Flamepaw's Quest

Chapter 29

            Flamepaw's eyes slowly opened to find another sunny day. It had been nearly seven sunrises since they'd begun their journey home, and Flamepaw knew they'd be arriving back at RiverClan any day. In fact, if all went well today, they'd reach Mothermouth by the afternoon.
            Flamepaw was excited by this idea, but also frightened. She still wasn't sure how it would feel to return home after being gone so long. Plus, she'd have to make up missed training, suffer consequences from her parents from sneaking away, and so forth...She guessed she hadn't thought about that until now.
            But Barkpaw seemed to keep her spirits up, and she would be excited to begin training with him upon their arrival back in RiverClan. She'd also be glad to have Neko and Runningkit join the clan as official warriors. Korosu may still have been a threat, but Flamepaw saw a lot of good coming for RiverClan with the addition of clan members.
            Flamepaw didn't want to rise, but the hot sun caused her to stir. She stood up and padded to the small stream they'd camped beside. A slow and small trickle of water was flowing, nearly dried up from the hot green-leaf season, but she managed to get a pleasant drink before settling herself back down beside the others.
            Noticing Goldstar's absence, Flamepaw was about to panic and wake the others when the golden she-cat came into camp with a fairly large rabbit in her jaws, as well as a fresh robin. She set her prey down, and before doing anything else, she let out a yowl.
            "RIVERCLAN WARRIORS, RISE!" she shouted.
            The other cats begin to stir and groan, not wanting to use their sore muscles again on a long journey. But Goldstar was adamant, repeatedly shouting and poking the sleeping warriors. Soon, they were all risen, barely awake.
            "I'm glad Flamepaw was awake," Goldstar noted. "She seems to know when a RiverClan warrior rises."
            Flamepaw blushed, glad to be praised by Goldstar. She'd really grown toward the golden she-cat on the quest. It was no wonder her mother always spoke so highly of her.
            " 'A RiverClan warrior knows when to rise'," Barkpaw mocked Goldstar as he took a bite from the robin that had been split between Flamepaw, Barkpaw, Neko, and Rosepettle. It was a small amount of food, but Flamepaw knew they didn't have time to fill their bellies. Besides, there would be a nice pile of fresh-kill back at home.
            Flamepaw giggled at Barkpaw's comment, then shushed him.
            "Sh, maybe she'll kick you out of the clan," Flamepaw whispered.
            "She hasn't even accepted me into the clan," Barkpaw pointed out, taking another bite.
            "Hey, save some for us!" Neko snapped.
            Rosepettle rolled her eyes. "Still not used to that half-empty feeling your stomach?"
            Neko turned red. "Hey, I'm not a chubby kittypet anymore!" he argued. "I'm a warrior!" he exclaimed, puffing out his chest.
            "Who couldn't wake up in time," Barkpaw muttered, causing him and Flamepaw to snicker in laughter. Even Rosepettle joined in, and Neko blushed, embarrassed, deciding not to speak about his apparent warriorhood any longer.
            "Are we ready to head out?" Goldstar asked.
            The other cats seemed content, and so, they began their journey through the woods. Flamepaw of course trotted beside Barkpaw, admiring the crisp green colors of the trees. Birds chirped nearby, and she could detect the low buzz of cicadas. If only green-leaf wasn't so hot...
            Thankfully today, their path brought them under the shade of the trees, and the temperature had dropped over the past few days. Flamepaw knew it was still a little while until leaf-fall, but she also knew that green-leaf tended to consist of extremely hot and warm days. Perhaps there would even be a little rain soon.
            "Please tell me it's not too hot in RiverClan," Barkpaw moaned, apparently suffering from the heat.
            "You're forgetting there's a nice river for us to swim in," Flamepaw pointed out.
            Beside her, Rosepettle purred. "I can't wait to dip my paws into that river again!" she exclaimed.
            "The river tends to dry some in green-leaf," Goldstar reminded them.
            Flamepaw sighed, knowing she was right. She supposed that when she returned, the river would not be as full as when she had first begun fishing with Dusktail. Would that affect her training? She hoped not.
            My training will be affected anyway, she thought, seeing as how she'd been gone over a moon, nearly two, she guessed.
            "Keep up!" Goldstar snapped, seeing the others falling behind.
