Chapter Ten: Deadly Mistakes

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Smolderpaw awoke, hearing a "pssst" outside the den. She looked up to see her father, Harestrike, beckoning her to follow him. The sun had not yet risen, and he wanted to spend some time with his kin. She got up, making sure not to awaken the others. As she pawed her steps carefully around Cedarpaw, she purred seeing him be at peace, and bent down to lick his ear. As she went out the den, she breathed in the cool air of the morning. Her tail lightly brushed the dew of each blade of grass as she followed her father. He kept smiling, and even started to run. "Keep up if you can!" he teased over his shoulder.

She grinned, and chased after him. She wondered where he was taking her. Up the pathway, past the boulders, veering off the side of the Firefly Grove, and past the Loud-leg place. He then stopped, and walked out, sitting at Skyriver, staring out onto the water.

Smolderpaw walked up to him, and sat beside him. "So, why did you bring me here?" she questioned her father. He looked down at her. "I wanted to spend some time with you, Smolderpaw. I feel as if you have been working too hard lately, and what's a better place than here?" he smiled at his daughter. Smolderpaw sighed, feeling calm. She shifted herself, trying to get closer to her dad, since the chilly air swirled all around them. Her father looked onto the water. "And I feel you're carrying some kind of weight. You seem to be brooding over something," he said.

She looked up at him. "It's true, what you say. I've been worried about Owlpaw."

"Why?"

Smolderpaw sighed. "He's fallen for Willowpaw. He won't listen to reason! And I keep doing things to mess up our friendship. Am I doing something wrong?" she looked into her father's eyes, carrying a guilt she couldn't explain. He seemed thoughtful, trying to find the right words. "Smolderpaw, you're an empathetic cat. But you also care too much for others at times. And Owlpaw is young, and curious about the world around him. He's just as bound as you are to make reckless decisions. If you want to be close with him again, you must find a way to emotionally understand him. And he doesn't have to be your closest friend forever. All of them will end somehow, but just like dusk and dawn, every day is a new chance for something new!" Harestrike expressed, and just then, the sun started to rise, creating golden rays against the water, shining onto Skyriver. Smolderpaw lost her breath for a few seconds. Cedarpaw was right. It was a sight to behold.

Harestrike smiled out onto the water, then looked down, continuing his speech. "Owlpaw. He reminds me a lot of his father. My closest friend, Darksparrow. The eyes, movement, the tongue. But one day, we got into a serious fight. He had fallen for Rosespot. But she was from LeopardClan."

Smolderpaw gasped a little. She didn't know. But it made sense, her lean appearance, her strong legs. She was easily able to catch birds, as well!

"We found out at the next Gathering she would be joining us because she bared his cubs. All the clans were shocked to hear the news. She came home with us. But Darksparrow and I fought badly because of it. I was angry that my closest friend went against the code. But most of all.." he said, looking down at Smolderpaw, "I was worried about my friend. Scared to death."

"Rosespot had her cubs, and even though I resented my friend for what he did, I was happy for him and his mate. I managed to become great friends with her. A few dawns later, I had to go on patrol with Darksparrow. He didn't talk much, but I tried to get him to open up to me again. But he treated me so rudely. We got into another argument. He got so angry he swiped at me, and ran off. He didn't realize he had run off into the Deathwalk. I cried out his name, but it was too late. He met a brutal death, and was run over by a beast. I drug his body back to the clan. Everyone was shocked. But even though Rosespot had lost her mate, I had just lost my best friend. And I watched him die when I couldn't do anything. I carried the biggest guilt. And we ended everything with a fight," Harestrike said, his voice cracking some.

- The Origins of Smolderspirit -Where stories live. Discover now