Flamepaw was aroused by Barkpaw's gentle lick on her cheek. She slowly opened her eyes, watching the sunlight gleam off his striped pelt. His green eyes shone brightly in the sunlight, causing Flamepaw to purr in satisfaction.
"Wake up, sleepyhead," Barkpaw murmured jokingly, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
Flamepaw let out a quiet laugh and gently pushed him aside, her heart pounding each time he looked at her. She was glad she and Barkpaw had expressed their love for each other. But to think of the future...of them being mates...it had to be put off until the clan situation was solved. She couldn't have him entirely yet.
It had been a few more days since the cats had taken off on their expedition, and Flamepaw still had no idea where Krait was leading them. She wasn't even sure what the objective was. Was it to look for that cat Jetfur that Tigerstripe kept mentioning? Was it to look for her kits? Flamepaw assumed the latter, but she had a feeling Tigerstripe thought otherwise.
Meanwhile, there had been no interaction with RiverClan cats. Though Flamepaw had been disappointed, she knew this was better than lying around camp all day waiting for her clanmates to never appear. Still, a part of her wondered if maybe they had returned by now and this whole quest was just a waste of her and Barkpaw's time.
Flamepaw had expressed these doubts to Barkpaw only the night prior, but he had calmly pushed them aside and let her know that this was their best option. Flamepaw just hoped that they'd hear some news about RiverClan soon. She was beginning to get impatient.
She'd talked plenty with Krait already, asking her as much as she could, but the Siamese had not seen nor heard of the clan until Flamepaw had mentioned it. Apparently she and Tigerstripe had been traveling quite some time together and had not come across any new cats besides Flamepaw and Barkpaw.
When Flamepaw tried speaking to Dusty, he admitted the same, claiming he'd seen no new cats and heard nothing of RiverClan. Flamepaw's heart sank with every account, and she felt farther away from RiverClan than closer.
She kept her distance from Tigerstripe, still fearful of the tom. She decided to take Krait's word for it that he had seen nothing either. After all, she had heard mentions of him previously belonging to a vicious clan that had slaughtered many cats in battle. She wasn't exactly eager to become friends with the menacing tom.
It seemed prey had already been caught for breakfast. Flamepaw found Krait and Dusty sharing a mouse together (it seemed Krait had forgiven him for losing their children by this time) while Tigerstripe munched on a squirrel by himself.
"You're going to love me for this," Barkpaw spoke excitedly, padding over toward the others.
"For what?" Flamepaw asked.
"I caught a fish!" he exclaimed, picking up a scaly fish from the ground. Flamepaw squealed in excitement, her stomach rumbling.
She had not had a fish since they had taken off on their journey since they were rarely by rivers and streams. When they were, it was not often to fish, and with Barkpaw and Flamepaw being the only ones who knew how to catch fish anyway, it wasn't like they wanted to keep the others waiting. In addition, it seemed forest prey was more common, and while Flamepaw could choke down a mouse, she longed for the salty taste of fish.
"Sorry I slept in again," Flamepaw murmured as she sat down across from Barkpaw. He bit into the fish and shook his head.
"You helped us find this little clearing last night. Krait insisted you needed rest. Plus, I was able to catch this amazing fish for us," Barkpaw explained.
Flamepaw giggled and took a bite, humming as the wonderful flavor filled her mouth. Just the previous night, all of the cats were struggling trying to find a nearby place to rest. The sun had already gone down, and they'd been traveling in darkness. Flamepaw had gone ahead and had fortunately stumbled upon a tiny clearing with some rocks and logs for shade. The others had been very pleased with her discovery.
If I'm good at finding things, she thought, then please let me find RiverClan soon.
She had been praying to StarClan nightly, asking for a sign. Each night she secretly wished she would arrive in StarClan in her dreams, but she had not had a connection towards StarClan since Gingerkit had spoken to her many many moons ago.
Where are you now, Gingerkit? she wondered. Are you still looking out for me?
Flamepaw quickly gobbled up the rest of the fish, her stomach and taste buds satisfied. Barkpaw seemed thrilled that Flamepaw had enjoyed the meal so much.
"Well, let's quit laying around and get going already!" Tigerstripe growled as the cats continued to lounge around after a morning meal.
