Fawnpaw

My dad finally walked into the barn, and I sat there. Awkwardly. I couldn't stand up to greet him like I wanted to, so I just waited for him to greet me. Mom was looking at me with worry, and I reassured her that my leg was fine. I made sure to stress that Snowy was protecting me, and that I would get better. She still seemed worried, but I could deal with it. Mom and Dad were back together!

Mom tried to lurk away from Dad, and I figured she was still mad at him. He seemed to get really frustrated when she walked away, and he chased her down. Finally, she came over to me, but she looked somehow defeated. I wanted to cry for her with how downcast she was. Mom didn't look that sad often, and I never wanted to see her like that again. If this was the price I paid for leaving the camp, I would stay in camp forever.

"Mom? My leg's fine. It'll heal! It's just a slight break," I repeated. She just stared at me sadly and shook her head. "I can go home as soon as it's better. Snowy said so."

Mom started crying as soon as I said that, and I started shaking. What was wrong with going home? Suddenly I realized that Mom wouldn't just leave the Clan, so she must've had a great reason to come here. "Is the Clan all right?"

"The Clan's fine, honey. But we have to go home right away," she whispered to me. "I'll carry you if you can't walk."

Seeing her urgency, I attempted to stand. I put all of my weight on my three good legs, and after multiple attempts found myself successful. It hurt to stand, but I could push through it if Mom needed me to. Mom started talking to Dad, and I tried to walk away. I reached the barn entrance and Snowy got in my way. "You need to stay here until you're better, hon."

"But Mom said we needed to go right away! Besides, the medicine cat will help my leg get better faster," I informed him. It was true. We had the best medicine cat in the forest, or at least the medicine cat said so. She knew tons of herbs, so she could probably fix me up right away.

Snowy placed himself in the entrance to the barn. "No, Fawnpaw. You have to stay here. We want your leg to heal properly." He seemed nice, but his tone was stern. I could tell that he was honestly a bit worried for me, though, and not just mad at me for trying to leave.

I nodded. "I guess. I'll tell Mom."

He smiled. "Thanks, hon. Get well soon!"

I turned back to my mom, ready to explain the situation. Snowy was right, after all. We wouldn't want my leg getting any worse. However, I could see my mom looking at me with eyes full of anxiety and sorrow as she noticed I hadn't gotten away. Her fear seeped into me, and I walked over to her. "Mom? Is everything ok?" I could tell by her expression that it wasn't, but I wanted to help.

"One second, honey. I'm talking with your dad."

I recognized the tone of voice she was using. She was doing something important and official I couldn't listen in on. I shrugged slightly and walked away, looking for something to do. You couldn't do much with a broken leg, so it took some thinking. Finally, I walked over to Snowy and asked if it was ok if I just looked out the door, since that was more fun than lying down doing nothing. He agreed, so I sat down beside him and stared out the door.

I could hear Mom and Dad arguing, and I sighed. Mom had just gotten back with Dad! She seemed to be pleaing with him, and he was getting angry. He hissed and she crouched down low to the ground, seemingly scared. He started towering over her, and I finally figured out why Speckletail scared her. It wasn't his appearance, it was his name. I had to leave. Now.

I tried just to get up and walk away, but Snowy got in my way. Ok, you need a plan. I walked back into the barn, Dad now raising one paw. I forced myself to work away on planning. I knew that if I got injured and forced to stay even longer, Mom would stay too. The only hope for both of us was me getting away.

I started carrying pebbles to the barn entrance. I heard Mom yowl and forced myself not to look at her. She could handle herself. I had to get away, for her sake. I kept carrying pebbles to the entrance, and soon I had made a nice pile. When Snowy looked away again, I swatted the pile as hard as I could. Snowy ran off to investigate the noise, and I started hobbling out of the barn.

Walking with a broken leg is really hard. It was then, too. I had to slowly move around, using only three legs. I couldn't make very fast progress. My only chance would be getting back to my territory, where I had the advantage of knowledge. Soon, however, another cat got in my way. "You're Fawnpaw, right? You need to get back to the barn!" She exclaimed, seemingly worried. "How did you get that far with that leg of yours? Come on, we're going back."

While her voice showed only worry, her body said otherwise. She kept herself directly in my path and bared her fangs, guiding me back to the barn. I kept looking back at her, checking to see if she had let her guard down at all, but she never did. I hissed under my breath. I would have to try again the next day.