Hello again!

I meant to get this chapter posted when I got back from camp, but a bit of unmotivation (if that's a word) plus summer homework plus life in general meant I wasn't able to write the last scene until a couple days ago, when I figured it'd probably be best to just post this chapter today. Sorry for the long wait!

This chapter is pretty long because of a plot-hole I discovered while editing, so I had to write an extra 1k words. I think it's a lot better now and I hope you enjoy it! I've already written a little bit of chapter 18, so fingers crossed it'll be on-time (...for once). Hopefully I won't jinx it. ^^;

My bad leg, utterly stiff due to its splint, hit a rock and I stumbled, nearly toppling to the ground. Cursing under my breath, I retrieved my gaze from the sinking sun and glared at the tiny obstacle.

"Ravenpaw? You okay?" Rowanpaw paused, looking back at me worriedly.

"Yeah, fine," I muttered, the fur along my spine ruffled in irritation. "Just this dumb rock here tripped me up."

Rowanpaw could barely hold in a snort. "That? It's miniscule! How could you trip over something like that?"

As I hobbled past him I somehow managed to ram my shoulder into his. "When your leg's splinted it gets just a little bit hard to walk. I'd like to see you do any better."

"I probably would," Rowanpaw grinned. "Remember, I was always better at the three-legged—"

"Oh shut up."

He raised his voice. "—the three-legged game than you!"

"I thought I told you to shut up!"

"You did. I just didn't listen."

"Oh shu—"

"Kits," Moki reprimanded, glancing back at us. "We're almost there. We could meet some Avanti cats at any moment. Do you want their first impression of you two to be of squabbling newborns?"

I huffed at her but couldn't deny the truth in her words. I was an apprentice, not a kit. I had to act more mature so they'd treat me with a little more respect. Regretfully, I figured that probably meant refraining from telling Rowanpaw to shut up. It was too bad; I enjoyed it.

Lifting my eyes to survey our path, I saw with a little jolt of excitement shooting through my ribs (or maybe that was just, y'know, pain) that we'd finally made it to the base of the mountain. Good thing, too. The hard pace we'd set to get here before sundown left me winded and aching all over. I looked forward to collapsing in a proper nest up at the top of the mountain, soft and warm, with maybe a mouse to tide me over until morning.

But, of course, I'd have to climb the mountain first. Following the winding path up with my eyes, I groaned to myself. It would definitely be a hard climb what with my ribs, not to mention a splinted foreleg and an unbalanced tail.

Rowanpaw seemed to be of the same mind as me. Pressing a little closer, he whispered, "Lean on me. That way you won't fall down the mountain."

"I'm not going to fall!" I protested, but didn't pull away as he offered me his shoulder. Together, we followed Moki as she began to climb.

There was only a gradual slope at first, which, though still more uncomfortable than the flattish riverside, still remained bearable. If this is what climbing a mountain feels like, I think I'll be able to make it to the top without Rowanpaw's help, I thought excitedly, pulling away from his steady shoulder. However, it soon proved to be nothing like climbing a mountain, the slope steadily increasing as we ascended farther and farther up. Soon I'd fallen back on my brother, my breaths coming in deep gasps.

Moki glanced back at us. "Do you need a rest?" she asked. "There's still a long way to go."

Just as I shook my head, I heard the rustle of pawsteps in dry leaves. Just as I brushed it off, thinking it was Moki shifting her footing, it came again, this time distinctly a little ways off the path. My pupils widened and I nervously unsheathed my claws, digging them into the leaf-strewn path. I'd be of little use in a fight, of course. But unsheathing my claws always reassured me.

Rowanpaw and Moki had noticed the rustling at about the same time as me. The former stiffened, pressing closer to me with such force I almost toppled over. The latter turned, stretching her neck upward as she surveyed the surrounding forest, peering through the bare trunks. I mimicked her, but couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. Maybe whatever it was had hidden itself behind a tree?

"Hello?" Moki called warily.

There was a slight pause, during which I strained my ears, trying to make out another sound. Where was the creature? What was it? Was it a cat or something else? Was it hostile?

"Moki?"

The black-and-white munchkin swiveled her gaze around toward the voice. "That's me."

There was another pause. However much I strained my ears, I couldn't make out anything. I glanced nervously at Rowanpaw. "What's going on?" I breathed.

"I…" Rowanpaw nibbled at his lip. "I don't know. I can't hear much of anything."

