LostHope's Path

Chapter 6

    Lostpaw felt a storm of emotions begin to roar its never-ending cry as she numbly followed Thrushpaw into the medicine cat's den.

Fawnkit needed to be okay! Lostpaw had sacrificed so much already, her paw, her happiness, probably her sanity... Fawnkit didn't need to join the ranks of Lostpaw's "reasons why I hate life" list.

   A tangled mash of pelts were weaved around Fawnkit's nest. Frozendrop's cries mingled with     Fawnkit's gentle mew. Wait... Fawnkit...

Fawnkit's mew...

 She's alive! 

Lostpaw let out a little screechy sound of happiness, trying to barrel into the cats surrounding Fawnkit. She had been so worried her sister was going to die. Lostpaw knew StarClan was just some dumb elder's tale, so if Fawnkit died, Fawnkit died. Lucky that didn't happen though! 

Thunderpaw bounced around on his toes. Fawnkit and Thunderpaw had had there ups and downs, but Fawnkit was friends with everybody. Literally, probably literally everybody! Lostpaw felt like half the Clan was squished around her sister.

Suddenly Frozendrop's howl slashed through the voices. "What do you mean! Of course you know me! I'm your mother!" 

Wait... was Frozendrop saying that to Fawnkit? Couldn't be! Lostpaw shook her head, then hurtled into the crowd, tumbling next to her sister, upright in the bed. Fawnkit's light fur was fluffed and perfect, her eyes shone like moons. Lostpaw felt weirdly self-conscious with the whole clan staring at pretty Fawnkit and, well, er, scary Lostpaw.

"Fawnkit! Fawnkit!" Lostpaw shrieked. She just couldn't contain herself anymore! "You're alive."

"Uhm, well, yeah, I am..." Fawnkit stared blankly at Lostpaw, then smiled awkwardly.

"I'm sorry. . . but, uh, who are you?" Fawnkit said.

What?!? Well, I'm your SISTER!? Uh, duh! "Oh! Very funny, Fawnkit." Lostpaw laughed frantically. 

"I wasn't trying to be, idiot!" snapped her sister suddenly. 

Lostpaw's intestines shriveled up in shock.

"Fawnkit...?" An unfamiliar cat meowed from the crowd.

Fawnkit turned and hissed. "I'm SORRY. But I don't know who any of you are, much less who I am! And," She snarled at Lostpaw, "I'm sure I'm not related to some cripple. So shut up!"

Lostpaw blinked and every cat in the cramped den turned to stare at the sisters. She turned her back to Fawnkit and shouldered her way back though the cats, her remaining paws numb with shock and the snow in the ShadowClan camp clearing.

Sets of paws scuffled and slid across the wet frost. 

"Lostpaw," Thrushpaw squeaked from behind her. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know that Fawnkit was..."

A million wintery screenshots poured through Lostpaw's memory, Fawnkit falling, Thrushpaw's dare...

Thrushpaw's dare! "Dare you to climb to the top of the tree..." It was ALL Thrushpaw's fault!

Lostpaw turned and faced Thrushpaw, hatred blazing shamelessly in her eyes. "Go away, Thrushpaw!" Lostpaw screamed. "It's all your fault! The dare, everything! Fawnkit would still remember, I'd still have my paw, and you don't even care!"

Thrushpaw flattened his ears, crouching. "How dare you? I didn't know this would all happen, and it's NOT my FAULT!" He hollered into the sky.

Lostpaw let her claws sink into the ground, preparing to leap away any second now. All she did was stare at him in utter regret. 

"And ser-i-ous-lyy..." Thrushpaw yawned and shrugged. Like it was no big deal Lostpaw's sister didn't even know who she was. Like Fawnkit was just going through a brain-malufunction. 

Then Thrushpaw said, "I was her friend too, y'know!" 

She couldn't take it anymore. Rage roared through her body like a tsunami, and all kindness was forgotton as she leaped, snarling, straight at Thrushpaw, claws unsheathed.

He yelped in surprise. "Lostpaw! What the heck?!" He squeaked again and again as Lostpaw hissed and fought, held back by a very bewildered Thunderpaw.

"Thunderbutt, let me go!" panted Lostpaw, her tiny body dangling in Thunderpaw's jaws. Lostpaw squirmed and shot free, rolling Thrushpaw under her.

Thrushpaw stared at her in alarm, his pretty mahogany eyes wide. He fears me now. She snarled.

"You didn't just lose a friend," Lostpaw breathed. "I lost a sister."