too close to the border for Robinwing’s taste, and when he and Icewing approached they both had suspiciously tried to leave. “What are you two doing?”
“In our own territory? Whatever we want,” Heathertail replied hotly.
“Then why were you running away if you were only in your own territory?” Icewing retorted.
“Maybe we don’t like the smell of fish breath before sunrise,” Heathertail sneered. The ginger warrior beside her looked a little concerned about her words, but the protective way he glared at them and flexed his claws showed he wouldn’t abandoned her.
“Big talk from ThunderClan’s kittypets. You sure you don’t want to run to Firestar? We’ll stay here and wait,” Robinwing growled, flexing his claws.
“Heathertail, let it go,” the ginger warrior meowed, glaring at Reedwhisker and Icewing. But she didn’t seem to be willing to budge, and Robinwing certainly-
“What’s going on?” Reedwhisker demanded, stalking stiff legged up to the group of quarrelling cats. “Why are you arguing with a bunch of WindClan cats?”
“Because they were playing by our border,” Robinwing meowed, surprised that Reedwhisker seemed to be angry at him. “Was I not supposed to challenge them?”
“Did they cross the border?” Reedwhisker asked.
“We just wanted to make sure-“ Icewing fell silent as Reedwhisker turned his blazing blue eyes on her.
“We were protecting our borders, like we’re supposed to.” Robinwing stared down the slender deputy. He wasn’t about to back down when they had simply been trying to do their jobs. What was Reedwhisker’s problems.
“Then mark the borders and let’s get back to camp. No more dawdling with them.” Reedwhisker gave them one final glare before turning around and leaving, his neck fur bristling.
“Keep your paws on your side of the border,” Robinwing hissed, doing his best to ignore the mocking in Heathertail’s eyes.
“I’d tell you the same, but it seems like you’d do better on my side.”
…
“Hey,” Robinwing looked up from the silver minnow he was eating to see Icewing, a water vole dangling from her jaws. “Mind if I join you?”
“Not unless you plan on turning into a badger before sundown. Cause I only share meals with cats before sundown,” he told her. She ed her head to the side for a moment, before she realized he was joking.
“Never a dull moment with you around is there?” she meowed, laughing as she settled in next to him. It was sunhigh and the camp was pretty empty; two hunting patrols had just left, and Reedwhisker and Mintfur had taken the apprentices out for an assessment.
“I try my best,” Robinwing meowed cheerily.
“So listen, about earlier…” Icewing began, “How are you doing?”
“You mean Reedwhisker? Ehh, I’m fine. I don’t know what his problem was; if I didn’t know any better I’d say he’d swapped places with a ShadowClan cat,” Robinwing meowed, taking another bite of his fish. He felt Icewing staring at him.
“Really? You don’t know what his problem is?” Icewing asked, shocked. Should he?
“No, I don’t. Why, do you?” Robinwing thought for a moment. “Unless he was upset that I kept you guys waiting. But that was barely more than a few heartbeats.”
“Okay…and why did you keep us waiting?” Icewing meowed, acting as if she were leading him to some great conclusion.
“I was talking with Minnowtail,” Robinwing meowed.
“Do you think he knew that?” Icewing asked.
“I doubt it. Do you think If I’d told him, he would have had a better attitude?” Robinwing asked, unsure that he would. But she seemed to be getting at something, and judging by the blank stare he got he was still missing it.
“Wow. Okay I see I’m going to have to break this down for you. Would you say you’ve been spending a lot of time with Minnowtail lately?”
“Yes.”
“And before that, who did Minnowtail spend a lot of time with?”
“Reedwhisker. But I don’t see…Oh.” Minnowtail. That was the reason Reedwhisker had been cross with him; but that didn’t really make sense either.
“But Reedwhisker has a mate,” Robinwing pointed out, “And nothing happened between them.”
“I’m sure it didn’t Robinwing, but all I know is what I saw. Can you think of another reason why Reedwhisker would act like that?” Icewing asked, and he could guess she knew the answer.
“No, not at all,” Robinwing admitted.
“Minnowtail used to follow Reedwhisker around camp like a lost kit, and the two of them were pretty much always together. And then she started spending all her free time with you, and they’ve barely spoken in a moon. Something changed, and whatever that something was is why Reedwhisker is upset with you,” Icewing explained.
“But that’s stupid. I didn’t do anything to him; and plus, you’re making it seem like they were mates or something, and they weren’t. Reedwhisker has a mate,” Robinwing told her. She rested her tail on his shoulder for a moment.
“Some cats like the attention. Minnowtail is a pretty she cat; how do you feel, now that you have her attention? That’s exactly how he felt, and you’re the cat who took that from him.” Robinwing considered her words for a moment, but something about it didn’t sit right with him.
