Sunwing's Regret

Chapter Sixteen

    I apologize for lack of updating guys :/ Hopefully this chapter will make up for it.

"Sunpaw!" Runningpaw shouted, hurtling inside the barn. "Sunpaw!"

    He skidded to a halt, staring in dismay at the body on the floor.

    "Fiery..." He gulped just as Willowfoot came inside. She, too, froze after seeing the limp body. Runningpaw stepped forward, fearfully rolling over Fiery's body, revealing a small gray burn on his chest.

    "Is he dead?" Willowfoot asked, resting a paw on the burn. Fiery reacted with a cringe, despite the fact he was unconscious. Willowfoot exhaled. "Good, good... He's alive..." She squinted at him.

"Where's Sunpaw?" Runningpaw demanded to no one in general. He sniffed the air. "The entire barn smells like him."

"He must have lived here," Willowfoot muttered, examining the hay and wood. Runningpaw couldn't help but notice the shriveled up burnt hay all over the ground.

"What do we do?" Runningpaw moaned.

Willowfoot didn't answer. She exited the barn, smelling the grass. "His scent is still here," she reported. "It's fresh. We need to follow it."

Together, they took off into the field.

<><><>

Sunpaw jogged along the border of Dewclan and Snowclan, sniffing the ground. He had no idea what Snowy's scent was like, but he assumed it was similar to Fiery's, so he stuck with that.

"Snowy?" He would call every so often, although he knew it was useless.

    All of a sudden four cats appeared from the underbrush. Sunpaw recognized them- Whitepaw and Foxpaw, with their mentors Lionclaw and Brightfur. He inwardly groaned.

    "Wh- you- Sunpaw?" Lionclaw whispered in disbelief.

    Sunpaw backed up slightly, noticing that he had actually remembered his name. "What do you want?" He muttered. "I'm kind of busy here."

    Lionclaw continued to look mortified, while Brightfur and the apprentices just looked confused.

    "Didn't you run away after Runningpaw got his fire powers?" Whitepaw asked.

    They all noticed the temperature rise by at least five degrees.

    "Runningpaw?" Sunpaw said. "Runningpaw?"

    "Yes, of course!" Foxpaw said brightly.

    Sunpaw turned slowly to stare at the red-furred apprentice. Slowly, very slowly, he raised his gaze to the oak tree behind him, and watched it light up in flames.

    Foxpaw screeched loudly and sprinted out of the way, tumbling into Whitepaw on accident. Brightfur squealed and stared, while Lionclaw looked from the tree to Sunpaw.

    "IT'S ON FIRE! IT'S ON FIRE!" Foxpaw screamed. There were tears in his eyes. "RUNNINGPAW?! ARE YOU THERE?! PUT OUT THE FIRE! PLEASE!"

    Sunpaw stepped forward and swiped his paw. Instantly the flames went out.

    There was a moment of silence. Then Foxpaw shrieked, "YOU?! I thought it was Runningpaw! I swear it was him!"

    "It's Sunpaw," Lionclaw murmured. "I knew it. I knew it. Runningpaw said so..."

    Sunpaw glared at them all. They stared at him, openmouthed.

    "Now excuse me," Sunpaw hissed. "I need to get back to work."

    He spun around and continued bounding along the border. "Snowy!" He yelled into the sky, which was beginning to darken with the setting sun. "Snowy, please, Fiery is hurt and he needs you!"

    "I'll help you," Lionclaw said quickly. "I'll help you find- Snowy."

    Sunpaw blinked and turned around. "I- you- really?"

    "...I'll help you too," Foxpaw's small voice appeared. It was hoarse from screaming.

    "Me too," Whitepaw said.

    "No," Lionclaw said. "You two go back to camp and tell Nettlestar we're on a mission, okay?"

    The she-cats hesitated, but nodded and darted away.

    "Okay, Sunpaw," Lionclaw said, turning to the former apprentice. "Who are we looking for?"

    Sunpaw's spirits rose as he explained, "Probably a white she-cat, hence the name 'Snowy'." He had two- no, four- average Dewclan cats on his side. Brightfur and Whitepaw were about to tell Nettlestar, and explain to him that he was important too, and maybe... Just maybe... He could go back home to his mother and his brother...

    No. What was he thinking? He had been a rogue for several moons... He couldn't go back now...

    But a small voice inside still nagged at him...

    Sunpaw pushed it away and continued his search.

    <><><>

    Runningpaw and Willowfoot sprinted through the field, following Sunpaw's scent. "We're getting closer," Willowfoot encouraged her son. "We'll find him."

    Finally they entered the woods on Dewclan's territory. Runningpaw began to wonder why Sunpaw would be here... What could he be doing?

    Finally they heard a faint voice, calling, "Snowy! Your bother needs you!"

    Slightly perplexed, they followed the voice, until the arrived at the border and spotted Sunpaw, Foxpaw, and Lionclaw calling out in vain.

    "Sunpaw!" Runningpaw cried.

    Sunpaw whirled around. He seemed to be experiencing many emotions at once. He smiled, then his face fell, then he tilted his head, then he stepped forward and back again. "Runningpaw, I..."

    "Sunpaw, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you, you just wanted to be friends again, I'm so, so sorry!" Runningpaw exclaimed, running up to his brother. "What... Happened?"

    His brother stared at him for several seconds before breaking into a small smile. "I've got a lot to explain, don't I?"