Chapter 22
"How did it happen?" I asked Littlepaw for what seemed like the thousandth time.
Five entire days had passed since Wolfwhisper had revealed that Bubble was my littermate, and Littlepaw and Ripplepaw had arrived to the clan after a treacherous escape from ShoreClan and Dewstar's tyranny.
The two of us were nestled in Puddle and Bubble's den, which the two toms seemed more than happy to have extended. I got the feeling that Bubble was trying to work out his complicated feelings towards his mother, but Puddle also seemed to spend long nights awake, staring listlessly up at the moon.
"Things were getting bad," Littlepaw meowed simply, watching the sun begin to set.
An instinctive shiver seemed to run through her body as the dying light emitted long shadows. I rested my tail along her flank, trying to offer some support, but not entirely sure what I could say. Everytime I thought about Dewstar, my throat seemed to close over.
I resolved to watch as Minnow heartily tried to engage Bubble in sharing a vole with him. Puddle was watching them from several tail lengths away, an unreadable expression on his face. In the distance, I could see the makeshift den that Spike had set up to care for Ripplepaw. My mother never seemed to leave it, watching my littermate like a hawk. I myself felt sick whenever I walked near the den.
"Dewstar had the other clans at her mercy. They all came to camp, and had to bow and pledge their allegiance to her," Littlepaw meowed weakly, watching as the sun finally disappeared below the skyline, and darkness began to shroud the clearing. "There was so much violence and fear..."
"I don't understand how she can be such a foxheart," I growled. "But, who was the one to injure Ripplepaw?"
Littlepaw winced. "Dewstar had her pinned, while Honeypaw was clawing at her."
Angrily, I dug my claws into the sand, wishing that it was Dewstar's throat. Trying to shake off the waves of fury that threatened to engulf me, I got to my paws. Straightening, I glanced over at Littlepaw.
"I'm going to talk to some of these cats my mother knows," I meowed gruffly. "And see Ripplepaw." As Littlepaw got to her paws, I hastily added. "You should stay here and rest." I flicked my tail at Bubble who was padding over. "He could use some company."
Nodding to Bubble as he passed me, I was aware of how tense my friend was. I glanced at him uneasily.
"Are you okay?"
Bubble almost seemed to jump out of his pelt as I spoke to him. "There's just...a lot going on," he meowed vaguely, trying to make his fur fall flat again,. "Complications."
I nodded once more, padding towards Minnow, who was talking to a pale grey tom and a black and ginger she-cat. Minnow was waving her paws vivaciously in the air to the cats. The black and ginger she-cat had a frustrated expression on her face.
"Hello," I said curtly as I padded up to them. Alright, Ferretpaw. Now all you have to do is ask if these cats want to risk their lives because some cat with a weird name brought a hoard of rocks together. No biggie.
"How's it going?" I asked in an awkward tone.
"Meh. I'm old and tired," the black and ginger she-cat said, staring at me with narrowed eyes. "Whatta ya want?"
"Let's be civil, Coriander!" The pale grey tom chuffed.
They don't realise how bad everything is, I thought, staring up at the ominous storm clouds overhead. I need to tell them, need them to understand, but how?
"I'm Stone," the tom who had just spoken announced, running a paw across his ruffled pelt. "That's Minnow, and Coriander." He yawned, and shot a bemused look at the black and ginger she-cat. "Coriander is two years old, but is convinced she is as ancient as the stars."
"Oh be quiet, Stone," Coriander muttered.
"HELLO?!" I repeated as Minnow was about to open her jaws to add to the discussion. "My sister is in mortal jeopardy, Dewstar is trying to take control of the world, and all you can do is throw lousy puns at each other?!"
Stone's eyes narrowed, and he got to his paws. "We know about Dewstar," he said in a quiet voice. "And don't you dare go acting as though we're soft kittypets."
"If you know about Dewstar," I said, choosing my words carefully. "Then you know a fight is inevitable. You know that she will soon find out about your little isolated home, and go trying to take it as her own."
Coriander opened her jaws as though she was about to vehemently disagree, when another voice broke into the conversation. A voice I had never expected to hear again in my life.
"This cat is correct, Coriander, Minnow and Stone. She speaks the truth. After all, look what Dewstar did to me."
My heart seemed to slow. I felt as though my paws wouldn't move, they couldn't move. I wanted to turn my head towards the cat that had spoken, but was petrified of what I would see, how they would act.
"Are you sure, Flow?" Stone asked cautiously.
"Yes, Stone. I've seen what she's been doing in ShoreClan territory. I lived alongside her. We have to fight back."
I finally found the strength to turn around. I stared up at the mangled, yet bright eyed form of a cat I thought dead for moons. His ears were shredded, his tail was patched with fur that had never grown in, and his back looked as though it had been a scratching post.
Flowerpaw lifted his chin proudly, and positively beamed at me.
"Hello, Ferretpaw. Long time no see."
I opened and closed my jaws, though no words came out. I continued to stare at the cream tom. He was taller than when I had last seen him, older and more scarred too, but that wasn't what I found the most different about him. It was his expression, how he had a look of determination and compassion.
"Do you want to talk in private?" Flowerpaw offered, looking at me uncertainly. "I know a crag in a rock where we can talk."
"S-sure," I said weakly.
Flowerpaw turned away, and padded in the direction of the den where Ripplepaw was. As I walked past it, I saw Wolfwhisper leaning over the limp body of my sister, while Spike added yet another layer of cobwebs. Then, I turned away, and followed Flowerpaw a little ways on to what was indeed a crag in a rock. Although, there was another cat occupying the space.
