Chapter 19! Finally. This was a chapter I have been wanting to write into the story, but the idea just sort of got lost. Then, as I struggled from writer's block for a brief time it re-emerged. And here it is. I hope everyone likes it! And yes, it is a tad rushed, but that was intentional. I'll explain it at the end. Anyway, one more chapter and then there will be the quiz with the prize. The prize will be an idea that I will try and put into the sequel. Sound good?
Fact: If Ashpaw had not fallen in love with Dapplepaw, then Rosepaw and he would have been together and lived happily ever after.
Ashpaw let out a purr of contentment as he stared up at the almost full moon with Dapplepaw at his side. Their sides were pressed together and their tails were also twined. In that moment he could forget the damage Rosepaw had caused, or the fact that she was now conspiring to kill once again. It was peaceful under the moon, just the two of them. And then...
Rainpaw appeared from the bushes, a foreign tom cat trailing after her. She glanced up at them, and for once she didn't turn away with hurt. "Okay, this is them. Well, not all of them. Two of them. Creampaw is missing."
"Rainpaw...who is this?" Dapplepaw asked once she snapped out of her trance. She scanned the almost plump looking cat, who also had muscles like a forest cat. His fur was sleek and healthy, and he seemed rather large in comparison to Rainpaw's petite size.
Rainpaw glanced at her sister, then back at the tom. "Oh, right! Dapplepaw, this is Sparrow. Sparrow this is Dapplepaw and Ashpaw."
"Do you really all have the same type of name?" Sparrow asked as he glanced at each of them. "Rainpaw. Dapplepaw. Ashpaw."
"They will all change," Rainpaw assured him. She turned to the two other clan cats. "I brought him here so that...well...he's helping me keep tabs on Rosepaw...so, you know I thought he deserved to meet who he was working with."
Ashpaw exchanged a wary glance with Dapplepaw, who seemed somewhat skeptical. "Okay," he meowed slowly. He shifted around so he could get a better look at the cats below them. "Well, you've met us. First impressions are important. How am I doing? Now, you don't have to tell me, but a hint would be nice."
Dapplepaw let out a small snicker that she quickly smothered. She gave Ashpaw's ear a lick and glanced down at the duo as well. "Ashpaw, be friendly," she teased, giving him a slight shove.
Ashpaw gripped the branch they shared more tightly as she attempted to slide him off. "Hey! How would you feel if you had knocked me off and I had injured myself? Hmm?"
"Well, honestly...it would feel way more roomy on this branch. Let's face it, Ashpaw, you take up so much room. Sometimes it feels like you're a miniature bear."
"Says the cat who eats five mice a day!" Ashpaw retorted in a friendly tone. He turned back to the two other cats, momentarily forgetting they were there. Sparrow looked slightly uncomfortable, while Rainpaw looked calm and collected.
Sparrow snorted and gave a roll of his eyes. "My first impression? Well, I can tell that you and Dapplepaw there are very close, obviously mates. Dapplepaw is very sheltered, in general, but she is very open with you, meaning she trusts you. You also are very caring toward her, but not to many cats. The cats you do bother to care about mean a lot to you."
Ashpaw's eyes widened with sight surprise. The expected answer was perhaps a: you seem friendly, you seem happy, you are a very hilarious cat. But a full analysis on not just them, but his and Dapplepaw's relationship? Mates? Ashpaw thought. He never considered Dapplepaw his mate. They were in two separate clans. It was impossible for them to truly be together. Unless...
"He can do that," Rainpaw meowed excitedly, clearly impressed by Sparrow's speech. "He can do that with all cats. He was spot on, right?"
"Well, he was close. I mean, I am not sheltered. That's ridiculous!" Dapplepaw let out a small laugh. "I am so kind and open!"
Rainpaw rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. Sure you are." She straightened up so she could see them all better. "We had better get back to LeafClan, Dapplepaw."
"Yeah," the fluffy she-cat agreed with a sigh. "Very true." She touched Ashpaw's nose with her own before sliding off the branch gracefully. Her landing was almost perfected from all the times before that when she had jumped down.
"Bye, Sparrow. Wait! You know the way back, right?" Rainpaw tilted her head to the side, curious. Her ears were up and her eyes were fully focused. Her complete attention was on him.
Sparrow nodded, turning around. "Of course. Goodbye, Rainpaw." He ducked into the shadows of the night, disappearing.
"Bye, Sparrow. See you soon."
"You will never believe how hard training was today!"
Rosepaw's annoying voice touched Ashpaw's ears. He tried his best to ignore her, but she was very persistent. She never let him go. In her mind there was still a delusional fantasy of them being together.
"Obviously not hard enough. You're still walking and talking, more importantly." Ashpaw sat down and started to groom his fur.
Rosepaw's ear twitched with irritation. "Oh, how funny you are!" she growled between gritted teeth. Her white pelt flashed as she bolted in front of him. "Okay, I can't take it anymore, Ashpaw! When are you going to get over this?"
"Isn't it funny how I feel like this question has already been asked and answered? Of course that could just be me." Ashpaw got to his paws and started to walk away.
"It'll never work. Don't you realize that? When will you get it in your head?" Rosepaw called out after him. Ashpaw paused, unsure of what she was referring to. She trotted up so the distance between them slimmed. "You and Dapplepaw. She is from LeafClan and you are from SunClan. There is no life you two can have together."
"We have it now, mouse-brain," Ashpaw snapped at her. He flicked his tail, about ready turn and leave her despite anything she said.
