Chapter 2
Suguha walked beside Foxpaw as they made their way back to camp, the heavy rain soaking their fur. It had been a moon ever since Foxpaw and Swiftpaw became apprentices, and in that time, Suguha, Kirito, and Asuna were now able to stay in ThunderClan as long as they did before. It filled the young tom with joy. Being able to spend more time training with Suguha has been great. I've definitely been improving every day.
"Gosh, I knew it was going to rain, but I didn't think it would be this bad. It's been a while since it's been this bad." The she-cat meowed. "Are you doing okay, Foxpaw?"
"Yes, Suguha. How about you?"
"Other than my fur getting dirty with all of this mud, it could be worse." She replied. "Don't worry about catching anything. I'd rather get you some shelter than stay out here." The sudden boom of thunder caused Suguha to jump. "We should quicken our pace back to camp. I don't think it's going to get better anytime soon."
When the two arrived back in camp, they saw the stone floor begin to becoming blanketed with water. The camp was going to flood, much like it did before.
"Foxpaw!" Ivypool ran over to the two. "Are you both okay?"
"Yes, mother."
"Thank StarClan. This rain is horrible. This is one of the only bad things about leaf-fall sometimes. Come, we need to evacuate camp."
"Over to the lake?" Suguha asked. Ivypool nodded.
"Your sister and Kirito already made their way over there with another patrol."
"And father?"
"He and your older sister are making sure everyone evacuates safely. Lelouch!" The silver-and-white she-cat called out to her mate. He turned and touched his son's violet gaze with his own. He simply nodded before he turned to continue navigating the cats out of camp. "We should get going now, before things get worse." The two nodded and walked with Ivypool out of camp and towards the lake.
Lelouch looked around camp to make sure every cat had left. The nursery and elder's den is cleared out, and the rest of the warriors should be making their way to the lake. He told himself. That leaves the medicine cat's den. Alderheart and Jayfeather already left, but Asuna and Leafpool are still inside.
"Father, is everything alright?" Nightheart called from across the camp, her voice cutting through the vicious downpour.
"Just waiting for Leafpool and Asuna." Lelouch replied before walking over to the medicine cat's den. He looked inside and saw that the two were picking up herbs. "Are you both almost ready to go?"
"I think so. I'm carrying as much as I can in my inventory and in these bundles." Asuna meowed. "C'mon Leafpool, we have to go." A loud crack was heard from outside of the den. Lelouch watched as clumps of rock began to drop towards the camp, crashing down below. Not again…
"Leafpool, Asuna, we have to go, now!" The tom meowed before running away from the den. "Nightheart, get away from here!" The violet-eyed she-cat nodded and followed behind her father to where Bramblestar and Squirrelflight were waiting. From the medicine cat's den, Asuna and Leafpool ran out with the herbs, but Asuna suddenly heard a yowl of pain from behind her. She turned and saw that Leafpool had fallen due to the slippery stone floor, one of her hindlegs badly sprained.
"Leafpool!" Asuna dropped her herb bundle and ran back to her. "I'll help you get up!"
"Don't, I'll only slow you down!" The she-cat responded. Stones began to fall around the two, Asuna looking up at the side of the cliff that began to break down. "You have to go!"
"Not without you! Leafpool, I won't let you die!" Asuna tried picking up the she-cat and tried to walk as fast as she could without agitating the she-cat's injured hindleg.
"Leave me, Asuna, please!"
"No! I won't do it!" The cream she-cat felt a mound of stone crash down next to her, one of the flying shards cutting her cheek.
"Asuna!" She turned around and saw that it was Squirrelflight. "Go! I'll take care of Leafpool!" The deputy told her.
"But…"
"That's an order!" She spat. Asuna nodded and ran over to where Bramblestar, Lelouch, and Nightheart were. As she stood there, she looked at the collapsing cliff face. They're not going to make it…
"Squirrelflight, Leafpool, get out of there!" Bramblestar called out. The four cats watched helplessly as a huge chunk of the cliff now collapsed and rolled towards the two she-cats. Although she was struggling, Leafpool grabbed her sister by the scruff and pushed her away as hard as she could before the two were consumed by the rockslide.
"No!" Nightheart flinched, looking away from the sight as her father placed his tail on her shoulder to comfort her. As the debris in the air finally faded, they saw the fallen bodies of the two sisters near the mound of rocks. The four ran over to them, hoping that they were alright.
"Asuna, please check on them!" Bramblestar told her, desperation in the Clan leader's voice. Lelouch and Nightheart helped pull the two away from the debris, Asuna walking over to check on the two. Asuna looked over at Squirrelflight first, her hazel eyes glowing.
