Leafpool's Choice

Chapter 17

Leafpool awoke from a dream of Ashfur pushing kittens off of a cliff. 

That was weird, she thought to herself. 

"Good morning, Leafpool!" Squirrelflight bounced to her sister. 

"Hi," Leafpool meowed. She looked around the camp. Crowfeather was still asleep.

"Want to go hunting with me?" Squirrelflight asked.

"Sure," Leafpool replied. 

"Besides, I have something important to tell you. Walk with me, sister."

Squirrelflight padded off, her tail disappearing into the stalks of grass.

"Wait!" Leafpool yelped, scurrying after her sister.

Leafpool and Squirrelflight walked off, chattering mindlessly about random things. Somehow, yet again, the topic became Brambleclaw. 

"I guess I just really want to see him again," Squirrelflight sighed.

Leafpool looked at her sister with wide, sorrowful eyes. "Whatever happens, I don't want you to feel like I'm keeping you from him."

"Thanks, Leafpool." Squirrelflight averted her gaze.

***

Time seemed to move slow as a slug, but three sunrises finally passed. 

It was on this chilly but sunshiny morning that Squirrelflight pulled Leafpool aside, padding out of camp with her.

Leafpool looked at her sister, trying to tell what she was thinking. Squirrelflight's tail-tip was twitching nervously. Her ears were swiveling to hear everything around her.

"Are you okay?" Leafpool asked.

"What? Yeah. I'm fine!" Squirrelflight rushed. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah. I'm fine, trust me."

"Okay," Leafpool meowed. 

Internally, though, Leafpool knew that something was on her sister's mind. 

Squirrelflight stopped abruptly, spinning around to face her sister.

"Listen," Squirrelflight meowed, "I'm really sorry if I upset you, but I can't force my heart to stay here."

Leafpool knew what was coming next.

"I have to follow my heart, like you followed yours."

As Leafpool listened, she could feel her heart shattering into a million pieces.

Squirrelflight took a deep breath, her head hanging with shame. "I have to go back to ThunderClan."

"I guess I can't force you to stay," Leafpool decided. "And I would never do that to you anyways."

"I'm leaving today. You said I am healed, and after Brambleclaw visited, I just didn't feel at home with you. ThunderClan is my home, where I can live with Brambleclaw."

Leafpool had resigned to the fact that her sister was leaving for good. "At least let me walk you to the border."

The pair walked to the border in silence, and although both had so many things that they wanted to say to each other, they just couldn't find the courage to say them.

At the border, Squirrelflight turned to her sister for what could be their final goodbye. "I promise, I will visit your kits as soon as I can. Come visit my future kits someday as well. Good luck with your kits."

Leafpool tried to raise her tail and act happy, but she couldn't do it. "I'll miss you so much!" Leafpool exclaimed, trying to hold back the river of sadness that threatened to drown her. 

"Goodbye, sister," Squirrelflight meowed.

"Goodbye."

Squirrelflight crossed into ThunderClan territory, and soon Leafpool lost sight of her sister's ginger pelt among the tall, dark trees. 

Leafpool trudged back to her nest, disappointed and alone. Crowfeather curled up beside her, trying his best to give his mate love and joy, but nothing could fill the hole in her heart.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who voted, but I've given up on tagging. IT DOESN'T WORK RIGHT!!! UGH!!!!! If you voted, you know who you are. Feel free to say "you're welcome" in the comments or something, and it wouldn't hurt if you voted again.... Thx!

This chapter is a bit late. I apologize for the delay, but the New York State Testing, stuff with the joint account, and a new story idea have kind of slowed me down. 

I won't spoil it for whether or not Squirrelflight will be back. The kits will arrive very soon, so Leafpool will have something to occupy her time so she doesn't get to depressed.

Should Leafpool be depressed? Plz vote in the comments. This will affect my decisions for the sequel, and what to do with it. First ever Warriors suicide? Some Dark Forest stuff? Mapleshade? (I love Mapleshade, and she might make an appearance in the second book...)

I am so close to the finish, and I am very excited to write the sequel. No spoilers yet. ;) I am very excited to write the sequel, and this book will probably be done before the end of June... no guarantees. I still have end of the year tests to worry about, and my birthday. It's June 8th. :) 

Thx to all of my readers! 1,481 reads is a LOT!! I love you all!

Well, that was a word blob. Are you curious about the sequel yet?