Hollyheart's Runaway

Chapter 2

"Hollyheart! You're on hunting patrol with Darkberry and Maplesong" Goldentail called from up on the tall rock. Hollyheart straightens up, she felt more tired than last week. The poppy seeds she took last night were still kicking in, making her feel drowsy. Darkberry squeals happily, running to Hollyhearts side.
"C'mon Hollyheart! We should try and catch a rabbit together!" Darkberry chirped.
The dark ginger she-cat took a deep breath, trying to look excited.
He seems really happy, I'll try to make him happy.
The two padded out of the camp, seeing Maplesong sitting down, tapping her hind foot impatiently.
Maplesong licked her front paw, spotting Darkberry and Hollyheart. "You love birds are slow, the faster we do this the faster the clan is fed".
Darkberry chuckled at the comment, Hollyheart did the same, laughing uncomfortably. The patrol sprinted down the Moors and near the Falls. Hollyheart continued to gaze in the distance, seeing the thick forest that she met Stormy in. She felt a pang of guilt in her heart, realizing she hasn't visited her in a while.
He must've thought I moved on! And I'm their only friend too... I would feel terrible if my first friend never returned!
Maplesong glanced at Hollyheart, seeing her frozen in thought. "Interested in the woods? So you're a ThunderClan cat now! Want to catch us a squirrel or two in there?".
Hollyheart looked back, her eyes tired and full of sorrow. "I'm not feeling well.. my stomach aches...".
She felt as if her stomach could possibly be playing a trick on her. She wasn't sure whether it was her actually being sick or if it's her feeling guilty. Hollyheart gulps, her throat was slowly becoming more dry and was trying her hardest not seem out of the ordinary.
Maplesong rolled her eyes. "You shouldn't have stayed up so late then! You always used this excuse to get out of patrols, and Cottontail would find nothing wrong with you!".
Darkberry pushed Maplesong out of his way, hissing at her. "Excuse or not, we need to take a sick warrior back to camp".
Hollyheart gasps, her eyes widening. The thought of returning back and finding out it was just her worries tightening her guts together. Her heart was at her throat. Hollyheart quickly thought of an excuse, hoping that they would buy it.
"N-no no, I just ate too much hares that's all..!" Hollyheart meowed.
Maplesong shrugs, continuing the hunt. "I told you, she's just lying!" She hissed into Darkberry's ear. Hollyheart's tail drooped, she ran down the moors and close to the Fourtrees. Seeing the leaves slowly fall down one by one and the cold breeze seemed like a sign of Leaf-fall coming up. Hollyheart looked at the borders of ThunderClan. She could see Shimmerpelt helping Flowerstar drink water with moss. Longleaf there also, guarding the leader.
She glared at the group, ThunderClan has always been a strong clan for many generations and were kind enough to help WindClan on many occasions. It seemed as if now ThunderClan has lost all their strength and took in possibly one of the weakest cats. She was surprised on Flowerstar is still alive. Maybe that's what make's him strong.
Maplesong tapped Hollyhearts shoulder, grabbing her attention. "We're not on a border patrol, keep moving before Flowerstar takes you're hissing in the wrong way.. we don't need another battle". Hollyheart blinks, realizing that her muscles were stiff and her tongue were at her teeth.
She notices that Longleaf was glaring at her, narrowing his eyes down as he snarls. Hollyheart runs off, returning back on track. She walks near the RiverClan border instead, but a bit further away from the riverbank to not slip on her paws. Hollyheart could hear the yowls and squeaks of RiverClan warriors on the other side. Trying to not focus on the noise and stay focused on her hunting, but the yelling made her look to see what's happening.
"Go go go!!! Yellowbelly throw that wet moss further than Mintflower!!" Jellystar cheered. The whole clan was there, two of their warriors we're crouching at the edge with a wet moss in their jaws each.
Rosepool was attempting to pull some warriors away from the waters, but the clan was too distracted on the competition. "Quiet! You guys are yelling like newborn kits! You're going to alert the other clans. What would StarClan think of this?".