Hmm. If even Rowanpaw couldn't hear anything, maybe the creature was thinking. But what about?

Finally, after several more completely silent moments, my ears detected another few pawsteps. Turning, I saw a cat step out from around the thick trunk of a tree.

The first thing I noticed was his feather. Like me, one dangled from his ear, though it appeared to be pierced right through the skin instead of held on by a tendril. It was also obviously a different type of feather; while mine was black, his was pale brown with darker stripes, lined with white at the base.

"Hello, Kiowa. Good to see you again." Moki dipped her head, smiling. "I see you've gotten a new token since I last saw you. How'd you get it?"

Kiowa's paw rose automatically toward his chest, where a perfectly rounded, dark gray stone was held in place by a thin strand of vines encircling his neck. "Oh, this?" He snorted. "You wouldn't believe it, but I ended up falling out of a tree right into the river."

"What? The Great Tree-Climber falling out of a tree?"

"Yeah, I know! I think I was more surprised by falling than annoyed by landing in the river." Kiowa chuckled light-heartedly. "I kept a stone from the riverbed to remind myself I can still fail, you know? It balances out my pride from this one." He twitched his feathered ear.

"I see." Moki smiled. "You've definitely grown since a year ago."

"Speak for yourself." The brown ticked tabby glanced over Rowanpaw and me. "Are these your, er—"

"Companions," Moki clarified firmly, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, I'm much too young for kits. You should know that."

Kiowa shrugged. "For all I knew, you could've met some handsome tom out there. But anyway." He padded a couple steps closer, dipping his head. "I'm Kiowa. And you two?"

We introduced ourselves and he tilted his head to one side. "What's with the 'paw' at the end?"

"It's a custom back where we come from," Rowanpaw meowed shortly. "What's with the feather and the stone?"

"I think you should ask your… sister?" I nodded. "Your sister instead of me." Kiowa raised his eyebrows at my feather.

"It's just to honor a raven that saved my life," I shrugged. "No one else had anything like this back in the city." At the word "city" my stomach clenched a little, but I tried to remain relaxed. Just a mention of that place shouldn't trigger a response. It was just a collection of Human dens all grouped together. Nothing more.

My heartrate quickened marginally as I passed by a thought of my kithood without having to shove it into the back of my mind. I still hadn't accepted what had happened, but maybe Moki had helped me… acknowledge it? It was definitely a step in the right direction; I'd gotten a little tired of continually trying to avoid the subject. It was comforting to know I didn't have to do that anymore, not if I didn't want to.

"I see." Kiowa's hazel irises lingered on me a moment longer before he turned to survey the surrounding forest. "I suppose we should get back to the base. There's a lot we need to explain to you, Moki."

"Base?" Moki narrowed her eyes. "What base? Why not the camp?"

"Exactly what I mean. But it's not a topic to be discussed out in the open like this." Kiowa flicked his tail, curling it loosely around his hind leg. "Come with me. We should find Cordelia and Marc hunting nearby, and then we can go speak with Nova."

"Nova? Not Kahuna?"

"Again, later." He hesitated a heartbeat. "Oh, and you might not want to mention Kahuna's name in front of Nova. He's a bit touchy about it."

"Touchy hearing about his own sister, my foot," Moki muttered, though only loud enough for me to hear.

Kiowa bounded up the path, pausing at a small ridge as though a thought had just occurred to him. "You'll need a slower pace, correct?" he asked, glancing back at me. "I see Moki's worked on your leg and tail already, but I'm sure you've been walking nonstop for a couple days."

I blinked. How had he known?

Kiowa seemed to read my thoughts in my expression. He laughed. "I've known Moki for many moons. She might be kind but she's also headstrong."

"Who're you calling headstrong?" Moki sped up to pad alongside her friend. "I don't believe you're too restrained yourself."

He laughed again but said nothing, waiting patiently as Rowanpaw and I slowly limped up to join them. As we drew level, the two adult cats set off again, though this time at a noticeably slower pace. I'm holding us back, I realized, and had to stop myself from gritting my teeth. With any luck, the Avanti would be able to heal me quickly and I'd be back on my paws again in no time.

As we rounded a bend, I caught sight of a second brown tabby, though unlike Kiowa, this one had distinct stripes. Around his neck hung a single yellow butterfly wing on a thin vine and at the base of his tail he'd tied a short stick. He straightened as we approached, green eyes widening above a recently unearthed squirrel. He dropped his prey quickly on the ground.

