Dawn

Chapter 16

Clouds obscured the night sky as Crowpaw padded down the hard stone slope beside Squirrelpaw. The two had gone for a late walk to make sure Crowpaw was fit to travel, but they had ended up taking longer than expected. A mild breeze promised that there would be no frost tonight, and he could smell rain. Most of the Clans were sleeping; ShadowClan was huddled near the edge of Sunningrocks, as far from the ThunderClan cats as they could be.

Exhaustion dragged at Crowpaw's mind, but his mind teemed with thoughts, memories of the day's horrors mingled with uncertainties about the journey to come. Knowing he would not be able to sleep, he stopped midway and turned back to the trees. He wished he could spend his last night on the open moor, but all the cats he cared about were here and he would not go back alone.

As he neared the trees he heard soft pawsteps following him. "Are you not going to sleep?" Squirrelpaw asked, rejoining Crowpaw.

"I don't think I'd be able to," Crowpaw replied.

"I understand," Squirrelpaw murmured, looking around. "I can't imagine living anywhere else other than this forest, but I know there's a place for us out there somewhere. There has to be."

Crowpaw twined his tail with hers, leading her to a sheltered spot under a clump of bramble. At once Squirrelpaw curled herself against his side, pressing as close to him as she could for warmth. Crowpaw took a moment to give her ears a few licks, matching her purrs with deep rumbles of his own.

"There will be a home for us, Squirrelpaw," he murmured. "If the Tribe has a home in those mountains, there's bound to be more forests and moors for us somewhere else. But wherever we go, or wherever you choose to go, I'll be by your side through every moment of it."

Squirrelpaw purred harder and licked Crowpaw's cheek gratefully. "I think, that no matter what happens, the six of us will stay together. Even if we live in different Clans, nothing will ever stop us from helping each other when we need it. You, me, Brambletuft, Feathertail, Stormfur, and Tawnypelt, we'll be together to the end of our lives. The journey made sure of that. Who knows, maybe we'll all become leader one day. Just think, you as Crowstar, me as Squirrelstar, Featherstar or Stormstar, and Tawnystar. We'll be the greatest leaders the Clans have ever seen; after my mother, that is."

Crowpaw didn't reply; he wanted to tell Squirrelpaw he was going to move to ThunderClan to be with her, but he promised Ashfoot that he would wait until they were warriors. But right now, more than ever, he wanted to tell Squirrelpaw of his plans. It would be nice to be leader one day, but Crowpaw was perfectly happy remaining as a regular warrior if it means he has Squirrelpaw by his side until the day he joins StarClan.

He found himself imagining them having kits together; three would be nice, one gray like his mother, or black like his father, another ginger like their mother, and maybe one a perfect mix of them. Maybe they'd even have a pure white kit like Cloudpaw, or a brown tabby like Leafpaw. He wondered what they would name them. Ashfoot had a naming scheme with him and his littermates by naming them after the moor and its creatures since they were driven from their home. Perhaps he and Squirrelpaw could name their kits after the forest and things found in it. He'd like to name one kit after his own home, maybe Airkit or something, but he'd leave the naming to Squirrelpaw. After all, she'd have to go through the pain of having the kits, not him.

"Do you think we should tell Skystar about us?" Squirrelpaw asked all of a sudden.

Crowpaw pricked his ears, surprised. "Why?" he asked.

"Well," Squirrelpaw began, turning her attention to her paws with occasional glances at Crowpaw. "If we want to keep meeting, and maybe even have kits one day, I want my mother to know about it. She knew about Graystripe and Silverstream and covered for them, and neither of us will have apprentices right after becoming warriors, so I think we'd be fine."