"StarClan lost faith in us, if they cared they would've never made us loose like... one two three uhh... six warriors!" Cleartuft shoves their tail in RiverClan's medicine cats face. Rosepool grunted, turning around and stomping back to camp. Hollyheart watched from the distance, her attention was grabbed by RiverClan's silliness. She chuckles at how careless they could be, yet they function together and have fun. Darkberry from afar was hissing Hollyheart's name quietly, trying to get her back on the patrol but she was too entertained on the other cats.
Yellowbelly and Mintflower throws their wet moss into the air, releasing the grip from their teeth. One of the moss falls straight into the river, plopping into the water and washing away along with the current as Mintflower frowns. The other moss flies into the air and straight onto Hollyhearts nose. A few drops splash on her fur, she spits out the soaked water and shakes off the moss. The clan laughs as they congratulate Yellowbelly.
"Enough fooling around and watching them, I know you'd like to have fun like them but they're rabbit-brains! The only responsible one there is Rosepool.." Darkberry drags Hollyheart back into the tall grass. Hollyheart sighs, she walks more into the centre of WindClan to look prey. The dark ginger she-cat sniffs around, spotting a crow pecking at the ground near a rock. She crouches down, slowly creeping towards it. She kept her tail low, focusing on the bird. The crows lift its head up, startled by a sound. It began flapping its wings, bringing itself off the ground and flying away. Hollyheart lunged toward the bird, unsheathing her claws, she pinned the crow to the rock. She wrapped her jaws around the crow, biting deep into the birds throat until there was a snap. Killing it in a single blow. She brings it off the ground and carries it around.
"Did you catch something?". Hollyheart heard Darkberry's muffled mew behind her, seeing both him and Maplesong have caught a rabbit.
Maplesong looks down at Hollyhearts catch. "Huh, usually we don't eat crows.. they're ThunderClan prey.. but if it'll feed the clan then we should take it back to camp".
"I was hoping to catch prey with you, not Maplesong" Darkberry whined.
"Hey!! something wrong with me?" Maplesong snapped.
The patrol heads towards their camp. Hollyheart looks down at the crow, receiving an uneasy feeling from it.
Something feels wrong...
The three reach the camp finally, Ravenstar appearing out of the medicine den along with Cottontail who had a nervous look on her face.
Ravenstar walks closer to Hollyheart, sniffing her catch. "You've caught a crow?... strange, but prey is prey". Cottontail took a hare from the fresh-kill pile, chewing it far from others.
Darkberry smiles, looking at Hollyheart's crow and up at her, passion in his eyes. "Is it alright if we can share that crow?.. we both have never tried one before and this could be our first experience!!".
Hollyheart shook her head. "I'm not hungry.. my stomach still hurts from the patrol...".
Cottontails ears pricked up, quickly looking at her.
"Hurt?! From the patrol?" Cottontail stood up, bounding toward them. She slaps Darkberry's nose with her paw, this time being a bit more rough than usual. "You should've returned to camp!!! I take my job very seriously, you know that!".
Hollyheart looks down from Cottontail. "I'm sorry... I thought it was just me being stuffed from prey this morning".
Cottontail gently taps at Hollyheart's nose with her claw, getting her to look at her. "Into the medicine den, now!". Cottontail lifts her paw up, about to pad into her den when she notice's the crow.
"I wouldn't eat that if I were you".
Darkberry rolls his eyes. "Oh don't be silly, you stick with your rabbits and I'll try a crow for the first time" He lets out a purr of amusement. The medicine cat shakes her head. "That's not what I mean". She walks away with Hollyheart. Darkberry stares at Cottontail with a confused look, but shrugged it off and continued biting at the crows face.
The dark ginger she-cat treads into the medicine den. She lays down, the strong scent of herbs causing her to sneeze a bit. Cottontail sits down, grabbing certain herbs one by one. Hollyheart glances down, seeing the medicines cat stubby tail wag.
Hollyheart notices an opportunity to start a conversation. "I forgot... when did you get your stubbed tail again?..".
Cottontail turns her head, turning back continuing her work. "I've already told you this story, a badger bit it off.. please don't distract me".