"Calm down, grumpyhead," Krait said lightly, rising to her feet. "We were just about to get going."
"Good," Tigerstripe grunted, looking very disappointed.
He must want to find this cat, Jetfur, very much, Flamepaw observed, noticing how his paws twitched with impatience as Dusty rose to his feet.
Once again, the destination seemed unclear, and Dusty began to lead the way into the woods, the cats following behind. The cats followed their usual structure of walking, Dusty and Krait leading the way, Tigerstripe planted in the middle, and Flamepaw and Barkpaw following behind.
Flamepaw couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Tigerstripe. Dusty and Krait were always so lively in their chatting, and Barkpaw and Flamepaw often chatted behind him. Flamepaw always tried to keep her voice down, not really wanting the tom to overhear her conversations (no matter what the content consisted of). Still, he'd sometimes turn around and glance at them, maybe just to make sure they were there, but it still frightened her.
She supposed the tom was lonely, and she had suspicions that Jetfur was more than a friend to him. Seeing the others chatting with close friends and mates probably upset him more than he liked to admit. Still, Flamepaw wasn't going to question him.
They continued through the never-changing forest under the leaf-fall sun. The trees were tall as ever, the leaves multicolored, the dirt the same. It seemed like they'd barely left the forest they had first entered.
Still, the scents were new, and being in this environment sort of made Flamepaw excited. She'd gone on her quest for Goldstar, of course, but this was an entirely new part of the forest, and she wondered what new excitements awaited.
Her mind drifted to Korosu quickly, but she quickly shook her head, the red eyes vanishing from her mind.
"You okay?" Barkpaw asked, noticing her quick movement.
"Fine," Flamepaw replied. He nodded and continued on as if nothing had happened.
Perhaps a part of Flamepaw wanted this to be like the quest she had first pursued on as an apprentice. She had not enjoyed the misery and dangers of the trip, but she had enjoyed the adventure and being with her clanmates. Her heart longed to be back with them now, and she kept reminding herself that soon she'd be with RiverClan again. They couldn't be gone forever.
"Hey," came a voice from ahead.
Flamepaw glanced up to see Tigerstripe staring at them, his piercing green eyes fixed on her as if he were staring into her soul.
"Wh-what is it?" she stammered, pausing for a moment.
"Hey, don't slow down," Barkpaw told her, nudging at her to keep walking again. Tigerstripe fell back alongside of Flamepaw, and she became stiff, frightened at what he'd do.
"What's up?" Barkpaw asked Tigerstripe, trying to spark some conversation.
"So your clan just disappeared, huh?" Tigerstripe wondered.
Flamepaw glanced at him with curiousity, wondering why he was so interested, and she slowly nodded her head, unable to talk for fear her voice would come out in a squeal of fear.
"That's tough," Tigerstripe admitted.
"It is," Barkpaw answered for her. "Flamepaw here was born in RiverClan though, so it's got to be tougher on her."
"Where are you from?" Tigerstripe wondered.
"Was born a rogue. My parents left my sisters and me in LightningClan. Bad clan all around, really. We had very few members, some dogs attacked one day, and that was that. I got separated from my sisters trying to drive off the dogs. I doubt they survived. And then one day I stumbled upon Flamepaw and her clanmates, and I've been a RiverClan member ever since," Barkpaw explained.
Flamepaw stared at him in disbelief. Why was he telling his entire backstory to this unknown tom? Barkpaw glanced at her oddly and shrugged, looking back at Tigerstripe.
"Yeah, I know how that feels. My clan failed too. Been a rogue since though," Tigerstripe sighed, clearly sounding unhappy.
"You could always join a clan," Barkpaw suggested.
"I can't be a clan cat," Tigerstripe explained.
"Sure you can. Most clans are willing to take any cats in for new members," Barkpaw spoke cheerfully.
Tigerstripe shook his head, muttering, "You don't...I just can't."
Flamepaw stared at him oddly, wondering what he was keeping from them. They padded silently until their next break, and afterwards, Tigerstripe took his spot in the middle again, his forced conversation apparently not pleasing him.
And so they continued on for the rest of the day just like they normally did, and once again, Flamepaw found no new clues, no new signs, that RiverClan was nearby. As she laid down to sleep that night, she prayed once more that RiverClan would appear soon. If only she believed StarClan was actually listening.