Hello! I updated on time for once! We are already at chapter nine, I'm so excited!
Thanks for all those who continue to review, I'm still amazed at how many old and new faces continue to read this, it's touching, really ^^
Chapter 9
"Where are we going?" Flintpaw's curious voice echoed through the silent snow-filled forest.
Fallstripe glanced over her shoulder, beams of moonlight shot down through the branches of the tree, making the snow sparkle silver and illuminated the gray tom's silver stripes so they appeared white.
"To meet the cat that's going to help us," she responded, whiskers twitching in amusement as a bit of snow fell from one of the branches onto Flintpaw's back, making him jump.
"Why does it have to be at night?" he asked, shivering as he blew out a large puff of air that clouded in front of his face.
"Because that's when we meet. This cat has been helping me with the case for longer than you, so we meet up on selected nights to exchange and discuss information."
"So, he couldn't figure it out either, huh," Flintpaw mewed sounding distracted. "Must not be good at that sort of thing."
"Actually," Fallstripe mewed sharply, glancing over her shoulder again at Flintpaw who seemed to be studying the clear sky. "His job was to investigate rogues and the area outside the Clans. Since the killer is in the Clans, it's entirely my failing…" she trailed off, throat growing tight.
They continued in silence until they reached the meeting spot and Fallstripe led Flintpaw into the open clearing, shivering as a gust of wind pushed her into the stocky tom. "He should be here soon," Fallstripe mewed, stepping away with a look of apology as she fluffed up her short fur against the biting wind.
"It's cold out tonight," Flintpaw mewed, stepping deliberately against her so that she was shielded from the wind and his heat penetrated her body. She tensed up for a moment, but then relaxed into his war fur, purring gratefully, but it caught in her throat as a memory of Ivysong doing the exact same thing with her long fur flashed in her mind.
She looked up at the sky, it was clear. The snow clouds had passed, leaving a whisker-length of fresh snow upon the forest. But now a bright, nearly half moon hung high in the sky with a halo of stars around it.
The time-limit for her mission was almost up and as the thought of her father she shivered and instinctively pressed herself closer to Flintpaw. She hadn't spoken to her father since the burial and she'd done nothing but rest all afternoon, avoiding talking to any cat until it was time to leave. But now, she felt a cold dread at having to face her father empty-pawed. No! I'm not doing this for his approval anymore, it's for Ivysong! But the fear didn't pass.
"Fallstripe!" a far-off call broke her out of her dismal thoughts, and she lifted her tail in greeting as a well-muscled handsome golden-brown tom kicked up a cloud of snow as he came to reach her, slowing hesitantly as Flintpaw tensed and gave a warning growl.
"Who is this?" Thorn asked silkily, blinking his wide eyes, full of ardor as he looked at her.
"He's Flintpaw, a Clan-mate of mine. He's helping us now," she mewed, trying to smooth the ruffled fur between the two toms, but despite her calm voice, the two toms gave each other wary glances.
"Thorn has been helping me a lot with this case, I think he's the one who should help us catch the killer," she mewed, turning to Flintpaw.
The apprentice gave her a long look and his eyes darted between her and Thorn before nodding. "Okay, if you trust him," he grumbled, turning to Thorn, one of the few cats who could match his height. Flintpaw went into a brief explanation of the plan, without naming the culprit.
"You want to use her as bait?!" Thorn growled, blue eyes wide with outrage. "I can't allow it, I'll be bait," he mewed, stepping to her side protectively.
"Weren't you listening?" Flintpaw growled, ears pinned to his head. "It has to be a weak-looking cat and a Clan cat. You're clearly neither!" the apprentice growled and Fallstripe felt a twinge of annoyance at his 'weak-looking' words.
"Fallstripe isn't weak!" Thorn shot back, fur fluffing up, so he looked twice his size.
"I didn't say she was, I said she was weak looking, meaning she's smaller and thinner. I don't care how blind with love you are, but you can't deny that she would make better-looking bait than either you or me," Flintpaw growled, raising his hackles.
"Hey, cut it out!" Fallstripe mewed, feeling increasingly anxious at their ill-temper toward each other.
"Stop it."
A new voice cut through the rumbling growls and Fallstripe felt chills down her spine. This voice was full of power and a coldness she had never felt, as if invisible claws were trailing down her spine. Instinctively, she shrunk next to Flintpaw, looking with wide-eyes for the speaker.
