Scarlet River P4

        Mossball was...a lot of fun. River was uncertain at first, following Echokit across the clearing to where Stonekit sat waiting, his ears twitching with slight unease. Seeing his sister hopping along cheerfully seemed to calm him, however River could feel his cautiousness throughout the entire game. Still, he played, and his tone was always friendly as he explained the rules. Echokit ducked into the nursery and came out with a round, hard-pressed ball of moss. It had clearly been used many times.

        “I got this from Deeplake! Sis says it’s the best one in her moss pile!”

        “I don’t think there is such a thing as a ‘best ball of moss’, Echo.” Stonekit meowed. “It’s all just moss.”

       “Well moss this!” Echokit hooked the ball with a claw and flung it across the clearing.

       Stonekit immediately darted away, jumping to catch the moss as it flew. He landed on three paws and twirled, flinging it back at his sister. Echokit dove to catch it, sending it whizzing back to Stonekit, who returned. The game went on like this for a while, the ball never touching the ground, and River watched, mind far away, thinking of what she was going to do.

        “This one’s yours, River!”

        River looked up at the sound of her name, and with no room to react, she could do nothing as the mossball smacked her in the face. She stumbled back, bewildered, and involuntarily swung at the air in front of her. It took her a moment to gather her wits, at which point she realized Echokit was on the floor, laughing, and Stonekit was trying to hide a chuckle.

        “You’re supposed to catch it with your paws, River!” Echokit giggled.

        River stared at the two, cheeks hot with embarrassment and irritation. She swallowed.

        “Well…catch this!” She hooked the mossball and flung it up into the air with far too much force and no aim. The ball careened off to the side and hit a passing warrior in the head. River’s eyes widened, fur standing on end. “I-I didn’t mean-“

        As the warrior turned, River recognized him as the black tom that had stood in her way near the entrance. He grinned, shaking his head.

        “It’s no biggy, ‘paw.” He flung the moss ball back to her easily.

        River stared at the tom. She had been prepared for the warrior to leap at her in anger. His nonchalant nature completely threw her off, and she didn’t even notice the moss ball roll to a stop at her paws.

        “Thanks Blackpool!” Echokit called after the warrior as he padded away. The black tom waved his tail, and Echokit turned back to River. “Wanna try that throw again, Riv?”

        River didn’t respond. She looked at the moss ball for a few long moments. Scooping it up, she tossed it to Echokit as she meowed,

        “Don’t call me Riv, okay?”

        “Why not?” Echokit jumped to catch the ball.

        “Just...don’t.” River murmured.

        “...You okay?” Stonekit meowed hesitantly.

        “Fine. Let’s keep playing.” the brown, silver-striped she-cat mewed. Echokit tossed the mossball again.

Clan cats… are so weird… River thought, and smiled when she caught the ball.

        Deeplake returned that afternoon, but River was preoccupied with the two littermates. They played with the mossball for hours, until finally River could feel her chest aching as she breathed, and she was forced to lay down and rest. The two continued playing without her, so she fell asleep to the sound of their laughter.  When she awoke, Echokit immediately wanted to talk, so she sat quietly, resigning herself to listen to the she-cat’s rambling. Stonekit threw in a word or two, but River could tell he didn’t normally contribute much. Somewhere in her rant, Echokit decided to give River a tour of the camp, so they naturally started with the nursery.

        There were three queens in the nursery, two nursing kits, and the other awaiting hers. The two sibling's mother, Leafheart, was kind and soft spoken, and simply purred happily when her kits brought River over to meet her. Leafheart was a tabby ginger-brown she cat with bright blue eyes.

        “I’m glad they found someone else their age. The kits here are still too young to keep up with them, and the older cats all have duties. They get bored, which means I deal with their mischief.” She winked at River, who could say nothing in return.

        The other queen with kits, a silver-striped she-cat with icy blue eyes, did not say anything, and regarded River with cold suspicion. River was instantly wary under the watchful gaze of the silver queen, but Stonekit assured her that the queen, Icepelt, was simply protective of her kits, Rainkit and Pinekit, who had barely opened their eyes. The final queen was Swiftflight, a lean she-cat with light brown fur. She dipped her head to River, but said nothing.

