Raven woke the next day still curled next to Amber. The dappled tom stirred a little as she shifted, but didn't wake up right away. Careful not to disturb him, Raven squeezed out through the narrow opening and into the fresh air. Looking around she studied the small camp more.
It was small, roughly two fox lengths wide, and it was surrounded by tall grass. Raven guessed it was somewhere in the middle of the field. A small pile of three mice and a sparrow lay next to the den she had just come out of. Above her it looked like the sky stretched even longer, with puffy white clouds drifting lazily across it. She could hear the chirps of different birds looking for seeds, and hear the scuffling of prey. Far away she spotted a flock of 5 deer and a couple calves venture out from the safety of the forest to eat.
"Enjoying the nice weather?" Amber asked, walking up behind her. Raven started, she hadn't heard him come out.
"It's very beautiful here." she replied. Amber nods.
"It is. I grew up here actually! My mother, father, brother and I all lived together in the far end of the field by an abandoned barn." he pointed to a shaggy looking two-leg den in the west. Raven guessed that was the barn.
"Where did they go?" Raven asked. "Are they still around?"
"No, my brother Harvey left when we were about 12 moons for a territory of his own. My father and mother both left later too when a kind two-leg took them in. Harvey comes here sometimes though, when he has the time." Amber spoke of his lost family with lightness, as if he had gotten past it a long time ago.
Will I also feel that way some time? She wondered, looking at Amber. She looked away hurriedly when she realized she had been staring.
"What about you? Where do you come from?" Amber asked.
"I came from a forest far away from here, it's a several day journey. I used to live with a Clan called NightClan and I was an apprentice with my brother Falconpaw. My mother was called Mistyflight, and my father was Brackenclaw. I had another brother, Hawkpaw, but he and my uncle Falconblaze left to be rogues and explore the world when we turned 6 moons."
She glanced at his confused face.
"Confusing, I know. Our family isn't very big, but I'm not good at explaining things." she purred awkwardly. Amber chuckles.
"Don't worry, I think I get it." he said. "But why did you leave? Didn't you like NightClan?" Raven flinches at his question.
"Yes but... Around seven or eight days ago I woke up and everything was gone. I don't know what happened, but the forest had burned down and everybody had disappeared. I don't know how the fire started, or why I didn't wake up... I wish I had though." Raven was surprised to find that she had managed to speak without her voice cracking, but she decided to think of it positively.
Maybe I WILL get over it one day.
Amber was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry," he said "I didn't mean to bring up painful memories. I know what it's like when everybody you know disappear.... Just not in that way. It gets better though!" he tries to smile, and Raven can't help but smile too.
"I hope so." she whispered, leaning into Amber a little so their pelts were brushing. For a long time they just stood in silence and watched the sun rise above the golden field.
"Where are you going now?" Amber asks. Raven thinks for a moment before she replied. She thought of staying here with Amber, in the beautiful field with plenty of prey. But then she thought of her dream where Goldenheart told her to go to the mountains... Was NightClan really there?
"The mountains." she decided. "I'm going to the mountains."
"Oh." Amber looked slightly disappointed.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Well I- I was thinking..." he took a deep breath. "I was hoping maybe you wanted to stay here and be my friend. It gets kind of lonely here sometimes... Most cats are either just passing by or they want the whole territory for themselves and try to chase me off."
Raven licked his ear soothingly.
"I'm sorry Amber, but I really think I have to go." then she had an idea. Looking at the mark she had gotten on her flank, the one with two cats... Maybe...? There was only one way to find out.
"But you could come with me." she said. Amber looked at her in astonishment.
"What?"
"Think about it! You could come with me!" Raven was getting more exited now. "We could be traveling companions, like Falconblaze and Hawkpaw! We would help each other, have someone to talk to, hunt together, and fight together! It would be great!" she exclaimed. But when Amber hesitated her hopes sank again.
"But I suppose you have all your ting here, right? Your den, your own territory, plenty of prey... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." she muttered.
"No! No, I- That would be great! I've been itching to do something new my whole life, but I suppose I wasn't as brave as my brother and never actually did it. But what you said, being traveling companions? That would be awesome! Maybe it's our destiny." he smiled.
"Really? Would you really come with me?" Raven grinned.
"Yes!" Amber nodded.
"Yay! It IS our destiny! Just look at my mark." she twisted to point at the symbol. Amber looked at it.
"Two cats, Yin and Yang... Where two parts come together as one. Yes, maybe it is." he smiled. "There's one with a necklace, you, and there's one with amber eyes, me!"
Raven blinked and turned to look again. Sure enough, the mark had changed again! The second cat, the white one, had become brown and had amber holes where the eyes would have been.
"Wow..." she breathed. A soft wind swirled around her, ruffling her fur slightly, and the voice of Goldenheart whispered in her ear.
Destiny is not entirely controlled by the stars... You can shape it into your own desires. And you have chose your friends well, Raven.
The praise warmed Raven's heart, especially how Goldenheart acknowledged her new name.
Thank you. She replied silently. Goldenheart's visits had given her a little more faith in StarClan, but Raven thought that she would never think of her warrior ancestors in the same way anymore. But it didn't matter anymore now that she had Amber. Together they would fight foxes and badgers, swim over the wildest of rivers, and climb the tallest of trees. Already she felt a strong friendship begin to form, one that wouldn't be broken by anything or anyone.
"Come on!" Amber laughed and bounded away towards the north. They could just see the silvery tops scrape the sky far away in the horizon. "Let's go!" he insisted.
"What, now? Shouldn't we wait until tomorrow?" Raven asked, laughing too and walking up to him. amber shook his big head.
"Why? We'll hunt on the way! Come on, we have the whole day! There's no point in staying and reminiscing, is there?" he nudged her.
"I suppose not." she agreed. With a purr of delight Amber bounced away into the golden grass. Raven followed, speeding up ahead of him. With a playful growl Amber pushed on harder, catching up. Like that they ran; just trying to outrace each other but with no finish line. Laughing for no special reason. It was the first time they had felt really happy in moons!
Towards the mountains they were headed now, the newly forged bond growing stronger with every paw step that lead them away from the field.
