(Finished!) Warriors Fanfiction: The Same Fate

Chapter 10

Alderfall's thoughts were filled with the memory of Smokestripe on the journey back to the camp. The sun was gone now, and a sliver of the moon loomed above Alderfall. Just outside of the camp, Deerstripe, coming back from a patrol with Amberheart and Branchtail, started walking next to Alderfall.

The two other cats trotted faster into the camp and Deerstripe was left with Alderfall by her side.

"So, Alderfall," She said. "Who is it?"

Alderfall sat down, and a moment later so did Deerstripe. "What're you talking about?"

"You're so moony right now it's obvious. So, who is it?"

"Who is what?"

"Who are you mooning over?"

"No one." Alderfall mewed, suddenly realizing what the she-cat was talking about.

"Of course you are."

Am I? Alderfall wondered. As she thought it, her mind flickered to Smokestripe. Maybe I am mooning. She shook her head. No! I can't like him. He isn't even a clan cat.

"Well." Deerstripe tilted her head, thinking. "Could it be Branchtail? Or Maybe Hardfur... Oh, what about Junipermist? Or Scurryclaw... No, he has Amberheart already."

Alderfall narrowed her eyes. "Are you really going through all of the toms in our clan to figure it out?" She felt slightly amused that Deerstripe is putting so much thought into figuring out who Alderfall likes.

"Yes. Yes I am." Deerstripe replied.

Alderfall rolled her eyes. "You would never guess, if I did like someone."

"So you do like a cat!"

Alderfall didn't respond, too embarrassed to even talk.

"Well... When you wanna tell me, you can tell me whenever you want to." Deerstripe mewed, and walked back into the camp.

I wonder if I should see if Smokestripe is near the border tomorrow. She felt positive at the idea of seeing Smokestripe, but she wondered if her clanmates would be suspicious of Alderfall leaving.

She walked into the camp as well, trotting to the warrior's den. It reeked of mouse bile. Alderfall gagged. "Why does it smell of mouse bile?" She whispered.

Amberheart sat up. "Volepaw volunteered to change our bedding since it was old and had a bunch of brambles in it. I said no at first, saying that we weren't elders and we could change our own bed, but then I sat down on my nest and felt barely any moss and a bunch of brambles, and I also saw that he Volepaw had gathered a bunch of moss, intending for it to be for the elders, but he had a lot leftover. So I agreed, and it turns out that there had been a bunch of ticks and a few fleas in the bedding, and when we found out it was dark, so we didn't want to go out and grab a bunch of moss, so we took a little bit of mouse bile and rubbed it on our bedding."

"Oh." Alderfall replied. That was a long explanation. "But couldn't you have used mint?" Alderfall said, scrunching up her muzzle again from the smell.

"Waterleaf said that mint only prevents fleas, and it sometimes even doesn't work, and since it's only a few sunrises until leaf-bare, there isn't much mint left, and Waterleaf thinks we might need it for other reasons." Amberheart replied.

Wait, the only other reason is to hide the scent of death. Does Waterleaf really think someone is going to die?

"Oh, okay. But can we get some rosemary in here to stop that stink?"

"Sure you can, Alderfall." A cat said, and Alderfall turned around and saw Waterleaf.

"Thanks, Waterleaf!" Amberheart exclaimed. "That stink was consuming me!" The orange she flopped down dramatically.

Waterleaf turned around and started walking back, and Alderfall flopped down in the nest next to Amberheart, and scrunched her nose up. She hoped that Waterleaf would come back a few heartbeats later with the rosemary. But Alderfall realized that Waterleaf stopped moving. Alderfall sat up and walked toward the medicine cat.

"Waterleaf?" Alderfall whispered. "Waterleaf?" She asked louder. "Hello? Are you ok?" Alderfall waved her paw at the medicine cat, who was transfixed towards something outside of the camp. Alderfall looked as well, but saw nothing. Just at that moment, Waterleaf snapped out of her trance.

"Did you see that?" Waterleaf asked.

Alderfall looked at Waterleaf, confused, wondering if the medicine cat was ok. "No..."

"There was..." The medicine cat trailed off.

"What?"

"A sign."