She ran back to the pond later than ever. The sun was already high, clouds rolling in to the point where the sun was almost not seen. She had passed out beside Red and was supposed to wake up before dawn.
She walked through the clowder, earning confused stares. Phoenix examined them curiously. Their gazes were filled with shock and unease, some went as far as to covering their noses and running off. She sniffed her coat. Could they smell the Forbidden forest on her? What if Honey smells me? She thought with fear. She leaned down to lap at the water, thinking about the ways Honey would tell her off for entering the Forbidden Forest. He wouldn't be that harsh but would restrict her from going into that direction.
She looked over at Flint who was asleep and ran over to him. This time, she was able to lay beside him and leaned against his warm pelt. His deep, croaky voice caught her offguard.
"You smell like a house pet." He growled, Phoenix turned to him in shock. He lifted his head from his paws and stared down at her. "A male house cat."
Phoenix stared at him, flabbergasted. Could he really tell the gender? She wasn't concerned about the fact it was a house cat's scent but if they could sniff out the fact it's a tom, that'll be a big problem. Especially since it's a new moon, which means she's now seven moons old. There'll be a huge misunderstanding.
"So much for hating house cats." Hawk said teasingly. If she could, she'd be glaring at him.
"I got into a fight with a house cat." She lied, looking away. "They knocked me out by the river, I think. I woke up because I knew something was wrong."
Flint nodded. "Trusting your instincts. Even still, you should hide your scent. If you want, I can pretend we're playfighting and you can get rid of your scent in the pond."
Phoenix gave him a small nod, trying to make sense of what he meant. Once she believed she understood, she stood upright and backed away from him. Flint got up too and playfully wacked her ears with a paw. She jumped up and tried to claw at his chin but all that did was allow him to grab her by the scruff. She squirmed, giggling loudly as he jumped around whilst spinning. Eventually, he put her down. She was able to stay on her feet for the seconds she was on land. Feeling dizzy, she stumbled back into the pond.
Even after a few heartbeats, she didn't rise back to the top.
Flint sighed and shook his head, walking into the cold pond. It was deeper than he thought. His ear tips just about made it out of the water. Phoenix waved at him frantically, alerting him of her whereabouts. Without missing a beat, he semi-swam towards her. His feet toucbed the ground as he did but instead of walking, he pushed himself forward which made him rise a little. He grabbed her by the scruff and swam to the other end of the pond and climbing out. He placed her down, shivering.
Phoenix shook out her own fur. "Thank you." She meowed breathlessly. She lapped at her damp fur and scratched her ear with her back paw. "It was freezing in there."
"I know." He responded, shaking out his fur at the same time.
Phoenix sat down and looked up at the soaking tom, sighing. "Flint, do you know anything about pheromones?" He tilted his head to one side and she answered his unspoken question. "Like, what does it mean when both cats enjoy each other's scent."
Flint was reluctant, unsure what to say. "That's a question you should ask your father."
"Ask her father what?" A voice came. It was the pale-orange tom, Honey.
"Pheromones and animals." Flint announced. Phoenix knew he was implying something but didn't know what.
"She is seven months old now. I think you'll be able to figure it out yourself." He told Phoenix. "Why do you want to know?"
Phoenix wasn't sure exactly what to tell him. Every word would be a massive risk. If Honey knew she was friends with a house cat, he would go beserk. Cross-breeding was a sin in East-Forest since they wanted to keep their bloodline pure.
She gulped, glancing at Flint as if she was asking for help. "O-Oh nothing," She stammered. "I j-just wanted to k-know."
Honey nodded and glared at Flint. "What did you do?"
He shook his head defensively. "N-Nothing! I swear!" His gaze flickered to Phoenix then back to his brother, his eyes wide. "I swear this has nothing to do with me!"
"He's right. This has nothing to do with him." She told the tom. "I just wanted to know. It's fine, I'll figure it out myself."
Phoenix brushed past the two adults, heading up the rocky slope up north from where the pond was. It wasn't long until she arrived at her cave. She entered and pondered for a moment, wondering if the scents meant something. The cool breeze of winter could still be felt even inside the cave.
She sat down, her tail tapping on the floor. It was quiet. Phoenix was able to pick up the slight scuttling of bugs around her. She also picked up the rippling of the waters upstream. Her ears flickered. Wasn't that the same water stream that killed. . . Angel?
Of course it wasn't but by the sounds of splashing water and the way the wind howled made it feel as if it was. She could hear the screams of Angel, the blood oozing out of her and becoming one with the raging river. The roaring of the current around her could be heard again. Phoenix couldn't breathe or think properly. She panted heavily, scrambling to the corner of the cave where the screams got louder.
She laid down in fear, her paws over her ears as tears pricked her eyes but she closed them to keep it in. "Make it stop," She howled, her voice trembling with her body. "Please, make it stop! It's all my fault, she's already gone and it's my fault."
"Don't blame yourself, my love."
Phoenix lifted her head. Who was it? That voice was so familiar. There was no scent, no sign of footsteps. After a moment or two, the cat Phoenix longed to see again faded into existence. Angel stood there, her body looked as if it hadn't been touched at all. It was as if she had returned from the dead.
"You really are an angel." Phoenix breathed in awe.
Angel laughed at the statement. "Guess I am. As you could imagine, I have a new name. Angel Where The River Flows." She walked towards her old friend, the ground lighting up as her paws made contact with the ground. She leaned forward to touch noses with Phoenix, soothing the younger. "What is the matter, hm? Do you want to tell me?"
Phoenix sighed and moved her head away. "I don't know. It's just been difficult coping with the fact I've taken cats lives. I feel so guilty."
"That's how it is but you can't hold onto the past forever. It takes time but you must let go."
"How? How do I do that if everyone's going to hurt me?"
"No one will hurt you, you'll hurt yourself. That's what you do when you blame things on yourself. You've already started."
Phoenix nodded. She trusted Angel more than anyone. With a deep sigh, she removed her gaze from the molly before looking back at her with slight determination. "Alright then, how do I let go of the past?"
Angel pressed a paw onto Phoenix's chest. "Open up your heart. The heart finds the truth lying within your flame."
Phoenix blinked. "Is that some kind of prophecy?"
"It's whatever you want it to be, my love. Just know I'll always be here to guide you."
Angel stepped back and gave Phoenix a warm smile, her body slowly disappearing with the wind. "Remember." Her voice echoed as it too faded away.
"Wait!" Phoenix called out and reached for the molly but it was too late. By the time she had reached for Angel, her body was already a single wisp of smoke.
Phoenix sighed and looked down at her paws, her ears low. She saw Hawk sitting in front of her expectantly but didn't say anything to him. She didn't want to. She wanted to speak with Angel, she for sure had all the answers to Phoenix's unanswered questions.
Hawk flicked his tail nervously. "You know, she wouldn't tell you that if you couldn't figure it out yourself."
Phoenix nodded slowly. "I know. I know what I need to find out."