Alone (A Warrior Cat Story) (Book 1)

Chapter 24: Before

Oister looked surprised but Kettle looked like it was all normal and okay for him. I remembered he had been born around the same area as me so he probably was not attracted to these cats as much as Oister was.
But I thought that he was a big cat for Stoneteller just to through him away, Kettle nodded to Stoneteller but Oister was looking at both of them fairly surprised. She looked a bit hurt as well, and I felt bad for her, I felt the same way when I had been thrown out by my owners.
This was a little bit different for her, she could say no and just continue living with the cats in the mountains, me however I had no choice. I was grateful to have Squirrelflight and the other clan cats to help me learn how to actually make it out here.
I could have easily let the older she cat just let me get picked up by another owner, but I listened to the clan cats, they were right, cats were born for the wild, they were not born to be with two legs.
"I don't want to go... I love living here, I have always been here, I have family here." Oister said to Stoneteller. He looked as if he was not paying her any attention though, he was just staring up at a little hole that was in the cieling and he was just smiling. I could tell that it was making Oister a bit frustrated.
"That is okay... I don't think your friend Kettle over there thinks the same way." Stoneteller said back to her. Oister looked at Kettle and Kettle looked at the ground sadly and then he looked back at Oister and shrugged his shoulders a little bit.
"Is it true Kettle? You want to find somewhere else?" She asked Kettle. Kettle looked at her for a few seconds and then he looked over at me and then he nodded.
"I love living here, but I have always felt like this place is not true to my heart, I feel like I have always had a destiny." He said to Oister while looking right at me. Oister went over to him and pushed against him, I could see tears rolling from her eyes.
"I thought you didn't believe that cats had an afterlife." She said to him. He looked to her and then he nodded to her. Then he moaned and then ghasped as if he had seen something.
"Yes it is true, but this cat whom I now call a friend has taught me quite a bit." He said looking right at me but then he looked back at the corner of the room. All of the sudden Oister ghasped and then me and Mint spun around wondering what was going on.
In the corner I saw a cat, her pelt looked like ripples of water were moving things around. She was absolutely beautiful and I heard Kettle begin crying before quickly running over to the cat.
He stopped right before he got there and she shook her head to stop him, he looked at her with such love, I could not think of who this cat must be... Was he in love with another cat before he fell in love with Oister? I looked at Oister, I saw no sign of jealousy however.
"Mother... Is this you?" Kettle said to the cat that was with us in the room. The cat looked at him and smiled at him before she nodded. All of the sudden a few other cats began popping up around the room. Stoneteller was trying to hide his emotions but I could tell that he was so happy.
"Father!" Oister yelled and then she ran over to one of the cats that was right beside Kettles mother. She nudged herself against the cats and the smiled looking at each other. I smiled seeing that both cats were happy to see their loved ones, and I could tell that Mint was very happy as well.
All of the sudden I noticed something in the corner behind all of the other cats. I noticed it, I don't remember it all that much but I do remember the smell. I was so young, and I was always so happy. I headed over to the smell, I was trying to remember where it was from.
"Moon... I am so proud of you, you have grown up so much." One of the 2 cats said from beside me. I recognized the voice, I looked up at the cat, I was amazed... I had not seen this cat in so long it felt like I had to be in some sort of dream.
"Tristan... I- I- I miss you..." I said to the cat. He smiled at me and nudged himself against my pelt like he always used to do when he was happy at me or when he was telling me a funny story. He looked a lot younger and he looked a lot better, physically and mentally.
"I miss you too Moon... I am happy to see you achieving these dreams. I never believed in these cats that you always told me about, I am in a different place from them, but on this one occasion I am allowed to come and visit you..." He said to me. I looked at him, all I could feel from him was love. I missed him so much I wish I was back at our old place listening to his stories.
"You aren't with the starclan cats?" I asked him. He looked at me for a few seconds but then he shook his head sadly. The place that the Starclan cats lived I had heard was even better than the place that was at the lake. You lived in a world of your own imagination I had heard.
"No... I was never a part of any clan. But there is a cat who would like to say something to you, you might remember her." He said to me. I looked at him a bit confused but then he moved out of the way so that I could see the cat behind him.
