Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread
A/N: Last chapter before the epilogue, and it's on time for once! Figures it would take me till the end to get myself on a working schedule. Anyway, this chapter's a little shorter than the past few have been, but I hope you enjoy anyway. :D
Chapter 20: Leaving for Real
Moonlight turned everything in the clearing a bright, shimmering silver. All was silent as Tanglepath slipped out from the trees and into the clearing. A light breeze stirred the leaves at the tops of the trees and ruffled his fur. He shivered, knowing he would have no familiar den or mossy nest to sleep in that night. All he would have was Wishsong's warm pelt pressed against his.
That is, if she ever arrived. Glancing around the clearing, he couldn't see the white and ginger pelt of the LightningClan she-cat, but that didn't meant she wasn't there.
"Wishsong?" he called gently, hesitant to break the unearthly nighttime silence.
There was no response at first. Not until he noticed a small bush rustling, even though the wind had stilled. A moment later, Wishsong pushed her way out. Tanglepath dashed over to meet her, pulling out some of the twigs and leaves that had twisted and ensnarled themselves in her fur.
"You came," she breathed, nuzzling him gently.
"Of course I did," he murmured reassuringly. "I wouldn't leave you."
"I didn't think you really wanted to go," she mumbled, looking down. "You have so much more to lose. I don't really have any friends. All I have is Coalfur. But you have friends in NorthClan. And family. Smokefoot, Featherstorm… Silvertail. And it's not your Clan that's divided among itself over loyalty to your leader and loyalty to the warrior code."
Tanglepath stared at her, blinking in surprise. "Is that really happening?"
She nodded mutely. "The ones who are loyal to Foxstar say that if we were really loyal to the warrior code, then we would remember that the code says that the leader's word is law. But how can that be the warrior code when so many good, innocent warriors are getting injured or dying?" She closed her eyes. "I have lots of reasons to want to leave, but you're on the top of the list."
He smiled gently. "Wishsong, I could never leave you."
She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Thank you," she whispered.
He nodded. "Now let's get some rest. Tomorrow we can hunt, and then wait for an AmberClan patrol to come find us."
"What if a LightningClan patrol finds us first?" Wishsong fretted. "What if they attack us?"
"It won't come to that," he promised. "They won't find us. And even if they did, I would protect you. I swear."
She stared up at him with bright green eyes. "I know you would," she whispered.
He smiled. "Good. Now, let's see if we can't find some moss for a nest, and then we can get some sleep."
She nodded, and they quickly split up. Tanglepath headed back over the NorthClan border, collecting a small ball of moss from the base of a large tree just inside the border. He headed back with the ball in his jaws. Wishsong was waiting for him with a large ball of moss in her jaws, and they worked together to knead the two balls together into a soft, mossy nest.
He lay down, yawning, and she lay down next to him, pressing her body against his. He began to draw his tongue over her fur in long, tired laps, and soon they were sharing tongues quietly under the light of the moon.
Before long, Wishsong's eyes were starting to drift shut. She lay her head down on her paws, sleepily mumbling, "Goodnight, Tanglepath."
"Goodnight, Wishsong," he murmured, still grooming her.
"I love you," she whispered.
His heart skipped a beat at the words. "I love you, too," he whispered back. Before long, her breathing had slowed and her sides rose and fell slowly, her eyes shut.
"I'll always love you," he murmured quietly. Then he sighed and rested his head protectively on her back, and in no time, his eyes drifted shut and he fell asleep.
Silvertail had trouble sleeping that night. For much of the evening, Jewelfoot's three kits had pestered her with questions about being a warrior.
"Do you have to fight a lot?" Blackkit had asked with wide yellow eyes. It was amazing how much the little tom looked like his father, Twilightsky.
"Of course she does, stupid!" Nightkit had said, rolling her eyes at her brother. "She's a warrior! Warriors are always fighting!"
"Actually," Silvertail had corrected them, "there's more to being a warrior than just fighting. You have to hunt to feed the Clan, as well. And protect the Clan from outside threats."
"How do you do that?" little Graykit had asked, her eyes the widest of them all. The little she-kit was the shiest of the litter, but she'd warmed up to Silvertail quick enough once she'd found out that the silver-furred warrior would be staying with them in the nursery for a while, and that she would have kits of her own.
"By patrolling the borders and chasing off intruders," Silvertail had answered.
"Like LightningClan?" Blackkit had asked, flexing his tiny claws. "I bet you chase them off all the time!"
Silvertail had flashed a glance at Jewelfoot, and their mother had shook her head 'no,' so Silvertail had deflected the question by telling a story about a fox that she and Tanglepath had chased off when they were apprentices. Silently, she agreed with Jewelfoot. There was no need for the kits to be worried about something like that, something that was a warrior matter.
Now, though, the kits had finally gone to sleep, suckling at Jewelfoot's side. Blackkit snored as bad as Smokefoot, and Rosetail kept twitching in her sleep. Besides the auditory distractions, the nest Silvertail was sleeping in was unfamiliar and strange. It felt odd not to have Shadowleaf's back pressed up against hers. She missed him painfully, even though she knew that he was asleep in a den not so far away. She had just lost so much, so soon.
She curled up into a tight ball, letting her tail rest on her nose, and closed her eyes. Sleep was just beginning to take hold of her when the sound of someone slipping into the nursery woke her again.
She raised her head irritably to see Stripefur standing just inside the nursery entrance. He met her eyes silently, and then flicked his tail toward the entrance, gesturing for her to come with her. She tipped her head to one side, but got to her paws and slipped out of the nursery silently, careful not to wake Rosetail or Jewelfoot and the kits.
"What's going on?" Silvertail murmured in a whisper to Stripefur.
Her former mentor looked a little worried. "Have you seen Tanglepath?"
Anxiety clutched her chest. So the Clan had finally noticed her brother's absence.
She hesitated before answering. Sending them down a false trail would buy Tanglepath more time to get to AmberClan. She knew that if she told them the truth, Stormstar would send a patrol of warriors to bring him back. She wanted him back, but she wasn't willing to sacrifice the trust he had placed in her by telling her that he was leaving.
In the end, she settled for halfway. "Not since he left for his hunting patrol this afternoon. Why?"
Stripefur looked uncomfortable. "No one's seen him since then, either. Are you sure you didn't see him at the ceremony?"
"I might have…" she said slowly, trying to sound unsure. "But I don't know."
Stripefur sighed. "Stormstar and I are worried about him. He didn't say anything to you, did he?"
"No." Silvertail hated lying to him. "Like what?"
"I don't know." Stripefur shook his head. "I just thought that maybe… I don't know. It's possible that he just went for a late night stroll, but even that's dangerous. Foxstar has targeted him before, and we need all of our warriors right now."
Silvertail swallowed. "I haven't seen him, Stripefur. I would tell you if I had."
The deputy sighed again. "I know you would, Silvertail. Thanks for the help." He turned away and headed towards Stormstar's den.
Silvertail watched him go until he had disappeared behind the ferns, and then she turned and slowly headed inside the nursery.
Once inside, she curled up into a ball again and began to cry. She had lost him. Tanglepath was gone, forever. It was official.
He was gone.
A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know, cats can't cry and all that. My story, I'll do what I want. Anyway, if you're a good little reader, you'll leave a review. ;D Stay tuned for the epilogue!
Off to take over the world,
Crazy Girl