CHAPTER FORTY THREE

Anxiety swept through Reedriver as he watched the Tribe cats interact with one another. The injuries that everyone had received during the battle were currently being treated by Blizzardwind. She carefully weaved her way through the crowd, sniffing each wound and making sure that the injuries were tended to. Despite herself, it was obvious that she had received the worst injuries from their little group.

Reedriver's claws scraped the stone as he remembered Blizzardwind's announcement. Her words had shaken him to the core when she told them that she would be staying behind. When she told them that the Tribe needed her more than the Clans, he wanted to rake his claws across her muzzle. She had bees in her head if she thought they would appreciate her more than her own Clan.

Yet, Reedriver could see the wisdom in her choice. Reluctantly, he agreed that the Tribe would need all the help they could get. Seeing them now only reminded him of what they had done to SkyClan.

True, that had been against their will because Stoneteller had ordered them to take SkyClan as prisoners. But, that didn't make what they did any better. Reedriver narrowed his eyes at the thought of how the battle played out across his mind. Things could have gone a lot worse, when he thought about it.

"I can't wait to feel real dirt under my paws, again," Acorntail sighed wistfully, "And, hear the sounds of the lake."

That, Reedriver could agree with. He missed the feeling of cool ground under his paws. The stones were cold and unwelcoming to him. He didn't know how the Tribe could stand living in these conditions. He supposed they'd gotten used to it after so many seasons of living here.

"I'm looking forward to getting back to see what the Clans are like since we left," Oakfire admitted, pacing beside Flamestrike warily. His tail lashed a few times as he glanced over his shoulder, having watched the Tribe through narrowed eyes.

Not that I don't blame him for his lack of trust in them, Reedriver thought, remembering how they were first treated upon their arrival.

"How exactly are we going to explain that we found SkyClan?" he finally spoke up, knowing that the Clans would already feel enough tension upon hearing what had happened with the Tribe. "We don't even have enough territory to share with them, let alone bring them to the Clans, in the first place."

"That isn't for us to decide, Reedriver," Stormshadow snapped irritably, "The leaders must make this decision."

Reedriver opened his mouth, ready to make a retort when he thought better of it. He hated it when Stormshadow contradicted what he said. Though, the ThunderClan warrior did make sense in some way. As much as he hated to admit it, this was a decision that the leaders needed to make amongst themselves.

He gave his chest fur a few quick licks as Blizzardwind finally reached them. Her pale green eyes glimmered with worry as she reached them, tail swishing with unease. Reedriver couldn't help but think back to what she had said about staying behind.

You were supposed to go home, with us, he thought bitterly.

There was no changing her mind, though. Blizzardwind had obviously decided that she was better suited here in the mountains.

"I will miss you, all," she meowed as she sat down in front of them. "Please, take care of yourselves on your journey back."

If you miss us, then why are you leaving? Reedriver wanted to ask out loud. He kept the question to himself, glancing at his Clanmates self-consciously as he noticed how Acorntail had bowed his head. Reedriver suddenly wished he had the courage to say out loud what he desperately needed to.

"Take care of yourself, Blizzardwind," Acorntail replied. "I hope you find peace with the Tribe."

One nod was all it took for Blizzardwind to retreat back to the Tribe cats who were waiting for her. Reedriver watched through narrowed eyes, suddenly aware of the tension rising among them. He couldn't shake off the feeling that she was making a mistake, by staying here. That somehow, she was betraying the Clan by staying here.

He shook his head at the thought, knowing that the group of cats had a long journey ahead of them. The group of cats, with SkyClan in tow, made their way out of the cave once all was said and done. A sense of relief swept over Reedriver's shoulders as they left the cave behind. He didn't like the constricting feeling of being in a closed in space like that. The Tribe cats could keep their mountains for all he cared. He felt safer out in the forest, where there was enough space to turn around and swipe a claw at an approaching enemy.

The sound of water crashing around them suddenly began to overwhelm his senses as they reached the entrance. Not for the first time, Reedriver found himself gaping at the waterfall entrance of the cave. There was a small path that led around the waterfall, but, one wrong move would send them plummeting to their deaths.

"Keep your eyes and ears open for signs of hawks," he heard Emberstar warn the others, "We've seen them circling the mountains, and, they've tried attacking the Clan during our journey."

"You mean they actually go after your cats?" Acorntail asked in disbelief once they put some distance between themselves and the waterfall.

"One of our own was almost taken by a hawk, once," Spruceleaf murmured thoughtfully, "Wildheart managed to figure out how to take them down; they're huge birds who are capable of taking apprentices and kits."

A lump of fear threatened to overwhelm Reedriver at the thought of being snatched by a hawk. He couldn't imagine the terror of being taken from the ground like that. Then again, stranger things had happened. Reedriver had no doubt that there were all sorts of crazy things like that, out there.

"I'm glad to finally get out of that place," he grumbled under his breath as he fell in beside Acorntail. He watched as Oakfire and Stormshadow took the lead, with Emberstar following them. The two ThunderClan warriors were always acting as if they were in charge, something that irritated Reedriver more than anything else. Who died and put them in charge? If anything, it should be the SkyClan leader leading them. "Those Tribe cats still ruffle my fur the wrong way."

Concern swept through Acorntail's gaze as he looked at Reedriver pointedly. He knew he was making a bigger deal out of this than he should have. But, the sense of betrayal still lingered as he pictured Blizzardwind staying behind.

"Are you sure this isn't about Blizzardwind's choice?" the golden brown tabby asked curiously. "I know that you were close, but, that's no excuse to act as if her decision didn't matter."

His fur began to bristle at the accusation in Acorntail's statement. Reedriver had to look away as he tried flattening his ruffled pelt. No, he was annoyed that they had to go through this, at all. They'd lost a valuable member of their Clan, because of SkyClan, and the Tribe of Rushing Water.