"Kiowa, who are these?" His gaze traveled over Rowanpaw, lingered on my foreleg with its odd splint, then finally landed on Moki. "Oh! Moki, right? I remember you from last year."

Moki dipped her head, smiling. "Marc. I see you've grown a little in the last few seasons."

The tabby licked his chest fur a couple times, not quite managing to conceal a smile. "I'm not in training anymore," he pointed out. "It's only natural I'd be bigger."

"And how's Treya doing, huh?"

I noticed Marc's flush growing under his thick fur and attempted to hold back a snort. Glancing sideways, I smirked at Rowanpaw, who raised his eyebrows in response. Yep, he'd noticed too.

"Treya's great. Actually," Marc grinned at Moki, "we're mates now." He nudged his butterfly wing with a paw.

"Really? That's great; congratulations!" Moki purred.

"Thanks!"

"Hey Marc?" Kiowa interrupted. "Have you seen Cordelia anywhere nearby? We really should be getting back to the base."

"Hmm? Oh, yes! Of course, you three need to talk to Nova." Marc's cheerfulness suddenly vaporized and he gazed uncertainly in our direction.

"Cordelia?" Kiowa prompted.

"Oh! Right. Um, I think she went off toward the stream." Marc nodded downhill. I followed his gaze, though couldn't make out a stream. It must be a good distance away. Recalling how much it had hurt to walk this far up the mountain, I had to stifle a groan at the thought of more walking.

"It's not exactly on our way." Kiowa's tongue appeared between his teeth. "How about," he meowed slowly. "How about you go find Cordelia and catch up with us? Ravenpaw here isn't able to walk very fast, so if you hurry you'd even be able to pick up your prey on the way back."

Marc nodded and started off down the mountainside, but paused after only a couple steps. He glanced uncertainly back at his unearthed squirrel. Doubling back, he hastily shoved it back into its hole and began covering it up again.

"Ready?" Moki asked. I blinked, turning away from Marc and nodding. She returned the gesture, then she and Kiowa set off up the path once more. Rowanpaw and I followed close behind.

Contrary to Kiowa's words, it took Marc a long time to find us again. I'd huffed and panted my way up what felt like half the mountain (though from glimpses I caught of the surrounding terrain, I knew it was actually much less) and the sun had sunk below the horizon before he finally rejoined us. By his side bounded a long-haired russet she-cat wearing a set of black butterfly wings around her neck, who I figured must be Cordelia. I did my best to dip my head in greeting to her, though it was difficult due to my awkward walking situation. She seemed to understand what I was trying to get at, though, and returned the nod.

"Ravenpaw and Rowanpaw, I assume? Marc mentioned you were the newcomers."

"Yep. I'm Ravenpaw."

"I figured. There aren't many dark ginger ravens out there."

Oh, right. She'd probably guessed our names the moment she laid eyes on us.

Up ahead, Moki twisted around at the sound of voices. "Cordelia!" she purred. "Good to see you again."

The russet she-cat's nod seemed to be a little stiffer when directed at Moki. I narrowed my eyes a fraction, replaying the gesture in my mind. Maybe I'd just imagined it? Though Moki had mentioned she'd felt less than welcomed by many of the Avanti. Was Cordelia one of the ones who'd forced her and Orion to separate?

"We're just about there," Kiowa called over his shoulder. "Marc, Cordelia, come to the front here. If Rowanpaw and Ravenpaw enter the base for the first time surrounded by us like prisoners, the rest of the Reb—the Avanti, I mean—might get the wrong impression."

As the two cats edged past Rowanpaw and me, I noticed Moki shoot a sharp look at Kiowa, but leave his slip unchallenged. He avoided her gaze and, as soon as Marc's tail flicked past him, he started forward again. The three tribe cats disappeared around a large boulder; Moki, Rowanpaw, and I hastened to follow, me sighing in relief as I felt the ground level out.

We emerged into a clearing about a fourth of the size of the Enclave. Several large trees cast their branches overhead, which I assumed would cover most of the ground in shadows during the day. Strewn across the ground, clumped at the edges, were the outlines of several reinforced bushes and a hollow log.

After surveying the clearing once, I began focusing on individual cats. My eyes widened as I saw some of their tokens: dried leaves, tangles of heather flowers, a tiny skull (probably from some sort of prey), and even fish scales. How did they get those to stay put?

"Ravenpaw." Rowanpaw nodded around the side of the entrance boulder. "Kiowa's beckoning."

