Diverging Paths (Warrior Cats Fanfiction)

Chapter 17

Early in the morning, orange and yellow light scattered itself through the forest and illuminated the camp in strained bits of spotty light, favoring one side over the other due to the angle. Highwings stretched beside her apprentice and watched as Murmuringsoil talked in a fast, low voice with Scatterstar about who would comprise the patrols of the day. The young warrior made sure to keep herself close to Whirlpaw, and he to her. Though she knew she could just walk up to the leader and deputy and tell them she wanted to train Whirlpaw, Highwings thought maybe she could convey, just with body language, that she and Whirlpaw were planning on training. It was a weird, complex, and unnecessary gamble; but wasn't that what the entirety of the social arena was like?

Well, usually it was better than what they had now. Everyone in the Clan knew what had happened to Mellowsigh's litter, but no one wanted to talk about it. This in turn infuriated the queen, and completely obliterated what little relationships she had left with her siblings. Nimblereach, her brother, had already been distant from the moment it was revealed she had been with a rogue. Trudgestep and Trenchfall, however, had tried to lend her the benefit of the doubt. And now that it was widely believed she had let Scatterstar kill the rest of her litter just to name one kit after the forbidden father, even they had cut ties. Mellowsigh had no one left but her one-day-old kit.

Highwings felt lightheaded. It was so unbearable to try and comprehend, but it was also impossible to stop thinking about.

Doublepelt then walked up to them from their right. Whirlpaw heard him coming, but Highwings was so entrenched into her thoughts she jumped when he spoke. "Hey, you two."

Highwings gasped as she wheeled her head around. "Oh! Hey, Doublepelt...Wow, you scared me."

Doublepelt laughed. "Well, that wasn't on purpose, I assure you." The chimera tom, with his odd defined patterns and his multicolored eyes, seemed to be in a cheery mood as he sat down. "Just wanted to chat with you about the Gathering."

"Why not Hollowfortune?" Highwings remembered that her brother was a good friend of Doublepelt's, even if she didn't know the tom much herself.

"Eh, he's mad at me for waking him up, and now I think he's off somewhere with Archpounce," Doublepelt sighed with a shrug. Highwings frowned. Mad for waking him up? Hollowfortune? That...doesn't really sound like him.

"I thought Archpounce hated him!" Whirlpaw blurted.

This made Highwings narrow her eyes, but Doublepelt took it lightly with laughter. "No, no, no! They might not click, but they're still siblings." Doublepelt raised his eyes to Highwings, still a grin plastered on his face. Somehow, it gave off the wrong vibes to Highwings. "So, how're you feeling about the Gathering?"

"I don't know." Highwings shrugged. "We certainly have a lot to report, I guess. A new kit, new apprentice, new warriors..."

"New apprentice, that's me right?" Whirlpaw asked eagerly, snuggling up to her.

Highwings laughed. "That's right! They'll say your name at the Gathering."

The little gray tom inhaled sharply. "Ohhh, I don't know if I can handle it. What if it's embarrassing? How many cats are there?" His eyes darted between Doublepelt and Highwings.

"A lot," Highwings huffed, shrugging. "But don't worry, you'll probably be forgotten next Gathering anyway."

"Awh. Now that's pointless," he complained.

"Well, make up your mind. Do you want to be remembered or not?" the warrior snorted. She was interrupted abruptly when Spotkit and Mumblekit barreled into her. The five-moon-old kits nearly knocked her over as they rolled around tussling, and she glared at them as they regained posture, scrambling to their feet once they realized they had bumped into someone.