A Leap of Faith - Foxleap X Ryefall fanfic

Chapter 7

Rye slunk through BrambleClan territory, careful not to draw attention to himself. Destiny snuck beside him, though unaware of Rye and Foxleap's plan. She was under the impression that they were just visiting their sister. His eyes scanned for the familiar calico pelt of his sister. His eyes were a little heavy, drowsy from staying up so late last night. But his focus had to stay on finding Crystalpaw. He had to make sure BrambleClan wasn't planning to attack FireClan, or his plan to bring peace could fall apart.

"Is that Sunfall?" Destiny flicked her muzzle towards the dip, where Sunfall was sitting, seemingly chatting with someone. Rye leaned his head around him to catch a glimpse of who he was chatting with. It was Crystalpaw.

"Hey, Sunfall! Crystalpaw!"  Rye trotted up with a smile.

"Hey, you two! Great to see you again," Sunfall gave a warm nod. Rye exchanged a quick glance with Destiny, who remained blissfully unaware of the ulterior motives at play. He forced a friendly smile, masking the urgency that churned within him.

"Crystalpaw, how have you been?" Rye asked, feigning casual conversation.

Crystalpaw's eyes brightened at the sight of her littermates. "Oh, it's been good. Training has been intense, but I'm managing. What brings you here?"

Destiny spoke up, her voice cheerful. "We just wanted to catch up with you. You know, see how you're doing and all."

Sunfall, not wanting to intrude on any family time, stepped back. "Well, it's always nice to have visitors. I don't want to intrude on some good old family bonding! I'll catch up with you later." With that, Sunfall gracefully excused himself, leaving the three siblings alone.

Crystalpaw continued speaking about her training with her mentor, Sparrowtail, as well as about a kind she-cat named Lilacpath, who is like a second mother to her. Rye listened attentively, though his mind raced with thoughts of how to broach the subject of peace between the clans.

As Crystalpaw's stories came to a close, Rye took the chance to speak. "So, how has the tension been between BrambleClan and FireClan? No plans to attack or anything?"

Crystalpaw hesitated, eyeing her brother suspiciously. "Well, not that I know of. Why would they tell an apprentice about battle plans? Better yet, why are you asking about battle plans?"

"Oh! Well, I- am- I'm just worried, you know?" Rye smiled nervously. "I don't want you getting hurt or anything, you know? We care about you, Crystal. Sorry, Crystalpaw." He quickly corrected.

"Yeah, why don't the clans just be at peace?" Destiny shrugged. "Wouldn't things be so much easier?"

Crystalpaw's expression shifted, a mix of surprise and uncertainty. "Peace? I mean, that would be great, but it's not that simple. There are so many factors to consider."

Rye sighed inwardly but pressed on. "We know it won't be easy, but if they can just find common ground, maybe-"

"Crystalpaw, you better have caught something by the time I get over there!" An unfamiliar voice yelled. The voice sounded as if it came from an older molly, one who seemed nasty and rude.

"Mouse-dung! Sparrowtail's coming! You two gotta go, now!" Crystalpaw ushered her siblings away. Rye's feet nearly kicked up dust as he and Destiny retreated from the dip. They dove into a nearby shrub, staying as still as they could. Destiny shot him a curious glance, but Rye shook his head, silently urging her to remain quiet. 

A black-furred molly approached Crystalpaw. She held a scowl as she gazed at the apprentice. Part of her face was covered by longer brown fur, though her expression was as clear as day. "Hi, Sparrowtail. I caught a squirrel, I buried it by the base of that tree," Crystalpaw mewed to the molly. "I'll go fetch it now," The calcio trotted towards a nearby tree and started digging. Sparrowtail watched her with burning eyes until Crystalpaw uncovered the squirrel, holding it up proudly.

"That's it?" Sparrowtail scoffed. "We'll hunt more later. For now, bring that back to the fresh-kill pile." The older she-cat began to walk back to camp. Crystalpaw following close behind. Soon enough, both of the BrambleClan cats disappeared behind the shrubs. Rye and Destiny crawled out of their hiding spot, shaking off any leaves stuck to their pelt.

"That's how her mentor treats her?" Destiny hissed. "What's her problem? If I was there, I would've clawed that snarky tongue out!" The silver molly's fur began to bristle.

"Hey, maybe her mentor isn't always like that. What if she was just having a bad day?" Rye tried to reason. "Come on, let's start heading home,"

As the two of them walked back towards their makeshift den, Destiny's eyes gazed back up at Rye. "So, what was with all the battle plan questions?" She queried.

"I- well I- I," Rye froze in his tracks, searching for a plausible answer. "I'm worried about Crystalpaw. I don't want her getting hurt in any battles,"

"Oh, but you're okay with her mentor treating her like dung?" Destiny's voice turned sour.

"I never said that! Of course, I don't like how her mentor talks to her!" Rye's tail lashed. "But that was one interaction we saw! Meanwhile, FireClan is planning an attack, so I want to make sure our sister's okay!"

"FireClan is planning an attack?!" Destiny shouted, her eyes wide. "Why didn't you tell me? Better yet, why didn't you tell Crystalpaw? How stupid do you have to be?!" Destiny quickened her pace, trotting ahead of Rye.

Rye rushed to catch up with Destiny, his heart pounding with the weight of his own deception. "Destiny, wait! It's not like that. I didn't mean to keep it from you, but I had to find out more before causing unnecessary panic."

Destiny shot him a fierce glare. "Unnecessary panic? Rye, we could be in danger! Crystalpaw could be in danger!"

"I know, I know," Rye mumbled, casting his gaze downward. "But I needed to gather information first. Just barging in and accusing them wouldn't have helped. We need to be strategic about this."

Destiny halted and turned to face Rye, her eyes ablaze with frustration. "Strategic? This is about our sister, Rye! How can you be so calm about it? We need to warn her and do something about it!"

"I am not calm about it," Rye snapped, the tension between them palpable. "I'm scared for Crystalpaw too, but we have to be smart. If we approach this recklessly, we could make things worse. I need to figure out the best way to convince both clans to avoid bloodshed."

Destiny's anger softened into concern. "Convince them? Rye, do you honestly believe they'll listen? What if they're already set on attacking?"

Rye hesitated, uncertainty clouding his expression. "I don't know, Destiny. But I have to try. I can't let the clans go to war. Crystalpaw would be caught in the middle, and so would we."

Destiny sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Fine, but I want to help, too!"

"Fine, you can help, too." Rye reluctantly agreed. However, he decided to keep his meetings with Foxleap private. She didn't need to intrude on their one-on-one discussions.