Thorn and Flintpaw had both backed down instantly at the voice, Flintpaw's eyes wide with stormy shock and Thorn dipped his head apologetically. "I also came with a companion tonight," he mewed, glancing at her sheepishly. "She helped me the other day against a rogue I was investigating who decided he didn't want me following him. She saved my life and after I explained what I was doing, she says she wants to help catch the killer," he mewed, stepping back and signaling to some cat with his tail.
A lithe black she-cat stepped into the moonlight, the silver light seemed to be sucked into her fur, making her look like a moving abyss. Fallstripe watched, mouth agape, as the graceful she-cat approached in silence, as if she were merely a shadow.
But the intensity of her red gaze convinced Fallstripe this was a real cat. The she-cat's scent was faint, despite being only two tail-lengths away and it was reminiscent of wind and rock, similar to Flintpaw's had been when they'd first met, but much weaker as if she were several tree-lengths away rather than a few tail-lengths.
"My stars…" Flintpaw whispered, eyes wide as he stared the she-cat up and down, "Amelia, is that you?"
"Hello, Flint," the black she-cat purred, black tail curling in pleasure, "It's so good to see you again."
Fallstripe looked at Flintpaw in confusion and then at Thorn, but the rogue looked as confused as she did. "The two of you know each other already?" the golden-brown tom asked cautiously, gaze darting between the two cats.
"Yeah, sort of," Flintpaw mewed in confusion, "You left us right after mother and Ash took leadership. I haven't seen you in seasons, and I didn't think I'd ever see you again," he mewed, looking lost as he stared at Amelia. Then added under his breath so Fallstripe barely heard him, "And honestly, I'd hoped I never would."
"That's true," the black she-cat, Amelia, purred. "You were half the height you are now last time I saw you. But enough of that, we're here to discuss catching the killer. I'm under the impression you already know who it is, right, Flint?"
"It's Flintpaw now," the tom mewed, trying to recompose himself. "And yes, I believe I know who it is. The plan is to lure him out with Fallstripe as bait," he laid his tail over her shoulder and Fallstripe looked at him as she realized he was trembling.
"Then the three of you will surround him and capture him. Once he's defeated, we'll take him back to camp for the leader and deputy to decide what to do with him," Fallstripe mewed steadily, taking over and stepping forward, giving Amelia a challenging stare.
"Really? You don't want to kill him yourself? But didn't he kill your sister?" the black rogue asked, amber eyes glinting.
"Warriors don't kill if they don't need to," Fallstripe growled in disgust at the thought, feeling like ants were crawling through her pelt. "We'll stop him and let the leader decide how to deal with him. Whether he's executed or banished, I don't care. I just want to fulfill my mission and stop any more cats from being killed."
"Very well, I'll help in any way I can," Amelia purred. "When are we going to get him?" she asked, looking at Flintpaw.
"We'll bait him tomorrow and arrange for Fallstripe to escort Rainfall to the half-moon meeting so that she'll be out alone by the WindClan border, his favorite area to kill. The killer won't be able to resist and will go to kill her, but we'll be there and catch him in the act."
"What if something goes wrong?" Amelia asked, "Like we lose sight of them? The killer kills by strangling, so Fallstripe won't be able to call out to us."
"That won't happen," Thorn growled, stepping to her side and wrapping himself around her protectively, "I promise on my life that I'll keep her safe," he mewed, intense blue eyes boring into hers and Fallstripe felt herself overwhelmed by the emotion in them, feeling like she was being swept away in a wave that she had no control over.
"Okay, we get it, we'll be careful," Flintpaw growled, nudging Thorn away from her. "I'll meet the two of you here a little before sunset. Be here, that'll give us enough time to reach Fallstripe before they reach the WindClan border. Then we follow until the killer shows up and capture him."
"Sounds simple enough, so let's hope it works out that way," Amelia mewed, following it with a yawn that showed off her white fangs glinting with moonlight. "May the stars light your path, you two," the black she-cat purred, turning away and heading back into the rogue forest.
Thorn hesitated for a moment, "Fallstripe, I promise on everything I hold dear that I'll keep you safe," he mewed, blue eyes round with affection. "And, please promise me that after this is over, that we'll meet again here."
Fallstripe's heart was pounding and she felt a fluttering in her stomach, "Okay," her voice was weak, but Thorn's eyes lit up with delight at her words and he ran away into the cold wind with a whoop of joy.
"He's really crazy about you," Flintpaw growled, looking at her suspiciously.
Fallstripe shifted her paws, "He was just a help at first, but now I don't know," she mewed, avoiding his gaze.
"Do you really think a relationship with him would work? He's outside of the Clan, and you're inside of it. And don't you like Sootfur?" the apprentice added with a growl, heading back into the forest, paws crunching on the snow.
