Chapter Ten

Sunny's P.O.V.:

"Violet?" Ravenpaw echoed incredulously.

"What did she look like?" demanded Barley eagerly.

I froze for a moment, taken aback. What did it matter? "Uh…she had a pale orange coat and green eyes," I answered at last, watching Barley closely.

"Was she a housecat?" asked Ravenpaw.

"Yes," I muttered, my eyes flitting between the two toms. What was going on?

Barley's jaw dropped. "I can't believe it," he murmured. "It was her. It really was her!"

Barley and Ravenpaw exchanged amazed glances.

"What?" I blurted out finally.

The elderly tom met my gaze excitedly. "Violet," he began, "is my littermate."

I staggered backwards in shock. "That would make you…" My voice trailed off. Suddenly, the barn seemed far away. Numbness crept under my skin. I blinked slowly.

"Your uncle," Barley finished with a purr.

I stared at the black-and-white-spotted tom and took a deliberate step back. No, no, no, I thought in disbelief. This isn't happening. But it was. He was one of them. Everything I had experienced here had been a lie, I realized with a heart-wrenching start. Those quiet afternoons with Barley, the security of the warm hay, the way Ravenpaw's eyes lit up when he looked at me… I flinched. Everything. A lie.

I had been such a mouse-brain. It had been a trick from the beginning. They had made me feel comfortable and safe so I wouldn't leave. Now they were trying to act surprised, as if this discovery was new to their ears. I wouldn't fall for it. Not again.

"Sunny?" pressed Ravenpaw with concerned eyes, snapping me out of my trance. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head in disbelief. Did he think I was that stupid? Did he think a few gentle words would win me over? I swirled around and raced out of the barn and into the fields, the warm sunlight feeling like ice on my back. My world was spinning upside down, and I could hardly see straight.

I could hear Ravenpaw's paw steps behind me as I darted through the wheat fields. "Sunny, wait!" he called, quickly gaining distance.

I ignored him, bounding forward without paying attention to my aching paw.

"What's wrong?" he demanded, now at my side.

I whipped around to face the black tom. "What's wrong?" I repeated shrilly. "What's wrong is you, Ravenpaw. You and Barley. You're on their side. I'm sure they're on their way right now because of you two." I shuddered at the thought, imagining their claws shining in the light.

"What do you mean? We didn't do anything wrong, Sunny. Please,-"

I interrupted without hesitation. "What do I mean?" I roared. "You did nothing wrong?" I thrust my muzzle into his face. "You lied! You acted like it was an accident that you found me in the woods that day. You pretended to be surprised when I told you Violet was my mother. You even pretended to care!" I spat out the last word like venom. "And I was the mouse-brain who believed you."

Before I could stalk away, his voice, that stupid, beautiful, aggravating voice, floated to my ears. "I would never hurt you," he murmured. "And neither would Barley. If we truly wanted to cause you harm, wouldn't we have done so already?"

I blinked, taken aback by his words. More than anything, I was surprised by his logic. What he said made sense. If Ravenpaw or Barley really had told them my location, wouldn't I have noticed their absence? It would have taken at least a full day, and neither of the toms had left the barn that long without me.

All at once it hit me. I wasn't in danger. Relief flooded through me until I realized…

I had overreacted. I had nearly run away from the barn…again. Would they take me this time? And more importantly, I had revealed a part of my past. A part I didn't want to revisit. "You're right," I meowed, glancing away. "I really overreacted. I understand if you don't want me to return to the barn. I've already made you go through so much."

Ravenpaw shook his head. "You leaving is the last thing I want," he told me. "I just don't understand why you reacted that way. And who is 'they'?"

"I...I thought you had…I mean, I thought that they were…" I stammered before bowing my head. How could I explain everything? Fear tugged at my fur just thinking about it. Telling him meant remembering. And I had spent so much time trying to forget.

"Are you still too scared to trust me?" Ravenpaw wondered with sad eyes.

I glanced up at him. "No," I whispered at last. "I'm done hiding. I have a lot to say, I'm warning you, it's a long story." My paws began to tremble and my mind was flying.

Before I could take a solo trip through my buried, bitter memories, Ravenpaw was suddenly pressing against me. His eyes were gentle and a low purr was rumbling in his throat. "I have time," he assured me.

I was terrified, to say the least. But suddenly, I was finding my courage in his warm pelt and caring eyes. I couldn't take away the fear of facing what I had to say, but I could be brave enough to face my fears, as long as Ravenpaw stayed by my side.

I took a long, shuttering breath before finally beginning, "Not long after I was born,…"

A/N: And it's a wrap! :) Questions, comments, praise, constructive critism? Tell me in a review, folks! :D

Oh, and what's this? It's the...TENTH CHAPTER! Can we pull together 65 reviews for this special occasion? It would be quite a feat, but I have faith in my readers! I know some of you are shy, but this would mean a lot to me! :)