LakeFeather's Fate

🌲Chapter Eight🌲

Some time had passed before LakeFeather trudged back to the meeting place. Her ears were lowered in defeat, and her fluffy tail was dragging in the dirt behind her, the soft color stained in brown as small twigs and leaves clung to it; the events that took place during her search for prey forgotten for the time being. Breezefur and RowanPelt were waiting there already, waiting for Lakefeather to return with looks of what could only be shame.

They failed, and so did LakeFeather.

RowanPelt met LakeFeathers gaze for a split moment before glancing away, and BreezeFur merely kept his head lowered in shame. With a soft sigh, LakeFeather approached her fellow warriors and, with a gentle meow, she questioned how their time in the forest went, and if they had caught anything, though she was sure she already knew the answer.

"I caught onto a few scent trails, but it seemed as though every time I got close enough- it vanished. I couldn't pick it up again." RowanPelt yawned in response, his tail anxiously flicking from side to side. LakeFeather nodded her head and glanced at BreezeFur, who still had his head lowered, his gaze settled on his paws.

"I couldn't even pick up a scent trail.." BreezeFur eventually replied, only after realizing he was being stared at by LakeFeather and RowanPelt.
RowanPelt had an odd expression, and before LakeFeather could stop him, he meowed a sharp statement. "Maybe if you hadn't insulted Starclan, we could have caught something today. But you had to go and open that fat mouth of yours-"

"RowanPelt!" LakeFeather interjected, her tone laced with a sharp and angry hiss. BreezeFur's eyes had grown wide and, despite looking like he wanted to reply, he merely turned and fled back towards the direction of their make-shift camp.

"You know, we're in this together RowanPelt. I understand that you and BreezeFur aren't getting along right now, but that doesn't mean you have to act like you have a foxes heart." LakeFeather glowered at the smug looking tom before turning and walking back to camp as well, Breezefur's scent of frustration pointing her in the right direction. She could faintly hear RowanPelt grumbling to himself before the sound of his rapid paw-steps alerted her to his quick approach. They walked together in silence, LakeFeather remaining just a paw step ahead of RowanPelt.

The forest is silent, save for the crunching leaves and soft whistle of wind as it dances through the tree limbs above. LakeFeather found herself thinking back to what she had seen in the part of the forest she searched. What exactly was that? She was tempted to think it was nothing more than a figment of her imagination. But would a figment of her mind cause such a real feeling of fear? The figure had seemed so real, the wind she felt against her face as it drew near was *real.* Mustering up what courage she had, despite being fearful of the fact she may be labeled as delusional or unwell, she turned her head and glanced up to RowanPelt, only to find that he had been glancing down at her all along.

After meeting LakeFeathers gaze, RowanPelt quickly looked away and stared ahead, pretending as if he weren't just staring heavily at the cat beside him. Ignoring the twinge in her chest, she began to speak, her gaze now moving to stare ahead as well.

"You...-." She began, pausing for a moment as if to choose her words carefully. RowanPelts ears twitched and, though he wasn't looking at LakeFeather, she knew he was listening. "You didn't follow me when I went searching for prey, did you?"

RowanPelt seemed confused, his eyes narrowing in question. "Did I follow you? No. I figured looking for prey would be more important than making sure you were fine on your own." His tone was dull, flat. LakeFeather, a little hurt at his comment, continued on. They were near the camp now, and she could just barely hear HoneyDews loud wailing from where they walked. "Okay." She meowed, her breathing growing heavier. She made a mental note to get some rest when they got back to camp, knowing that she had been on her paws for too long despite not being fully healed.

"Then, while you were out- did you see anything strange? Or hear anything?" She pressed further after a moment of silent walking.

"No, I didn't. Okay? I already told you 'no' once before, LakeFeather. What's the matter with you?"

"What's the matter with me? I'm asking a simple question, and you're biting back like some cornered mouse! If you didn't want to talk you could have said that." With a scoff, and no longer troubled by what she had seen, LakeFeather stormed ahead, eventually pushing through the brambles that encased the entrance of their make-shift camp.

As she pushed through, LakeFeather immediately spotted an angry HoneyWhisker glaring down at a sulking BreezeFur. BramblePaw was nowhere to be seen, and LakeFeather assumed that he was probably off in one of his many hiding places.

"This is ridiculous! You're telling me not a single one of you could find anything? You expect me to believe that there wasn't any prey in this forest?" HoneyWhisker spat, his tone, which was usually calm and controlled, filled with a venom that was unfamiliar to LakeFeather. Her ears began to lower back as a feeling of guilt swept through her.

It was RowanPelt who stepped forward, his tone neutral as he explained what BreezeFur and LakeFeather mentioned earlier. He, of course, left out the part where he insulted Breezefur, and with the look that was on Breezefur's face, it was clear that he noticed that as well.

HoneyWhisker looked skeptical at first, but after a moment of staring down RowanPelt, he seemed to calm down. With a slow exhale, BreezeFur stepped forward, his tail lowered near to the ground and his ears drooping.

"We truly did try, HoneyWhisker."

With a grumble, the medicine cat nodded his head before turning and stalking away, presumably to the make-shift burrow where he kept what little herbs he found. The trio of cats shared a look before LakeFeather broke away to follow HoneyWhisker. The aches in her body were growing, but she tried her best to ignore them for the time being. She had something more important to worry about.

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I'm so sorry about the late update!

Life was so hectic for a short while, and so I had forgotten to update completely.

This chapter is short, I know. So in the next chapter I will attempt to write double the amount!

Please feel free to make any corrections on my grammatical errors or spelling mistakes, I don't mind!

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