Fernflutter and Cinnamonsweep were making the long walk back to the StoneClan (formerly CliffClan) camp. While Fernflutter walked with her head down and her mind spiraling into dark thoughts, Cinnamonsweep was talkative.
"I'm so sorry, Fernflutter. I know how you and Pansypool were close. How odd. But I wonder what caused her to run off like that?"
Fernflutter rolled her eyes. She knew Cinnamonsweep's way of dealing with stress was to talk about it even if Fern wasn't listening. It got annoying after the first hundred times she talked herself through the same thought process.
"I guess it's for the best. Maybe we should at least try to find her body? I don't know. Or we'll just have a service for her back home." Cinnamonsweep droned on.
The two dusky she-cats were approaching a familiar hole in the rocks. The healers had been searching since that morning, and it was now past sun-high. The shadows had moved, and Fernflutter felt her heart sink. The last time she had returned to camp after an unsuccessful search for a body among the rocks was when her sister had died. And now it was the mother-figure who she had just bonded with a little less than a moon ago.
"Hey, you're back!" the guard inside the tunnel greeted them. "I guess you didn't find her, then."
"No." Fernflutter said simply. She brushed past the warrior, Grayhaze, and continued on her way.
"We really looked everywhere." Cinnamonsweep paused for a moment to talk to Grayhaze. "The Moonpond, the old RockClan camp, the highway, the cave with the underground riv-"
"Highway?" Grayhaze tilted his head. "What's that?"
"You've never seen it?" Cinnamonsweep asked. "Oh. Well, I guess you've. never had the chance if you're from CliffClan. Me and Fernflutter are from RockClan and were introduced to it when we were apprentices."
Fernflutter angled her ears behind her. She could still hear the voices at the entrance to the cave.
"Yeah, but what is it?"
"You'll know it when you see it. Just stay far away from it."
Cinnamonsweep bounded up. Fernflutter was halfway inside the camp entrance. Fernflutter had just enough patience to wait on her before the two made their way into the large cave.
Even though the entirety of RockClan had joined the group, the cavern was still quiet as ever. The loudest noise was the tiny shrieking of Cobblekit and Gravelkit as they fought with each other on the floor of the cave.
The only other cat who happened to be in the cave was one of the RockClan elders who was grooming their fur n one of the ledges that stuck out from the wall.
"Where's Pansypool?" Suddenly Silversong came rushing forward. Fernflutter's eyes had just adjusted, but not well enough to see where the younger healer had come from.
"We don't know." Fernflutter said sadly.
"Oh." Silversong's face fell. "I'm sorry, Fern."
"It'll be okay." Cinnamonsweep said, trying to cheer up her fellow healer. "How about you and I go to the MeadowClan border? I mean, FieldClan. It's so strange. There were only a few cats who lived on the delta anyways. They didn't really have to change the name."
"Why go to the southern border?" Silversong asked.
"Oh. To get flowers." Cinnamonsweep said.
Fernflutter's breath caught in her throat. She bowed her head quickly.
"Fernflutter? What's wrong?" Silversong said softly. Fernflutter stared down at the ground. A tear fell, and as it fell it caught the faint light from the entrance to the camp.
YOU ARE READING
Valley Cats: Of Sky and Stone 3- Golden Fire
Fanfiction(Book Three in "Of Sky and Stone") Everyone knew of a mother and kit who were slain one night on an uncertain border, but not many knew of the lone survivor. Bumblebounce feels like he doesn't really belong anywhere, but he has bigger things to wor...