Hollyheart yawns, rolling around on the bedding. "Hurry up, I bet you Ravenstar wouldn't want you to waste your herbs on me" she mutters.
The medicine cat brings a pile of leaves to Hollyheart, pushing it closer to her. "Nonsense!! Herbs can grow, I can't risk you getting sick even if you're faking it". Hollyheart smiles, giving her a nod and carefully chews on the herbs. The taste stung in her throat, Hollyheart felt like coughing it out but instead swallows it. She stands up, thanking Cottontail. Hollyhearts ear twitched, her head reminding her about Stormy. Realizing how long it has been, she panics and sprints towards the camp entrance. The moment Hollyheart stepped foot outside of the camp, Ravenstar and Frostwhisker appearing in front of her together.
The leader glares at her with their eyes narrowed. "Where are you going?".
Hollyheart puffs out her chest, looking more confident and serious. "I'm going for a walk! Cottontail told me to".
Frostwhisker's tail tip twitched. "Wouldn't she rather have you sleep?.. I-I mean, you haven't been well rested in a while". Hollyheart shakes her head, pushing through her way. The two looking back, baffled but walked back into the camp. The dark ginger she-cat runs towards the forest. Excitement started flooding her thoughts, she was happy to take a break from clan life for once and have fun. She bounded into the bushes, raising her nose to get a scent. Hollyheart was able to smell Stormy, chasing the scent trail she recognizes the familiar bramble bushes. She leaps through them, the dark blue rogue lifting their head up yowling in shock and jumping to their paws.
"Don't scare me like that again!! At least make it clear that you're here.." Stormy gasps.
Hollyheart chuckles, sitting next to them. "Sorry I couldn't come earlier, a lot has happened..".
Stormy grabs out a freshly caught squirrel from the back of their den, nosing it to Hollyheart. "I was about to eat this, but I think you should try it! Besides, you said that WindClan cats don't eat squirrels much often". Hollyheart smiles, taking a huge bite in the squirrels stomach. The taste of squirrel surprised her, it tasted a bit nicer than hares and rabbits. She shoves her mouth more into the squirrel, digging in.
The dark blue cat gazes at her, a shine in their eyes. "So, what's this 'a lot has happened'?".
Hollyheart swallows her bite. "Darkberry is annoying me again, he acts like we're mates all the time! Honestly, I think the clan is convinced we are".
Darkberry stretches a bit, sitting next to Hollyheart and resting on her shoulder. "You talk a ton about this cat, he's you're friend correct? You should just tell him you want to be friends! If you don't he won't stop acting like this".
Hollyheart sighs. "Won't I break his heart though?.. I'm the only cat in the clan who makes him this happy!".
"He'll be more heart broken if he finds out you were uncomfortable the whole time, he wants to make you happy too".
She takes a moment to think. He's right. I have to tell him soon. "Enough about Darkberry, we should go race in the trees together!".
Stormy nods excitedly, immediately jumping onto a tree. He unsheathes their claws, dragging themself up onto a tree branch. They leap from one branch to another, looking back at Hollyheart, who was looking up at them amazed. "So, Stoneheart.. are you coming?" She teased.
Hollyheart felt a rush of joy, pouncing onto a high branch but only her paws caught onto it. She squirms and kicks up with her hind legs. Eventually clawing up and balancing on it. "Coming!!" Hollyheart squeals. The two cats race around in the trees. Leaves rustle and fall to the ground. The branches below them make a snap sound after each jump. Stormy stops and grips onto a thick pine tree. They climb up and rest on the highest branch. Hollyheart follows them, pulling herself onto the same branch and next to Stormy. She looks down, all she could see below were trees covering the whole ground. Seeing how high up she was made her stomach twist.
"Don't worry, it won't snap" Stormy reassured her, recognizing the anxiousness in her eyes.
Hollyheart twins her tail with Stormy as they look in the horizon. The sun was setting, a bright light shining on the forest. Watching the sky turning from a pale blue to a gold.
"This is what's great about being a rogue, you get time to enjoy things like this without worrying about others" Stormy smiles.
"But it feels good to help others.. its like you have a purpose!" Hollyheart sighs.
