Flamepaw's Quest

Chapter 26

            Flamepaw awoke the following morning, at first forgetting all about what had happened the past day. Then, she saw the curled body of Tigerkit sleeping soundly next to his mother, and she was filled again with guilt as she thought of Clawkit and Leopardkit, two kits she could not save.
            Despite her disinterest in food, her stomach was growling quite loudly, and she noticed that Tornface was walking towards the group of cats with three large rabbits for them to share. She licked her lips, rising to greet him.
            Tornface, though he did not look as somber as Zebrafur, still looked down sadly as he padded towards them. Flamepaw, realizing this, paused as she approached him, then sat back down.
            "Good morning," she spoke quietly, turning to see the others still sleeping soundly.
            "Good morning," Tornface sighed. "I caught us breakfast."
            "That was very kind of you," Flamepaw responded, biting into a rabbit he pushed towards her. Zebrafur awoke moments later, and soon, Tornface was sharing a morning meal with his family.
            Flamepaw looked down sadly, feeling as if the trouble they were going through was entirely her fault. She shouldn't have suggested digging those rocks. But then again, how would have the others escaped?
            Flamepaw sighed and left the rest of her rabbit for some other cat to enjoy. As Goldstar and the others began to rouse, Flamepaw padded over to Tornface and Zebrafur.
            "I-I wanted to apologize for yesterday," she spoke, choking back tears. Her eyes stung from fresh tears as she once again thought of the two loving kits. "It-it was never my intention for any of this to happen."
            "Don't blame yourself," Zebrafur sniffed. "Tigerkit is still alive and well."
            "B-But Clawkit...did Tornface tell you?" Flamepaw choked.
            "Clawkit's death was not your fault," Tornface responded solemnly. "Quit blaming yourself. You're only a young apprentice. This must be hard on you."
            Flamepaw nodded, holding her tears back as she noticed Goldstar looking over at her with curiosity. She couldn't show weakness in front of her own leader.
            "It's been hard," Flamepaw admitted.
            She glanced back over at the others, watching Rosepettle and Neko share the rest of her rabbit while Runningkit, Snowheart, and Goldstar nibbled on the other. Flamepaw sighed and turned back around, hunching her shoulders sadly. She wanted nothing more than to return home. The emotional toll of the quest was too much to handle.
            But Gingerkit told me I had to protect Goldstar, and Korosu is still a threat, Flamepaw reminded herself.
            "Hey, who wants to get out of this place?!" Snowheart offered.
            "We'd love to, but there's no way!" Rosepettle exclaimed. "It'll take days."
            Tornface was about to speak when Snowheart grinned to herself. She barely seemed to be in pain anymore, and Flamepaw noticed her leg wound was nearly gone. How could she heal so fast?
            "That's what you think," she purred.
            And then, to Flamepaw's surprise, white feathery wings arose from Snowheart's shoulders, stretching into the sky.
            "WHAT IN STARCLAN'S NAME ARE YOU?!" Zebrafur screeched, amazed.
            Flamepaw's eyes widened with mystery. If only she'd known Snowheart had possessed all these amazing powers earlier. She'd never really thought of the she-cat so much before the quest.
            Snowheart smiled, amused by Zebrafur's shock. "I was given magical powers by StarClan. I promise they're not evil. You shouldn't have to be scared."
            Tornface eyed Snowheart with suspicion, then approached her. "You can take us out of here?"
            "I think so," Snowheart nodded, glancing at her long wings. "We'll have to hold on tight though. Flamepaw, climb on my back. I'll hold Tigerkit by the scruff. The others can grab onto my legs."
            Not so sure about this idea, Flamepaw hesitantly climbed onto the she-cat's back and dug her claws into Snowheart's fur, grasping tightly onto the she-cat.
            The others obeyed Snowheart's olders and held on tight. Flamepaw laughed to herself as she saw Zebrafur wincing.
            "Off we go!" Snowheart shouted.
            In one swift motion, her wings propelled them through the air. Flamepaw was amazed, watching as the wind soared past her. She held on tighter, listening to the shrieks of the cats holding onto Snowheart below.
            In a matter of minutes, they were flying away from the canyon and back towards the forest where they had left. Flamepaw watched as they dissolved into a thick cloud of fog, and when they broke free, she found herself back at the cliff at the edge of the woods.
            Snowheart slowly landed, her paws touching the cliff lightly. She herself looked exhausted as she panted heavily.
            Flamepaw climbed off the she-cat's back, simply amazed. The others were still recovering from the journey up, looking as if they were going to be sick.
            "That was amazing!" both Flamepaw and Tigerkit chimed in unison.
            Snowheart, looking tired, smiled weakly. "Thank you," she spoke as her wings retracted, making it seem as if she had never had them in the first place. "But it's taken up a lot of my energy."
            "Are you still able to walk?" Goldstar asked, rising to her feet. "It's time we make our way back."
            Snowheart tested out her paws, then nodded.
            Flamepaw, happy to be returning, began to trot back into the woods with the group of cats. Flamepaw was thrilled to be away from the terrible canyon, and all she hoped now was that StarClan granted them a safe trip back, with no unexpected visits from Korosu...