        Leaving the nursery, the three ventured over to the warriors den, and with a peak inside, River marveled at the many mossy nests. There were a few sleeping cats here and there, so the three did not go inside. Instead, they continued to the fresh-kill pile, the elders den, and the apprentice den, where Echokit stopped and puffed out her chest.

        “We’ll be sleeping here within a week or two! Our apprentice ceremony is just around the corner! See, when a clan cat turns six moons old, that means they can start their training! You could choose to be a medicine cat, but that’s such a boring job, I don’t know why Deeplake decided to do it.”

        “She did it because without a medicine cat any clan would fall apart.” Stonekit meowed, flicking his sister’s ear with his tail. Echokit waved him away.

        “You can tell my brother is certainly boring enough to be a medicine cat.” Echokit snickered, and Stonekit pushed her over with a bump from his shoulder.

        “Realistic isn’t the same as boring, sis.”

        “What about you?” Echokit meowed, looking at River. “Would you want to be a warrior or a medicine cat?”

        River flattened her ears.

        “Neither.”

        “Boo, that’s no fun! Why neither?”

        “If warriors fight all the time, then I don’t want to be a warrior...and I doubt I’m fit to be a medicine cat.” the brown she-cat mewed, looking away.

        “They don’t fight all the time. They fight when their clan needs them.” Stonekit said, fixing River with his deep blue eyes. “A warrior’s job is to protect.”

        “To fight and protect can require one to kill.” River responded, and the tom’s eyes narrowed.

        “Killing is against the warrior code… there are other ways to defeat an enemy.”

        “Aren’t you noble.” River looked away, her tail lashed once and Stonekit scoffed in exasperation. Echokit’s gaze flicked back and forth between the two.

        “Wanna play another round of catch?” the tortoiseshell asked cheerfully.

        River stood, turning back toward the medicine den.

        “I need to rest.”

        “Alright! We’ll hang out again tomorrow!” Echokit called after her as she walked away.

        River pushed past the lichen, surprised to find Deeplake had returned.

        “I’ve been back for a while. I’m glad you’ve met my sister, although that’s a bit inevitable with her personality, isn’t it?”

        River simply laid down on the moss nest and closed her eyes. She was tired of hearing cats talking, a side effect of so much time alone she supposed. I used to love hearing Cloud’s voice as I fell asleep...he’d be talking to Emi or Dusk and I’d...I’d…

        She shifted, paws tucked under her chin. I’ll find them. When my strength is back, I’ll go alone. I may stand no chance...but I’m tired of searching for help, of doing nothing. This is what I need to do.

        Her thoughts drifted away.

        Once again, when River opened her eyes, she found herself in the Greenleaf place with Forerunner padding toward her. The she-cat’s transparent pelt rippled with light, and her expression was neutral. Still, River felt a strange sense of urgency from the she-cat.

        “Have you made a decision?”

        “Yes.”

        “I see.” The she-cat’s blue eyes shifted, a hint of concern flickering through. “This is a mission you must embark upon...however it would be unwise to go alone...and to go before you are ready.”

        “I’m never going to be ready, Forerunner.” River laughed bitterly, “And no one will help me! I’ve been asking for help for a moon, now...it’s time I try to help on my own.”

        “But you realize that alone, there is little chance for success.”

        “What else do I do?!”

        “The clan may not be able to help you, but there are cats who will...I have been with you for a long time, River. I wish you all the best.”

        The ancestor turned, and River’s vision faded once again.