Rosepaw let out a small, sarcastic laugh. "You have it now? Really? You can never have a family. You can never raise kits. You can never be completely together!" She took a step closer. "But we can. I've made mistakes. Haven't we all? The problem is that you won't look past them. If we had a clean slate, Ashpaw, we could be happy!"
The hope in her voice made Ashpaw cringe. He turned away, shaking his head. "You are the reason so many lives have been lost. If Dapplepaw did not exist then I still wouldn't love you."
Rosepaw's words did ring is Ashpaw's ears the next day. He tried to throw them from his mind...but was she entirely wrong? Were he and Dapplepaw just fooling themselves? If they stopped meeting now would they be able to find someone in their own clan to love?
These thoughts lingered in his mind as he trained with Sagewhisker in the clearing. "Ashpaw!" his mentor snapped, clearly annoyed by his lack of attention. "Stay focused! For StarClan's sake! You've been this way all morning!"
Ashpaw nodded guiltily. "Sorry, Sagewhisker." He sat down and did his best to watch her, despite the nagging thoughts in his mind.
"Alright, now try that yourself."
Ashpaw had vaguely understood what she had done. He attempted to mimic her, but it didn't feel right. In the final stage of the battle move, he twisted his paw in his landing. "Mouse-dung!"
Sagewhisker darted to his side, eyes wide. "Alright, that's enough for today. We should get you back to camp so you can get that paw looked at." With that, the deputy started for camp.
Ashpaw sighed, shutting his eyes. Now he didn't even have training to distract him. He started after her, being careful to hold is paw in the air. Pain seared his foot, sending jolts of agony up his leg.
It wasn't enough to take his mind off the subject. Was anything? And Goldenspot was about to take that pain away by mending it. Then he would be suspended from his apprentice duties while he healed, leaving him in the medicine cat's den where all he would have time to do was think.
Ashpaw knew every little crevice and gap in the SunClan camp. It was easy sneaking out. Still, it took awhile to actually get anywhere since he was literally walking on three legs.
Dapplepaw was waiting in the apple tree that was showing the tiniest hint of growing leaves. Her tail was wrapped around her paws and her front feet were tucked under her neatly. Her eyes were shut and she looked peaceful.
Ashpaw made it to the base of the trunk and stared at her for a brief moment. He took a deep breath and sighed, shutting his eyes. "Can you jump down? I can't really climb today."
Dapplepaw's head immediately poked over the edge. Her green eyes sparkled as she saw him. "Ashpaw!" she meowed enthusiastically. She slid from the branch and landed on the damp ground. As soon as she got down she licked his cheek and gazed at him.
Ashpaw winced, wishing she had not done that. "I think we have to talk." His voice sounded how he felt. Devastated. Grieved. Worried. Miserable. Any cat could tell, but Dapplepaw wasn't just any cat. She knew him so well that his depressed mood made her instantly concerned.
"What's wrong?" she asked immediately. Dapplepaw's eyes widened with fear and worry. She took a step back, her paws sinking in the thick mud.
Ashpaw sighed, shaking his head. "Dapplepaw, what are we going to do?" he whispered. He finally looked at her, registering her confusion. "Is this the life we want together? Meeting here in secret? Are we just fooling ourselves?"
Dapplepaw appeared shocked. "What? Fooling ourselves? We love each other! We make it work. What's this about? I thought you said you were fine with meeting here."
The more deeply they fell into the conversation the more Ashpaw wanted to turn back. But he couldn't. "I would do anything for you," he promised. "Which is why I have to do this. You don't deserve this. You should be able to proudly walk beside the cat you love among your clanmates. You should be able to have a family without raising questions." With a final sigh, Ashpaw finished his speech. "You can't have that with me."
Dapplepaw was frozen with surprise. Slowly the shock wore off and her expression switched to devastation. "I don't...I don't want any of that as long as I can be with you! Why would you think of this? It's wrong! We're supposed to be together."
Ashpaw felt the already severe pain in her heart increase. "Dapplepaw...I don't want you to sacrifice any of that for me. There are cats that will love you...cats in your own clan. Forget about me. Be with them. Raise a family. Be happy."
"Don't do this...please...," Dapplepaw whispered, her voice cracking. She was shaking and the grief was so prominent on her face, which made Ashpaw second guess his decision. This hurts her now but she still can move on. This has to be the right decision.
Ashpaw started to turn around when Dapplepaw's voice sounded from behind him. "I'll go to SunClan! Then everything will be okay!"
Ashpaw frowned and faced her again. "And will you leave your sisters? Your friends? I can't...I won't let you do that to yourself. Goodbye, Dapplepaw." With those words hanging in the air, Ashpaw walked away with his heart throbbing and regret lingering over him.
Okay. There it is. Is it bad that I was sad writing this? Anyway, how about 245 reviews for another chapter. I will now explain why the chapter (in my opinion) seemed rushed. It was supposed to be because Ashpaw's decision was so rushed. It was meant to show how quickly this happened.
Next chapter: Moons after Ashpaw's decision, Dapplepaw is still recovering. While she is trying to find a way to life her life again, SunClan makes advances on LeafClan territory, leading to a fight. In the middle of the battle, Dapplepaw is forced to fight the cat she still loves above everything and the cat that has plotted to kill her for moons.
Question: Do you think Ashpaw will be able to move on? Do you think he could've handled Rosepaw's words better?