Flamepaw's Destination

Chapter 24

Flamepaw and Barkpaw returned to where the cats had decided to camp out for the night with fresh moss for their nests. Mothwing was already back and waiting for them with two dead robins at her paws.

"They were an easy catch," she explained when they entered.

Barkpaw dropped the moss down and began folding it into three separate nests.

"You two were sure gone awhile. I didn't think it'd take that long to gather some moss," Mothwing observed.

Flamepaw shrugged and turned to Barkpaw, helping him with the nests. Barkpaw shot her a look, which she supposed meant that she should talk to Mothwing, but Flamepaw only shook her head. She had just gotten over the shock of telling Barkpaw. She didn't want to also tell everything to Mothwing tonight too.

After the nests were completed, Flamepaw and Barkpaw shared a robin while Mothwing ate her own. There was very little chatter among them, and soon enough, they were all tired and exhausted from a long day, Flamepaw especially.

Flamepaw curled up beside Barkpaw and purred slightly, imagining the day when they would raise their kits in an actual clan. She fell asleep with these thoughts on her mind and spent the entire night dreaming of having her kits and being a mother.

When Flamepaw awoke the next morning, Barkpaw was not beside her, and she tensed, fearing for a moment that he had left her in the middle of the night after hearing of her pregnancy. She sat up quickly, terrified that she would now have to raise the kits on her own, when Mothwing spoke up.

"He went to catch some breakfast," Mothwing explained.

Flamepaw turned, not realizing the calico was already up. She sat across from Flamepaw in her nest, staring at her. Flamepaw wondered how long Mothwing had been watching her, and she immediately felt embarrassed.

"Yes, of course," Flamepaw muttered, laying back down. She got her swollen stomach into a comfortable position and rested her head back on her paws, letting out a low yawn.

Mothwing, meanwhile, just sat there, and an awkward silence existed between the two. Flamepaw knew now would be a good time to talk to Mothwing, but she still didn't want to and felt nervous about the whole affair.

She waited around for a while, but when Barkpaw didn't return, she knew he had purposely planned to leave them alone. Flamepaw let out a sigh and sat back up, fixing her eyes on Mothwing. Her stomach growled, and she wished Barkpaw would return with food, but it seemed liked she needed to get through this conversation first.

"So...how are you?" Flamepaw asked casually.

Mothwing stared at her oddly then shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Um, you?"

"Good," was all Flamepaw managed to reply. She bit the inside of her cheek, knowing she had to get this over with, but it was all so awkward, and she wasn't sure how to put it.

"Um, you know, Barkpaw and I have been thinking a lot about what we're going to do now that RiverClan is gone," Flamepaw announced.

Mothwing's eyes widened.

"Oh, really? I mean, I've been beginning to think about it just a little..."

"Oh, that's good," Flamepaw responded.

"Yeah..."

Once again, there was another incredibly long pause as silence flooded between them.