Flamepaw's Destination

Chapter 18

            "GOLDSTAR, NO! COME BACK!" Flamepaw shouted, rushing into the bushes after her leader. Without thinking, she immediately took off and left the others behind, trying to find where the golden she-cat had gone.

"Flamepaw, wait!" came Mothwing's shout, but Flamepaw refused to look back. She just had to find Goldstar. How could her leader reveal such terrible things and just run off so simply? No, she wouldn't allow Goldstar to become a coward.

Flamepaw frantically sniffed for her scent but found it had already disappeared with the evening wind. She frantically looked around, trying to see if Goldstar was nearby. But nothing made a sound, and there was no scent of the leader in the air.

"GOLDSTAR!" she shouted in frustration, glancing around some more. "COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW OR I'LL—I'LL..." Her voice trailed off as her jaw began to quiver. Tears formed in her eyes, and she sat down in defeat.

Flamepaw let out a startling gasp as tears took ahold of her, and she glanced down at her paws as she silently cried. It just wasn't fair at all. She'd come so far to save her clan, and now her leader was advising them to move on with their lives and just forget about RiverClan. It just wasn't fair...

"Flamepaw, Flamepaw!" came Barkpaw's call now. She heard some bushes rattle nearby, yet she neglected to respond. After a few moments, she heard him burst through the bushes and pause when he found her sitting there.

"Oh, Flamepaw," he mewed sympathetically.

Flamepaw turned around and caught a quick glance of Barkpaw before turning her gaze back to the ground. She tried to quiet her tears, but they were coming so quickly and growing more louder that it could not be stopped.

Barkpaw immediately rushed to her side, his pelt brushing against hers. He took his tail and gently wrapped it around Flamepaw, causing her heart to swell with love. She leaned her head into his broad chest and began to sob more heavily.

"I know, I know," Barkpaw whispered quietly, rubbing his tail up and down her back.
For a while, they just sat there like that, silently comforting each other. When at last Flamepaw could collect herself, she glanced up at Barkpaw and smiled weakly.

"Thanks for finding me," she told him. "I wasn't really going to follow Goldstar, even if I found her."

"I know," Barkpaw replied, glancing down at her lovingly.

"It's just...not fair," Flamepaw mewed.

Barkpaw sighed. "I agree, Flamepaw. We've gone through so much to help the clan, and now we're told in an instant to forget about it."

"Goldstar's a coward," Flamepaw spat angrily.

"We don't know what the situation is like," Barkpaw pointed out. "Goldstar might be very brave for all we know, trying to protect our lives."

"But she's the leader!" Flamepaw hissed. "She should be protecting the clan and helping them, not leaving them to die! Who cares if she's dying with them?! No cats should be dying!"

Barkpaw remained quiet, waiting for Flamepaw to calm down. Her fur slowly fell back to its normal place, and she let out a sigh, sitting back down next to Barkpaw.

"I wish this were all a dream," she whispered.

"Me too," Barkpaw whispered back into her ear.

"But what will we do?" Flamepaw asked. "Where will we go?"

"Do you honestly think we won't put up a fight?" Barkpaw replied. "Mothwing will know what to do. In fact, we should be heading back. We need to talk with her."