Gingerpelt padded to the river and swam through it expertly to ThunderClan territory where she waited for the answers to the questions haunting her entire life.
She sat down when she heard a cat coming. She stared at an approaching dark gray she-cat with pale blue eyes who's scent and looks reminded Gingerpelt of her kithood.
"Hello Gingerpelt. I-" Gingerpelt's mother began but Gingerpelt interrupted her.
"Why did you abandon me?" Gingerpelt demanded.
"I had to." The old she-cat replied. Curiosity and fear shook Gingerpelt as she realized that the elder could be on her last few days.
"Had to? Or chose to?" Gingerpelt continued to ask.
"Had to." Replied the elder.
"Why?"
"I was a medicine cat. I'm Cinderpelt by the way." She spoke quietly.
"A medicine cat?" Gingerpelt replied, puzzled. "Medicine cats aren't supposed to have kits!"
"I know. That's why I had to send you off on your own. I prayed to StarClan that you'd survive." Cinderpelt replied, tears rolling down her face.
"Oh. I'm sorry!" Gingerpelt cried.
"No. I'm sorry. I never should've abandoned you. You could've been raised in ThunderClan, knowing your father but not knowing your mother." She cried.
Gingerpelt padded up to her to rest her tail on Cinderpelt's shoulder when suddenly the elderly she-cat collapsed.
"My time has come to hunt with StarClan. Goodbye. Please forgive me. I'll always love you!" Cinderpelt choked.
"No! Cinderpelt don't leave me! Of course I'll forgive you but please don't leave me! I'll always love you to!" Gingerpelt cried.
"Thank you, but StarClan is calling me. Goodbye!" Cinderpelt coughed her final words then lay motionless forever.
Quickly wanting to leave ThunderClan territory, Gingerpelt wished Cinderpelt good hunting in StarClan and pelted back to the river where she could cry and not worry about being caught by an enemy patrol.
That was it. I met my mother. I'm glad I did, but she didn't have to die!
Gingerpelt turned her gaze upwards to the brightly shining Silverpelt.
This is all your fault! Was that her punishment for having kits? Not knowing them until the day of her death?
Gingerpelt couldn't believe how cruel StarClan was.
I will never trust you again!
Gingerpelt wanted to scream to the sky, but then she'd be caught. Slowly, she padded back to camp, her head hanging and her tail dragging across the ground.
Before she swam across the river, Gingerpelt heard a voice calling to her.
"It's not your fault. I mourn her just as much as you do, but that doesn't make me guilty." Gingerpelt turned to see a golden-furred tom with pale blue eyes appear from the undergrowth on ThunderClan's side of the border. Gingerpelt couldn't help but notice how his eyes looked exactly like her mother's.
"Don't worry. I'm leaving." Gingerpelt mumbled, through tears.
"I'm not asking you to leave. I'm asking you to join me and our father, Firestar, in ThunderClan." Though the tom's voice sounded strong, Gingerpelt could tell he was crying and shaking.
Then she froze. The strange tom just said that his father was Firestar.
"Do I have a brother?" Gingerpelt wondered aloud.
"Yes. We were abandoned together, but while you went to the river, I went back into the forest and came across a ThunderClan patrol." The tom's eyes were filled with grief. "For all this time I thought you were dead."
Gingerpelt started crying twice as much than before. "Sunkit?" She asked, raising her head to look into her brother's eyes.
"Sunfur." Her brother corrected her. "I'm not a kit anymore."
"Of course you aren't." Gingerpelt sniffed and wiped the tears from her face before standing up again.
"I named one of my kits after you. But he died at birth." Gingerpelt tried not to burst into tears again when she mentioned her dead kit.
"We should grieve for our mother together. I only just found out she was our mother too, so don't feel sorry about that anger burning inside of you." Sunfur mewed calmly. "Please, Gingerpelt, come back to ThunderClan with me!"
How does he know I'm angry?
Gingerpelt paused. She loved her brother so much that she was going to say yes, when she thought of her kits. She couldn't leave them! Or could she?
"I'm not so sure I want to..." Gingerpelt paused before continuing. "My kits are in RiverClan."
"I thought you cared about your father and brother!" Sunfur sounded truly disappointed, so that's when Gingerpelt decided.
"Ok. I'll come to live in ThunderClan." Slowly, she followed her brother through the forest to the ThunderClan camp.
Why shouldn't I join ThunderClan? Both my mate and my mother are dead so I'll never truly be happy ever again. Birchtail and Petaldust can survive without me. What even is the point of continuing to live?
Gingerpelt looked up at Silverpelt one last time.
I'll never look up to my warrior ancestors ever again. I can pretend to, for the sake of being accepted into ThunderClan, but I'll never believe in them ever again. They ruined my life. How long will it take for my father, brother and kits to die too? Why is Cinderpelt's punishment for having kits ruining my life? So many questions that may never be answered. Curse you, StarClan. Curse you.
•••
Author's Note
I hope you enjoyed the story of Gingerpelt's life! This is my first warriors book! Please vote/follow!
- Ginger
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Gingerpelt
FanfictionA lost she-kit ends up in RiverClan with no knowledge of where she came from. She wants more than anything to know the truth, but with the secrets she learns is it possible for her to remain loyal to Clan that took her in and kept her in the dark? (...