Fallstripe was silent, feeling uncomfortable with her thoughts and emotions as she followed him. "I always liked Sootfur, he was my mentor and my greatest encourager outside my sister and brothers. I owe him a lot, but he and Ivysong… as much as I want him, I don't think he'll ever want me."
"But Thorn does want me, and I think I could learn to want him," she mewed, looking up at Flintpaw, searching for a sign of approval.
"Don't waste your time, you won't have a future with him," the tom growled. "So long as he's outside the Clan it won't work. I listened to enough of Needlepine's stories to know that. He and Rainstone had to leave the Clans, all their friends and families. And when they came back, it wasn't to one of their Clans, but to a different one. Because of the circumstance they could do it, but Fallstripe," Flintpaw faced her, dark eyes gorging into hers, "You're not the type that can abandon her life and start a new one."
Fallstripe felt a flash of anger, who was he to judge her? "You mean like you? You don't think I could be like you and leave my family for my own dreams? You don't think it's easy to leave a grave and a father who always looks down on you?" Pain stabbed her mind and made her angrier, "And you abandoned your family! Or maybe you ran away? Maybe you did something bad and got banished?" she mewed, feeling a swell of suspiciousness, "You never told me anything about yourself, so where do you get off telling me what I can and can't do?" she hissed, narrowing her eyes.
Flintpaw stepped away from her, surprised, and a note of understanding came into his eyes. "It's true, I never did talk about myself," he mused, looking up at the sky. "But Fallstripe, I think that you'll be surprised to know that we're more alike than you think," he mewed, turning in a direction away from camp and heading off towards the lake.
Fallstripe watched him go before letting out a sigh and hurrying to catch up. "So, what? If you have something to say, then say it!"
"I need a bit more space when thinking. The forest really isn't my natural habitat," Flintpaw mewed, giving her a wry look. She narrowed her eyes but dropped her questioning, sensing a ripple of unease under Flintpaw's skin.
After awhile they reached the edge of the forest and Flintpaw stepped out into the moonlight, taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes, the wind sweeping his whiskers to the sides of his cheeks as he faced the breeze head on.
Fallstripe shivered and stayed low to the ground, minimizing her exposure as she crouched at Flintpaw's side. He looked so young and powerful, like he could take on anything and succeed and as he opened his dark eyes, understanding and determination gave them a hard gleam, almost like a challenge. Envy stabbed Fallstripe, she could only wish to be that confident.
"Come on, it's freezing out here," she complained, wanting to get back to the shelter and shadows of the forest.
"No, I want to talk out here, where no one can eavesdrop," he mewed, giving a look over his shoulder at the forest. He took a few steps forward so that he was almost at the lake's edge where a film of thin ice had formed.
Fallstripe grumbled her objections but followed, settling down at his back so that he sheltered her from the wind. "Fallstripe, I'll tell you a little bit about myself, and where I came from," he paused before continuing, "I think now that Amelia is involved, it would be for the best if you knew a little."
"The black she-cat? She seemed pretty young, is she from the same place you are?" Fallstripe asked.
Flintpaw nodded, "Yes, I've known her since I was a kit. She was my mother's closest friend, but I wouldn't trust her," he broke off in a growl. "She may have cooperated and helped my mother, but only for amusement. She doesn't care about any cat, so if she's involved, it's because she finds the situation funny, or like a game."
Fallstripe's heart was beating wildly as she listened, a game? My sister's death is part of a game to this cat? "Then why should we except her help?" she snapped angrily, "If she isn't committed then we should chase her out like the rogue she is!"
"That wouldn't be possible, she's also the strongest cat I know, and I can't remember a time when she lost in a fight, no matter against how many or how skilled. Besides, if she says she's going to help, then she is going to help," Flintpaw looked at her, "I'm just saying, don't trust her and be careful around her."
Fallstripe kneaded at the cold, sandy ground, "Fine," she growled, feeling frustration building in her. "But as soon as we catch the killer, she's gone, right?"
"I don't know, but I don't think she'd stick around. She's not exactly… fond of the Clans. And anyways," he swept on as she tried to ask why, "I wanted to explain to you why I came to the Clans, so that we know more about each other."
He contemplated her for a moment and then looked back at the lake, seeming to steel his nerves and took a deep breath as he began. "I was born in the mountains, far north of here. When you look toward the sunrise on a clear morning you can see the mountains in the distance. I left the mountains last new-leaf, just after the snow melted. It wasn't because I was exiled or ran away or anything. I set off on a journey, I wanted to travel and see all the places my mother had told me about in her stories of travelling. And I wanted to find my father," he added so quietly that his words almost seemed snatched away in the wind.
