Hello everyone!
I apologize for the long wait! Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this trilogy!
...
Sunshadow paced outside of camp, scuffing the leaf-mulch under his paws. He was waiting for Moonsong to emerge from the camp. He'd asked her to go hunting with him yesterday, to try to grow closer to her after the long argument they'd had.
Finally, Moonsong stepped outside, stretching. Her pelt was a little scruffy, not as clean as she'd usually kept it. Of course, only a few days ago, she'd had an awkward meet with Yellowtooth. She'd just walked away after that, leaving him heartbroken. Sunshadow felt that he should speak to her about the whole thing, maybe have her forget about Falconstrike. In the back of his mind, he knew how stubborn Moonsong could be, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. No matter how stubborn she may be, she was loyal to her Clan.
Shaking his head, he turned to greet his sister.
"Good morning, Moonsong," he said cheerfully. Moonsong looked awkward for a moment, tripping over her own paws as she stood in front of him.
"Hello, Sunshadow," she said, sounding slightly robotic. Sunshadow furrowed his brow but chose to ignore the nagging feeling that something about her wasn't right.
"Where would you like to start?" he asked, beginning to pad alongside the silver-pelted she-cat.
"What do you mean?" she asked, looking confused.
Sunshadow cleared his throat. "Hunting. Or did you want to talk first?"
Moonsong shifted her paws. "Uh, how about. . . By the river? There's probably something there."
"Okay," Sunshadow replied. Moonsong nodded, prancing off in the opposite direction.
"Uh, Moonsong?"
"Yeah?"
"You're headed the wrong way."
"What? I could have sworn it was this way," she called awkwardly, shuffling around. Sunshadow shook his head, flicking his tail in the right direction.
"Oh," she said, letting out a small trill of laughter. "Lead the way, then, brother."
Brother? Sunshadow thought. She had never called him something like that. He sighed, turning in the direction of the river.
"Uh, Moonsong, about Yellowtooth," he began. Moonsong dashed a couple of paces to catch up to him.
"Yeah? What about him?"
"He's- he's upset. About you. He wanted to talk to you."
Moonsong looked confused. "About what?"
"He's really- into you."
Moonsong bristled. "Y-you know I'm with Falconstrike right now, right?" she said nervously. Sunshadow coughed meaningfully. "Falconstrike was an apprentice when you met him. Don't you think you should see someone new? Like Yellowtooth? Eventually, you'll be found out, and I can't cover for you forever."
His sister glared at him, green eyes narrowing.
"Who I love and don't love is none of your business. It's my life, not the Clan's life, and certainly not your life either." She turned her back, dashing off into the forest. Sunshadow sighed, calling after her, but she ignored him.
A heavy weight in his heart, Sunshadow plopped down onto the ground, sending a cloud of dust into the air. He'd missed his chance to mend the broken bonds between him and his sister. It was painful, watching her walk away without looking back.
Now that he thought about it, Moonsong was definitely different. She had seemed open-minded at the meet with Yellowtooth, but now, she seemed like she had completely changed overnight. The way she walked, talked, stood, thought, and acted…
A lightbulb flashed in his head. She'd blacked out back at the quarry, and had regained consciousness seeming different. What had she seen when she had passed out?
He turned, deciding to follow his sister. He would apologize, maybe make it up to her somehow, at the same time finding out what was wrong.
He crouched down, creeping through the undergrowth. He ignored the urge to leap at a passing sparrow. Moonsong's scent was faint here. She'd probably passed this area a little while ago.
Her scent grew stronger as he neared the river. He caught a couple of glimpses of broken twigs and flattened weeds where she had passed through, and continued along the trail.
Her silver pelt shone through the tightly woven branches, and Sunshadow slowed to a stop, waiting for her to move on so it didn't look like he had been watching her for any length of time. She passed on, looping around a wide oak tree, and Sunshadow kept still.
"Why are you watching me?" she demanded from behind him. The golden tom lept a few tail-lengths in the air, startled.
"Moonsong!" he stuttered. Her deep eyes were glaring, piercing through his fur coat and sending pricks of ice up his spine.
"What were you watching me?" she repeated, unsheathing her front claws just so the tips touched the dirt.
"I-"
"I know why. You wanted to see if I'd meet with Falconstrike."
Sunshadow's brow rose. "No, of course not! The TwilightClan border is on the opposite side of the territory. I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I was getting too personal with you, right after our argument."
Sunshadow swore he saw a flash of pride in her eyes at his submitting. He swallowed back a sharp reply, trying to make his eyes look sorry.
"It's fine," she said briskly. "Don't mention it. Let's just not talk about it anymore."
Her brother almost growled in annoyance. But he pushed the feeling away, following Moonsong back into the forest.
. . .
Moonsong paced under the dark vines that only hung a tail-length over her head. She'd tried to leap and claw at them, but they were too thick. She'd stayed in the same area for a while now.
It felt so… unnatural. She was never hungry. Never tired. Never bored. Just numb. Hours went by in seconds. Thoughts swarmed in her mind as she sat, waiting, watching, listening, trying to hear at least the sound of pawsteps.
But there was no sound here, either.
She couldn't speak. She felt her vocal cords vibrating every time she tried to, but it never worked. It was odd since she had no trouble talking earlier, who knows how long ago, with that mysterious cat of this world.
Was the darkness consuming her?