A/N: I usually don't support deadpairings, such as Crowfeather and Feathertail (which I call Crowfeathertail) or definitely not Firestar and Spottedleaf. I just don't like it. It's odd, and people need to move on when stuff like death happens. I know it's hard, but it's true.
But the only deadpairing I can withstand is Graystripe and Silverstream, because they were just way too cute together. I read the first Warriors manga today, and was devastated that Erin Hunter would let any other cat takew over Graystripe's love life.
Yes, I know, I'm a hypocrite.
But I can assure all of you people out there thinking that there's going to be a romance between Cherrytail and Graystripe that yes, Graystripe does start to like her. A lot. I'm very sorry, but I can't stand any other cat with Graystripe, so it's not going to last. I'm very sorry!!!!!!!!!!
"Cherrytail?" Graystripe looked over to see the brown tabby tom Sparrowpelt take a step toward the tortoiseshell she-cat. "Cherrytail, how do you expect to help him?"
Cherrytail glanced at Sparrowpelt. "I'm going to go with him to find ThunderClan."
"You can't do that on your own," Rockfall called out. Graystripe remembered Tinycloud telling him that Rockfall was once Cherrytail's apprentice. "What happens when Graystripe finds ThunderClan? You'll have to make it back here on your own!"
Meows of agreement and protest of Cherrytail's leaving broke out among the cats below the Rockpile. Graystripe gazed on in wonder, amazed at how much this Clan actually acted like a true forest Clan. Firestar was right. StarClan had lied to them all their lives. There were always five Clans.
"Every cat be quiet!" Thorntail yowled, leaping up next to Leafstar. Instantly, the cats below him hushed and listened to what he had to say. "I know that none of us want Cherrytail to go, and neither Graystripe. But he has to find his home, and he can't do that alone! If Cherrytail has insisted on helping Graystripe, then so be it. We can't do anything to stop her." He paused and glanced once at Cherrytail, at Graystripe, and then at the whole Clan. "But I do agree with Rockfall. One more cat should go with, so both him or her and Cherrytail can come back home together."
Sparrowpelt rose to his paws. "She's my sister. I'll go with her."
Graystripe saw Featherpaw leap forward, determination playing about her face. This medicine cat apprentice reminded him of Cinderpelt when she was Firestar's apprentice. Now the medicine cat was just as wise as Bluestar once was.
"Please don't go, Father!" the small silver she-cat mewed. Graystripe saw Tinycloud stiffen, and also witnessed Ivoryclaw lash her tail in warning to Sparrowpelt.
But before the brown tabby tom could speak up, Leafstar got to her paws. "I'm sorry, Sparrowpelt, but you have kin here you must take care of."
"Cherrytail has kin too!" Rockfall called, getting to his paws. "She has Sparrowpelt." The black warrior paused and sighed. "She was my mentor, Leafstar," he meowed. "I will go with her."
"No!" Tinycloud shrieked, bolting up to her brother. "Rockfall, please don't…"
But Leafstar nodded. "I know Rockfall has kin too, but he doesn't have kits. Rockfall, you will accompany Graystripe and Cherrytail on their search for ThunderClan."
Rockfall nodded with authority. Tinycloud next to him continued to nuzzle him, her green eyes brimming in sorrow.
As if drawing the meeting to an end, Leafstar nodded to Thorntail and leaped off of the Rockpile, following closely by her deputy. The SkyClan cats around the mound of rocks began to disperse, all crowding around Cherrytail and Rockfall.
Graystripe straightened and padded smoothly over to Cherrytail. He had told Leafstar his disappointment about having yet three more Clans in the gorge, but the tabby she-cat had explained everything. He now understood what Cherrytail meant, and had to apologize to her.
"Cherrytail!" he called out. He finally slipped up to her between the throng of cats and meowed, "Cherrytail, I'm sorry about yesterday."
Cherrytail silenced him with a flick of her tail across his mouth. "It's all right. Now, when do you plan on leaving?"
Graystripe flicked his tail in concentration. He didn't want to leave SkyClan just yet. He felt so at home in the Clan that he feared he would never want to leave. But he knew that he belonged in ThunderClan, and that SkyClan would never be as good a home for him.
Focusing his thoughts back on the starling perched on top of the tree branch, Graystripe prowled forward silently. He knew it would be tricky to catch the bird, since he had already resigned from hunting birds on his way to find SkyClan. But he wanted to show Cherrytail beside him that he could catch a bird just as easily as she could. Firestar had told him back at the forest that the SkyClan cats were special for their amazing ability to leap high in the air and catch prey straight from trees.