“I don’t know about that, Icewing,” Robinwing meowed. “It seems…”
“Robinwing, I’m going to give you some advice. Usually, it’s never as complicated as we think it is, as we try and make it. The answer is usually the simplest explanation, even when it’s not the one we like. Don’t over think it; Minnowtail and Reedwhisker had a thing, and now they don’t, and she’s with you. Whether it’s because of you or you just happened to come along doesn’t really matter, because in his eyes it’s the same thing.”
“Robinwing!” he recognized Minnowtail’s mew a second after he smelled her scent; she was coming over to him, having just returned from a little battle training with Pebblefoot.
“Minnowtail,” he purred, his green eyes lighting up. They touched noses, and she playfully licked his cheek before she settled in beside him.
“Icewing,” Minnowtail meowed, flicking her ear at the white warrior. “How was the dawn patrol? Did Robinwing talk your ear off about apprentices leading it?”
“Oh he talked about somethings, but I was mostly focused on keeping the peace,” Icewing meowed coyly. Minnowtail flicked her ears and narrowed her eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“There were WindClan cats at the border, trying to make a fuss,” Robinwing explained quickly. “Heathertail was being particularly thorny- I suspect she needs a good pruning.”
“Hmmp. I never really liked that fleabag,” Minnowtail meowed. She started grooming Robinwing’s fur, causing him to let out a deep, low purr.
“Well if you two would like to be alone,” Icewing meowed, her eyes clearly saying I told you so. She got to her paws as she finished her meal. “You know the clan could always use more kits.”
He watched her walk away, his eyes growing a little heavy under the steady, gentle strokes of Minnowtail’s tongue.
“Have you ever thought about having kits?” Robinwing’s eyes popped open at that.
“Kits? Well…no, not really I guess. Why, have you?” He looked at her, and she had her eyes closed. He looked away from her and saw Reedwhisker return, a throng of apprentices bouncing around him.
“Sometimes,” she finally answered, blinking open her eyes. She was looking at him; but a small thought crossed his mind; with me?
Chapter 11
Robinwing watched Reedwhisker sitting with Otterheart, the two of them sharing tongues as Mistystar sat nearby, speaking with Willowshine. He couldn’t help but think of what Icewing had said; how could Reedwhisker really feel that way? He wasn’t stupid. It wasn’t like he didn’t know that Minnowtail had a crush on Reedwhisker, but he’d never imagined that it could’ve been more than that. And now all he could think about was that there was a real chance that there was something more going on.
Which meant what, that he was some sort of consolation prize? Or worse, that he was a cover for the two of them; parading around camp with him so no cat gets suspicious while she slinks around at night with Reedwhisker. It would explain why she changed how she saw him so quickly- No, Minnowtail isn’t like that. His eyes narrowed to slits as he glared at Reedwhisker.
“Don’t tell me you’re mooning over Reedwhisker too,” Mintfur teased as he joined Robinwing.
“Hmmp. Don’t be a mousebrain,” Robinwing snorted, curling his lip.
“What’s pricking your pelt?” Mintfur asked.
“Nothing,” Robinwing grumbled.
“I thought you’d be in a much better mood since Minnowtail-“
“Where is she?” Robinwing sounded a little more aggressive than he planned to, and forced himself to relax. “I mean, have you seen her?”
“Yeah; she was on a hunting patrol with Graymist and Pebblefoot. They headed upstream,” Mintfur meowed, narrowing his eyes. “Why?”
Robinwing barely heard him; he was already on his paws, racing out of camp. He had to speak with Minnowtail, now.
…
“Good catch!” Minnowtail meowed as Pebblefoot expertly darted his paw into the stream and swatted out a pair of black carpfish.
“Thanks,” Pebblefoot mumbled. Graymist caught a water vole and a shrew, which Minnowtail knew she wouldn’t be eating, but she herself hadn’t caught much more than a sympathetic stare when she missed a trout and fell into the stream. Graymist was off burying her prey, but with Pebblefoot’s catch she felt more than confident they had enough prey to head back to camp.
“The hunting was pretty good today,” Minnowtail commented, shifting on her paws. She sat down and began licking her belly fur. “I didn’t expect the fishing to be so good; but I guess it means things are finally back to normal.”
“What are you to talking about?” Graymist asked, rejoining them. “Looks like you’ve made out well. We can probably head back to camp if you want, Minnowtail.”
“That’s fine with me,” Minnowtail meowed, slowly getting to her paws. Truthfully, she was tired, more so now than she’d been before. She’d been training Mossypaw as hard as she could lately; this was the first time in a while she hadn’t been with her, and it was only because Reedwhisker sent her hunting.
“Minnowtail!” she turned around quickly as Robinwing came racing up to them. He was panting and his eyes looked a little frantic- had something happened?
“Robinwing? What happened? Is something wrong?” Minnowtail asked.
“I- can we have a moment, please?” Robinwing looked from Graymist to Pebblefoot. They looked at her, and she shrugged her shoulders apologetically.