"How is she?" The ThunderClan leader asked. "Is she still alive?"
"She is…but it's almost like how Lelouch was before."
"I-Is Squirrelflight okay?" Asuna looked over and saw that it was Leafpool, the she-cat's amber eyes just barely open. The cream she-cat looked over at her, eyes glowing much like before. Unlike Squirrelflight, there was much more that Asuna saw. Leafpool looked over at Asuna and saw tears swelling up in her eyes.
"Oh, Leafpool…" Lelouch looked over at Asuna.
"Asuna…she's not…" The she-cat didn't speak. "N-No! We can't let her die! Nightheart!" The tom called her daughter. "Your Geass…use it on Leafpool. Do it, now!" He commanded.
"O-Okay." The she-cat walked over to Leafpool, her left eye now bearing the symbol of Geass. "Leafpool…don't die…please." She softly meowed. A red ring formed around the brown tabby's amber eyes, but soon faded. "Father…I don't think it's working."
"I-It's okay. I've lived a great life." The she-cat coughed, blood escaping her mouth. "You all…have done so much for me." She looked over at Bramblestar. "You helped…raise my kits. I couldn't…be more grateful, Bramblestar."
"It was my pleasure, Leafpool." The tabby tom meowed, bowing his head.
"And you both…" She looked over at Lelouch and Nightheart. "You both are a…splitting image of each other." She cracked a small smile. "Thank you for helping in the medicine cat's den…whenever you had a chance. It warmed me up seeing…how much you both cared for your Clanmates."
"Thank you for…letting us." Lelouch meowed, choked from seeing the dying she-cat give her last goodbyes to them. "You're one of the sweetest cats in ThunderClan, Leafpool. It's…not going to be the same without you here."
"R-Right. I…oh, Leafpool." Nightheart's tears mixed with the falling rain from above. Leafpool's amber gaze now stared at Asuna, the she-cat unable to fight away her tears.
"Leafpool…I'm…I'm so sorry!" Asuna sobbed. "I wish I could do something, but I…I…"
"There's…nothing you can do, Asuna, don't…worry." Leafpool meowed. "You're…an amazing medicine cat. I've been…so lucky to have gotten to know you. I know that ThunderClan is in good paws with you, Alderheart, and Jayfeather." Leafpool now struggled to breathe, the she-cat wincing in pain. "Keep…working hard as a medicine cat…and try to keep Jayfeather from yelling at Alderheart too much." Asuna let out a small smile.
"I-I will, for you." Leafpool smiled once more before her eyes slowly closed. "Leafpool! Leafpool you can't go! Please! Leafpool!" Asuna cried as she shook the she-cat's body. She felt a tail touch her shoulder and saw that it was Bramblestar.
"There's nothing we can do, Asuna. I…I'm sorry." He meowed. "We need to get them both out of here. Lelouch, can you help me carry Squirrelflight?" The tom nodded and worked with Bramblestar to carry the deputy out of the flooded camp. Asuna looked over at Nightheart and saw that she was almost in the same condition that she was in.
"Nightheart." The cream she-cat called her, but she didn't move.
"Why would StarClan do this?" Nightheart murmured. "Leafpool would never hurt anyone…so why?"
"I…I don't know, Nightheart." Asuna meowed. "Sometimes things happen…and there's no good reason for them to. Remember when you died back at the gorge protecting Kirito? You didn't deserve that at all." Asuna looked down at Leafpool's body. That doesn't mean that this shouldn't hurt. "W-We need to carry her out of here, Nightheart. Can you help me?" The she-cat silently nodded and helped pick up Leafpool's lifeless body with Asuna, the two she-cats following behind the toms as they made their way to the lake.
When the four cats arrived, every cat got up to greet them, but at once, any noise of greeting stopped at the sight of Leafpool and Squirrelflight.
"What happened?" Cloudtail asked, concern in his meow.
"Is mother okay?" Alderheart looked over at his father.
"Yes. Asuna says that she's lost consciousness, but is fine…but Leafpool…" The leader's voice trailed off. Alderheart looked over at Asuna and Nightheart and ran over to them. He could immediately tell that she was dead.
"There was a rockslide. She fell and hurt her hindleg. I tried helping her, but…" Asuna's voice faded away. There was nothing she could've done to save her. If she didn't run, she would've been caught as well. But…Squirrelflight also got caught in it. This isn't my world, anyway. I should've at least kept trying!
"It's not your fault, Asuna. I'm sure you tried your best." The tom assured her, his voice becoming soft. "I should go tell Jayfeather."