"I'm only trying to think of what is best for the Clan," he muttered crossly.

He flinched when Acorntail brushed his shoulder with his tail, "Reedriver, you're too young to be worrying about such things," he snorted. "I know I'm not much better off, but, think of your own future, instead of the Clan's."

Loyalty should come first, he snapped silently, eyes narrowing at the thought.

He kept silent, though, as he marched forward. Acorntail may have been just a couple of moons older than him, but, even he seemed to see the wisdom in Blizzardwind's decision.

Reedriver eyed the rest of the group warily as he noticed how close everyone had gotten, since the start of the journey. Flamestrike stayed close to Spruceleaf as the two of them talked like they were old friends. He spotted Birdpaw prancing beside Birchpelt, chatting excitedly about the start of their new journey to the lake.

For once, Reedriver found himself realizing that despite his earlier misgivings, everything would be fine. The Tribe would hopefully leave the Clans alone now that the old Stoneteller was gone. He had no idea how they would find a new one, but, for now, there was peace among them.

"You seem awfully quiet."

Reedriver flinched at the sound of a she-cat's voice. A gray she-cat with darker gray paws, and striking blue eyes, eyed him curiously. He'd recognized her as Frozenfoot, the she-cat that Emberstar had mentioned before the battle started. Most of her injuries had been tended to by Blizzardwind, and it looked as if she was already recovering from the worst of them.

"I've got a lot on my mind," he admitted, looking away as he thought of everything that had happened.

At least it was true. He did have a lot on his mind. It kept churning with anxiety as he imagined how the Clan would react when they returned. Or, how the Clans would react when SkyClan showed up, demanding their own spot at the lake.

"You're worried how the Clans are going to react to my Clan," the gray she-cat meowed. Reedriver glanced at her self-consciously, feeling her gaze boring through him. "If I were being honest, I'd be worried, if someone randomly demanded territory from the gorge."

The RiverClan warrior only blinked in surprise at her sudden admittance. He eyed her curiously, wondering what it would be like if he was in her position. He'd be worried about his Clan's future, trying to secure a territory that would sustain it.

"I'm sure that we can work something out," he replied, trying to hide the surprise that followed when she blinked in understanding. "There were five Clans before, and, I have a feeling that things will work themselves out."

"You sound so confident," Frozenfoot snorted in amusement.

Reedriver couldn't hide the purr that followed at her sarcasm.

"So, what was it like living at the gorge?" he asked curiously.

Frozenfoot tilted her head to one side when she noticed he was using this conversation more as a distraction, then anything else. The snowy, rocky terrain was difficult enough to trek over. Reedriver had almost tumbled over his own paws multiple times while trying to maintain his footing. He noticed that other cats were having trouble keeping up with the large group, and the air was bitingly cold. He fluffed up his fur, hoping to keep himself warm from the wind that tore at them.

"We were always surrounded by rocky walls," she explained, "The camp itself was big, and we had dens scattered throughout. Emberstar would hold Clan meetings on the Rockpile, and Dewspots would share tongues with StarClan at the Whispering Cave."

He tried picturing the way Frozenfoot explained the gorge. It must have been huge. He could already imagine exploring a large camp with dens scattered in caves. She'd even mentioned a place called the Sky Rock where newly named warriors would sit vigil and watch over the camp.

"It must have been difficult, giving that up," he murmured thoughtfully, aware that SkyClan had given up a good piece of territory to join the rest of the Clans.

Frozenfoot only nodded in agreement, though, Reedriver could see doubt flickering in her blue eyes, "We left for a reason... prey was becoming scarce. Even the rats that we hunted at the garbage heap was emptying out. The main reason we left, though, was because of the rogues that tried taking over."

His chest tightened with shock as Reedriver imagined what that must have been like. If the Clan was already on the brink of starving, he could only imagine what it must have been like if rogues decided to invade and take over. They must have taken advantage of their weakness.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, suddenly aware that SkyClan had already been through a lot before reaching the mountains.

A purr suddenly rose in Frozenfoot's throat, catching Reedriver by surprise.

"I wouldn't apologize for something you had no control over," she replied with a shrug, "Even we couldn't predict what would happen."

It took Reedriver a few heartbeats to understand what she meant by that. He blinked in surprise as she brushed her pelt against his before joining the rest of her Clanmates. The heat that rose within him was enough to make his fur bristle with embarrassment.

Stupid she-cats and their random mood swings, he thought, giving his chest fur a few licks to calm himself down.

Yet, even as he thought of that, he couldn't take his eyes off of Frozenfoot's form as it disappeared into the crowd of cats. He suddenly felt self-conscious when he caught Acorntail watching him warily. Considering Frozenfoot was from another Clan, one that clearly needed the help it deserved, he shouldn't even think of getting close to her.

"I hope you're not thinking what I imagine you're thinking," the older warrior growled when he reached Reedriver. "The last thing we need is any drama between Clans."

"We were just talking!" Reedriver hissed under his breath, feeling his fur bush out with outrage.

"'Talking' can lead to something more," Acorntail retorted, lashing his tail in annoyance as he glared at Reedriver, "I'm only giving you a warning."

"I don't need your warning," Reedriver snapped, keeping his voice low enough so the others wouldn't hear.

Though, he couldn't shake off the sense of guilt that swept through him as Acorntail rolled his eyes. After complaining about how disloyal Blizzardwind had been in deciding to stay behind, he shouldn't even think of arguing with Acorntail. Reedriver ducked his head to avoid the piercing gaze of Acorntail as he looked on ahead, trying to push off the uneasy feelings welling up within him.

Why couldn't life ever be simple? He had a feeling the answers wouldn't reach him until it was too late.