Rowanpaw was right. I immediately began limping toward where Kiowa and Moki stood, just outside the entrance to another den. This one was different from the others, formed by not only the boulder, but also what looked like a curved tangle of branches and vines, too perfect to have been formed naturally.

"Nova's ready to see us," Kiowa meowed as Rowanpaw and I drew nearer (I silently cursed my injuries for holding up the group yet again). "We caught him at the perfect time; he's just finished a meal." He ducked inside the den, quickly followed by Moki, then Rowanpaw, then (finally) me.

It was fairly dark inside compared with the moonlit clearing. I blinked several times to help my eyes adjust, gazing around.

There wasn't much to look at. Near the back wall lay a circular nest made of what looked like a mixture of vines, moss, and dry leaves. In front of it were the messy remains of a small critter and, seated near the center with his tail curled around his paws, a lilac point tom with pale blue eyes. I glanced over him once and noticed two leaves and a sprig of heather tied to his forelegs, as well as a set of moth wings around his head. Kiowa, Moki, and Rowanpaw had already seated themselves along the side of the boulder. I hastened to join them.

The tom waited until I'd stopped moving before speaking. "Hello once again, Moki." He offered his paw to her. Smiling softly, she mimicked the gesture, pressing her pad against his. "I see you've returned safely for another visit."

"That I have," Moki confirmed. "And I've brought two friends I met on my travels."

"Yes, I can see that." The cat swept his irises over Rowanpaw and me. I gazed uncertainly back at him, wondering what to do. Should I dip my head? Should I do that paw thing like Moki?

"My name is Nova," the tom finally meowed, breaking the somewhat uncomfortable silence. "I am the leader of this Rebellion."

Moki shifted suddenly, letting out a quiet gasp. Nova flicked an ear at her. "I'll explain in a moment. But first, introductions. You are…?"

"Ravenpaw."

"Rowanpaw."

"Ravenpaw and Rowanpaw." Nova raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. Instead, he merely lifted his paw and held it out toward us. Figuring I'd said my name first, I lifted my good forepaw before Rowanpaw had time to move and pressed it against Nova's. "Welcome to the Avanti Tribe. Or, I suppose," Nova added bitterly, "what the Avanti Tribe should be." He repeated the motion and the first sentence with Rowanpaw, then turned back to the black and white munchkin. "Yes, Rebellion."

"What happened?" Moki asked. "Where's Kahuna?"

Nova's ears flattened and he let out a sudden hiss. "Do not speak her name in my presence!" he growled. "That heartless fiend is dead to me."

Moki's eyes widened. I glanced from her to Nova, then to Kiowa, sitting in the darkest shadows near the back of the den. His gaze was fixed on Moki, a message I'd seen many times before clearly written in his irises. I told you not to. I recalled our first encounter in the forest, when he'd mentioned to Moki not to say Kahuna's name in front of Nova. Apparently this was why.

"She is unfit to be the guru of the Avanti Tribe," Nova continued in a quieter voice. "That's why we've split. The Avanti still hold the mountaintop camp, but with any luck we'll be able to force them out in the next couple seasons. The camp is easily defensible, sure, but the Rebellion has been slowly growing in numbers as more and more see the truth of the guru's falsehood."

"But why is the guru unfit? She's ruled well for many, many seasons."

Nova shook his head. "She was chosen falsely. She's never been able to see signs, not like Fable did." Moki's brow furrowed. Nova let his eyes travel slowly from Moki onto Rowanpaw and me again, then back to Moki. "You three… will you join us? Will you help us return the tribe to its former glory?"

"I…" Moki hesitated. "I don't know. I feel like I don't know the whole story."

"I told you the whole—"

"You didn't." Kiowa's eyes flashed in Nova's direction.

"Kiowa, you may leave," Nova said tonelessly, flicking his tail at the entrance.

The brown tabby didn't move. "Let them hear about it all, about… about Mercury." Nova whipped around to glare at Kiowa, jaws parting furiously, but Kiowa raised his voice and kept going. "They deserve to know! Especially Moki. You know she deserves to hear it all, after what happened with…"

Moki stared from Kiowa to Nova and back again. "What happened?" she asked urgently. When neither replied, she tried again. "What happened?"

Kiowa's gaze burned into Nova's. "You've always listened to my advice before," he said quietly. "Listen to me now; she needs to know it all."

Nova blinked. His gaze flicked downward, so quickly someone watching less intently would've missed it. I held my breath, waiting.