“Fine,” Graymist meowed, tapping Pebblefoot on his shoulder with her tail. “We’ll let you two…talk.” A few heartbeats of pure silence passed after they left; was he not going to say anything?
“Robinwing-“
“What happened between you and Reedwhisker?”
“What? What do you mean- nothing happened, Robinwing,” Minnowtail told him, doing her best not to seem to unsettled. But the truth is she was- they’d never spoken about Reedwhisker; in fact, no one had mentioned him to her besides Mistystar.
“Minnowtail…I’ve been- I guess I accepted…this, us, because I had- have feelings for you. I didn’t really- we didn’t talk about things, how we…became…what we are…” Robinwing sighed, frustrated. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them Minnowtail’s heart almost broke. She couldn’t lie to him; whatever he wanted to know, she would share. He looked into her eyes, and she could see how much he didn’t want to say what he was going to say.
“Did you just have a crush on him, Minnowtail? I didn’t really care before; and I don’t really care now, but it matters. You two were close, and now you never speak, and he’s snipping at me. So did something…happen? I won’t judge you Minnowtail, I promise, but I need to know.”
“Nothing happened between us, Robinwing.” His ears perked up at that; he was relieved, and she could’ve left it at that. But she felt the need to be honest with him- she wanted to. She hadn’t been honest with anyone else, but Robinwing had been there for her through it all, even when he didn’t know what was happening. For that, and for giving her his heart, he deserved her honesty. “But I didn’t just have a crush on him. I…I had feelings for him.” She spoke softly, but she didn’t look away. She watched as his eyes darkened and his shoulders drooped. Watched him realize what she’d said, what it meant.
“And what about him?” Robinwing asked.
“We never talked about it,” she told him. “It’s in the past now, Robinwing.”
“So why don’t you talk to him anymore? Is it because of me?”
“I…because it’s what’s best, Robinwing. There’s nothing there for me anymore,” She didn’t hide how much it pained her to say that, and she hoped Robinwing could understand what she was telling him, what she was trusting him with. What she felt for Reedwhisker…it didn’t matter anymore. She was choosing Robinwing. “I’m happy now, with you. That’s what’s important to me.”
Robinwing was silent for a while; she got the sense that he wasn’t exactly happy, but she knew that he would keep his word and do his best not to judge her. Then she realized it; that’s what love looks like. Acceptance, without judgement.
“Okay,” he said.
“Okay?”
“Yeah. Okay,” he looked like he wanted to be close to her, and she wanted that too; but she knew that right now, he might not be ready just yet. But he is mine, and I can be honest with him, always. I can be with him, always. This is what I hoped for, and now I have it.
Chapter 12
“It’s a nice night out,” this was the second time Reedwhisker had attempted to start a conversation with Minnowtail, and the second time she’d refused to let him in.
“It is,” she meowed evenly, looking straight ahead. They were strolling through the forest, following the large stream that fed into the lake deeper into the wooded part of their territory. And it was a nice night; the moon was still full from the gathering the other night, and the stars were shining brightly. It wasn’t too cool, and the grass was a little damp from the rain earlier in the day. But she was tired, and this stroll through the forest was proving to be more than she’d anticipated.
“I know we don’t do this anymore, Minnowtail, but I’d at least expect you to I don’t know; try,” Reedwhisker meowed. He stopped walking and turned to face her. “And why is it that we don’t do this anymore?”
“Reedwhisker, is there a reason why you asked me out here?” Minnowtail asked.
“I wanted to congratulate you,” Reedwhisker meowed. “We may not talk anymore, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.”
Minnowtail looked down at her belly. “Thank you.” She didn’t really know what to say; there was a time when she’d thought, wished that her belly would be full of Reedwhisker’s kits. Not that she still felt that way, but it was hard not to think about those times.
“So, how are you adjusting to life as a queen?” Reedwhisker asked. Why was he always so good at relaxing her? She wanted to keep up this aloof front that had kept her feelings in check and helped her finally dismiss them, but being with him alone was making it hard.
“Fine, I guess,” he stared at her with those bright blue eyes, waiting, expecting her to…try. She caved. “I never thought about how much being a queen meant having every cat fussing over you. When it isn’t Willowshine popping in every few heartbeats, it’s every cat in the clan treating me like an invalid or staring at me non-stop, wanting to see how the kits are coming along.”
“You know I remember a Minnowtail who liked attention,” Reedwhisker teased.
“Well I’ve changed a lot since then. I’d never thought I would miss training Mossypaw as much as I do,” Minnowtail meowed.
“Miss training Mossypaw? Oh you really have changed haven’t you?”
“Funny, you’re a funny cat now huh?” Minnowtail meowed, rolling her eyes and swatting him with her tail. “I’m a great mentor.”
“You know you were so-so at first, but I have to say I’ve been watching you and her, and you’ve really turned it around,” somehow that meant more to her than any of the number of congratulations she’d received on being pregnant.
