Bloodflower

Chapter 32

The dark sky was only littered with a few stars tonight, but the full moon still hung big and bright, casting faint light upon the SunClan cats heading for the Gathering. Rosethorn walked at the back of the group, beside Dawnpaw.

"I can hardly wait until Adderstar makes his decision," Rosethorn meowed to her sister. She made sure to keep her voice low so her Clanmates wouldn't hear her and wonder what was going on.

"Me neither," Dawnpaw responded. "I have a feeling something big is about to happen, regardless of what Adderstar does."

"Well, you are a medicine cat," Rosethorn said. "You can tell with these kinds of things."

"I don't know if that's always a good thing." Dawnpaw's eyes were wide with anxiety.

"Hey." Rosethorn licked her sister's ear affectionately. "No matter what, I'm sure we're going to be fine."

Dawnpaw glanced at her. "I'm glad to see you're back to your normal optimistic self," she purred.

Rosethorn huffed. "It's an effort," she admitted. "There's still so much going on. Nightshade is still upset with me."

Dawnpaw blinked, the surprise plain on her face. "But I see you two talking all the time. I thought you were okay now."

Rosethorn shook her head helplessly. "He...he still loves me. I'm sure of it. He wants me to forget about Pineclaw and be with him instead, but I just can't do that. I'm not sure I ever could."

Dawnpaw murmured with sympathy. "He can't help the way he feels. You can't blame him for that."

"I don't. I just worry that, if we aren't mates, then he won't want to talk to me at all. Feelings like that don't just disappear. I know that better than most," she added quietly.

"Just give him some more time," Dawnpaw mewed. "Perhaps he'll realize that he should appreciate you as a friend instead of being upset that you aren't mates."

"Maybe." Rosethorn wasn't convinced. Anxiety gnawed at her belly all the way to the Moontree. Why can't things ever be simple anymore? she thought despairingly. I feel so confused, so lost...

Pineclaw would know what to make of all this.

Rosethorn pushed the thought away as familiar grieving pains pricked her heart like the sharpest brambles. He's gone now, she told herself. You have to figure this out on your own.

She thought of Adderstar and the story he told her that no other cat spoke of. Do not let your feelings take control of you. Cats do unspeakable things when they are driven by grief. The memory of those words chilled Rosethorn to the bone. Would I really kill a cat in cold blood simply for Pineclaw's sake? He wouldn't want that.

And yet she wasn't certain that knowing what Pineclaw would have wanted would stop her from getting revenge. He hadn't wanted to be murdered, either, and look what happened anyway.

The Gathering patrol pushed their way through the ring of bushes that guarded the Moontree and the clearing around it. Instantly Rosethorn felt the eyes of three other Clans boring into her. Suddenly she realized how much SunClan had to share with the other Clans. So much had happened; Pineclaw had been killed, and she and Nightshade had been made warriors. It feels like it's been way more than a moon since the last Gathering.

Rosethorn glanced sideways at her sister, who had suddenly perked up. "What is it?"

"There's a new cat with the other medicine cats, sitting beside Leafstripe!" Dawnpaw exclaimed excitedly. "I think she's found her new apprentice."