Stormy puts her paw on top of Hollyheart's. "Well... if that's the case, you could stay and help me!".
Hollyheart's eyes widen, she was startled by what Stormy said. Are they asking me to leave my clan!?
She shakes her head. "I can't.. I must help my clan, if I leave I'll make them look bad...". Hollyheart moves her paw off.
"Is the only reason you're staying is for what Ravenstar wants? What about what you want?? Would you leave if Ravenstar allowed you to? you don't stay in WindClan for others, you stay because you decided that you want to!".
Hollyheart turns away from Stormy, all this felt so sudden. "Ravenstar is a good leader, she's trying to think for her clan and others. Sure she picks on me sometimes but she cares for everyone!".
Stormy raises a brow. "Well Ravenstar is a jerk, she's only trying to make herself look good!".
Stop acting like you know everything! Great StarClan, I know you're trying to help but you're not part of WindClan!
She takes a deep breath, looking back at them. "I'll think about it, I'll visit you again soon" Hollyheart rubs her cheek against Stromy's.
Stormy nods, trying to hide the misery in their face. "You have all the time you need, but I want to know soon. You are a great friend after all".
Hollyheart jumps off the tree, leaping from one branch to another until she got to the forest floor. She shakes off all the pine leaves, pushing her way out of the territory. The dark ginger she-cat looks up at the sky, seeing the moon slowly awakening and the gold sky fading away quickly. Running up the moors, she runs back towards her camp. Hollyheart saw a flash of a cat's silhouette watching her for a moment, she freezes. Turning back, she notices the cat walking towards her.
It was Cottontail
"Hollyheart! What are you doing out here so late!! Daisyfur was spreading rumours that you were captured by RiverClan!" Cottontail gasps for breath.
I can't tell Cottontail, will she understand?
"I-I stumbled into ThunderClan territory accidentally when I went for a walk. Seems like my nose broke!" She jokes "Bluefern, Lightfeather and Oakstripe took me to their camp to get... information on WindClan but don't worry, I kept my mouth shut and escaped through a big enough crack to slide in".
Cottontail tilts her head. "Oh c'mon, I know you're lying.. you can tell me anything!".
Hollyheart sighs, I need to tell her. It's obvious at this point.
"I've been visiting that rogue I chased off a few weeks ago.. his name is Stormy and they're really nice!! I didn't mean to visit her at first but now, I've had the most fun ever since moons! You should visit them.. t-they will feed you a lot of prey and it'll be like being apprentices again!!".
The medicine cat blinks. "No Hollyheart, that's against the code! I'm glad that she's making you happy but you must make a few sacrifices for WindClan! Think about StarClan!! A-and is this why we're short on prey??".
"Well then I might leave the clan if I can't live happily!" Hollyheart snapped back.
Cottontail gasps, recoiling a bit. She stumbled on her paws a bit, shaking. "Don't you dare say that! I only have you and Darkberry!! Please don't go... I wouldn't care if you did something rabbit-brain and left b-but you're a really sweet cat!! You are an amazing friend". She shoves her muzzle into Hollyheart's fur, sniffling. "I care about you so much, you helped me when I was in my worst! with my tail, the plague.. a-and—" Cottontail was cut off by Hollyheart chuckling, her throat was cracking with sorrow but she wrapped her tail around Cottontail, bringing her closer to comfort her. "Don't worry.. I won't leave, for you".
"Promise..?"
"Promise!"
Cottontail smiles happily, although tears were running down her thick, white fur she was very relieved. "Is it alright if we tell Darkberry about this whole... thing? I think he should know since we're all friends".
Hollyheart shakes her head. "I can tell him myself, I also do need to tell him another thing..". Cottontail nods, twitching her stubbed tail as a signal to follow. Hollyheart began to feel the tiredness returning back to her. The white she-cat looks back seeing her friend dragging her paws across the grass suddenly. "I'm surprised the poppy seeds are still kicking in! Use that little bit of energy left to get back to camp!". Hollyheart groaned, she didn't feel so sure telling Darkberry. I have to now, I told Cottontail and she must be thinking that I'm asking him to be my mate.