“You know, I never really got why cats would congratulate you on having kits. It doesn’t take any special skill,” Minnowtail meowed.
“Well, I guess because kits are good news. It’s good for the clan, and good for you and your mate,” Reedwhisker suggested.
“That makes sense,” Minnowtail meowed thoughtfully.
“I spoke with Otterheart the other day about having kits. She said she doesn’t think she’d make a good mom,” Reedwhisker meowed.
“Of course she will. I thought the same thing at one point too; it’s normal to be nervous,” that was a first for her; she and Reedwhisker had never really talked about Otterheart. Perhaps this was a sign that things were fine between them; that she was really over him. I’ve changed so much; maybe I’m ready to be his friend- really be his friend.
“That’s what I told her. I think that as long as you love your kits, you’ll be a good parent even when you make mistakes. Even when you do the wrong things, you’ll have done them because you love them and want the best for them. That’s what really matters,” Minnowtail felt a wave of happiness wash over her. He was right.
“You know, this is what I missed the most about talking to you, Reedwhisker. You always know what to say, you always think so deeply about things,” Minnowtail told him.
“So why did we stop?” Minnowtail let out a long breath.
“Reedwhisker-“
“No Minnowtail, don’t Reedwhisker me. Answer me. I really want to know, Minnowtail. One minute we were friends and the next you couldn’t stand the sight of me. That hurt Minnowtail. I miss being around you too, but you were the one who avoided me and refused to look me in the eye.” Now this was familiar; staring into Reedwhisker’s eyes, him waiting for an answer, and she unable to give him one. She thought about the conversation she’d had with Robinwing almost a moon ago. She’d been honest with him, and he accepted it. But right now, she didn’t feel right about giving Reedwhisker that same kind of honesty. He wasn’t that cat for her anymore, and maybe he’d only ever been in her dreams, but she knew that he would never be. And that’s okay.
“I guess I just needed some space, Reedwhisker. I needed to figure somethings out,” she hoped that would be enough for him, because it was all she intended to say about it. She gave him a stern stare to drive that point home, but it didn’t seem to phase him.
“Well, I guess I’m going to have to take that for now huh?” he meowed. “I mean all that really matters is that I’ve got my little buddy back.” Quickly he touched his muzzle to her cheek; it was only a moment, but for her, it was a moment too long. She couldn’t help but feel a twinge when he touched her, but that was normal, right? It didn’t mean anything; this was a cat she’d once loved after all. It’d be weird if she didn’t.
“So I’ve been thinking about adding a twoleg watch patrol,” Reedwhisker told her. They began the walk back to camp, now more relaxed than when they’d left.
“Why? Are you considering becoming a kittypet?” Minnowtail teased.
“Not at all. But ever since the lake came back, the twolegs have been getting in the way. I’d like to know what parts of the forest they frequent, and if they’re growing in numbers,” Reedwhisker meowed.
“That sounds like a good idea, but I don’t think the patrol should be big. Maybe two warriors at the most,” Minnowtail replied. “Otherwise, it might draw too much attention.”
“I was also thinking about adding a night hunting patrol in the meantime. Twolegs are never active at night, so our cats can hunt in piece,” Reedwhisker continued.
“Don’t you think that might be a lot at once?” Minnowtail asked. “It’s a good idea, but with me in the nursery and Beetlewhisker taking on Mossypaw’s training, adding two new patrols might be stretching-“
“Hush!” Reedwhisker hissed. The hair along his spine was bristling and his lips were drawn back in a deathly snarl. Bewildered, Minnowtail whipped her head around…on the passing breeze she caught it; the stench of fox. “Minnowtail, run.”
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 11, 2017 10:37:12 GMT -5
Chapter 13
“I’m not running,” Minnowtail hissed. She unsheathed her claws and stood her ground, right beside Reedwhisker. She was a warrior too; she would fight. And there was no way she was leaving him to fight a fox alone.
“That’s an order Minnowtail; go, now!” the wicked beast slithered from between two holly bushes on the other side of the stream. Its cruel, black eyes locked onto them, and a sickening deep growl broke the silence of the night. She saw the fox’s stained, cracked teeth as it bared its fangs at them; she was scared, but she wasn’t leaving.
“Minnowtail, this is not the time to be brave,” Reedwhisker told her, placing himself between Minnowtail and the fox. She thought about running- maybe they both could run; the camp wasn’t far-
“Fox dung!” Reedwhisker snarled. The fox charged at them, crossing the stream in a few strides. She was surrounded by the overwhelming stench of fox, so much so that it sent waves of pain through her belly.
“Reedwhisker!” she screamed frantically. The fox was all over him, its vicious claws slicing into Reedwhisker’s hindleg. It didn’t slow him down; he rolled out of the way and was back on his paws, slicing at the fox’s muzzle. A large black paw swatted Reedwhisker on his side, and the fox turned on him.
