Erin Hunter - Twilight

Brambleclaw shook his head. “I’m sure this is where they wanted the Clans to be. Don’t start doubting them, Squirrelflight. We never thought settling into our new homes would be easy.”

“No, but I never thought it would be this difficult,” Squirrelflight murmured as she followed him back through the shadowed forest.

Though it was dark under the trees, a few rays of sun still reached into the stone hollow, staining the clearing with blood-red light. Squirrelflight suppressed a shiver and wondered if a medicine cat would think that was a sign from StarClan.

As soon as she entered the camp, she could tell the whole Clan had noticed Leafpool’s disappearance. Ferncloud and Dustpelt were crouched beside the fresh-kill pile, their heads close together. Brackenfur, Ashfur, and their two apprentices were in an anxious huddle outside the apprentices’ den. The elders had emerged from their den underneath a twisted hazel bush, and just below the Highledge Firestar was speaking to Sandstorm, Cinderpelt, and Brightheart. Only Daisy’s kits hadn’t seemed to notice anything was wrong, scuffling happily together on the dusty ground outside the nursery.

Squirrelflight was aware of cats turning to look at her, their eyes burning into her fur as she crossed the clearing with Brambleclaw. She felt a ripple of hope go through her Clanmates like wind across grass, only to die away when they saw Leafpool wasn’t with them.

Firestar began to pad toward them, but it was Brightheart who reached them first. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” she meowed.

Her voice cracked with distress and her good eye was filled with guilt. “I wasn’t trying to take her place. Leafpool is our medicine cat, just like Cinderpelt.”

“I’m sure she didn’t leave because of you,” Squirrelflight replied awkwardly. She knew quite well that Leafpool had been unhappy about the way Brightheart was taking over her medicine cat duties.

“What happened?” Firestar demanded, halting in front of his daughter. “What did you find out?”

“Did you find Leafpool?” Sandstorm added.

Other cats gathered around, echoing Sandstorm’s question. Some of them mentioned Crowfeather. Leafpool’s secret wasn’t a secret any longer. Cinderpelt must have been forced to tell her Clanmates everything she knew.

It was Brambleclaw who explained. “Her scent trail led into WindClan territory, so we went to visit their camp.”

Cinderpelt limped up just then, in time to hear Brambleclaw’s words. “Did you speak to her?”

Brambleclaw shook his head. “She wasn’t there. She and Crowfeather had already left the territory. We followed their trail with a couple of the WindClan cats, but we lost it in the hills. They’ve gone.”

“No!” Cinderpelt’s voice was a rough whisper; terrible fear dulled her eyes.

Firestar and Sandstorm moved closer together until their pelts brushed. “We’ve lost her,” Sandstorm mewed softly.

“The whole Clan has lost her,” Firestar meowed.

Squirrelflight wanted to wail out loud. Leafpool had lost so much too. She must have loved Crowfeather very much to give up everything for him.

Would I do that for Ashfur ? Squirrelflight wondered.

Somehow, she didn’t think she would.

For Brambleclaw?

She blinked, realizing that that was a question she couldn’t answer.

Leafpool paused at the top of a ridge, trying to ignore the ache in her paws as she turned to look back. The lake and the trees were long gone; all around her stretched fold after fold of unfamiliar hills. She opened her mouth, picking up the sharp scent of moorland grass and a hint of rabbit. The sun was going down, but there was no sign of any trees or bushes where she and Crowfeather could shelter for the night.

The WindClan warrior followed her up the slope and stood close beside her. Warmth crept back into Leafpool’s tired legs as she felt his pelt brush hers. This cat could still give her courage and hope when everything else seemed strange and frightening.

And what about everything you’ve left behind ? a small voice mewed inside her.

Leafpool tried to imagine what was happening in her Clan.

Firestar would be furious that she’d abandoned them without saying a word. Cinderpelt would have to find a new apprentice. Squirrelflight would miss her so much… A jolt of pain shook Leafpool, almost enough to make her turn her paws back toward the lake. But how could she go back now, when every cat knew what she had done, and that Crowfeather was with her?

Nothing mattered as long as she had Crowfeather. Her love for him tingled through her from ears to tail-tip; she had to keep on believing that her decision was the right one.

“Just a bit farther.” Crowfeather nosed her ear. “We need to find somewhere to sleep before it gets dark.”

“Okay.” Leafpool forced her paws to follow him along the ridge. They had been traveling all day, even though neither of them had gotten any sleep the previous night, and she felt more exhausted than she had ever been in her life.

Suddenly Crowfeather stopped and pointed down with his tail. “Look!”

When she caught up, Leafpool saw that just ahead the ground fell away into a rocky hollow. A tiny pool lay at the bottom, shaded by a couple of wind-scorched thorn trees.

“Thank StarClan!” she exclaimed. “Shelter and water.”

Summoning up her last scrap of energy, she bounded down the slope, paws slipping on the loose stones, until she could crouch beside the pool and lap from it. The memory of her last visit to the Moonpool flooded her mind.

Never again , the inner voice told her. You’re not a medicine cat anymore .

But that didn’t matter either, Leafpool reminded herself.

Spottedleaf had told her to follow her heart. She must be doing the right thing.

The gray-black warrior joined her beside the pool, peering into the water. “I can’t see any fish,” he commented.

His words reminded Leafpool how hungry she was. The only fresh-kill they’d had all day was a scrawny vole they had shared beside the stream not long after setting out. It seemed like moons ago now.

“You can catch us a rabbit in the morning,” she mewed, trying to ignore how faint the scent of rabbit had been.

“You’re good at hunting on moorland like this. You can teach me how too.”

“Sure. You’ll soon learn,” Crowfeather replied. “But I don’t think we need to wait till morning. There must be some sort of prey around here.”

He stood with his jaws wide, tasting the air. Leafpool stood beside him, ears standing straight, until she heard the sound of a tiny creature scuffling under the thorn trees. A heartbeat later she spotted a mouse and dropped into the hunter’s crouch. With a purr of satisfaction she pounced.

At the same moment a second mouse shot out of some dead leaves. Crowfeather grabbed it with one paw.

“There, what did I tell you?” he mewed, padding over to Leafpool so they could eat together.

They found a patch of sand between the roots of one of the stunted trees, sheltered from the wind by its twisting branches, and devoured the mice in a few famished gulps.

“You were right about the prey,” Leafpool murmured, swiping her tongue around her mouth. “I’m glad you’re here.

I would be so scared without you.”

“I’ll always look after you,” Crowfeather promised, resting his nose in her fur. “Tomorrow we’re bound to find somewhere better to live. After all, the Clans found the lake, and we don’t need such a big territory when it’s just the two of us.”