A Misty Path (A Warrior Cats Fanfiction)

Chapter 26

"What are you doing here?" asked Mistflower uncertainly, her muscles rigid and tense.

Cinder tossed his head, clearly relaxed. "Oh, I've been hanging around here for weeks, checking up on you guys after the whole fire incident." He twitched his ears towards ThunderClan's forest. Glancing over, Mistflower noticed charred treetops and ashen grass over the border. "You guys doing any better? I haven't seen from anyone with your scent in who knows how long."

"Yeah..." Mistflower's ears flattened. "Uh - you probably won't be seeing too much of RiverClan... We've kinda been... exiled... sort of...?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Cinder meowed immediately, although he looked more curious than mournful, not surprising considering he was a rogue. "What for?"

Mistflower twitched an ear. "I've been asking myself that same question ever since it happened," she promised him. "And, uh, it's Mistflower now. I - I got my warrior name." When he blinked at her impassively, she added: "As in, I'm a warrior now."

"Yeah, y'know, I kinda figured out that for myself," Cinder snarked. "I'm just wondering why. What's the difference? A cooler name?"

Mistflower bristled at the rogue tomcat insulting her Clan code so casually. "Well, we have more authority and - and we have different duties and - it means we're grown up now. Full members of the Clan."

"Ahh. I see." Cinder nodded, as if bored by the conversation. "Hey, so, what're you doing around here, Mistwarrior? Aren't you exiled?"

Mistflower rolled her eyes, irritated. "Well - I'm not supposed to be here - obviously -"

"A rulebreaker. I can respect that."

She snarled at him. "If you're not going to at least pretend you care, I won't tell you why at all."

Cinder rolled his eyes. "Alright, I'm listening, I'm listening."

"I -" Mistflower froze, suddenly intimidated by Cinder's intense gaze, listening to her every word. How do I even begin? "O-one of my dear f-friends was m-murdered by - well, okay, two died, but one was murdered in front of m-me, and the murderer in question - who is part of one of the Clans who exiled me - he ruined m-my life and my family and -"

"So you're out to kill him?" Mistflower was startled by Cinder's calm demeanour. He's not an annoying jerk all the time! "You're out to get revenge for your friends."

"I - yes. Yes, I am."

"Hm." Mistflower almost let out a scowl. I opened up to you, told you about my dead friends, and all you have to say is "hm"?!

Cinder nodded slowly. "I see." He stared into Mistflower's eyes, his golden eyes glowing with understanding. "As I understand, this terminating tomcat was... part of a Clan?" When she nodded, he continued: "And I have noticed that it is extremely hard to be totally alone in a big Clan of likeminded individuals, with no friends or family or anyone who cares about you." It's not as hard as you think. "Do you think that there won't be consequences? There won't be tears shed over his body? There won't be cold lonely nights in another Clan's cats' dens?"

"Well - m-my friends didn't deserve to die. They had lives they wanted to live -"

"And he doesn't?" Cinder sighed, looking at the silver tabby with pity in his eyes. "When you become a warrior, when you pledge your loyalty to your Clan, you are expected to do what is necessary to ensure your Clan's survival."

Mistflower bristled. "You wouldn't understand."

"Maybe not," Cinder meowed calmly. He turned away, his tail beckoning for her to follow him, his warm yellow eyes determined and kind. "But I know who will."