"Fine. I suppose you're right." Nova shot Kiowa one last look before glancing back at Moki. "Right. The whole story. The… whole story. Right." He hesitated again.

"If you don't know where to begin," Kiowa narrowed his eyebrows, "then maybe you can start with the false sign."

"I know, I know," Nova said sharply. "I was planning on starting there, anyway."

"Mhmm," Kiowa muttered under his breath. Nova pretended not to hear him.

"A couple seasons ago, back when we were still one united tribe, the guru—and you all know who I mean when I say 'the guru,' correct?"

I nodded. To my right, Rowanpaw and Moki did the same.

"The guru received a sign, or at least she thought she did. It happened pretty often, you see; she'd see a sign but it would turn out to mean absolutely nothing. Every time that happened, the Avanti would lose a little more faith in her ability to lead. So this time, the guru decided not to alert the tribe at large. Instead, she turned to her younger brother, my littermate, Mercury.

"Mercury was always the one to comfort her when a sign went wrong. He never laughed at her inability to lead or doubted her in the slightest, unlike me. He was her favorite brother. She knew she could count on him to explore this sign and see if there was anything to it. If there wasn't, he'd let her know and the rest of the Avanti need never have figured out there was another false sign. If there was, she could announce it to the tribe and 're-discover' the truth of the sign. It was a perfect plan.

"Of course, perfect plans… they have a tendency to go wrong." Nova's eyes narrowed. "The guru instructed Mercury to go find his way through a small, never-before-explored cave. If she'd let anyone else in on the idea, we'd have reminded her why no one had ever explored it before; it's always been treacherous, with loose, slippery rocks every couple pawsteps. We would've told Mercury to be careful. Maybe then… maybe things would've been different."

I bit my tongue. I thought I knew what was coming.

"Mercury went to explore the cave, just as the guru told him. But he… but he didn't make it out." Nova paused for a moment, taking a deep breath and schooling his features into a more neutral expression. When he spoke again, his voice had returned to its previous tone. The roof of the cave had collapsed in. A couple cats hunting nearby heard the noise and rushed to the scene, but couldn't get him out. Finally, they returned to camp and gave the guru the news.

"At that moment, I was sharing a meal with the guru. When she heard the news, she quickly dismissed the other cats and confessed to me what she'd done." His voice suddenly turned bitter again. "And, of course, in amongst that deluge, she never once said she was sorry for what she'd done. No, there was no regret for sending her favorite brother to his death. There was just pleading. Self-centered pleading. She wanted me to help cover up what she'd done; she wanted me to help her keep her good name.

"Of course I refused. There was no way I was going to let her get away with something like that. Murdering her own brother? Her favorite cat in the whole tribe apart from herself? If she could do that without batting an eye, what else could she be capable of? I immediately went to expose her lies to the Avanti.

"For a couple days, there waged a battle between us. I explained how the guru was responsible for Mercury's death after seeing another of her fake signs. The guru insisted Mercury had only been hunting and could've chased a mouse into the cave, that his death was a tragic accident. She put up a good show, too, good enough that many cats ended up believing her over me.

"But there were those who believed me. We tried endlessly to make the Avanti see reason until the guru threatened to exile us for treason. To keep our legitimacy, we decided to leave then instead of waiting for a dishonorable exile, setting up camp down here. We've been trying to overthrow the guru ever since."

His last soft sentence ended with a finality I assumed meant the story was finished. It certainly sounded believable. I glanced around at Moki, wondering what she thought. She, of course, knew these cats better than me or Rowanpaw. Did she think Nova was telling the truth?

Moki nodded unconsciously, as though turning the story over in her mind. "I… I suppose it makes sense," she meowed slowly.

"So you'll join us?" Nova asked, his eyes widening in what looked like excitement, though it was a little odd to see it present on Nova's face.

Moki held up a paw. "Not quite so fast. I'd like to see what Orion thinks about this before making my decision."

I noticed Kiowa make a sudden movement behind Moki at the mention of her brother's name. Nova, however, remained calm.

"Orion was actually one of the first cats to join me," he meowed. "He was my second-in-command."

"Oh?" Moki raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "Sounds like Orion, all right."

"So you'll join us?"

"Yes. We will join you in your efforts to overthrow the guru and avenge Mercury."

"And you two; you'll help, too?"

I glanced at Rowanpaw. We wouldn't leave Moki, would we? If she thought Nova was telling the truth, I was willing to believe his story, too.

