Chapter 7

The camp was still when Amberleaf woke, the air heavy and noises muffled by the early morning mist that hung over the ground. She stood and stretched, careful not to disturb the sleeping cats around her paws. Already alert and restless, the imminent meeting was weighing on her mind and making her anxious, although Amberleaf doubted any cat would be able to tell, except perhaps her mate. She prided herself on having complete control over herself physically, even when her emotions ran rampant.

The ginger she-cat picked her way between the unconscious bodies, taking a deep breath as soon as the chilly morning air hit her face. She loved waking before everyone else. It was so peaceful; she could almost believe she was the only cat in the forest, free of any responsibility or obligation. Alas, she couldn't imagine ever being content if that was indeed the world she lived in, as she would become terribly lonely with no-one to talk to, no-one to share a nest with, no-one to share tongues with… no-one to love. Her mind began to darken with familiar demons, and she was rather glad when Yellowfang emerged from her den, glanced around, and upon seeing Amberleaf, made a beeline towards her.

The medicine cat made her way over slowly, seemingly distracted. At Amberleaf's call, she jerked her matted head up, orange eyes meeting green in a hard stare. Yellowfang's eyes narrowed to slits and her lips slid up in the beginnings of a snarl, revealing dirty, yellowed fangs.

"Have you spoken to either of those toms yet?" Yellowfang asked harshly, tail lashing, her tone making it clear who she was speaking about.

Amberleaf frowned, answering steadily, but not without curiosity plain in her voice. "I have actually; Micah, in fact. Why? Do you have a quarrel with them?"

"Aye, I do. Those scoundrels are rallying a force to accompany them, turning a good number of loyal cats upon their own."

The ginger she-cat frowned again, voice harder now. "What do you mean? Micah said last night that he had gathered a good number of cats to accompany him – cats that he knew when he was alive, from the ancient times – but not that he was creating any sort of quarrels. The way he put it, they only wanted to help for honourable reasons. Was he lying?"

Yellowfang shook her head, tail whisking back and forth behind her. She answered slowly. "Perhaps… he could be telling the truth, it isn't impossible. But that Skywatcher is a snake-tongue, using different stories for every cat, trying to get them to accompany him back to SkyClan. I know he helped Firestar to remake SkyClan, but that doesn't clear him from condemnation forever. I should think that it was because of his manipulativeness that he managed to coax Firestar into gathering enough cats to create a whole new clan.

Amberleaf's eyes narrowed, the medicine cat's words planting roots of suspicion deep in her mind. "Hmm… Do you remember when we heard about how Skywatcher kept the knowledge of the rats from Firestar, just to ensure he wouldn't lose his nerve? I say, no matter how good the outcome, or how bad the circumstances might have been, he wasn't honest then, and I doubt he has become honest now."

"A tabby never changes their stripes," Yellowfang concluded for her, resting a tail over the younger cat's shoulders. "I say that there is a good chance that Micah is following Skywatcher's lead, trying everything he can to rally a formidable force of cats, each fighting for a different reason, a different story."

Amberleaf pulled away from the contact, shaking her head as she tried to marshal her thoughts. "That means… Does it though? Hollyflower and I were talking to him at moonhigh, and he told us a story. It seems inconsequential now – that is, it doesn't seem to link to this in any way – but do you think it was a lie? Do you suppose that he made it up, just to gain our sympathy and support?"

Amberleaf paused for only a heartbeat, glancing at the skinny grey cat so that she could catch a glimpse of the desperate confusion swirling in her green eyes. She took a breath and forged on, taking the decision of whether or not to answer away from Yellowfang. "If he did lie to try to get our help, I'm not sure it worked, for even before I talked to you this morning, we weren't sure if we should go. Of course, Hollyflower wanted to help however she could, but she responds like that to everything, so I'm sure I could have dissuaded her if I didn't think it was worth it. But now… what?" The young cat seemed to run out of words, instead crouching and staring up at the medicine cat with big, pleading, emerald eyes. Yellowfang sighed wearily in response, sinking onto her haunches.

"I don't know what to tell you. I can't be sure if he was lying – I don't think any cat could be – but I do know this. The best thing to do now is to trust your instincts. Cats have come far by listening to their intuition, and I believe you will too. So, go now – talk with your mate and make a decision. Just remember," Yellowfang became very solemn, eyes pools of shrewd intelligence that Amberleaf couldn't decipher in that moment, "everything you do has an impact, even if you don't know it yet. Choose wisely."

With those last words, Yellowfang dipped her head to the other cat and slipped away into the mist, grey pelt melting into the shadows so only her eyes could be seen when she glanced back at Amberleaf; beacons of fire piercing the curtains of fog. Then she looked away and disappeared into the dark.