"I'll tell him, Alderheart." Asuna meowed. Cats quickly built nests for the two sisters, Asuna and Nightheart resting Leafpool's body down before she walked over to Jayfeather. Before she could speak, Jayfeather's blind gaze touched her hazel eyes.
"Are you going to tell me that my mother's dead? I already overheard everything."
"I'm so sorry, Jayfeather. She hurt her leg as we were running, and…"
"It's okay, Asuna." The blind tom meowed. "I know you tried your best. Thank you." With everything that just happened, the tom seemed calm, almost as if Leafpool's death meant little to him.
"Jayfeather…this isn't right. If you need to cry—."
"I'm not going to!" He retorted. "I'm not…" Asuna watched as tears began to stream down the tom's face. "I'm fine…" The she-cat pressed her body close to his.
"I'm here for you, Jayfeather." I know he needs someone right now…but I know that I need him and Alderheart just as much.
"Hey you two." Asuna turned around and saw that it was Kirito. "I'm…really sorry about Leafpool, Jayfeather." The blind tom stayed silent. "Asuna, you okay?"
"I'm fine. Thank you, Kirito."
"Yeah. Listen, Alderheart wanted to check your injuries." The tom informed her.
"Okay." As she began to move away, Asuna felt Jayfeather lean his head onto her shoulder.
"Don't leave…please." He whispered inaudibly.
"Tell him I'll see him later, Kirito." Her mate nodded and left the two alone. Asuna pressed her head close to Jayfeather's. He's broken inside right now. I'm the only one he shows this side to. She gave him a comforting lick to the ear. I won't leave, Jayfeather…not until this sorrow passes.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
A moon had passed ever since ThunderClan's camp was hit with the devastating rockslide. Inside the medicine cat's den, Asuna was looking over Finleap, the tom having an upset stomach as of lately.
"Did you eat anything rotten?"
"I know better than that." The tom responded. "My belly's just started hurting for some reason, and I have no idea why." Jayfeather walked over to him and gave the tom a sniff. He could tell that he had vomited recently, which was most likely why he was in here now.
"He'll be okay, right?" Twigbranch asked, worry in her meow.
"Yes. You don't have to worry, Twigbranch. We'll give him some herbs and he'll be better in no time." The cream she-cat assured her.
"Right. I'll go get some wet moss to cool him down." Alderheart meowed before leaving the den. Asuna watched as Jayfeather walked over to the herb storage, taking a while to find the watermint needed for the tom's bellyache. Once he picked up the herb, he brought it over to Finleap.
"Here's some watermint. You'll feel better eventually." Right when Finleap was about to lap up the herbs, Asuna placed her tail in front of him. That's coltsfoot. Jayfeather would never mess something like that up…but I know why. He still hasn't gotten over Leafpool's death. Alderheart returned to the den and saw the herbs in front of Finleap.
"Coltsfoot? He needs watermint. Here, I'll go get some." The tom dropped the bundle of moss and went into the herb storage, bringing Finleap the watermint while returning the coltsfoot afterward. "That was a close one, Asuna. They were probably just too close together." Asuna looked over at Jayfeather, Twigbranch doing the same. The tom had assumed that it wasn't Jayfeather, especially with how diligent and focused he was.
"Well maybe Leafpool should've organized the storage better!" The blind tom snapped. "Everything's all over the place!"
"You can change it, now that Leafpool—." Twigbranch stopped. The whole den went silent. Asuna knew that Twigbranch didn't mean to bring up the fact that Leafpool was gone, but she knew how much it hurt Jayfeather to remember. The tom let out a growl and turned his blind gaze towards the she-cat.
"You don't have the right to tell any cat here what to do!" He retorted. "Ever since you were a kit you've been in here! Just mind your own business!" Twigbranch let out a gasp and averted her gaze away from his.
"I-I'm sorry, Jayfeather. I didn't mean to come off that way." She stammered. Asuna placed her tail on the she-cat's shoulder to comfort her.
"He's still going through a lot, Twigbranch. It's not your fault." She assured her. The cream she-cat walked over to the blind tom, Alderheart leaning close to him.
"That was harsh, even for you, Jayfeather. You know Twigbranch is just trying to help." Asuna placed her tail between the two toms. Her hazel gaze looked over at Alderheart.
"Alderheart…leave him alone." She spoke softly.
"What? He's been having issues lately. We're just trying to help." He replied. "He can at least say sorry to Twigbranch." Asuna softly nudged the tom, and he let out a sigh.
"Sorry, Twigbranch." He quickly apologized. "I'm going out." The tom meowed before leaving the den. Asuna looked over at Alderheart.