"For sure," he meowed.

"Definitely," I echoed.

"Excellent." Nova smiled. "Now, to deal with your injuries."

"There's something wrong with my shoulder and my tail, so Moki splinted them back in the Brick City. My ribs also hurt, but I suppose it's hard to splint a rib."

Nova's jaw worked like he was chewing on something. "Hmm," he muttered. "Sounds serious. And you could've easily made them worse after walking for several days on end. Am I correct, Moki, that you've been walking just about nonstop?"

Moki rolled her eyes. "I'm not that headstrong!" she protested.

"Yep, they have," Kiowa clarified.

"I see." Nova paused again, surveying my injuries again. "Well, this could be an issue. Both Cephas and Saffron stayed with the Avanti, you see."

Moki blinked. "Both of them stayed? Really? So you don't have a medic?"

"We have Lukan, but he's not the best. I doubt he has enough expertise to deal with broken bones or whatever you've got." He eyed my splints. "You'd have to go up to the Avanti to heal properly." He paused for a moment. "Perhaps you could act as a Rebellion spy while you're there."

A spy? That sounded like fun.

"There's already a spy up there, but the two of you could work together. He could go out into the tunnels and territory and you could stay around the camp to eavesdrop. Do you think you could do that?"

I nodded eagerly. "Of course!" My hearing might not be as good as Rowanpaw's, but I wasn't completely deaf. I'd be able to listen in on conversations just fine."

"Good. Kiowa has a meeting scheduled with Phantom for tomorrow night; you can hang around the base tomorrow and maybe get some basic treatment from Lukan, then head up to the Avanti tomorrow. Phantom can help us plan how best to get you in." Nova smiled. "Now, as for sleeping quarters, you three can stay in the spare den overnight. Tomorrow we'll start plann—"

"I was hoping to see Orion again tonight," Moki interrupted. "Is he here? I didn't see him in the clearing when we arrived."

Nova's eyes widened. "You mean… Kiowa didn't…?" He glanced at the brown flecked tom, who avoided his gaze.

Moki went rigid. "Has something happened to him?" she asked. "Is he all right? Tell me. Has he been injured?"

"He…" Nova took a deep breath, shooting a glare at Kiowa. "I suppose it's up to me to tell her 'the whole story' again, huh?" Kiowa didn't respond and, after a heartbeat, Nova returned to Moki, his eyes softening to the consistency of fresh moss.

"I'm… I'm so sorry you have to hear it like this, Moki, but… well, he was—killed—during an invasion of the peak."

I felt my paws grow suddenly warm, then freezing cold. I tried to gasp in a breath but it seemed as though my lungs had stopped working. My eyes locked onto Moki, my entire body seemingly narrowing down to focus entirely on her.

She hadn't moved. It was almost as though she hadn't heard Nova properly. But maybe it was me who hadn't heard right? Maybe he was fine, just injured, just missing, just…?

"What?"

Her voice was so soft, so small, quivering on the air for only a couple heartbeats before vanishing. I desperately wanted to reach out and press myself against her, but what if she didn't want someone there, what if she wanted to be alone? What should I do?

Nova hesitated. "He… he went back in to hold them off while the rest of us escaped." His voice began speeding up. "I don't know how many of us would've made it out without him. I mean, this was earlier on, before we had so many—"

Moki launched herself towards the entrance, shoving Rowanpaw and me back against the boulder. My shoulders slammed against a sharp point and pain lanced down my spine but I pushed myself off, back onto all four paws, staring out after Moki. She was running.

She was running.

I'd run, after Thalia and Toby and the others.

I couldn't let her run. Not like me.

Lunging forward, I pounded around the boulder and out into the forest. My jaws parted and my head dipped low, trying to find her scent. Where had she gone?

There.

I took off again, pelting through the trees, skidding down slopes on slippery leaves. My leg splint banged against my chest again and again, but for some reason the pain seemed virtually nonexistent. My eyes flickered from side to side, trying to make out her black tail through the darkness. Where was she?

All four paws left the ground as I leaped over the carcass of a tree. Both hind legs slammed against the wood as my heavier tail dragged me down, but I scrambled right back to my feet and plunged again into a sprint, my sides heaving as I fought for breath in the thinner air.

Suddenly, I realized Moki's scent was growing stronger. I slowed to a trot, gulping down air like water to find every last trace of her trail. But though my paws had grown softer, the sound of pounding remained. Whipping around, I dug my toes into the earth just in time to stop Rowanpaw from bowling me over.