Absent-mindedly, Graystripe stepped forward and his front paw landed on a crisp twig, sending the starling a warning to fly away. As the pale-feathered bird opened its wings for liftoff, Cherrytail quickly leaped into the air and snatched it from the tree, bringing it down swiftly.
Graystripe straightened, flicking his whiskers in admiration, his eyes wide with alarm. "Nice catch!" he exclaimed. Firestar was definitely right when he said that SkyClan cats could jump. "I never would've gone after that."
"It's a nice piece of fresh-kill," Cherrytail defended. She placed the starling on the ground and began scraping earth over it. "Let's go. I'm in the mood for some rabbit, no?"
Graystripe beamed at the tortoiseshell, but he quickly cast all thoughts of admiration away. First of all, Cherrytail was a SkyClan cat. Graystripe was ThunderClan's old deputy. Two completely different cats. For all he knew, Cherrytail used to be a kittypet!
Second of all, he couldn't take his mind away from his one true love, the she-cat who bore his kits: Silverstream. The beautiful RiverClan queen could not be forgotten in Graystripe's mind, not after he had two children, Stormfur and Feathertail, to bring up. Of course, Feathertail had died on the way home from the journey to find the sun-drown-place. That had left Graystripe in pieces, since Silverstream had died giving birth to her. Now both of his precious girls were lost, and he had no idea where Stormfur was. How could Graystripe just give up on Silverstream?
The two hunted for a few moments longer before they collected their fresh-kill and headed back to the camp. Graystripe felt a bit odd hunting for another Clan, but who else was there to hunt for? He grabbed a magpie from the pile and sat down next to Rockfall and Tinycloud, watching Cherrytail head off to sit next to Sparrowpelt.
"Might as well get to know each other better," Rockfall suggested.
Graystripe nodded, but his eyes remained on Cherrytail. He couldn't believe he was already forgetting Silverstream—no. "Forgetting" was too strong a word. He was simply acknowledging the fact that his mate was dead, and that he had to move on. But he couldn't just let Silverstream go!
"Graystripe?"
Graystripe turned his broad grey head to see Tinycloud flicking his flank with her long white tail. "You were daydreaming."
Graystripe nibbled at his magpie silently. He drew his thoughts away from Cherrytail and concentrated on what the white SkyClan queen was saying.
"I know it must feel weird being one of StarClan's subjects, but imagine how all us SkyClan cats must've felt when Firestar and Sandstorm came to the gorge."
Graystripe understood how Tinycloud felt; he wouldn't have been able to imagine a different life than a Clan life, but he understood her.
Suddenly, Thorntail came over to sit beside his mate, Leafstar right beside him. "So Graystripe, when did you plan on leaving?"
"I want to give Cherrytail and Rockfall here a day or two to say good-bye. Besides, the full moon is in two nights. Maybe you should inform the other Clans that they're leaving?"
Graystripe knew that he might be offending the kind SkyClan leader by sneering the "other Clans" part, but he was devastated that StarClan were simply creating more Clans from nowhere. Leafstar must've understood that.
Leafstar seemed to show no offense of the comment and simply nodded. "That's a good idea. And, you'll be able to feel what a Gathering feels like again. I'm sure you've missed your Clan life."
Graystripe nodded, and had a whisker snagged in his kittypet collar during the process. "Fox dung!" he exclaimed, getting to his paws. He tried tugging at his whisker, but the collar fastened on tightly.
To the grey warrior's horror, he heard Rockfall whisper to Tinycloud, "Could it be a sign from StarClan? Maybe Graystripe's supposed to be a kittypet."
"I'm ThunderClan's deputy!" Graystripe yowled, determination boiling inside him. He yanked at his muzzle, and the whisker came free. But the collar stilled remained attached to his throat.
When Graystripe looked down, the bright purple Twoleg material seemed to be taunting him. He remembered back to when he met Firestar in the Twolegplace beside ThunderClan's territory. He had lost his collar almost immediately in a battle with the ThunderClan elder Longtail. It was a sign good enough for Bluestar that Firestar, Rusty, at the time, was suitable to become a warrior.
Maybe Rockfall was right. Maybe since he still had his collar, Graystripe was meant to be a kittypet.
"It probably just means that you shouldn't leave yet," Tinycloud reassured, sensing Graystripe's uneasiness. "And you're not going to. You have two more days."
Graystripe, slightly comforted in Tinycloud's words, nodded and went back to eating his magpie. He chewed thoughtfully, ever so often casting glances at Cherrytail.
I'm sorry, Silverstream, he thought, glancing upward at the first showing stars of Silverpelt. I'm so sorry.
