Warriors AU: Skyclan's Destiny

Chapter 18

"Poppystar, I'm so sorry!" Leafdapple wailed. "I should never have let you get into danger like that. I wasn't thinking."

The two cats had crossed the border of Skyclan territory and were heading across the open grassy stretch toward the edge of the gorge. Poppystar paused, thanking Starclan for the clean air and yielding earth of her home.

"It wasn't your fault, Leafdapple," she meowed.

The mottled pale cream and brown tabby tom refused to be reassured. "It was my fault," he insisted. "I should have been more careful. But I promise you, the Twolegplace isn't always as dangerous as that."

"I'm sure it's not," Poppystar responded as they went on. "It's just that I'm not used to it." Inwardly her heart was still pounding, and she didn't ever want to go back to the Twolegplace. She watched Leafdapple moving confidently through the long grass at the top of the cliff, his ears pricked and his nostrils flared.

He's a warrior! How can he stand living somewhere like that?

"Don't you miss being outside, under all this sky, with the wind and the scent of trees in your fur?" she blurted out.

Leafdapple turned to face her, a puzzled look in his eyes. For a couple of heartbeats he didn't reply. "Yes," he mewed at last, "but I get to feel it every day when I come here." He blinked. "It's not a hardship for me to be in my Twolegs' nest. I love my housefolk, and they love me."

Poppystar still found it impossible to understand. How could any cat want to live in that world of harsh scents, loud noises, and hard surfaces underpaw? She couldn't imagine what Leafdapple's housefolk offered that tempted him back every night.

When they reached the gorge, Cherrytail was just returning at the head of a hunting patrol, with Stumpy, Cory, Cobaltclaw, and Frecklepaw.

"Where's Snookpaw?" he asked, dropping a squirrel onto the fresh-kill pile. "I thought you were going to rescue her."

"She doesn't need rescuing," Leafdapple replied. "She's been ill, and her housefolk are keeping her inside until she's better."

"What do Twolegs know?" Cherrytail gave a scornful sniff. "Snookpaw would be better off here in the fresh air, with Echosong to give her the herbs she needs."

Poppystar agreed with him, but she saw Leafdapple start to bristle at the deputy's contemptuous tone, and thought it wasn't a good idea to say so.

"Has any cat checked the elders' bedding?" she meowed, to distract the two toms before a quarrel developed. "I don't want Lichenfur complaining again."

"Good thought," Cherrytail mewed with a brisk nod. "Frecklepaw, will you get onto that?"

Frecklepaw blinked, and it was Cobaltclaw who replied, "All by himself?" His tone was sharp. "Nettlepaw and Birdpaw are out on patrol."

"I don't mind—" Frecklepaw began, only to be interrupted by Stumpy, who padded up from the fresh-kill pile.

"We'll help, won't we, Cory? We said we'd do apprentice tasks."

The black tom nodded. "We're happy to. Especially when Snookpaw isn't here. It's a shame her Twolegs won't let her out."

"I hope she'll be okay," Stumpy added.

"I'm sure she will. She'll be back soon," Poppystar assured them.

Mollified, Cobaltclaw stepped back, and Frecklepaw went off happily with the two warriors toward the elders' den. Poppystar watched them go, impressed by how willingly Stumpy and Cory had offered their help, and their concern for Snookpaw.