Birds of a Feather
Chapter Ten: Phoenix
(Jayfeather)
The rain picked up suddenly then, almost immediately after Eaglepaw and Ashfur had fallen down into the hollow. Of course, I hadn't seen it happen myself, but I had heard the others screaming Eaglepaw's name, heard the sound of two cats fighting, heard the gravel and dirt shifting as they both tumbled over the edge. With the rain coming down even harder, the flames finally started to die down.
Without really even thinking about the consequences, I took off for the thorn tunnel, rushing to get down there.
"Jayfeather, wait!" Hollyleaf called after me. "It's not safe yet, you can't-" But I stopped listening to her after that, too focused on trying to find Eaglepaw. I could hear the others following behind me. I sensed the worry that they were feeling too, although it wasn't nearly as strong as mine, that much I was sure of. Why was I so worried about her? I hadn't even known her that long, so why...?
"Eaglepaw? Eaglepaw, where are you?" I shouted.
"Jayfeather, over here! We... we found Ashfur." Lionblaze informed me. I came over to where the three of them were standing, and nearly threw up from the smell. The smell of burned flesh and fur. It was overwhelming. Judging from the horrible stench, as well as the strong emotions of fear and disgust that I picked up off of Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Squirrelflight, I think for once in my life I was glad I couldn't see. Hesitantly, I moved closer to the charred tom. I had to know for sure, no matter how unbearable the smell was.
"He... He's dead." I confirmed.
"Eaglepaw, she... she killed him! She killed Ashfur!" Hollyleaf gasped in a horrified whisper.
"No... No, she didn't. The fire killed Ashfur. Eaglepaw... Eaglepaw saved our lives. She saved us." I argued. That mouse-brain... why did she do this?! She had to be close by, had to be close to Ashfur's body, I was sure of it. I had to find her. I had to...
There!
Amid the smell of smoke and burned plant life, I just faintly managed to find Eaglepaw's scent. Treading slowly and carefully, I was able to find her. As I checked over her body, I couldn't believe it.
"She's alive! Everyone, Eaglepaw's alive!" I cried out, getting the other's attention. Barely, she was just barely holding on.
"Oh, thank StarClan!" Squirrelflight exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief. "Come on, let's carry her over to the medicine cat's den." And that's exactly what we did. Together, all four of us carefully brought Eaglepaw's bruised and burned body all the way over to the medicine cat's den. Which, much to my surprise and pure gratitude, was practically untouched by the fire. As soon as we got her situated in a nest, I went about treating her burns.
(Eaglepaw)
Slowly, as I blinked my eyes open, I found that I was laying in an empty black void. Strangely enough, despite the fact that it seemed impossibly dark, I could still see myself as clearly as if it were the middle of the day. It didn't feel like I was falling or floating or something like that. In fact, it didn't feel like... well, like anything.
Was I dead? All I remembered after lunging at Ashfur was the two of us tumbling over the edge of the cliff and down into the hollow. And then... darkness.
I had to be dead, there was no way I could survive the fall and the fire. Maybe the fall, if I was lucky. But the fire as well? That just seemed impossible.
"You'll find there are many things that seem impossible, the longer you stay in this world." A voice spoke up from behind me, breaking my train of thought. I nearly jumped out of my skin, turning to see who it was that was here with me. And there sat a hairless tom, a sphynx cat, with bright orbs of light for eyes.
Rock.
"What... What are you doing here? And where... where is here? Am I dead?" I questioned.
"Calm yourself, young one. Don't worry, you are still very much alive." The ancient tom mewed. "As I'm sure you're aware, you've made a very... drastic change."
"You mean... You mean Ashfur, don't you?" I murmured. Rock nodded. "... Did I make a mistake? Should I have let Squirrelflight reveal her and Leafpool's secret? Are you... Are you angry with me?" I asked him.
"No, young one. You have done everything I expected you would do thus far." Rock replied. Wait a minute, what?!
"What do you mean by 'everything I expected you would do?'" I remarked. "Rock, are you the one who brought me here? To the world of the clans, I mean."
"In a way, I suppose I did." He answered vaguely. Well, if that wasn't the most helpful answered I'd ever gotten...
