Omen of the Sun Book Two: Snowfall ✅

Chapter Fifteen

Sunpaw rushed over to Cinderpaw. "Cinderpaw! You're alive!" She gasped, forgetting momentarily to be quiet. Cinderpaw looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean 'I'm alive'? Of course I'm alive! Why wouldn't I be?"

Sunpaw stared at Cinderpaw. "Don't you remember? You've had the worst case of greencough ever- maybe even blackcough. Don't you remember when Lightningfeather and I came to see you?"

Cinderpaw furrowed her brow, thinking. "I- I don't know," she admitted. "I think-"

She swayed on the spot. Sunpaw realized in a flash that she couldn't be fully healed- that would take time. "Just lie down," she meowed. "Rest."

"Sunpaw, where is Lightningfeather?" Cinderpaw mumbled. Sunpaw sighed. "He'll come see you in the morning. Just go to sleep, alright?"

Cinderpaw answered with a raspy snore and Sunpaw backed out of the den.

~*~

The next morning, Silverstar called a meeting. "All cats old enough to climb Sky Tree gather beneath the Rock Pile for a Clan meeting!"

Sunpaw sleepily pulled herself out of her nest and padded out of the den, ignoring Moonpaw's gaze on her back. She sat down in the clearing, the weak dawn light lighting the sky. She ignored the rumbling of her belly and watched Silverstar.

"Featherpelt has told me that Frostpaw and Cinderpaw both woke up much better today, for reasons unknown. He has consented to tell me that they will be ready to go back to training in a few days."

The assembled cats let out a cheer. "Frostpaw! Cinderpaw!"

Sunpaw cheered along, thinking, It was me who healed them.

"That is all," Silverstar mewed, hopping down from the Rock Pile. "No!" Someone called. Applefoot. The name sent a bolt of hatred down Sunpaw's spine. "I have news," The silver tabby she cat heaved herself up onto the Rock Pile. Sunpaw looked at her, and saw she looked... bulky. Like she'd been eating a lot of prey.

"It has come to my attention," Applefoot announced formally. Sunpaw rolled her eyes. She is so full of it, Sunpaw thought. "That I am expecting kits," Applefoot finished.

That was something Sunpaw didn't expect.

~*~

"What in the name of StarClan, Goldleaf?!" Sunpaw raged. After Applefoot had made her world-stopping announcement, Whietswirl had gotten onto the Rock Pile and announced that his surviving kits had been named- the she cat Poppykit and the tom Pidgeonkit. Sunpaw had been sent off by Skypelt to do a hunting assessment, and Goldleaf had found her.

"I didn't know she was expecting kits!" Goldleaf protested. Sunpaw rolled her eyes. "Sure. Because, as her mate, she totally wouldn't tell you that she was expecting your kits!" 

"Actually, she didn't, Sunpaw. And I-"

Sunpaw cut him off. Anger boiled in her. She couldn't believe that, when she had just started to trust him again, Goldleaf had gone and betrayed her. "Remember Moonpaw?" She shouted. "Remember her? Remember how you loved her? And then she died? Guess who killed her?! APPLEFOOT!"

In a flash, Goldleaf had her pinned to the forest floor, his face inches from hers, his paw pushing down on her chest. "Don't go there," he snarled. "Don't. Leave Moonpaw out of this."

Sunpaw slapped his paw off her chest and wriggled out of his grip, leaping back to her paws. "I will not! You loved her Goldleaf. Or at least, you thought you did. And Applefoot saw that, got jealous, and killed her. Do you hear me?! She. Killed. Her."

"Don't you think I know that?!" Goldleaf bellowed. "I know that she killed her. And I'm her mate anyway. And do you want to know why? Huh? DO YOU?!"

Secretly, Sunpaw was a little afraid of Goldleaf. She stared at him, seething in anger, and was almost knocked off her paws by the powerful waves of emotion coming off him. Anger, resentment, and something else she didn't recognize.

"Not really!" She growled, but Goldleaf answered anyway. "For you, you idiot! I'm her mate for you. To protect you. I don't love Applefoot. I love you!"

With that, he turned and ran into the depths of the forest. Sunpaw didn't follow. He- he said...

She did the only thing she could think of. She went into lockdown mode, pushed Goldleaf's confession to the back of her mind, and continued hunting.

OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WRITING THIS CHAPTER WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So that's why Goldleaf is mates with Applefoot. Why he'll be a father soon... >:)

Ummmmm.... what to say. Oh yeah! Duh! Cinderpaw and Frostpaw will be back to training soon! Yay! Happy!

:D

~Rainfeather