The Whispering Storm || A Warrior Cats Fanfiction

| chapter twenty four

I've bet we all have come across a time when we've reunited with an old friend or family member after years or months. Seeing them again after so long makes you happy and excited and when you still get along even after not speaking to each other, it's even better. When you don't expect them to show up or you run into them again, I bet your heart skips a beat at the sight of them. You may hug or shake hands, but you're happy to see they're alive and well.

Then the time comes for them to leave, and you know you won't be seeing them for a while. You part ways and watch as they leave, waving them goodbye and then pondering how much time has to pass before you can see them again. Thing is, you don't know if and how they change, so when you run into them again, they could be a complete stranger to you. Depending on the person, they'll either wonder what happened or they try bringing them back so they can have fun together once again.

So does that mean we have to treat every goodbye like it's the last?

X X X

There was a moment of silence. It felt strange and unnatural like they were grieving the loss of a fellow warrior. Instead, each cat in the blood-stained camp shared the same, undeniable expression: bewilderment. Even Ashstar and Aspenstar were silent, faces unreadable through their masks of blood. The gray she-cat was sprawled across the ground, face frozen in a merciless laugh.

Shatteredstar's lips were curled back, jaws hanging open in a laugh. Her eyes lost all their color and they stared at the sky. Pelt mattered with blood, the rogue's spirit rose from her ruined body, finally free. Mothpaw wondered where the she-cat had gone. Did she open her eyes to stars and a misty forest? Or did she find herself stuck in a darkened forest, one where thorns pricked her sides and the metallic scent of blood clogged the air? Those questions remained unknown, and they would never be answered.

Aspenstar was first to move. She turned toward Clearwhisker's direction and lowered her head, showing her gratitude. "Clearwhisker, thank you for standing your ground against her. She wouldn't have fallen if you hadn't stepped in and fought. I'm proud to call you my deputy."

I think those are the first words of gratitude I've heard from her, Mothpaw noted.

The deputy shook her head and lashed her tail. Cats around her scrambled to hold her down, careful not to worsen her injuries. The white she-cat, on the ground, faced her leader boldly. "There isn't any need to thank me, Aspenstar. I would die nine times over to protect CinderClan, and I would put my life in front of my clanmates any day."

"Don't think about leaving me," the leader snarled, unleashing her claws. "I still need you to protect the Clan. If you die early, I will hunt you down in StarClan and drag your spirit back into your body."

Clearwhisker smirked, letting out a soft laugh. CinderClan glanced at each other, their hope refreshing one another. "I'll look forward to that day, but I'll do everything in my power to make sure that day never happens."

"I hate to break up this happy conversation," Speckleflash interpreted, butting in on the CinderClan leader and deputy. The two looked slightly annoyed but neither said a word. The cream warrior turned toward Shatteredstar's remains, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the mutilated corpse. "But did anyone find Deerleaf and her troublesome gang?"

Ashstar shook his head. "My daughter won't back away from a fight. If she wasn't here, then that means she found something else. I have a feeling these rogues aren't the same ones that Deerleaf chased after."