It was a she cat, she was smiling at me with nothing but pure love. I smelt her remembering just a little bit of who she was, I remembered the scent, I scent I had not smelt in a while, but it seemed like I had at the same time. It was amazing, she was beatiful.
All of the sudden I heard a cat ghasp from behind me, I turned around and saw Kettle run over to her. I was confused, was Kettle my father? No way, he was still a bit too young for that, he had to still be around the age of an apprentice during the time I was born.
"Sun? Is this really you?" He said to the cat. It made sense I suppose, he had grown up in the same place that I had, they might have met before. I was still surprised to see them smiling and nudging up against each other like that.
"This is Owls mother..." Kettle said noticing that I was a bit confused as to what was going on. I looked at the ground a bit sad, I thought that maybe it was someone special to me. All of the sudden the cat walked up to me and pushed up against me with a bit of a smile on her face.
"Indeed... I am Owls mother, but I am also your mother, you were a part of a group of 5 kittens... 3 of them died to the first day... You and Owl were the last 2." She said to me. I looked at her a bit surprised but then I nodded to her thinking sadly about Owl.
I wish he was here with me, if he would have known he was my brother than maybe he would have come with me, and if he would have known that Mint was coming as well he definitely would have.
"Owl... Hes my brother?" I said to her. She looked at me with a smile on her face and then she nodded to me. I had to go back now... He was the last of my kind, I could not just leave him behind. Kettle ghasped hearing the news.
"Is this really true? I thought that Owl was the only part of your litter!" He said to her. She looked at the ground sadly for a few moments and then nodded. Suddenly I felt a since of betrayal. I could have grown up in that barn with all of them, instead they sent me to go live with some twolegs!
"Yes... But his father told me that we had to keep one and lose one, that is what they did every time a kitten was born... We were only allowed to keep one." She said looking right at me with some sort of grief on her face. I was still a bit upset but I nodded my understanding to her.
I just wish that maybe they would have chosen me over Owl, after all was I not the more important cat?
"Why did you not keep me?" I asked her. She looked at the ground sadly when I asked her that question but then she quickly looked back up at me and shook her head.
"I tried... But instead the twolegs in the barn just took you..." She said to me. I looked at her for a few seconds and then nodded my understanding. But then I wondered, she would still be a bit young if she was still alive now.
"How did you die? You still look a bit too young." I said to her. She looked at me and nodded to me with a bit of a smile, but she looked a bit hurt at the same time.
"Your father left us... I died from a sickness..." She said to me. I nodded, it must have been around the same time that Tristan had died, I had heard that other cats were dying from the same sickness, from the cats around the area that used to come to my place.
I looked at the ground sadly, just thinking about the things that could have been, I still loved Tristan and I knew that I would have never been with him, but I could have gone to meet my brother and somewhat of my mother.
"I have to go and find Owl..." I said to her. She shook her head which surprised me a bit, I knew it would slow down my journey a bit, but it would be worth it and I was still young, he was not that far away I had a whole life to finish my destiny.
"No... Don't, he is destined on another path..." She said to me. I looked at her for a few moments a bit disappointed but then I just accepted what she told me. I had learned to listen to the cats of the dead quite a long time ago now.
They knew more than me, they saw things that I did not, in fact they indeed saw all things. I nodded to her signifying that I was listening to her and I would continue on my quest.
"Will I get to see you again?" I asked her. It was my final request to get an answer from her. But she just smiled at me and all of the sudden everything began to fade. Kettle walked up to me and nudged against me noticing that I was a bit sad.
"You were right Moon... The are cats from the dead." He said to me. I just looked at him and nodded, I was still trying to get my mind off of thinking about my mother. I felt sickened and I wanted to go get Owl... I felt like he was in danger right now for some reason.
But I knew that Kettle and Oister would be with me and they would not want to go all the way back there and then meet up with the mountain cats again. If Oister met them again she might not want to continue on the journey.
I could tell that Oister was a bit sad as well, she probably did want to stay with the mountain cats. She had grown up here and she still did have family here. I was interested to find out what her father had said to her.
Stoneteller looked at all of us and then he smiled. He nodded to me and said something to me in my ear.
"This is not like before..."