Warriors: Hollyleaf's kits

Chapter 9

The sun was just rising, casting warm light into the cave's entrance. Fallen Leaves' eyes flitted open. Somehow, today felt different. He felt different. He suddenly remembered Rock's words from yesterday. 'You're becoming less of a spirit.' No, that can't be right. Dead cats don't come back. He turned and looked at Hollyleaf's nest, which was empty. Cherrypaw's nest was empty as well. They must be hunting together, or training. 

Fallen Leaves got out of his nest and stretched, feeling energized for the first time in his life. I'm supposed to be hunting for herbs today. He would have to go out of the caves, and hopefully he wouldn't be spotted. As he approached an exit, he could hear voices bouncing off the walls.

"You did good today. If we keep this up, maybe you'll become a warrior early." Hollyleaf's voice.

Fallen Leaves could see Hollyleaf and Cherrypaw at the end of the tunnel. He trotted up to them, lifting his tail in greeting. "Where are you two going?" He asked.

"Oh, nowhere. We just got back from training actually," Hollyleaf said. "Cherrypaw did amazing," she meowed, purring.

"You were out at night?" Fallen Leaves asked, nervous. "That's dangerous. There could be foxes, or-"

"It's a lot safer than being out in the light. We could be spotted by warriors," Hollyleaf argued, lashing her tail. She avoided his gaze. "You know how much I don't want to go back," she mewed. 

Fallen Leaves' gaze softened. "It's alright. Just be careful, please," he meowed, touching his nose to hers. 

Hollyleaf's whiskers twitched. "We actually thought that it's a good idea to train at night anyway. What if we're on our way to the Moonpool and we get attacked? It's harder to see in the dark, so I figured that it's best to be prepared," she meowed, purring.

"You're pretty smart, Hollyleaf," Fallen Leaves purred, resting his head on top of hers. His widened and he pulled away suddenly. "Wait, why would we need to go to the Moonpool?" He questioned. 

Hollyleaf's eyes brightened. "Oh, I was thinking.... Next time when the moon is full, we should go on a walk. I think it'd be amazing to visit some of the landmarks here at the lake," she suggested, looking at him for an answer. 

"That sounds wonderful," Fallen Leaves responded. He imagined walking by the lake with Hollyleaf by his side, enjoying the moon's reflection on the calm waters.

"Well, anyways, I'm going to go and fish with Cherrypaw," Hollyleaf meowed. "You can come and join us after you're done with herb hunting."

Fallen Leaves dipped his head and padded past the two cats. As he stepped out of the tunnel, he thought he could feel a breeze running through his fur. I'm a ghost, I shouldn't be able to feel these things. He decided that he should head for the catmint patch.

The sun was flitting through the trees by the time Fallen Leaves spotted the tall, leafy plant. He grabbed a few stalks, carrying them in his jaws. As he headed back to the tunnels, he could hear voices. He dove into a clump of ferns and peered through, spotting two toms who were near a tree. 

"I wonder why Cherrypaw suddenly wanted to become a kittypet," the golden tabby said.

"If you ask me, I think there's more to it," the gray tabby responded. He pawed at some cobwebs that stretched between the tree and some shrubs. "Then again, I don't really care what the apprentices are doing these days."

"She was attacked by a fox and Molepaw was killed. And suddenly she wants to be a kittypet? It doesn't make sense to me. I think you're right about there being more to it," the golden tom said, in thought. "I don't think she could have fought a fox by herself. Some cat must have helped her. Maybe a kittypet helped, and she felt that she owed them?"

"That's stupid," the gray tabby said. "She never mentioned anyone helping."

"Yeah, but I still think there's more to it, like you said," the golden tabby suggested. His eyes widened. "Do you think Hollyleaf maybe had something to do with this? We know she's alive. Blossomfall confirmed this."

The gray tabby tom seemed to grow sad. "Maybe they were just seeing her spirit. If she was alive, she would have come home by way."

"I don't know, she was really upset about the whole Ashfur incident before she left. Maybe she feels guilty and doesn't want to return," the golden tom said. "Why don't we see if we can search the tunnels?"

"That's too dangerous, Lionblaze. We should head back now. If you really think she might be down there, have a talk with Firestar," the gray tabby said, taking the cobwebs in his mouth and turning around. Lionblaze. Then the other one must be Jayfeather. 

Fallen Leaves finally left his hiding spot when they were out of sight. I really shouldn't worry about them.

It's been a while. I lost motivation for this story, but I'm going to try and complete it. I may make shorter chapters. 

What do you guys think of the new Warriors series? Has it gone downhill? In my opinion, they should've ended with Omen of the Stars. They can't keep writing forever, the series has to end at some point.