Warriors: Frecklesky's Heart

[ 21 ]

Frecklesky leaped across the snow-dappled ground and pinned the mouse between her claws, pushing her frustration onto the poor item of prey.

I must've done something wrong. Maybe I'm dying. I've seen hundreds of cats, lots of rogues and kittypets. What's so special about her? She's just another cat. She can't matter this much.

She shook out her pelt, her heart twisting with every beat. Rachel had been missing for the last few sunsets, and no matter how hard she tried, looking for a reason was like trying to catch sunlight—you simply couldn't. It would just fade to the next place.

"Uh... Frecklesky?"

She snapped out of her trance, her stomach coiling at the sight of the retched critter laying haplessly under her paws. The mouse was certainly dead, completely shredded by her mindless clawing.

"Oh," Frecklesky mumbled, backing swiftly away. "I didn't mean to."

Egretfur twitched her ears. "Maybe that's enough hunting for today. You should head back to camp."

Frecklesky bristled and turned to the white she-cat, her teeth bared, before she winced and allowed her fur to flatten. "Okay. Yeah, I'll do that."

Egretfur nodded carefully, eyeing Frecklesky as if she were a fox ready to snap her ears off. "I'll clean up your mess as long as you find something to keep busy, okay? I'd bet you three mouse tails that Fallowstep'll know how to cheer you up."

Frecklesky grunted her unenthusiastic thanks, and turned to trot away. Egretfur was typically very oblivious to her surroundings. If she could tell that Frecklesky was in a mood more sour than usual, then she must've been more upset than she'd initially thought.

On her way back to camp, Frecklesky dipped her paws into a small pool of water to wash the blood away. Her stomach churned as she thought of how wasteful she'd been. What would StarClan think? What would Rachel think?

She growled and splashed at her reflection, ripping her head away and quickening her pace as she violently made her way back to camp, stomping her feet for emphasis and thrusting the buckthorn barrier out of her way and into Roseclaw's face as she passed.

She made a beeline for the medicine den.

Heronwing was just slipping out. He recoiled before she could run into him. "What's the hurry?" The older tom snapped, narrowing his eyes dubiously.

"Is Fallowstep there?"

"Yes, she's just about to go for an herb run, in fact. Why don't you join her?" He grunted, flicking his ears around.

Frecklesky snorted. "Yeah, that works." Without another word, she pushed into the medicine den, spotting her ginger sister sorting through the herb store. "Come on, we're leaving," she snapped, lashing her thick tail back and forth.

Fallowstep glanced over, her expression taut with concern. "Is something wrong?"

Frecklesky gritted her teeth. "No, everything's fine," she spat. "Are we going herb gathering or not?"

Fallowstep quickly hid her surprise and nodded, fetching an empty leaf bundle and padding over to her sister. She gently flicked her tail along Frecklesky's side, a small indication for comfort, but it did little for the large tortoiseshell's temper. She felt as though she could rip a badger to shreds with only a claw swipe.

The two left camp, Fallowstep turning her attention to the scents on the wind while Frecklesky moodily followed behind. They padded deeper into the territory, pushing through snow and mud, staining their pelts with extra sticky brown muck. Eventually, while Fallowstep was digging through some tall grass, Frecklesky finally asked, "Did you tell her?"

Fallowstep, snipping off a small stem with her teeth, turned to face her sister. "Tell who what?"

"Did you tell Rachel not to see me anymore?"

Fallowstep blinked in surprise, her eyes growing dark again. "Is that the kittypet you've been seeing?"

"Just answer the question, Fallowstep," Frecklesky snarled.

Fallowstep sighed, tucking the herbs into her bundle. "No, I haven't told your kittypet lover anything. What, has she stopped seeing you?"

Frecklesky deflated. "Yes... she disappeared a few sunrises ago."

"Maybe she's finally moved on," Fallowstep considered. "Perhaps this is for the best."

"You don't really think that, do you?" Frecklesky growled, her ear twitching slightly.

Fallowstep was silent for a few heartbeats. "I do," she admitted. "But that doesn't mean I don't want you to be happy." She turned to face Frecklesky, her eyes shining. "You have cats in ShadowClan who care about you just as much, maybe even more than that kittypet does. Haven't you seen how Firewatcher looks at you?"

Frecklesky froze. "How does he look at me?"

Fallowstep shook her head. "No, nevermind. I don't think you'd see him in that way, anyways. But Frecklesky..." she stepped forward, her eyes tender with concern. "You don't need a kittypet to be happy. You have me. You have Firewatcher. Though I'm only your sister, and he's only a friend, we still care about you, more than any stranger ever would."

"Rachel isn't a stranger." Frecklesky tore her eyes away, turning to stare at the cloudy sky.

"Maybe you think that now," Fallowstep murmured, "but I know you'll see reason eventually."

Frecklesky remained silent.

"Now come on," Fallowstep flicked her tail along Frecklesky's side with a small smile. "I need to drop by the twolegplace to see if there's any fresh catmint. Since leaf-bare is officially here, I doubt green-cough is too far behind."

Still not offering a response, Frecklesky trekked silently behind Fallowstep as they pushed through the snowdrifts, carefully making their way to the twolegplace on the eastern border.