"You know why he's acting the way he is, Alderheart. Why are you treating him like he's just being as moody as usual?" The she-cat scolded him, Alderheart's ears falling flat. "I'll be back." Asuna left the medicine cat's den and followed Jayfeather. She saw that he was leaving camp.
"Jayfeather, are you—." Lelouch stopped when the blind medicine cat simply passed by him without a word. The tom had been made deputy in place of Squirrelflight, the she-cat still not recovered from her unconscious state. He then noticed Asuna. "Are you going after him?" She nodded. "He's still distraught over Leafpool, isn't he?"
"Yes. I'm the only cat he shows his emotions to. I have to try helping him as much as I can."
"I'm sure he's grateful, Asuna, and I'm sure Leafpool is as well." The violet-eyed tom meowed. "Be safe out there." Asuna gave him a nod of thanks before she chased after the tom. She saw that he didn't go far, Jayfeather resting below a nearby tree, his head resting on his paws. His blind gaze turned to face Asuna when he caught her scent.
"I know you're still hurting inside, Jayfeather. I told you that I'd always be here for you." She meowed as she rested down next to him.
"It's just…it wasn't her time to die. She should still be in the medicine cat's den with us." He said. "As a medicine cat, I should know that death is just a part of life and I should move on…but I can't. Even with everything's she done to my siblings and I in the past, I…"
"You love her?" The tom slowly nodded.
"She wasn't the perfect mother…but she didn't need to. There were so many things that I said to her that I should never have, and there's so many things I've kept to myself that I wish I said to her."
"So why don't you come to the Moonpool with us so you can speak with her?"
"Because if I see her…if I see her…" Tears slowly began to stream down the tom's face. "I don't want to see her as a spirit living in StarClan. I don't…know if I can take it." The she-cat gave him a comforting lick to the ear.
"You have to be strong, Jayfeather. I know it's hard knowing that Leafpool isn't with us anymore, but someday you'll have to face the truth." She touched her muzzle to his cheek. "I'll be here for you when that day comes Jayfeather, I promise." The tom moved away from her and wiped his eyes with a paw.
"Thank you, Asuna." He meowed softly. With Asuna here…will I be able to actually do it? Can I really face the truth that my mother is gone? Despite all the sorrow and pain that it's brought…this is something I have to accept, whether I want to or not.
A few sunrises had passed, Asuna walking with Jayfeather towards the Moonpool, the moon shining above in the dark sky. The other night, Alderheart and Asuna heard the tom call out his mother's name in his sleep, concerning them both. He wouldn't perform his medicine cat duties as well as he did before if he didn't speak with Leafpool eventually.
"You have nothing to be nervous about, Jayfeather. I'll be there with you." The cream she-cat assured him.
"Right." He meowed. "Asuna?" The she-cat turned around. "I know I've said it a bit more than usual lately, but…thank you for helping me get through all of this. I'm…lucky to have a cat like you in my life." A small blush formed on the tom's face.
"I'm glad to help you, Jayfeather. Now, stop trying to stall."
"W-What? I was genuinely thanking you!" He stammered, causing the she-cat to giggle. "We're almost there anyway, right?"
"Yeah. Just a few more pawsteps." The two finally reached the Moonpool, and when they reached the entrance, Jayfeather's nose twitched.
"Are the other medicine cats here too?" He asked. "I thought it was just us two."
"Sorry Jayfeather, but they're as concerned about you as I am. We all just want to be here for you, that's all." She meowed. "C'mon, they're all waiting for us." The two walked down the spiral stone path leading to the heart of the Moonpool. Near the water, the other medicine cats were all waiting.
"There he is! Finally!" Willowshine meowed.
"I hope you all weren't waiting too long." Asuna apologized.
"It's okay. We all just want to make sure that Jayfeather's okay, that's all." Mothwing stated.
"Right. Although he may be grumpy, we still care about him. Medicine cats always have to stick together, after all." Kestrelflight meowed. Jayfeather's blind gaze touched theirs, but he said nothing. Asuna gave him a small nudge.
"Y'know, a small thank you wouldn't be too bad."
"R-Right." The tom cleared his throat. "Thank you all for being here. I'm sorry if I've been a bit more snappy than usual, or if I've worried any of you."
"We just hope you feel better after this." Alderheart meowed.
"You're very fortunate to have one of the kindest cats in the forest looking out for you as well." Puddleshine commented, causing Asuna to smile.
"We'll give you some privacy to speak with StarClan." Frecklewish meowed as she and the other medicine cats made their way to the top of the entrance to the Moonpool. As they all left, Asuna still stood beside the tom.