"Hey, Puddle," Flowerpaw meowed with a casual smile. "Sorry to bother you. I was just looking for a quiet spot."
It was dark out now, but I could see Puddle's nervous, fidgety expression as the large tom lay in a crevice. Why isn't he with Bubble...? The two cats were always together. Before I could ask, Puddle shifted and got up.
"Sure. I was just heading out for a dusk light stroll anyway."
He blinked at me as he passed. "How's Ripplepaw?"
"Not good," I said. "But she's one of the strongest cats I know. And...I believe in her." I glanced up at him. "How's Bubble doing? I know how much the news about Wolfwhisper shocked him."
Puddle ran a paw through the earth. "Er...I'm not entirely certain." When he saw my bewildered expression, he added quickly. "I haven't been hanging out as much."
I narrowed my eyes. Flowerpaw could wait. I needed to know what Puddle was meoweing about. If I was being honest, Puddle and Bubble's steady relationship was one thing that gave me hope for the future. Taking a step towards him, I asked, "why not? He loves you, and you said it yourself, you love him."
Puddle stared up at me with a terrified expression. "Exactly!" He exclaimed in a hoarse whisper, staring at the ground as though not wanting to go on. Then, he seemed to crack under my narrowed eyed glare.
"You see, there's going to be a big fight, we all know it, and so many cats are getting hurt!" He kept shifting his weight from paw to paw, his tail flicking wildly behind him. "And Bubble's a strong fighter, but I'm not! And you know how other cats target me because of how I look! And I-I-"
"Puddle, my buddy, you can't talk like that."
I whirled around to see Flowerpaw staring at Puddle imploringly. The scarred cream tom took a pace towards Puddle. Flowerpaw no longer looked as charming and dashing as he had before I nearly killed him, but there was such a genuinely worried and gentle look in his gaze that I thought he seemed far more like the legendary warrior he had always claimed to be.
Puddle laughed weakly, but he seemed to have stopped raving for the moment. "Flow, I'm not sure what to do anymore. I'm so worried about him."
"Then you should go for it," Flowerpaw meowed bracingly, moonlight highlighting his bright amber eyes and scars. "And even if it doesn't go perfectly, surely asking to be Bubble's mate and him saying he doesn't feel the same way, which I mean obviously isn't true," he added mildly, "is better than forever living a life alone. You have to be brave, Puddle."
He turned to me, and added rapidly. "When you attacked me, I felt angry and afraid, but cats helped me, healed me. If I had spent my whole life living in the shadows, angry at you or afraid to show how I look now...It wouldn't have been right."
I stared at him. "I'm sorry, I-"
Flowerpaw met my gaze. "I understand why you did it," he meowed slowly. "And because of that, I forgive you. What happened may always lie between us, but I truly do want to move on, Ferretpaw"
"Me too, Flowerpaw," I said.
"Don't call me that!" Flowerpaw exclaimed sharply. Then, in a more mild voice that quivered slightly, he added. "I'm Flow now. I want to help ShoreClan, but I'm never going back."
Puddle was watching the two of us, an unreadable expression on his face. Then, he exhaled. "You're both right, aren't you?" He stared up at the moon. "Love is a strange thing, you know. It makes you think such strong emotions..."
Flowerpaw grinned as Puddle continued, in a voice brimming with emotion. "Bubble's such an important part of my life. He's helped me through so many difficult times." Puddle seemed to be recalling memories that only he and Bubble shared. "And whenever I made mistakes or struggled with grief, he was always there for me, always at my side, smiling, sharing prey with me, or spurting bubbles at my face," Puddle exhaled shakily.
"I love Bubble. He's my everything."
"P-Puddle?"
I glanced up to see Bubble on the opposite side of the beach. The windless night seemed to have carried Puddle's voice. Bubble's eyes were glowing from where he stood beside Littlepaw. The pale brown she-cat grinned up at him.
Suddenly Bubble was pelting across the shore, sand being kicked up in his wake. Everything seemed to slow as though I was in a dream. In that moment, I felt a warm sensation, watching the two toms sprint to meet each other.
Bubble seemed to leap on top of Puddle, bowling him to the ground. The two tousled in the sand, laughing heartily, all worries forgotten. It seemed a long time before the two cats got to their paws, sand clinging to their pelts.
"Well," Bubble said at last with a bright smile. "Can we finally make it official, Puddle? Will you be my mate?"
"Forever and always," Puddle meowed solemnly, though his eyes glowed as I had never seen them glow before.
I realised that I was smiling as the two cats embraced once more. For the longest time, I had been slogging mindlessly through life, but this moment felt so real, so genuine, that I felt strength flow into me like never before. It didn't come because of a will for vengeance or desperate fury, but rather, because I knew that so long as I had these cats by my side, I would never be alone.
I felt that somehow, we might be able to work something out.
Glancing up the hillside back towards camp, while Littlepaw and Flow sprinted up to Bubble and Puddle meowing their congratulations, I saw two shapes outlined in the moonlight; Ripplepaw and Wolfwhisper.
Ripplepaw leaned heavily against our mother, but I could see how her eyes glowed as she watched Puddle and Bubble move below. Then, she shifted her gaze, and her eyes came to settle on mine.
She nodded to me.
I turned, and sprinted towards Puddle and Bubble, joining in the excitement and cheers. More cats seemed to be appearing from Wolfwhisper's camp, all of them wide-eyed with confusion that gradually turned to smiles of understanding.
This is why we fight, I thought as I nuzzled Bubble's cheek. Because we need to protect all these cats we love.