***

Darkberry sat on a flat rock, looking up at Silverpelt. The moonlight giving a beautiful detail to his fur. He seemed much more smaller from all the surroundings. The grass rustles and Hollyheart emerges from the darkness looking sickly, her eyelids drooped and her fur all ragged.
He turns around, gasping in joy. "There you ar— oh you look like a mess.. what happened? Cottontail told me to wait out here for you, apparently you want to say something to me!".
Hollyheart clears her throat. "Well yes.. I've been wanting to say something for quite some time".
Darkberry starts impatiently tapping with his paw, his pupils growing big. "You can tell me anything! What is it?".
The dark ginger she-cat rubs her paw on her face. "You're a really good friend, and I like being friends with you! It's clear, very clear... that even a blind hedgehog could see that you love me". The small tom nods his head. "It is true, I love you Hollyheart. So very much and I want to be your mate! Please.. If its alright with you of course!!".
Hollyheart looks dead into his eyes. "I don't want to be you're mate. I can't keep lying to you because we're friend" her tone became cold and serious.
Darkberry froze, trying to muster up words. He backs away a bit trying to think. Darkberry looks up at her puzzled.
"Wh-wha.. Hollyheart are you sure?.. I-I mean it's okay but why??... a-and is that rogue I smell?? Hollyheart please explain...".
She inhales, trying to calm herself down. "Yes i've been visiting a rogue, their name is Stormy and they just... I can't find the right words.. I only see you as a friend, that's just how I feel!".
Darkberry's eyes droop, he manages to stay calm despite all that Hollyheart said. "Do you love Stormy?.." he closes his eyes, wishing that this was all some dream.
Hollyheart flinches at those words, she hasn't put much thought into that but her mind was racing with one response. "Y-yes... please don't tell anyone this! I trust you Darkberry and a good friend would do this. I remember I hid your secret about eating kittypet slop when there was barely any prey when we were apprentices!".
"What makes you think I would tell? If anything, you should try and keep low before someone like Daisyfur or Ravenstar begins questioning you!" He teasingly flicks his tail in Hollyhearts face.
She giggled, slapping his tail away. "Thank StarClan, I'm sorry but I had to say this eventually..".
"I want you to be happy Hollyheart. Don't be doing this for my sake, think about yourself and what you want. You're the most important person to yourself!" He mews.
"Oh stop... you're saying that stuff like your my mom!" Hollyheart jokes.
"Well you act like my dad sometimes! Being so serious and tired all the time" Darkberry laughs.
A voice from a far could be heard. "Are you guys mates now?! We couldn't help but overhear". Echowhisker and Beewing appear, bounding towards the two.
Hollyheart and Darkberry gives each other an uncomfortable look.
The small tom sighs. "Actually Hollyheart—"
"We're mates now!!!" She blurts out.
Darkberry recoils. "Wh.. mhm! Hollyheart asked me tonight!!".
"Congratulations you two! Crazy how this is the same spot me and Echowhisker became mates" Beewing meows in awe.
The dark blue tom smiles. "I remember that day, the whole clan was shocked! Now I'd like to talk to my new mate please.. without any spying".
Echowhisker nods. "Sure thing, let's go Beewing." He takes his mate back to camp.
Darkberry waves goodbye, waiting for pure silence before looking back at Hollyheart. "Why did you say that?! I thought you didn't want to be my mate.. did you suddenly change your mind?".
The dark ginger she-cat sighs. "I had to, it'll keep the clan distracted".
"Fine fine.. does Cottontail know about Stormy yet?"
"Yes she does, but not about us pretending".
Darkberry yawns, stretching his paws. "Alright then, we'll figure this all out tomorrow. Right now we need to sleep, especially you".
Hollyheart sighs in relief. "Oh yes please.. I've been trying to not fall asleep the whole time...".
The small dark blue cat treads back to the camp along with Hollyheart. They both reach the camp grounds and see Beewing whispering to Maplesong and Frostwhisker. The two cats gasp and look at the two entering, congratulating them and yowling in approval. Hollyheart chuckles nervously, sliding into the Warriors den and falling asleep.
Oh StarClan what am I doing?