“Over here,” I meow. “Lay that branch like that…yes. Good job."
Several seasons have passed since the Dark Forest invaded the homes of the Clans. Life has resumed at its normal pace, minus the fact that countless lives have been lost. Mousefur, Hollyleaf, Sorreltail, Foxleap…even Firestar, prophesized to save the Clans. Blackstar of ShadowClan had lost his ninth life. Redwillow, a traitor, had also died. ThunderClan was lucky. We mourned the least for our fallen warriors.
Now, it's greenleaf again. The graves of the dead have all been buried together on the Gathering Island, a reminder that no matter how different the Clans were, they had united to defeat a common enemy. The prey eventually returned, but not after more deaths of starvation in leaf-bare. At a Gathering several moons ago, I had heard that WindClan suffered most acutely due to lack of food. I knew how little prey they had anyways, of course. In the Dark Battle, me and Molepelt, Molepaw at the time, were the ThunderClan messengers.
“Thanks.” Lilyfeather, my former apprentice, swipes her tongue around her jaws. “Ugh, wood tastes horrible.”
I purr. “That’s why I made you do it.”
“Cherrystorm! Lilyfeather!” Seedwhisker comes bounding over a rise. We had been patching up the hole to the tunnels that had flooded. “Come quickly!"
Lilyfeather turns. “What is it, sister?"
Seedwhisker gasps for breath. She ran here without stopping, I think.
“The snake,” she pants. My heart freezes in my chest.
“Which snake?” Lilyfeather demands.
Sandstorm clambers over the same hill more slowly. “The same that killed Honeyfern.”
My mother’s sister! “Is it in the hollow?” I’ve heard so much about her! How she died saving Briarlight…but she was a new warrior back then! Briarlight was a kit!
“Yes,” Seedwhisker mews more normally. “It’s bitten some cat, hurry!” She whips around and races back through the oak woods. “Follow me!”
“Come on, Lilyfeather,” I meow. “We’re done here anyways. Somebody needs our help!”
My moans echo across the camp. “How much longer?” I ask plaintively. “It hurts.”
“Not much,” she promises. She rolls me a berry. “I promise.”
RiverClan’s camp was overrun. My mother and sister lost their lives. My mate, Mossyfoot, lost her life. My kits. My family. All of them.
“Rushtail, I know you’re grieving.” Willowshine sorts borage leaves. I’ve eaten a bad mouse and am lying in a nest, my belly paralyzed with pain. “But it’s nearly leaf-fall and you need to move on. You stay in camp. To many cats, you’re like a deadweight. You don’t even go to Gatherings.”
“No reason to,” I mutter. If she hears, she doesn’t respond, just keeps discarding dead leaves.
“Might want to,” she mews. “If too many cats want it, Reedstar may have no choice but to banish you from RiverClan.”
“I’m their Clanmate!” I protest, shocked.
She gazes at me. “I know.”
YOU ARE READING
Cherrystorm's Choice
AdventureAfter the warriors of the Dark Forest attacks, the Clans are left grieving. Now, it's been many moons, and ThunderClan thrives. It was only ever a Gathering. Harmless. Meant to talk and share news. But when Cherrystorm falls in love with a RiverCla...
