Tigerstorm left the medicine den and sighed with relief as the warm sunlight hit her pelt. Being inside the den for two sunrises had been about as much fun as being a kittypet. Her body felt stiff and tired, even though she'd gotten plenty of sleep. Amberfoot padded next to her. The reddish brown tom constantly glanced over at her.
"What?" She finally mewed
"It's just weird. How you nearly drowned. It doesn't happen to often with Riverclan warriors. Kits are different, sometimes apprentices, when they're young, but not a full warrior." He whispered
I nearly drowned because of my mate. She thought. She kept her mouth shut, knowing that if she told even Amberfoot, Cindershade would find both of them and kill them before it spread around camp.
"Thanks." She said
The tom nodded as she walked off. She sighed as she looked up to the sky. The sun was going down in the sky, telling her that it would be dusk soon. Tigerstorm slipped through the entrance and padded through the untamed territory. The whistling of birds flew across the sky as the wind rustled the tree leaves. She knew that a hunting patrol was out and hoped that they wouldn't find her. They'd just bother me. I just wanna be alone. She picked up her pace and headed for the stream near Shadowclan territory.
"I can't believe what he did.." She whispered to herself, "I..I never did anything wrong! He..He's a monster." She pondered for a moment, "But..Why do I stay with him?"
You're afraid..He'd kill you if you left him. You'd be dead as soon as you said it. A voice whispered inside her. Tigerstorm nodded. I know..He'd kill me easily. He's nearly done that before and I wouldn't be shocked if he did. I can't tell anyone either..I'd endanger their life as well. She sat down on top of a patch of moss underneath a large pine tree. She knew the Shadowclan border was only a tail-length away, but she carefully stayed on her territory. The odd smell of the marsh fluttered over to her, making her shudder. Ugh! That's just awful. She thought about their clan for a moment. I wonder if there is a cat in there with any problems. We seem to have it better over here, yet, I'm stuck with Cindershade, who'd kill me if I did anything wrong. She wrapped her tail around her paws as she shut her eyes, blocking out the scenery from around her. A warm breeze hit her face as she inhaled deeply. Her body slumped forward as she relaxed, listening to the sounds around her.
"Hello?"
She jumped up at the mew of another cat. She looked around the tree and saw a dark brown tabby tom. His short was sleek and glossy as his thin tail flicked behind him. His broad shouldered frame was smaller than Cindershade's, but it didn't give him a menacing look. His belly and paws were white, contradicting his darker fur. His eyes were storm clouds, but without the storm. Calm and gentle, but could easily ignite with lightning when angered.
"Sorry.." He muttered, "I..I didn't see you."
She looked closer at him and felt as though she knew him from somewhere.
"It's fine. Do I know you from somewhere?" She asked
"I saw..Saw you up at th..The Gathering. Tigerstorm right?"
She nodded.
"I'm Pi..Pinefur." He stuttered again. He looked at her tail, "Oh..What happened?" He asked
She looked at her tail. It looked weird not having the tip. But, she merely replied, "It got caught in some rocks when they fell. Nothing big."
"At lea...least you're okay."
She gave a gentle smile. He's quite shy for a Shadowclan cat. Not to arrogant and nice. "I'll see you around." She told him
His eyes brightened up as his tail flicked in content. She nodded to him and padded off. She checked the air and was relived not to find Cindershade's scent anywhere. Thank Starclan..She thought of Pinefur, It's nice to talk to another cat for once.
...
She laid down in her nest with her freshly caught fish. There were no queens at the moment and the elders were fed and everyone was sharing prey with another, except for her. She was thankful that Cindershade was sharing with Redpelt. She felt something on her back as she looked up to see the gentle, dark gray gaze of Milkfur.
"Oh..Hi Milkfur." She said
Tigerstorm nudged the pike over to the white she-cat, but she shook her head. "I already shared a carp with Nettleshine."
The pale brown tabby shrugged and nibbled her carp. "You know..You've been kinda quiet ever since your accident. You alright Tigerstorm?" She asked. Tigerstorm nodded, "It was just..Weird." She replied. Milkfur sat down on one of the nests. "Of course it is. I remember when I was a mere apprentice and nearly died from greencough. It was terrifying..But, Amberfoot knows what he's doing. He's older than me and has been a medicine cat for many moons. I bet before Goldfur." Tigerstorm was kind of listening, but she was picturing the water swarming around her, the pain erupting in her lungs as she struggled for a breath of air and the darkness that consumed her. She jumped in place, her fur slightly bristling. Milkfur purred gently and laid her tail on her back.
"It's alright. Listen, go see Amberfoot if you need something. He's probably got something for you." She meowed
"Thanks."
Milkfur nodded and left the den as Tigerstorm looked at her new tail. She was lucky enough that the rock hadn't made her lose the whole thing. Maybe he didn't want to be stuck with a deformed mate. She laid down, curling herself into a ball. As she shut her eyes, she thought of the gentleness of Pinefur from earlier. She purred at the memory of the tom and drifted into a dreamless sleep.