            As she padded through the woods, however, an unfamiliar scent caught her nose. At first, she thought nothing of it, suspecting it to be the wind bringing scents nearby. As she glanced around the forest, admiring the tall pine trees and dense bushes, she realized this forest was quite unfamiliar and most likely had a different scent.
            At the sound of a bush rustling, however, she froze, turning to face the bush where the noise had come from.
            "Something wrong?" Rosepettle asked, noticing Flamepaw had stopped in her tracks.
            "I-I thought I heard something," Flamepaw admitted, continuing to walk along. The sound came again though from a nearer set of bushes, and she feared they were being followed.
            "I-I think someone's there," Flamepaw whispered to Rosepettle.
            Rosepettle froze, her eyes widening. "You don't think it could be—"
            Flamepaw gulped, her eyes wide with fear. She shrugged, praying it would not be Korosu. Before any cat had time to warn the others, a cat burst out of the bushes in a hurry. Flamepaw shrieked, at first believing it to be Korosu, but then, she realized this cat certainly was not the evil she-cat.
            This cat was a dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes. He had cuts and scratches all over his body, and his eyes were red as if he had not slept in days. He was young, an apprentice, Flamepaw guessed. He saw the cats and froze, panting heavily.
            "S-Sorry," he stammered. "I didn't mean to frighten anyone."
            "Who are you?" Flamepaw wondered, not seeing the tom as a threat.
            "Barkpaw," he replied.
            Tigerkit curiously approached the tom and began to sniff his leg. Then, he turned back to his mother, saying, "Hey, Mom! Come check this cat out!"
            The others soon turned around and approached Barkpaw, leaving the tom to feel awkward as he became surrounded by the group of cats.
            "I'm Flamepaw," Flamepaw introduced herself. "Most of us are from RiverClan, and we're on our way back there." Suddenly, an idea hit her. "Hey, want to join?"
            "But you didn't ask Goldstar's permission!" Rosepettle exclaimed.
            Goldstar walked up to Barkpaw. "What clan are you from?" she growled. "You're definitely not one of RiverClan. Are you ThunderClan, WindClan, or ShadowClan?"
            "N-none," Barkpaw stammered, intimidated by the she-cat. "I-I come from LightningClan. We're a very small clan, and just recently, our clan was overrun by wild dogs. They were attacking my sisters, so I created a diversion and led them away. But when I came back, the camp was deserted, and I had no idea where everyone went. The place was coated in blood. I-I think they're dead," he admitted, glancing down. He still looked as if he were shocked by the sights he had seen.
            It was then Flamepaw realized this tom was not so different from her. He had also seen terrible sights that would be implanted in his brain forever.
            "Poor thing," Flamepaw sighed.
            "But if you were offering me clan membership, I'd love to join," Barkpaw exclaimed. "I've been looking for cats for days. Living out here in the woods is not the life for me. I belong to a clan."
            Goldstar eyed the dark-furred tom, unsure if she trusted him. "Perhaps you can stay for awhile. Flamepaw, you can bring him up to speed about clan business."
            "Oh, okay," Flamepaw agreed, accepting her position.
            Goldstar then turned away, sweeping her tail.
            Tornface cleared his throat, stepping forward. "Excuse me, Goldstar, I don't mean to interrupt, but Zebrafur and I have decided that we'll be departing tomorrow."
            "What?" Neko asked, surprised. "You're leaving?"
            Zebrafur nodded. "Afraid so. We are not clan cats, and we instead wish to return home. We have come a long way from it, and I want to raise my only living son in the right environment. Hopefully you are not offended."
            Flamepaw tried to find any emotion in Goldstar's eyes, but she could not.
            Goldstar only nodded. "Very well. I understand your decision. Barkpaw, you look like you're in need of a good meal. We'll camp out here tonight, and then Tornface, you and your family can leave tomorrow."
            Tornface nodded. "Thank you for understanding."
            While cats began to get nests and search for food, Flamepaw briefly told Barkpaw of how she'd been told by StarClan to search for her leader. She began to explain the adventures they'd encountered, leaving out the deaths. Barkpaw nodded, very interested.
            "Your clan, RiverClan, is it nice?" he wondered.
            Flamepaw nodded. "It's a very big clan. We're known for fishing and swimming, unlike the other clans. I'm sure you'll love it."
            Barkpaw nodded, though he seemed unsure. Soon, he began to chat with Flamepaw about his past, mainly talking about his sisters, Fernpaw and Snowpaw.
            "Our mother left us in LightningClan as kits," he explained. "I've always looked after my sisters. I just can't believe they're gone."
            "Hey," Flamepaw spoke quietly, touching his paw. "It's okay. I've seen a lot of cats join StarClan too recently."
            Barkpaw nodded, sniffing quietly.
            Flamepaw sighed, feeling bad for the tom. Still, she was glad to have a cat her age to talk to. After their depressing conversation, they spoke of training, and Flamepaw found the tom friendly and easy to talk to.
            Before she went to sleep that night, she curled up in the nest next to Barkpaw and closed her eyes, hoping he'd bring some more joy to their journey.