“No!” she couldn’t watch him die; she raced clumsily to the fox and threw herself at it. She was slashing her claws wildly, determined to feel them tear through the thick ginger fur and slice the soft skin beneath. She sunk her fangs into whatever flesh was closest to her, but her hold was loose; the fox shook her off and she hit the ground with a hard thud. She tried to get back to her paws, but she was winded and in pain, so much pain…it was radiating throughout her body, so strong, so powerful that she could barely open her eyes.
“Minnowtail!” her eyes flitted open and she saw Reedwhisker; he was up again, straddling the fox’s back with his front claws lodged in its shoulders and his fangs tearing into its ear. It thrashed back and forth wildly, jaws snapping at air as it tried to shake Reedwhisker off. “Get to camp!” he yowled.
She was able to get to her feet, but she didn’t go to camp; she felt a little light headed, but she was determined not to abandon Reedwhisker. She could never forgive herself if she did. She mustered up whatever energy she could and charged at the fox. She was going to show it just how sharp her claws were- suddenly she was skidding, sliding, crashing to the ground. She slipped on a patch of blood; all she could smell was blood, so much blood. She lay on her side again, flanks heaving.
“Minnowtail!” his voice sounded closer. She looked up and there he was, racing to her side, blue eyes wide with fear.
“I’m-“ another wave of pain rocked her body and she clenched her eyes shut, doing her best not to scream.
“StarClan no,” Reedwhisker breathed. She opened her eyes again and saw him placed firmly between the fox on her. But he was bleeding from his leg and his flank, and his fur was matted and wild. She could no longer keep her eyes open. She fought hard, but she kept slipping in and out of consciousness; she caught a glimpse of Reedwhisker slashing at the fox’s hind quarters, then she saw him again, laying on his side. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the fox coming towards her.
“No,” she mumbled, trying again to stand. If she were going to die here…
A yowl split the air; “Help,” her voice was feeble, but maybe she would make it…
A long legged black cat had joined the battle; Reedwhisker. He’s back on his paws. Thank Star….
…
“Mmmhmm,” groggily, Minnowtail sat up in her nest- no, this isn’t my nest. Where am I? She looked to her left and saw a pool of water amongst the roots of a bush, and she could smell the husky scent of herbs. Her eyes were still heavy, but she tried to focus; why was she in the medicine cat’s den? Her mind was cloudy as she grasped at fleeting memories. Then she was aware of another body close to her; a clump of black fur. Reedwhisker! Oh StarClan no, what happened to him? Things began to come back to her in pieces- a black cat with green eyes, a fox, making up with Reedwhisker-
“My kits!” she exclaimed. She hadn’t realized it, but she wasn’t pregnant anymore; she must’ve given birth, but where were her kits? She leapt to her paws but she stumbled; she still hadn’t fully recovered. She looked down at Reedwhisker in the mossy nest; he hadn’t stirred. She could see a long wound running the length of his flank covered in cobwebs and herb poultices. “He saved me.”
“Reedwhisker?” Minnowtail looked up from where she stood and saw Otterheart peering into the den. The brown she cat locked her eyes with Minnowtail’s and they instantly filled with more hatred than she’d ever seen. “Get away from him.” She snarled, stalking over to Reedwhisker.
Minnowtail backed away quickly. Normally she wouldn’t be afraid, but she knew there was no way she was Otterheart’s favorite cat, and she could guess Otterheart blamed her for what happened to Reedwhisker.
“I should go,” Minnowtail meowed weakly.
“No.” the forcefulness had left Otterheart’s mew, but the resentment hadn’t. The amber eyed she cat glared at her. “You did this to him. To me. You took him from me.”
“I didn’t…Otterheart I- I don’t know what you’re-“
“You killed him! You killed him! How could you do this? I thought-you took him from me and then you tossed him aside and then you killed him! What kind of sick, twisted cat are you?” Otterheart wailed, so distraught that Minnowtail was unable to respond. “You took everything from me!”
“I-“
“You took everything from me!” Minnowtail fell silent again as Otterheart stared her down, her neck fur bristling. “And what’s worse- you don’t even care. I thought you at least cared. I thought he at least meant something. But you took him from me and you played with him and then when you were done you handed him back like he was a piece of prey you’d let the kits practice hunting on. Kits…he gave you kits, Minnowtail…” Otterheart collapsed on the floor, pressing her muzzle into Reedwhisker’s fur as she sobbed. Minnowtail didn’t dare try and comfort her; she wanted to leave, but Otterheart was in the way. Where was Mothwing?
“Reedwhisker isn’t the father of my kits,” Minnowtail meowed softly. Slowly, Otterheart raised her head.
