salt in the wound || warrior cats

chapter 25

reunion

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BY THE TIME Violetpaw and Sunbounce returned to camp, it looked to be that most of the patrols had come back as well. The clearing was bustling with cats now, and though the white she-cat felt many eyes sticking to her pelt, nobody approached her to bombard her with questions.

It seemed that Swanfrost had gotten around to everyone and told them to give Violetpaw space, which she was more than grateful for. Of course, though, Sweetpaw was an exception.

The gray tabby apprentice jumped on Violetpaw as soon as she stepped into the camp, pressing her muzzle into her sister's pelt. The feeling of returning to Sweetpaw's side was no less than euphoric, and Violetpaw felt her mood lift tremendously after that deep conversation with Sunbounce.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," she kept repeating into Sweetpaw's ears; still, there was a slight tremble to her sister's body, as though Sweetpaw couldn't quite believe that Violetpaw was home.

From the corner of her eye, Violetpaw caught sight of Ravenpaw, sitting at the edge of the clearing with a thrush at his paws 

Once the two finally broke apart, they padded over to the fresh-kill pile. Sunbounce had already passed by, and was now carrying a mouse over to the medicine den. Featherpool was sitting outside, laying some herbs out in the sun around her, despite the fact that her leg was still bent in an awkward position. Inside the den, by the entrance, lay Blossomsky - Violetpaw could just make out her dappled pelt, and the silhouette of her head lifting to greet Sunbounce.

Even the day seemed to feel a little warmer, tipping out of the harshest parts of leafbare. Everyone was healing.

Sweetpaw followed Violetpaw's gaze to Blossomsky. "Ravenpaw's giving you all the credit for that, you know."

Distracted, the white she-cat didn't fully grasp her sister's words. "Hmm?"

"To anyone that's asked him, he's said that you're the one that got the catmint and deserves the praise," Sweetpaw mewed, digging through the prey pile for a shrew.

Violetpaw twitched her ears, protesting a little at how wrong that was. "Yeah, but if it wasn't for Ravenpaw, I probably would've died in SkyClan's camp."

Sweetpaw's eyes flashed at the mention of Violetpaw's death, before she pushed it away with a shake of her head. "I never thought I'd see the day where you two are being nice to each other."

"Yeah, and you still won't see it," the white she-cat replied dryly. 

"Some things never change," Sweetpaw hummed, grabbing her shrew before retreating over to the side.

 Violetpaw grabbed her prey as well and padded a little bit after her sister. As her eyes tracked and predicted where Sweetpaw was walking to, she realized, with a start, that Ravenpaw and Brightpaw were eating together. 

She wasn't sure why this struck her as so unusual. Ravenpaw and Brightpaw had been spending their meals together for weeks, but the sight of them together now - especially after that discussion in SkyClan's camp with Ravenpaw - left an odd twinge in Violetpaw's stomach.

She blamed it on the fact that she and Ravenpaw had spent days together in only each other's company, relying on only each other's presences. 

As the littermates passed by, Brightpaw glanced up from the squirrel she and Ravenpaw were splitting. The calico she-cat raised her tail in a friendly greeting, and Violetpaw returned the gesture. When she glanced over at Ravenpaw, however, she found that his eyes were pinned to the squirrel in front of him.