"Would you like me to come with you?" She asked the tom.
"Yes…please. I'd feel much more at ease if you were with me, Asuna." He confessed.
"Okay." The two padded close to the Moonpool and touched their noses to the water's surface. Their surroundings now changed to a dark void, only a single small glimmer of light nearby.
"Jayfeather? Oh, and Asuna, too." The two knew that the voice didn't belong to Leafpool, but they knew who it was.
"Hollyleaf?" Jayfeather called out. The ball of light expanded into a bright path, their surroundings now changing into a starlit forest. Hollyleaf walked down the path towards the two, her black coat glimmering with stars.
"It's good to see you both again." Hollyleaf meowed with a smile.
"You as well." The tom meowed. He looked around, but saw no sign of Leafpool. "Is she not going to come? Everyone's been begging me to speak with my dead mother for so long. Does she not want to see me?"
"That's not it at all." The she-cat took a seat next to her brother. "Mother would love to talk with you again, but she feels like you'll be in too much shock when the time comes." Jayfeather looked at Hollyleaf in surprise.
"You called her mother."
"I know. All this time I've felt resentment towards her…but once she came to StarClan, we've been talking, and I'm happy to finally understand her and everything that she's done." Jayfeather let out a sigh.
"She could've at least been our mother instead of thinking about herself." In front of them, a cascade of leaves blew past them, Leafpool appearing once the breeze stopped. Starlight surrounded her, a bright glow following every pawstep she took as she approached the three. Asuna and Jayfeather looked at her in awe, the cream she-cat wiping her eyes with a paw.
"I'm happy to see you here, Asuna. Thank you for looking after Jayfeather ever since I died." Without any words, Asuna pressed her head into the she-cat's shoulder.
"I miss you so much, Leafpool." She sobbed.
"I know. I'm sorry that all of this happened. However, I'm able to watch over you and the others now to make sure you're safe." Leafpool meowed before Asuna broke away from her. Leafpool's amber gaze looked over at Jayfeather. "I'm sorry that you think the choices I made were for my own well-being, but that isn't the case at all. I did what I thought was best for you, Lionblaze, and Hollyleaf. The day I gave you three to my sister…I felt broken inside…but I couldn't let you three suffer because of my mistake." Jayfeather didn't speak, allowing his mother to continue. "I gave you three to my sister knowing that she'd care for you as if you were her own…and from the looks of it." She looked over at Hollyleaf and Jayfeather. "My choice couldn't have been that bad." Jayfeather shook his head.
"I should've only lost you once…but now I've lost you twice." He murmured.
"I know, but as I told Asuna, I'll be able to watch over you and the others from now on…at least if you'd let me, Jayfeather." She meowed before she gave the tom's cheek a loving nuzzle. The tom could feel his heart swell up with affection and love. This was the first time he now ever felt that the bond between them was one between a mother and her son. "I love you, Jayfeather. I always have." Leafpool mewed. Jayfeather and Asuna now watched as Leafpool and Hollyleaf slowly began to fade away in front of them into a sparking mist before their vision faded to black.
Asuna and Jayfeather woke up next to the Moonpool, the two stretching their legs as they got to their paws. Asuna looked over at the blind tom, who let out a sigh.
"Do you feel better now?" She asked.
"Yeah. Thanks for being there with me, Asuna."
"It's no—." The she-cat paused when she felt Jayfeather give her a kiss on the check, a strong blush on the tom's face.
"Y-You're always doing it to me…so I thought I'd do it to thank you." He meowed. "A-And because…you know that I love you, Asuna. I can at least show it to you in some way." The she-cat pressed her head below the tom's chin lovingly. Jayfeather's nose twitched and his blind gaze looked towards the bottom of the spiral path. Asuna looked over and saw that Alderheart was there.
"A-Alderheart!" Asuna quickly stepped away from the tom, a huge blush on her face. "Where are the others?"
"They went back home. I wanted to come back to camp with you both." He meowed. "Don't worry, I won't tell Kirito what I saw, but I'm sure he knows that you like Asuna, Jayfeather."
"Yeah, well that doesn't mean he has to know what we did!" The medicine cat retorted. Alderheart let out a smile.
"That's the Jayfeather I like to hear." The blind medicine cat scoffed.
"Stupid furball." He muttered, causing Asuna to giggle.
"Okay you two, let's not fight." She meowed. Although we've lost Leafpool, that doesn't mean she isn't watching over us. Even with her gone, we're going to keep the family we have in the medicine cat's den as close as it's always been.