Flames At Night: Book 1: A Shattered Path

Chapter Thirty-Five

Snowfox

A paw shook the white she-cat awake. Snowfox opened her eyes to see Silkfur staring at her worriedly. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes. "Is it Ray?"

"He's fine," the medicine cat meowed. Snowfox breathed a sigh of relief. "But two of the apprentices are gone, including Skypaw. Gorgestar is having the whole camp look for them."

"No!" Snowfox exclaimed. "She wouldn't!"

"Snowfox?" Silkfur looked at her quizzically. "What are you talking about?"

The white she-cat shook her head, still in disbelief. "Fire Lily. She left!"

Silkfur stared at her in horror. "You mean... left the Clans?"

"I never thought she'd actually do it." Snowfox stood and padded out of the den. The camp was in turmoil, with several cats sprinting around and shouting things to one another. She skirted around the crowd, finding Quincy and Kimmy with three other kits.

"What's happening?" Quincy asked, ears pricked. "Everybody's yelling and looking for someone."

"Well," Snowfox meowed, "I have reason to believe that Fire Lily left the Clans this morning, and some cats... went with her."

"Why?" Kimmy tilted her head in a questioning gesture. "The Clans are great. And I thought she wanted to stay and you were the one who wanted to leave."

Snowfox looked away, in the direction of the mountains. "I guess she changed her mind," she said softly. I wish I hadn't yelled at her. What if she left to get away from me?

"Are we staying?" Quincy plucked at the grass under her little paws. "I have new friends, and I don't want to leave just yet." She glanced towards the other kits, who were tossing around a mossball.

"We're leaving as soon as Ray is better." Snowfox repeated the words she kept saying to herself, too. It's nice here, but this could never be my home.

"And I want Ray to be better," mewed the brown tabby she-kit, tearing up more grass. "But I want to stay here too. I like it here."

Her mother sighed. "You'll like it in other places too. When I was your age, I spent all my time wondering what was over the next hill. And I was willing to find out. I never stayed in one place for more than three nights." How long have I been here now?

Quincy opened her clouded blue eyes wide. "I want to stay here my whole life."

"I'm going to check on your brother." Snowfox returned to the medicine den, sighing. I could stay, to make her happy. Would I be happy in the Clans, though?

Ray stirred in his nest, and Snowfox glanced up. He opened his eyes. "Where's Kimmy and Quincy?" the tom-kit squeaked.

The white she-cat nuzzled his head. "I'll bring them to visit you, now that you're awake. Are you feeling better?"

"A little," he mewed, stretching his jaws in a yawn. "I'm thirsty."

Snowfox looked around the den. Spotting a few pieces of soaked moss, she picked one up and brought it to Ray. While he drank the water, she left to search for her other kits.

"Come here," she called to Kimmy. The yellow tabby she-kit trotted over, her sister on her heels. "Ray is awake, so you can come see him." She had hardly finished her sentence when Kimmy charged past her into the medicine den.

"RAY!" She leaped into the nest next to him, followed shortly by Quincy. The siblings chattered in excited tones, while Snowfox watched, smiling.

A soft pawstep told her that Greenstem was coming into the den. The old medicine cat was carrying a bundle of yellow flowers, which she stashed with the other herbs. She turned to Ray, rasping, "So you woke up now. That wound still needs tending to. Come here." The dark brown tom dutifully let his belly be covered in herb pulp, squeaking at the sting.

"She can take care of him for now." Snowfox turned to find Silkfur's leaf-green eyes a mouselength from hers. "Would you like to gather coltsfoot with me?"

She glanced at her kits hesitantly. "I'm not sure I should leave them..."

"They'll be fine," the pale gray tom reassured her. "Look at them. It'll be moons before they notice you're gone with all that talking they're doing."

"Well, all right." Snowfox followed him out onto FlightClan territory. They crossed the moor, avoiding a few stray sheep, and came to a large patch of heather.

Silkfur lay down next to a clump of the sweet-smelling flowers. Closing his eyes, he mewed, "Come sit down. It's such a nice day out."

"I thought we were gathering coltsfoot." She sat a short distance away from him.

He turned his head to look at her. "Greenstem just collected enough to last us for the next moon. You needed to be out of camp."

"I was in camp because my kit was injured and needed help," the white she-cat meowed, irritated.

"You were in camp because you were extremely stressed over Ray, even though I specifically told you he would be fine," Silkfur replied calmly.

Snowfox sighed. "I'm going to hunt a bit. Might as well be useful." She rose and started to pad away, but Silkfur reached out a paw to stop her.

"Relax for once, will you?" he said. "Just enjoy the moment. We can hunt on the way back if you really want to."

She mumbled some kind of reply and flopped into the soft, warm grass next to him. Silkfur shifted closer to her, and she rested her head against his shoulder. A birdcall sounded somewhere in the distance, and she closed her eyes, letting the sun's rays bathe her pelt. FlightClan isn't my home... but maybe I could be happy here.

A/N: The one calm chapter