“Do you even think Minnowtail? Do you? Or are you just so consumed with your own perfect little world that you actually think no one else matters and no one else can see what you do? What kind of cat are you? I am his mate- his mate. Why would you want to take that from me? You could have had any tom you wanted in any clan, but you set your eyes on the one that belongs to me. And then instead of loving him, you destroyed him. Why would you do that? What was in it for you?” Minnowtail didn’t know how to answer, but she doubted that anything she said would matter to Otterheart anyway. She’d never seen any cat this upset, but what’s more…she was right.
“I’m sorry.”
“What?”
“I said I’m sorry, Otterheart.” Otterheart fell silent, waiting for Minnowtail to continue. “But nothing happened- my kits are not his kits. Reedwhisker would never betray you, Otterheart. He loves you, and only you. I crossed a line, and I know that, and I’m sorry. Reedwhisker risked his life to save me because he is a brave, kind cat, the same way he would for any of his clanmates. But he loves you, Otterheart.”
Otterheart stared vacantly at Minnowtail. She stared for so long that she wasn’t sure the she cat had heard a word she said, but she seemed to have calmed down considerably. Carefully, Minnowtail picked her way around Reedwhisker and his mate, and left the medicine cat’s den. She needed to be with her kits.
Chapter 14
The sight of her kits was perhaps the most comforting thing she’d ever seen; even more, knowing that she could have lost them. They were beautiful, tiny, precious; they were hers. Three perfect little kits, and now she was able to mother them.
She’d spent two sunrises in the medicine cat’s den before her argument with Otterheart, and one more after it. That was almost a quarter moon ago now, and Reedwhisker was still recovering from his injuries. She’d popped into visit him when she could, but her kits needed her; she spent almost all of her time in the nursery protecting them.
Robinwing hadn’t left her side either, aside from his clan duties. He’d made himself a temporary nest in the cozy nursery so that he could be close to her and their kits. No cat said anything; she doubted they would, given what happened to her and how terrified he was because of it, and how much she knew he blamed himself. It wasn’t his fault, and when RiverClan came to save them he was leading the charge. That of course didn’t matter, because in his eyes he’d failed to protect that which was precious to him.
Surprisingly that made her love him even more; made her realize that she did love Robinwing. It wasn’t something she’d considered before, or even expected to happen. In the back of her mind, a small part of her longed for Reedwhisker and told her that Robinwing was just a way to pass the time. But that wasn’t true, hadn’t been true for a while, and only now was it clear that she did love him.
He was asleep now, and so was Mosspelt who’d nursed her kits for the first few days. She was thankful and envious for that, but it happened, and that couldn’t be changed. Their kits were asleep too; the little tortoiseshell she-kit they’d named Brightkit, and the two toms Darkkit and Willowkit, one dark gray and the other a silver tabby.
“Sometimes, I wonder if I would have had a family if I’d been given the chance,” Minnowtail looked up from her kits quickly, fangs already bared to find a pair of kind stary blue eyes staring down at her. Silverstream. No- not Silverstream- she looks a lot like her. Why are so many StarClan cats visiting me?
“Who are you?” she asked, relaxing. Whoever she was, she knew the she-cat meant her no harm.
“Feathertail,” she told her. “I was a RiverClan cat a little before you were born.”
“You were the she-cat who died in the mountains with the other journeying cats,” Minnowtail realized. “Thank you for finding this home for us.”
“I only did what I was called to do; there was no bravery in my actions,” Minnowtail was surprised that this cat was humble; she hadn’t gotten that vibe from Silverstream. “And I would do it again, always.”
“You would die again?” Minnowtail asked. “Do you know a cat named Silverstream?”
“She is my mother,” that made sense. “And yes, I would. I died saving the cat I loved, and I would always do it again.”
Minnowtail thought for a moment. Would she die to save Robinwing? She’d almost died to save Reedwhisker, risked the life of her own kits in the process; but if it’d been Robinwing, would she have done the same?
“How do you know? I know it wasn’t something you actually thought about before it happened, and after…well there’s no point in being bitter about the things that have happened, because you can’t undo them. How do you really know you would make the same choice, knowing the outcome?”
“You over think things, Minnowtail,” Feathertail rested her tail on Minnowtail’s shoulders. “Love is a balancing act; when you love someone, you would do anything, risk anything, give anything to keep them safe; and if they really love you, they would stop you. If Crowfeather had known before what was going to happen, he would have stopped me, just like if the roles were reversed I would stop him.”
“Crowfeather? The rude WindClan warrior who ran off with Leaf- sorry,” Minnowtail stopped herself, remembering how she’d annoyed Silverstream with a similar reaction. “What I meant to say was-“
“Crowfeather can be difficult,” Feathertail agreed, a soft purr in her mew. “But even still, there are those who can find the love underneath it. As for Leafpool…I can only hope that he found happiness with her, however brief. Crowfeather was always so unhappy; he too, over thought things.”
“So would you have runaway to be with him?” Minnowtail asked.
