West Woods: Sliverstone's Destiny

22 -- Her True Home

"Amberstar?"

It was urgent. The flame-colored cat glanced down from HighLedge at the pale warrior. She had led a border patrol and came back alone. Fear of an attack gripped the leader. "What is it, Cottonwillow? Do I need to send help?"

Cottonwillow shook her head. "It's Sliverstar." Amberstar's jaw dropped in disbelief. Cottonwillow led the BrambleClan leader to the trio of cats at the edge of the fair border. Dustfeather and Duskfall were huddled around none other than Sliverstar herself. The eager warriors were pestering her with exhilarating curiosity.

They parted when they saw their leader coming through. Amberstar scanned the aging cat she had known from birth. "Is it really true?" Destiny nodded. "Where have you been all this time?"

Destiny had planned her answer on the journey there. "A prophecy had brought me away. Milkywillow was the only cat I could tell."

There was a grieving darkness in the BrambleClan cats' eyes. Amberstar spoke up, "She was so vague when you disappeared. Never told us why you'd gone. She kept telling us you'll be back."

"And I did," Destiny breathed. "But I'm here to start over as a supporting warrior of my true home. BrambleClan finally had a leader they deserve."

Amberstar opened her mouth in protest but nothing came out. "Then BrambleClan shall return to calling you Sliverstone."

"Actually," Destiny interrupted. "I'd like to be called Heatherfur. I'd like to think I'm living the life for my sister who never had a chance to."

Having shared a den with the pregnant Lilacpath, a reminder of the depression on the cheerful queen's face at the realization of her still-born brought back the crushing feeling in the leader's chest.

"Very well... Heatherfur. Let's take you to camp." Amberstar walked along her predecessor, taking in the strange herbal scent of the silver cat, trying to piece together her story.

New faces turned towards the approaching cats. Destiny glanced around. There were many faces she didn't recognize, but she could tell kit from parents from their features. There was a pale golden she-cat who had to be the daughter of none other than Goldenstrike, kin of Milkywillow. There was another she-cat, black, who had soft, thick fur like Cottonpaw, or now Cottonwillow as she was called.

Destiny frowned. The faces she saw weren't welcoming. The younger cats looked hostile and suspicious while the cats who had known her as Sliverstar, grew up with her even, looked confused and uncertain.

"Cats of BrambleClan! Please gather around the HighLedge!" The leader's call wasn't needed. All the BrambleClan cats had already cluttered around the silver returner. Amberstar smiled at her. "Our last leader, Sliverstar, has returned from fulfilling her prophecy and has come back to live here in BrambleClan as Heatherfur."

"Heatherfur!" Cottonwillow called out.

"Heatherfur! Heatherfur!" Only three cats were cheering: her old friends Cottonwillow, Dustfeather, and Duskfall, but Amberstar continued to smile and congratulate her new clanmate.

"Meeting dismissed," Amberstar announced, but no cat budged. The ginger leader whispered close to Heatherfur's ear, "I think your old friends are waiting for you." She looked into the crowd, and surely enough, the three warriors were shaking out of their fur. Heatherfur made her way to them, unhappy eyes glued to her.

"Heatherfuuuur!" Cottonwillow pressed herself against her grown friend's chest. "It's been so long!"

Duskfall stared at her with a certain happiness in his eyes she had never seen before. Heatherfur glanced down at his paws, afraid to ask him a question that had been burning in her heart for moons. "Is Breezestar okay?"

The brown tom froze. "Yeah, uh.... You were there weren't you? That night when we were apprentices?" Cottonwillow and Dustfeather glanced at each other awkwardly.

Heatherfur nodded. "Sorry about that."

Duskfall shifted his paws. "It's alright."

Cottonwillow observed the staring cats eavesdropping. "Heatherfur, we have much to catch up on. Let's go to the hunting grounds." Heatherfur traced her vision and nodded. The four old friends began their journey to their favorite hangout, throwing random details of their life at the silver she-cat.

Behind her, Heatherfur heard a young she-cat hiss to another, "I've heard no prophecy."

The other sneered. "Yeah. We'd have known about this Sliverstar if she were that important."