Amberleaf rubbed a paw across her muzzle. It was really too early for these sorts of conversations. But now the sun's first rays were peeking through the canopy and they were late to meet with Micah. Heavy paws slowing her down, she trudged her way back to the den where Hollyflower slept, blissfully unaware of the conversation that had just taken place.

Other cats were emerging from the dens now, making Amberleaf weave between them as she went. Conflicting thoughts and emotions swirled in her head, shortening her step until she was finally brought to a halt, right before the entrance. Standing there, debating whether she should reveal what she had learnt to her mate, Amberleaf hated herself. How could she even think to keep a secret like that from her mate, her beloved? Didn't she deserve to know?

The ginger warrior was kept frozen in place, head hanging in shame until Hollyflower rose from her nest unbidden and exited the den, searching for her mate. Seeing Amberleaf in the state she was, Hollyflower immediately jumped to her side, eyes bright with worry.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?" she asked quietly, ushering her towards the forest, eager to get her mate away from whatever had upset her. Hollyflower momentarily forgot about their meeting and instead lead the ginger she-cat towards the tree where they had slept not long ago. However, on the slow walk through the forest, with her mate next to her, being so kind and gentle – despite the fact that she didn't know what had caused her current mood – Amberleaf came to a decision.

"Hollyflower, there's something I need to tell you before we talk to Micah."

The grey she-cat's head jerked up at the sound of her mate's steady voice. "Uh, sure. Go on then," she encouraged, only her eyes betraying her anxiety.

Amberleaf took a quiet breath as she braced herself for her mate's reaction. "You know the story Micah was telling us?"

"Yeah, I'm really excited to hear what he was going to tell us. I had to tear myself away-"

"He might have been lying. About all of it."

Hollyflower's breath caught at the revelation, and she became very still. "Why would you think that?" she asked, voice quiet and emotionless, hardly noticeable over the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Amberleaf flinched at her mate's tone, so unlike her usual peppiness. "I talked to Yellowfang earlier, before you were awake. She doesn't trust the SkyClan cats, says that Skywatcher has been manipulating cats into agreeing to help. She thinks Micah is doing the same to us."

The ginger warrior had been averting her gaze since she had started the painful conversation, unwilling to see the see the emotions flashing through Hollyflower's eyes, but as the silence drew out, she had to see what the other cat was thinking. She chanced a glance up, only to see her mate deep in thought, blinking slowly at the ground as she tried to find a solution. Eventually, after the quiet had spanned what seemed to Amberleaf like an entire season, Hollyflower spoke up, voice low and calculating, still devoid of emotion. That worried Amberleaf. When did her mate do anything without expressing every and any emotion she felt?

"Well, we still have our meeting with Micah, and no doubt he will be waiting for us by now, so I say that we go and talk to him, see what he has to say, then do some digging of our own."

Hollyflower opened her eyes to stare at her mate, orbs darker than usual but having a ruthless, scheming glint to them that Amberleaf had only seen a few times before.

Once Hollyflower had given her proposal, Amberleaf agreed hastily and without argument, anxious to get her mate into a better mood. They set off at once, loping steadily through the trees to the river. Amberleaf smirked to herself, thinking about how the current atmosphere was rather more formal than the last time they had been this way, when they had been streaking through the trees.

But it seemed time had sped up again, as hardly a heartbeat passed before they were slowing to a walk and leaving the calming embrace of the shadows, bracing themselves to face the cat they feared had lied to them and was going to again.

Micah had placed himself right on the riverbank, in a way that would no doubt make conversation hard, with the noise of the rushing water assaulting their ears. The she-cats paced across the dirt, paws getting heavier and mouths getting drier as they approached the tabby tom. He watched them as they walked, head following their progress, stare unforgiving. They arrived and sat upon the grass in silence, the only acknowledgement of their presence a curt nod of his head.

Time had become fluid at this point, and it took this chance to come to a complete halt, drawing out their suffering until Amberleaf could no longer stand it.

"Well, go on then!" she burst out, only for the sound to be carried away on the water as soon as the cats heard the words.

Micah narrowed his eyes, green pools unreadable to the observers. "Of course. No doubt you are anxious to hear the rest of the story. We shall continue where we left off, yes?"


AN: So, first up, a little apology for how long this incredibly simple/boring chapter took. My head is kinda a mess, and procrastination is a bitch, but oh well. Apart from that, I will most probably be betareading for someone in the coming months, and I actually have no idea how much time that's going to take up, just so you guys know. I also have a really cool new horse riding prospect... but I'm entirely sure you guys don't want to hear most of this. Sorry! My point is, don't be surprised if some updates are late, although late has sort of lost any meaning now that my updates are totally random and very inconsistent.

Anyway, more plot and (hopefully!) action will be coming into play in a few chapters, so be ready for that. Now, I apologise for my rambling, but it's late, so I hope you can forgive me. Sleep well, or have a good day, depending on where you are.

-Amber