Warriors: Solemn Wishes (Warrior Cats Fan Story)

Chapter 14

Redwhisker stared with wide eyes at the unconscious squirrel, unsure how to react to what had just unfolded. One moment he had been frustrated and yelling at her, and the next he had been caught in a flurry of emotions as he was not sure how to respond to her meltdown. Now, staring at her lying on the ground, all the metaphorical dust cleared, he felt too stiff to move. Away or towards Acorntail, he could not make any movement, so he just stayed there with wooden limbs.

A part of him now wanted to pick her up and carry her to camp to safety, but another part of him feared her abruptly waking up and screaming and clawing at him again. He didn't know how to feel about Acorntail in the moment; all he could do was stand there and stare at her like she had just died on the spot.

He felt someone nudge by him, and glanced down to see a WindClan cat was approaching Acorntail. Weaseleye, a chocolate-colored torbie molly who Redwhisker knew from Gatherings as a pretty stand-out warrior. The she-cat stooped down, grabbing Acorntail by the scruff nonchalantly and standing back up. Redwhisker perked his ears and ran ahead, catching the she-cat's attention as he went up to her.

"Wait-!" he panted, worrying for the squirrel's safety, knowing her reputation among her Clanmates; she had been very clear in many of her visits to describe just how much her Clan hated her. "Where are you taking her?"

Weaseleye seemed to be a bit stunned by the fast approach of the fox, but recovered quickly and answered, "To camp. Where else?"

Redwhisker blinked, nodding a bit. "Okay, okay. I just was want to make sure she was okay with you."

Weaseleye's eyes went hollow. "I know we don't like her, and I know you care about her. So just remember that Metallicstar would tie our tails around our necks if we tried anything with her. I guarantee you, she's safe."

He pinned his ears back. Despite the she-cat clearly trying to reassure him, he couldn't help but feel a small pit open in his stomach. Without really thinking, he asked, "If Metallicstar weren't leader, would you kill her?"

Weaseleye held eye contact with him, seeming to feel almost attacked by that comment, but otherwise prompted to think. She had no answer instantly; she just stood there and looked at Redwhisker for a bit as she formulated her reply. Finally, she just sighed tiredly, "Some, maybe. But some of us wouldn't."

The answer was intentionally vague, but Redwhisker feared about pressing further. So the only thing he said was, "Make sure to tell her that when she wakes up, okay?" He wasn't sure why he asked this. But he did know that Acorntail held the belief that her entire Clan would rather see her dead; maybe this would be the tiniest bit comforting.

The she-cat raised an eyebrow, but shrugged and nodded. "Yeah...Yeah, sure. Hey, aren't you supposed to be leaving with your Clanmates over there?"

Just as she said this, Redwhisker's shoulder fur spiked as his name was called out. "Redwhiskerrrr! Redwhisker, we're leaving!" He wheeled his head around to see that Whitesilver and Fallriver, who had decided to come to the border after all, were waving to him with their tails. Between him and the she-cats was a parade of WindClan cats leaving in pairs or trios.

"Oh- Yes! Yes, am coming! Goodbye, Weaseleye," the fox bid her farewell, before hurrying off to catch up with his small patrol.

Weaseleye nodded. "See you around, Redwhisker," she murmured, before trotting to join the rest of her Clanmates on their way back to camp.

Redwhisker caught up with the two mollies, flicking his ear. Only Whitesilver seemed to have any injuries on her, and they were only a few minor scratches here and there; it appeared the dirty-colored, tortoiseshell she-cat had not been able to restrain herself from fighting a bit. In spite of her wounds, she smiled at Redwhisker as he approached. Fallriver, meanwhile, was completely unmarked, and only had a deadpan look on her face as she watched the tod come up to them.