"Then, you know why I'm here, right? Can you tell me?" I insisted.
"I do, but sadly, now is not the time for you to know your purpose for being here. However, I can tell you that there is still very much left for you to do."
"More I have to do?" I repeated, confused. "But, Rock, how will I know what to do? You said yourself, I've made a huge change to the story. How will I know what's right?"
"There is no right or wrong." Rock stated, his voice taking on a strangely nurturing tone. "Whatever you decide to do, or not do, is your choice, and your choice alone. But remember, young one, each choice you make comes with a cost. No matter what you may change, destiny will want something else in return." He warned me. "You'll be waking up soon. There's one more thing I must tell you before you leave."
"It's not a prophecy or something, is it?" I laughed dryly. But Rock nodded, and something about his posture, the way he held himself, changed significantly.
"Birds of a feather must fly together so that the pure flower may help calm the raging storm." He spoke with an ominous tone.
And then, in the blink of an eye, I found myself lying in a nest of moss, and a wave of pain washed over me. It took everything I had in me not to scream out. It stung so bad, like I'd accidently touched a burning stove. Except instead of just my hand or a few fingers, it was my entire body.
"Jayfeather, she's awake!" Hollyleaf's voice exclaimed, and I realized that she, along with Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Squirrelflight were all with me. We were in the medicine cats' den, and Jayfeather was looking through the herb supply.
After Hollyleaf spoke, he immediately brought over a bundle of herbs, placing a few down in front of me.
"Get a drink, and then eat these. They'll help the pain." He ordered. I lapped up a bit of water from a moss ball that was sitting beside the herbs. It was a bit hard to swallow, my throat dry and scratchy. That was probably because of smoke inhalation, if I had to guess. Once I got a few sips in, I ate the herbs that Jayfeather had given me. Aside from poppy seeds, I couldn't really identify what had been placed in front of me.
"Where... Where's Ashfur?" I coughed once I was done. My only response was an awkward silence as Squirrelflight, Hollyleaf, and Lionblaze all shared looks with each other, and Jayfeather simply continued chewing up a poultice. "I... I guess that answers that..." I muttered. He was dead, then. "I-I'm so sorry." I whispered, choking up slightly. "I never... I never meant to-"
"Shh, it's alright, Eaglepaw." Squirrelflight interrupted me, a soft, motherly tone in her voice. "You have nothing to apologize for. You only did what you thought was right." Then she turned to the others. "Jayfeather, once you're done, I'd like the three of you to give Eaglepaw and I some privacy."
"What? Why?" Jayfeather questioned.
"You should go get the rest of the clan, let them know that the fire's died down. We'll have to... We'll have to bury Ashfur, as well." Squirrelflight went on, ignoring Jayfeather's protests. The gray tabby tom sighed, probably knowing he wouldn't be able to get Squirrelflight to say anything she didn't want to.
"You're right." He mumbled.
"And just so we're all clear; Ashfur died in the fire. End of story. The clan doesn't need to know anything beside that. For our sakes... and for his." Squirrelflight told us. All of us agreed, and after Jayfeather was done treating my burns, he and his siblings left for the abandoned Twoleg nest. It was just me and Squirrelflight now, and I had a pretty good idea about why she wanted the two of us to be alone.
"Eaglepaw, about what happened back there, up on the ledge..." Squirrelflight started. "You knew what I was going to tell Ashfur, didn't you?"
"Yeah. I... I know the truth. About their real parents." I admitted. "About Leafpool and Crowfeather."
"How?" She wondered. "Leafpool couldn't have told you, and I know I didn't..."
"I'm sorry, Squirrelflight, but I can't... I can't tell you. It's complicated. Really, really complicated." I explained.
"You don't... You don't have to tell me. After all, you saved my secret. You saved my k-" She paused. "You saved their lives. I owe you so much."
"You know, Squirrelflight... Just because you didn't give birth to them... doesn't mean they aren't still your kits." I murmured. "I'm sure this goes without saying, but I promise you, I won't tell anyone."
"Thank you, Eaglepaw. Thank you for everything."