Shining of the Four

Chapter 49

As much as Salmon tried to obey her father's orders, it could not happen. For no matter how hard she tried to see his reasoning, she could not bring herself to love Storm. That very afternoon her father had made the announcement to the tribe that Storm would be Salmon's mate and heir to throne. And while the tribe seemed happy, Salmon grimaced at Storm's widened smile, expecting him to enjoy this moment.

Salmon had tried reasoning with her father, but he stopped hearing her complaints. After awhile, Salmon just eventually stopped complaining, knowing there was no way to stop this from happening. This was how it had always been, and she would have to be Storm's mate.

But why couldn't her father have picked a different tom? Salmon knew very well she had made no acquaintances with any other toms, and the other toms in her tribe were younger and not as fit and strong as Storm. But couldn't he have respected her free will?

Storm surprisingly did not seem too upset. Salmon assumed it was because he was thrilled to finally receive his dream job of leading, but he didn't act that way. In fact, he seemed rather content, never bragging and for once acting like a normal cat.

Salmon didn't enjoy this new Storm. He acted somewhat polite to her, bringing her fresh prey every morning, never expecting anything in return. He had been forced to bring his nest close to hers, and while Salmon flinched when his fur rubbed against hers, the warmth of his fur was somewhat comforting on cold nights.

And most of the time they spent together contained nothing but silence. Salmon had expected him to be snarky, rude, uncouth, much like he probably expected her to be. The silence was tolerable though, and she preferred it to when he tried to spark any conversation.

Oak seemed to notice the lack of chemistry between them though, and lately, he'd been trying to get them to do more together, whether it be hunting, chatting, sharing a squirrel. He made it clear he wanted them to work together as a team.

But as time passed, Salmon grew further away from Storm, and her dreams continued. Now she knew very well the tom, Patchfur, and she often wished Storm were like him--kind, caring, not a show-off for sure.

Salmon was currently caught in a dream, finding herself in the familiar camp. She had finally concluded that she was a clan cat in these dreams, and she surprisingly found their lifestyle not too different. Well, she-cats could choose their mates in a clan.

She stood in a forest, knowing already that it was summer. The heat swarmed through the forest, but she did not mind so much. In the distance stood Patchfur, standing proudly on a ledge up ahead, looking over the river that ran through the meadow.

Salmon purred and padded towards him on cue, watching as he spun around, his bright green eyes lighting up at the sight of her.

"Good morning," he spoke calmly.

Salmon padded up towards him and stood by him, looking over the river.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Hot day," he noted.

She nodded, intertwining her tail with his. They both stood in silence, but unlike the awkward silence she and Storm often kept, this silence was peaceful and relaxing. Words were not needed to describe the event.

"I meant to talk to you about something," Patchfur spoke.

Salmon tilted her head. "What is it?"

"Do-do you think you could see us having kits someday, Shinypelt?" he asked, stammering and blushing.

She purred, words flowing out of her mouth like silk. "Maybe...maybe..."

Suddenly, the forest, the ledge, the river--it all faded, and Salmon awoke to feel Storm poking her with his large gray paw gently.