"Moki? I'm—I'm s—"

"It's me, Ravenpaw," I hissed. "I think Moki's close by, though."

"Then why'd you stop?" His eyes flashed into the darkness. "We need to be with her. We need to be there with her."

I hesitated. Would Rowanpaw think I was being dumb? Though instinct had carried me into the forest after her, common sense seemed to have caught up with my brother's arrival. "I just… I just have this feeling. What if she doesn't want company?"

"Well we need to find her in any case," he urged. "We've gotta make sure she's okay. Right?"

"Yeah. But maybe be quiet about it?"

Rowanpaw barely nodded before diving once again into the undergrowth, slipping through a bush's lower branches. I watched him warily, but it seemed he did agree with me, since his footsteps were noticeably softer. Glancing around and tasting the air again just to be sure of our direction, I followed.

I'd only gone about a car-length before I felt Rowanpaw's tail brush against my chest. After pausing briefly, I eased myself forward until we stood shoulder to shoulder, peering around from beside a thick-trunked tree.

We stood on the edge of a dark clearing filled with patches of grass and dirt. As I scanned the area, my eyes immediately focused on Moki's black-furred form. She sat in the center facing away from us, shoulders hunched, her ears so far back they looked as though they were part of her skull. The faint moonlight cast the shadows of tree skeletons across her fur.

Rowanpaw shifted closer to me, pressing his muzzle into my ear fur. I pushed him away; it tickled.

"What do you think?" he breathed.

"She doesn't look so good," I replied, my voice barely louder than the rustle of wind in the last few leaves still clinging to branches overhead.

"D'you think we should go talk to her?"

"Do you?"

He swallowed hard. "I dunno. Maybe she needs some space?"

"Yeah. Or she could want someone there."

"I guess it depends on the specific cat. And the specific circumstances."

"Yeah."

A pause. I strained my ears forward but still heard nothing. Did Moki know we were here? Was she holding back tears until she could be alone? Should we leave?

No, I needed to make sure she was okay. Well, maybe not okay, but at least on the path to being okay. If she needed someone there I couldn't just leave.

"I'm going to go see," I whispered. "Then we'll know what to do."

"You're just going to go ask her?" Rowanpaw's eyes widened; I saw a flash of moonlight reflected off of them. "Isn't that insensitive?"

"Well, what else are we supposed to do? Just sit here awkwardly, waiting for her to give us some sort of signal?"

"I dunno! No, I guess, but still!"

"Keep your voice down!"

"You're not exactly whispering yourself."

"Oh, for the love of fresh prey… Rowanpaw, I'm going, and you'd better stay quiet, okay?"

"Fine. Just…"

I paused, tail-tip twitching. "Yes?"

Rowanpaw glanced back over at Moki. "Just… be careful with what you say. She's just lost her littermate."

I followed his pupils, gazing in Moki's direction. It suddenly hit me: she was going through exactly the same thing I would feel if Rowanpaw died. "Yeah," I whispered. "Okay. I will."

"Promise?"

A small smile curved my lips. "Promise."

I padded forward like a mouse, paws too soft to be heard above the gentle breeze, eyes fixed on Moki. As I drew level with her tail, I hesitated a moment, wondering if I should go through with this. What if she didn't want company after all? Should I retreat and return to the base like nothing had happened? Maybe she—

"I thought you two would come," Moki murmured, cutting across my train of thought like it was a squirrel and she the world's best hunter.

I rolled the words over in my mind, trying to decipher an underlying message. Was she disappointed? Upset? Annoyed? Somehow, it didn't sound like it. She'd just sounded… tired. As though she couldn't take in this new shock after days upon days of travel. But of course, that didn't make sense, what with her reaction upon first hearing about it. Maybe she'd spent so much time away from him that it didn't make much difference now that he was gone forever?

In any case, she didn't sound angry at me for coming, so it must be safe to sit down. I settled myself beside her, just far enough away to keep our pelts from brushing but still close enough to press against her if I thought she needed it. I glanced away from Moki, surveying the clearing once more to give her time to dry her possibly damp eyes. As my gaze roamed aimlessly around, it fell on the oddly ovular patches of dirt I'd noticed earlier.

"What is this place?"

"It's called the Gemstone Clearing."

"Gemstone?"