“I died to protect him; I’d like to think I would have runaway to be with him,” Feathertail meowed. “Minnowtail, you’re a new mother and recovering from your injuries. I won’t hold up much of your time.”
“Right. Why are you here?”
“StarClan are often vague; I am not. You want to know if your feelings for Reedwhisker have disappeared; they haven’t. If you ever truly loved him, a part of you always will.”
“Are you saying that I don’t love Robinwing?” Minnowtail wondered. “Because I don’t think that is true- at least, I don’t want that to be true.”
“Our hearts do not belong to any one cat,” Feathertail meowed. “It is possible, normal to love more than one cat. Your feelings for Reedwhisker say nothing about your feelings for Robinwing.”
“That’s not very helpful,” Minnowtail pointed out. “I still don’t know-“
“You do know. You’ve always known how you feel. When you risked your life to save Reedwhisker, you did it because you loved him. And when you started a family with Robinwing, you did that because you love him. We often differentiate between loving another and being in love with them, and that is accurate. We fall in and out of love so frequently, Minnowtail. You’ve fallen out of love with Reedwhisker, as cats often do. The way Crowfeather fell out of love with me.” Unlike her mother, Feathertail seemed to be at peace with the end of her relationship with Crowfeather. She found that surprising, given she’d died to save him; as far as Minnowtail was concerned, the least he could do would be to continue loving her.
“And Robinwing?”
Feathertail chuckled. “Don’t over think it. You can’t see things clearly when it comes to Robinwing because you haven’t found a way to be honest about your feelings for Reedwhisker. So a part of you is still clinging to that hope, and that hope is being fed by the unknown. Answer the question Minnowtail. Tell your truth, and you’ll know all the things you want to.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Minnowtail began. “I don’t want to cause trouble.”
“It’s a little late for that don’t you think? There are certain things we have to do for ourselves in order to grow. It’s time, Minnowtail. Time for you to grow. Time for you to move on. I know it scares you, but that’s what makes it worth doing.” Minnowtail watched the StarClan cat fade from the nursery. She appreciated everything she’d said, but telling Reedwhisker? She looked at her kits, and then at Robinwing. If I tell Reedwhisker, everything changes. Am I ready for that?
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 11, 2017 10:37:29 GMT -5
And now presenting....![]() ![]() The Lost Apprentice
Excerpt number 1
They’re after me! How quickly she’d become the hunted. This part of the forest was unyielding to her pawsteps and unfamiliar to her, and the thick canopy above offered little light in the black night. She’d started this hunt thinking she’d had power, and now she knew what it felt like to be powerless.
She ran as fast as she could, hyper aware that she had no idea who was after her or how many there were. She tried to be cautious of her pawsteps, but it was next to impossible not to leave a trail, or to even find a clear enough path to travel. The underbrush grew freely here, and the bushes were tall and spiked with thorns that tore at her fur. She could hear the other cats out there, somewhere, looking for her and she knew that if she were caught, it would come at a deathly cost.
How had she ever felt safe? She didn’t know these cats, but they were seasoned at this, claws sharpened on the bones of the ones they’ve slain. But she couldn’t think about that; she didn’t have time. How could any cat have ever survived this hunt? Her blood was roaring in her ears and her heart pounded a thousand times faster than it ever had, but even that wasn’t enough to ensure her survival. She’d felt shut out by StarClan for so long; but now, she hoped that, even if this were the only time, they trickle down even the smallest blessing.
She could hear pawsteps thudding behind her; but all she could scent was cat. She couldn’t tell who it was- friend or foe? But no, she had no friends here. They would all tear into her fur until there was nothing left.
“Fox dung!” she hissed. Fear driving her steps, she’d barreled into a throng of foliage and now her hind leg was caught, cruelly wrapped up in the thorns. They dug deeper into her leg the more she struggled, and she fought wildly, thrashing her leg back and forth and swinging her front claws desperately trying to free herself.
Someone’s coming! She fought harder, slashed recklessly, tugged so hard that she no longer cared how much it hurt, so long as it freed her- and with a snap, she was free! She tumbled to the ground, and her leg was bleeding, but she was free! She got to her paws, but it was too late…eyes, glowing eyes…lashing tails…the shadows were alive, and it was too late…there was no escape, no surviving the hunt…
Excerpt number 2
“Zega? Who is Zega?”
“He’s our leader,” Darkeyes seemed to change as soon as he said his name. There was a touch of fondness that she found weird; was he related to him?
“Really? How come I’ve never met him?” Copperpaw asked, eyes fixed on her tortoiseshell friend.
“He lives in the barn that way,” Darkeyes pointed with his tail in the opposite direction of the place they’d been making camp.
“Wait- your leader doesn’t live in the same camp as you?” she’d assumed that they were just a group of rouges, but having a leader they didn’t share a camp with was bizarre to her. “How come he doesn’t live with his cla- cats?”