            Flamepaw obeyed her orders, quickening her pace. Barkpaw hesitated but did the same, keeping up with his new leader. Snowheart trotted alongside Goldstar, chatting eagerly about wanting to see RiverClan again. Flamepaw watched as Runningkit listened intently, and she supposed this would be his first time experiencing RiverClan again too. After all, he'd been kitnapped at a fairly young age. He probably didn't remember the clan at all.
            Not able to resist herself, Flamepaw spoke up to Goldstar. "How will Mountainheart react to your return?"
            Goldstar shrugged. "He's a good deputy, and though he'll be angry, I don't think of him as a power-hungry tyrant. Mothwing does not know of our survival, but I'm sure he'll be thrilled to end his temporary leadership."
            "Survival? Mothwing?" Barkpaw wondered.
            "Uh, well, we kind of leapt off a cliff last time we saw Mothwing, our medicine cat. She returned to RiverClan."
            "Serves her right. You seriously jumped off a cliff?" Barkpaw wondered.
            Flamepaw nodded. "By some miracle of StarClan, we survived. I hope Mothwing doesn't think we're all dead though..."
            "Are you good friends with her?" Barkpaw asked.
            Flamepaw nodded. She noticed he seemed to be wincing a little as she mentioned to him all their memories of friendship as kits and apprentices.
            "Everything okay?" she asked.
            Barkpaw sighed. "My sister, Snowpaw, was medicine cat apprentice. I guess when you talk about how she wanted to become medicine cat, I just think of her...Sorry, I need to let go of LightningClan. It's just hard."
            "Hey, you don't know she's dead for sure. LightningClan may have ended, but you can still hold onto it."
            "She's dead. I know she is. And Fernpaw too," Barkpaw argued.
            Flamepaw didn't want to argue with him any more on the subject, so she remained silent, continuing to walk.
            For awhile, the group of cats trotted through the woods throughout the course of the day, stopping only for a drink of water or a bite to eat if their stomachs were growling so loudly that the others were getting annoyed.
            By mid-day, they were already marching uphill toward the tall mountainous hills that held Moonstone. Flamepaw was beginning to get excited, knowing she'd be able to see the entire forest from the cave. She'd be home tomorrow morning, maybe even tonight!
            The others were beginning to pant from exhaustion, their already sore muscles burning with each step. Flamepaw's muscles burned as well, but she kept on moving, knowing she'd be closer to her parents, her mentor, her training, her new life in RiverClan! All anxieties were not replaced by eagerness, and she even surpassed Goldstar in trotting up the hill.
            "Don't stray too far!" Goldstar called as Flamepaw began to leave her behind. "You don't know where you're going!"
            "I'll stay in sight!" Flamepaw promised, continuing to pad up the hill. They were coming closer to Mothermouth now. Flamepaw could see the blue light of Moonstone glowing from it in the distance. It would take them an hour or so at most to reach it.
            The sun was already going down, and Flamepaw sighed, guessing they'd probably camp out at Mothermouth cave for the night to rest up.
            She continued going, turning to see the others. They were still behind her, but she could no longer hear her conversation. Flamepaw continued, trees beginning to conceal her from the others. Realizing she should probably stop, she took a break and rested, waiting for the others to catch up.
            Meanwhile, she heard the crack of twigs and footsteps. Frozen in her tracks, Flamepaw glanced around, trying to make out whatever was lingering through the woods.
            "Goldstar?" she asked, standing up and looking around.
            She turned, still seeing the cats trotting up the hill. The footsteps came to a cease, and Flamepaw held her breath. Who was here?
            As soon as Goldstar touched the top of the hill alongside Flamepaw, bushes rattled. Flamepaw tensed, noticing how Goldstar didn't even seem to notice anything wrong. Suddenly, Mothwing burst out of the bushes, a small brown she-cat by her side.
            "Goldstar!" Mothwing gasped.
            The she-cat's eyes were bloodshot, as if she'd been sleep-deprived. She looked anxious, worried, fearful. Flamepaw knew immediately that something wasn't right.
            "Mothwing," Flamepaw began, but Mothwing shoved past her.
            "Something's happened," she gasped, out of breath.
            The others all gazed at Mothwing with suspicion, awaiting to hear the dreadful news that Mothwing had yet to bestow upon them.