"It's what we call colorful rocks we find in deeper tunnels. We can't get them out of the rocks, obviously, but they're pretty to look at when a ray of sunlight finds its way into the mountain's heart. They're the rarest treasures we know of." She let out a soft sigh. "Get it? Because we bury our rarest, most valuable treasures in this clearing—our friends and family."

"Oh." I shuffled my paws closer together, eying the patches with an odd mixture of wariness and curiosity. It was strange to think there were dead cats buried directly beneath me. Back in the city, cats were rarely buried, but instead left in crevices under dumpsters or in empty metal cans. Burying certainly helped with the smell.

What was I thinking? I couldn't start pondering the proper way to deal with a body; I should be comforting Moki! It's what I came to do, after all. I pressed myself hard against her side, hoping the gesture might ease a bit of the pain she was undoubtedly concealing well.

Moki swallowed and for a moment I was worried she'd push me away. But, to the contrary, she returned a bit of the pressure. I let a small smile slide onto my face, though kept it contained to the half facing away from Moki so she wouldn't see. Maybe I was okay at this whole comforting thing after all.

"Ravenpaw," Moki burst out, though her voice remained quiet enough to keep Rowanpaw out of earshot.

"Yeah?"

"Don't… don't you dare do this to your brother."

I blinked, though part of me thought I knew what she was getting at. "Um, okay."

"Do you hear me?" Moki finally turned to look at me, glaring fiercely from behind the slight gleam of unshed tears.

I realized Moki was waiting for an answer and pulled my thoughts back onto the conversation. "Yeah, I do. You said—"

"I told you to never leave your brother. Ever. At least, not permanently. Not like this." She blinked several times. "I… I can deal with this. I didn't see him much anyway. It'll be just like how it is when I'm traveling around, right?"

It sounded almost like she was asking for reassurance. I opened my jaws to give her some, but before I could utter a word she was off again.

"Rowanpaw needs you, Ravenpaw, and you need him. You two need each other. That stunt you pulled back in that city… you could easily have died. If that dumpster hadn't been there, if it had been windier, if there was something particularly hard right where you'd landed, if you'd twisted a little too far in midair… you could have left him like this. Do you want that to happen? Do you want to make him suffer like this?"

I shook my head.

"No," Moki agreed. "No, you wouldn't. He's your brother. If he suffers, you suffer along with him." She paused for a couple heartbeats. "You see what I'm getting at now? No more stunts. No more dangerous risks. No more playing the hero. You have to promise me you'll be careful."

I nibbled at my tongue, hesitating.

"Say it."

"I…" No more playing the hero? No more proving my worth by saving the day or doing some other really brave thing? But then who would?

Probably someone more capable than you, I realized. Someone with more training, someone with more experience… Someone who can do those dangerous things without falling to their almost-death.

If I train hard and soak up all the experience I can, maybe someday I can become the hero again. If I stop trying dangerous things, maybe I won't get hurt like this again. I won't keep holding back other cats.

"I promise."

Moki let out a soft breath of air. "Thank you. For… for Rowanpaw's sake, thank you."

I'm not too fond of that ending, but oh well, I liked the rest of this chapter. ^^

OCs in order of appearance are:

-Marc (Eradrin)

-Cordelia (CindersQK)

-Phantom (ShadowHawk540-2)

I have some news sorta correlated with and explaining the QOTDs, which is why I saved it for the end here instead of mentioning it at the top. 1: I got contacts! 2: I'm sure I mentioned this before, but I'm starting school this Tuesday and will soon be wondering if I'm partially insane or enjoy putting myself through a great deal of stress because of all my AP classes. But oh well, I'll hopefully do fine like in other years.

QOTD1: Do you wear glasses/contacts? If you do, when did you start? If you have glasses or ever got glasses, would you consider getting contacts?

AOTD1: I've worn glasses since about first grade (or at least needed them since then, but I only started wearing them a year later because they were too much of a bother). I've been ehh about contacts for years because I've never liked touching my eyes and it was tough to start since I have a really strong blink, but it's pretty cool/weird to have peripheral vision and be able to touch the bridge of my nose and all. Though I'll have to get the left lens checked, since it's slightly fuzzier than the right and completely throws off my depth perception.

QOTD2: What do you most like about starting school?

AOTD2: I enjoy getting a routine again, even though I start to hate it after a couple months of exactly the same thing. I also love learning new things, though I wish it didn't come with homework.

Remember, if you review you'll get a sneak peek of the next chapter!