Riverstone's Betrayal

Eight

 As two moons passed, Riverpaw grew closer to the cats in BoaClan. Though a bit awkward at first, she slowly grew more confident in talking to them, and eventually could carry on a long-winded conversation. She loved talking to cats like Pythonpaw, a sweet, ever-worried little she-cat who was somehow four moons older than her, Juniperfur, the funny and happy heavyset tawny she-cat she'd seen in the medicine den on her first night there, and Dandelionleaf, the sarcastic jokester of an elder that looked young enough to be a senior warrior.

Most importantly, however, she loved talking to and growing closer to Nightpaw. He visited her every night and they'd sit at the entrance beside a sleeping Eveningblossom, conversing over multiple topics. She grew closer to him through the long nights, and often found herself looking at him like she never had before. She wasn't sure why, but she knew something had changed between them.

The night before she left, she talked to Nightpaw one final time. The night was awfully still, a strange shift from their usual banter. In the silence they sat, speaking without words.

It was Nightpaw who broke the silence. "Hey, Riverpaw?"

"Mhm?"

"Do you think of me as anything other than a friend?"

"Do you?" Riverpaw shifted awkwardly, unsure how to answer.

"I do. I wish we could be more, but..."

Silence. Riverpaw calculated a response, staring at the stars without breaking her gaze despite Nightpaw now watching her.

"Maybe we could."

"What? Of course we can't. That's forbidden."

"Our Clans are allied. If we're together, we can strengthen the bond. The Alliance can't deny that."

"You think so?"

"I know so." Riverpaw fixed her gaze on Nightpaw. "StarClan willing."

"For the Alliance?"

"For the Alliance."

Nightpaw grinned and wrapped his tail around Riverpaw's. He turned his eyes back to the sky, watching it happily. Riverpaw, too, returned her gaze to the sky, watching a new pair of stars peek through the thin cloud cover in the night.

Riverpaw was given a warm, friendly farewell from most every warrior that had survived the attack on ViperClan that morning. She was excited to return to her home and would miss the warriors of BoaClan, but she was also a bit nervous about her return. What if her Clanmates were angry at her?

She felt the nerves of return gnawing at her belly as she walked alongside Scarletclaw. She kept her gaze on her paws during most of the walk, even as Scarletclaw turned her head to study Riverpaw's expression with curious icy blue eyes.

"Riverpaw?" Scarletclaw asked as she paced alongside the smaller she-cat. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah... it's just..." Riverpaw looked up at Scarletclaw. "What if my Clanmates don't welcome me back, or they forgot about me?"

"Forget about you? With cats like Viperpaw and Lakegleam in your Clan? Of course they'll be happy to see you. You're a strong apprentice and will make a strong warrior."

Riverpaw smiled nervously, returning her gaze to her paws. "If you say so. I guess I'm just overreacting."

"You'll be fine. Don't worry."

Scarletclaw led her across the Cobra-Boa border, towards camp. "We'll be there in a few moments. Are you fine going alone?"

"I am, but... could you come along?"