"The Clan cat you're related to?" Fallstripe asked, closing her eyes as she felt a sickness in her stomach again and she tried not to think, not to see the obvious.
"Yes. But that was a bit of a lie. My mother was a former Clan-cat herself, so I'm a full-blooded Clan cat. I already knew his name, I knew he looked like me, from what my mother said. I really wanted to ask him how he could have let mom go without him, how he—whom my mother loved—was okay that his kits grew up far away from him and that mother found someone new. I'd never felt like I'd missed out on something but seeing the way my mother and her new mate interacted with their kits, when I saw them, I knew I had missed a lot. And I wanted an explanation."
Fallstripe watched Flintpaw's solid back tremble and bend as he bowed his head, each word growing softer until it was nearly a whisper, "And I wanted him to know that his daughter died a hero." Fallstripe's heart flipped and a flush of emotion choked her throat as she instantly thought of her own sister, the fresh wounds nearly stealing her breath.
"How did she die?" Fallstripe whispered, trying to push the images of her sister curled up, dead.
"It was a fight, we were young… she was barely as old as an apprentice. But Fallstripe, she was special, and her actions saved so many cats… I just wish she'd lived to see it," his voice sounded tight with pain, even though it had happened so long ago. "Fallstripe, I won't lie, losing a littermate isn't a pain that ever really disappears. It lessens, for sure, but it's a loss that will always seem unfair, like something precious was stolen and there's nothing you can do to get it back."
He looked back at her and she met his gaze, for a moment they were alike in their pain but then he blinked and turned forward again. "Anyways, that's what I meant when I said we were more similar than you thought. We both know what it's like to lose a littermate and be ignored by our father."
Fallstripe flinched when he mentioned that last part, "You noticed?" she asked sheepishly.
"Hard not to," Flintpaw retorted, giving her a caustic look, "You shouldn't try so hard to please him. If he's not going to be happy with you, that's his fault. It's not going to change by you making yourself miserable and holding yourself back. That's why I want to make a request from you," he mewed, getting to his paws and turning around to face her.
Fallstripe stood up too, squinting her eyes against the wind that blew straight into her eyes. "Fallstripe, when we catch this murderer, I want you to not take anymore missions like this. Rejoin the Clan, make more friends, spend time with those who love you, and stop worrying about your father who will probably never be happy with you."
Fallstripe shrunk under his stern gaze but his words echoed in her heart as she thought back to this morning with her father accusing her of being happy that Ivysong had died. Would someone who knew me, who loved me, ever say something like that? She looked up at Flintpaw and found the answer was no.
"Flintpaw…" she mewed slowly, raising her gaze and slowing her aching heart. I only fall in love with those I can't have. "You found your father, didn't you, in ThunderClan," she waited for his wary nod and she held his gaze, wanting to hear him say what she had suspected since she'd met him. "Who is it?"
Flintpaw's gaze grew hard and he looked away, "I'm sure more than a few cats have their suspicions, but not one wants to come out and say it. Fallstripe, my father is Coalspark, even though he won't ever acknowledge it."
Fallstripe nodded slowly, she'd been expecting it, but even so it was like a lash in the face. She could remember her mother, watching her father with adoring eyes from the nursery where they sat, ardor in her face, but Coalspark had never given her glance. He had never loved her like she loved him.
"You said your mother was a former Clan cat, what was her name?" she asked, she could hear the own sharpness of her voice as she felt herself start blaming this other she-cat for stealing the love that should have gone to her mother.
Flintpaw looked at her coolly, as if he could read her thoughts, "It's getting late, we should go back to camp," he mewed and walked past her toward the forest.
"Wait! Flintpaw!" she called, hurrying after him, feeling desperate. Come on, just tell him, you can do this much! "Flintpaw!" she repeated, blocking his path as he looked at her in surprise. "I want to say something… Thank you for telling me about your life, and I'm sorry for the…" she paused, feeling baffled with herself, "insensitive things I said. Flintpaw, thank you for helping me with my mission, and worrying about me and I just want you to know…" she looked down at her paws, you can never tell him you love him now, at least, not in the way you wanted. But when she looked up, her hazel eyes were clear and content and so was her heart, "I'm really happy you're my brother."
...
I feel I'm a bit rusty at writing touchy-feely scenes... But I think it turned out alright ^^ Next time, it's game time! Let's wrap this up ^^
Feel free to review! And if you're in the U.S, have a happy and safe memorial day! (I'll be working... sigh) Don't forget to thank a Vet!