“Some cats do live in the barn with him,” Darkeyes told her. “He wants us to be safe, so he suggested we live in small groups in the area this side of the river. That way we can look out for each other.”
“But why don’t all of you live in the barn with him? The barn at the horseplace is plenty big; is the barn too small?” Copperpaw asked.
“Well I don’t think so-“
“You don’t think so? Have you ever been inside the barn?”
“I don’t have a reason to go inside,” Darkeyes meowed. This was weird, and not just the way they did things here. Darkeyes was usually thoughtful, but since they’d started talking about Zega it was almost like she was speaking to a different cat. “When we want to speak with Zega, we do so outside of the barn. He addresses us from a perch above the entrance. But he comes to see us often, Copperpaw. He’s always in the forest.”
“I’ve been here four sunrises and I’ve never seen him,” Copperpaw pointed out.
“Would you like to? I’m sure he’s at the barn; he usually is around sunhigh so that he can help the cats who live here.”
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 13, 2017 7:01:14 GMT -5
Tell me what you think!
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 16, 2017 8:18:18 GMT -5
some feedback would be awesome guys! Do you like it? I have more to post
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 19, 2017 20:01:27 GMT -5
Chapter's 4 & 5 are posted!!!
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jul 22, 2017 16:39:00 GMT -5
Would it be possibly to deepen or lighten the text color? As it is, it is a little hard to read. ^^'
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 22, 2017 18:09:56 GMT -5
Would it be possibly to deepen or lighten the text color? As it is, it is a little hard to read. ^^' Sure. I wasn't sure how it would read as the color it was, and trying to get the colors to match was next to impossible anyway (I could always tell the difference) So i was thinking about changing it |
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jul 22, 2017 23:28:16 GMT -5
Oh yes, the color it is now is a lot better. Thank you! And I'll be reading this, so keep up the good work.  |
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 23, 2017 13:19:34 GMT -5
Thanks! I like to keep you guys two chapters behind, so as soon as i finish chapter 9, I'll be posting 6&7!! 6 was fun to write, as it's the first from another cats perspective
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jul 23, 2017 14:40:04 GMT -5
Oh cool! I wish I could do that. I start out with a lot of pre-written chapters, but somehow the backlog disappears too fast. ^^'
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 23, 2017 15:13:29 GMT -5
Usually I don't do it like that- I typically post chapters as they are written, but I wanted to try something different. That way if I wanted to change something in the story, I had more room to do so
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jul 23, 2017 20:28:50 GMT -5
That is true and it's a very good idea. To bad I can't seem to pick up the habit for doing that with anything other than my comic. XP
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 24, 2017 15:26:32 GMT -5
You write a comic? What's it about?
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jul 24, 2017 22:52:39 GMT -5
(Advertisements: wcrpforums.com/thread/19171/update-7-18 ) It's about a small group of cats, half of them cursed. It's about a cat in the present trying to unravel secrets from the past that are effect her life. It's told from many different points of view, sometimes the 'evil' characters. |
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 25, 2017 15:44:35 GMT -5
I started reading it; it seems pretty interesting! I like that they're living in a world where humans have dissapeared
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jul 26, 2017 0:23:44 GMT -5
Oh thank you very much!  I'm glad you like it. Thanks to a break in my busy day, I've gotten to sit down and start reading this. It is beautifully written, keep up the good work! |
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jul 26, 2017 20:17:25 GMT -5
Ohh, I'm really loving this story. |
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 26, 2017 20:47:03 GMT -5
Thanks! I thought that it'd be interesting to hear from his mate in all of this.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jul 26, 2017 21:46:56 GMT -5
Yes, yes agreed. It's very cool to read about this plotline.  |
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 27, 2017 17:31:58 GMT -5
Thanks! This story will probably be 12-14 chapters max; it's the first in a series of short stories I intend to write about mostly background characters from the series, so I'm absolutely open to suggestions as to whom I should write about next
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jul 27, 2017 23:42:53 GMT -5
Ooo! That sounds like it is going to be so fun!
know they were basically only mentioned in the allegiance, but I've always wanted to hear stuff about Copperpaw.
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 28, 2017 14:31:09 GMT -5
Copperpaw huh? Well i checked the warriors wiki, and there's like nothing there. But nothing there means there's a good story to write! I'm thinking The Lost Apprentice would be the title. Maybe an adventure, that explains what happened to her.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jul 28, 2017 16:23:40 GMT -5
Yeah, I know. >.< Which is why I find her so attractive to include in a story. I want to know so badly what happened to a cat that didn't really turn up.
That would be cool!
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 28, 2017 17:11:21 GMT -5
Alright well challenge accepted! I will put on my thinking cat and give you something worth reading
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Post by Sea Drops by a Bird on Jul 28, 2017 17:50:58 GMT -5
I just realized I typed cat instead of cap  unintentional pun! |
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jul 28, 2017 17:52:51 GMT -5
I had to.  |
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I'm glad you like it.
