Warriors: Solemn Wishes (Warrior Cats Fan Story)

Chapter 26

Redwhisker marched to WindClan with Oceanbutterfly glued to his side. The wide, starlit moor spread before them like an abandoned, apocalyptic steppe. And yet, the fox could only feel a constant drive forward to their destination. Call it fear of consequences, call it certainty of his righteousness, Redwhisker felt like stopping or reversing would be a cardinal sin. Oceanbutterfly seemed to feel the same way; her steps matched the confidence of his, maybe even outpaced it. The she-cat had no doubts or reservations about any stride she took. It was in stark contrast to Acorntail; normally so high-strung and headstrong, the squirrel was trudging along behind them in a disgruntled, perhaps even apprehensive manner. Redwhisker knew better than to offer consolation, though. She'd only feel patronized.

Though his muscles remained strong, his nerves were going wild. The thought of what they would face, the unmistakable conflict they would have, and everything that was at risk, was incomprehensible for his brain. At some point he felt like he was outside of his body, floating freely in the air and watching his physical form trudge on through the WindClan grasses below. Everything seemed so clear as he spectated, and yet so unclear. Things around and ahead of him, like himself and Oceanbutterfly, were apparent and accurate; things behind him, like Acorntail and the barn, repeatedly buzzed in and out of existence, seemingly unable to decide what they looked like and where they were.

Some corner in the back of his mind suggested a strange, otherworldly theory to him, that he was not seeing through his own eyes, but through those of Bluefeather. That she had lifted him out of his body for some odd reason or another, to briefly perceive everything as a specter before returning to his task. He snapped back into his regular form, and although nothing changed about the way he walked or looked, he could feel tears build up in his eyes as the mere thought of his mother in a time like this made him hysterically grief-stricken in a way he couldn't understand.

Oceanbutterfly seemed to notice this psychological turmoil, and leaned in to brush against her mate. She refrained from pushing into him, as they were still walking and may lose balance from that, but she rubbed her cheek against his in order to provide some sort of comfort. This act of kindness, far from calming Redwhisker, only made him more teary and emotional. Why do I laugh at bad things and cry at good things? Acorntail's line popped into his head again. He restrained himself from glancing back at his small brown friend, and just rubbed his cheek against Oceanbutterfly's, trying to ground himself in reality and break out of the weird thought process he had twisted himself into.

As the WindClan camp began to come in sight, he could hear Acorntail's breathing speed up behind him. He took the liberty to look over his shoulder, and could see her staring at the ground with wide, unseeing eyes as she apparently tried to retake control of her own body and mind. He slowed down, falling out of step with Oceanbutterfly. The she-cat looked behind to see the fox lower his head and begin to murmur into the squirrel's ear as they walked.

"Are you okay?" he whispered.

"No, I'm not okay. How am I supposed to be okay? My aunt hates me, I know it," Acorntail grunted.

He gazed at her sympathetically. "Then show her why she shouldn't."

"You don't understand. It's easy for you." The squirrel glared away from Redwhisker. "You're so lovable. What the hell am I?"

"Well..." He hopped over her to her other side to catch her eyes, a little smile on his face. "I think you are lovable."

"And what makes you say that?"

"Because me and Oceanbutterfly are here, no?" He gestured his paw ahead, to draw Acorntail's eyes to the peach she-cat in front of her. "We would not be here if we not care about you."