        During her stay, River spent most of her time with Stonekit and Echokit. Echokit loved to bombard her with questions about where she came from and what the world outside of Thunderclan was like. The she-cat was persistent, and River found herself enjoying the tortoiseshell’s company more and more despite herself. The same went for Stonekit, despite some tension between them. The tom obviously had little trust for the outsider, and River could hardly blame him. Still as days passed, the two did talk at times, and River felt less put off by his caution. The three played many games, often going until they were too tired to move, then huddling together to talk over some fresh-kill. For the first time in a long time, River felt as though she were an actual kit. She could tumble and play without having to worry, and during games this is often what happened. She forgot about the few in the clan who looked at her with suspicion. She even managed to forget her looming mission at times, allowing herself to simply enjoy the littermates’ company.

        Still, there were other moments...moments when River withdrew to her nest and tried hard to picture that perfectly silent void.  At times like those, even Echokit’s cheerful attitude couldn’t penetrate the she-cat’s wall. River always regretted snapping at her friend, but sometimes she couldn’t help it. Her perpetual happiness was something the brown kit just didn’t understand, and although it could be encouraging, it was also irritating. Echokit loved to talk about past leaders and famous members of the clan, sharing everything she had heard from the elders. Stonekit explained more about the clans and how they worked. The more she learned, the more River found herself growing envious of clan life. The cats here seemed to have everything: friendship and loyalty, an honorable code to live by, support from clanmates, food, shelter, powerful ancestors…

        However, River remained wary of what the tom told her. She had been given the pitch of perfect life before, and it had not turned out well...she wouldn’t be tricked again. Still, when she looked around the camp, it really did seem true. She saw cats sharing tongues, talking quietly. She saw warriors return with freshkill, and mentors taking their apprentices out to train. The elders seemed to live peacefully, despite their complaining, and everywhere she looked cats seemed...relaxed. It was still a tough leaf-bare, she could tell. There were no plumb bellies and a few shared worried words about the lack of prey, but they seemed to take comfort in their clan’s ability.

        On her seventh day with the clan, River woke and stretched. Deeplake was already awake, as always, and there was a half-piece of vole waiting.

        “Sorry I couldn’t get you a full piece. Hunting wasn’t very good this morning apparently.” Deeplake meowed, never turning from her herbs. She mumbled to herself as she pawed through them.

        River said nothing, gulping down the prey.

        “How do you feel?” Deeplake asked.

        “Pretty good.”

        “Some aching probably remains, but I’d say you’ve recovered quite well.”

        “Yeah…” River looked at her paws. It was true. She felt better than she had in awhile. Her fur was beginning to smooth again, and one could no longer see her ribcage through her pelt. Muscles were back and feeling strong, and yes, they still ached, but never very painfully anymore. It’s time to leave. A voice spoke from the back of her mind, but she pushed it away.

        Heading out into the clearing, she made her way to the nursery. Sunlight was already shining into the camp, however snow remained thick on the floor. She could tell that only a few cats had been out, as the blanket of snow lay relatively undisturbed.

        She poked her head through the entrance.

        “Hey, Echokit. Stonekit.” River whispered

        The two lifted their heads. “What are we doing today?”

        “You woke us up to ask us that?” Stonekit grumbled, and let his head fall back down. Echokit smiled and nudged her brother.

        “Come on! Our friend’s bored! You just gonna lie there?”

        “That’s exactly what I’m gonna do…” the tom mumbled.

        Echokit rolled her eyes and stood, pushing out into the clearing to sit next to River.        

        “Wow, look at the snow! I love it when it’s like this, almost like still water in a puddle, it’s so flat!”

        “Yeah, it’s pretty peaceful-”

        “Let’s wreck it!” Echokit charged forward, plowing through the snow.

        River couldn’t help but let out a laugh. Just like that, the perfect, peaceful snow was flung into the air, sparking in the sunlight. Echokit turned back, beaming at River. She trotted over, standing directly in front of the she-cat.

        “Ha. Ha. Ha. I’ve finally done it.” the tortoiseshell smirked in triumph.

        “Did what?”

        “You’ve been here for seven days. In that time I have successfully made you smile quite a few times, but this...this glorious moment is the first time I have heard you laugh.”

        River flattened her ears. After a moment of deliberation, she shrugged.

        “I didn’t laugh, though.”

        “Yes you did! Just now!”

        “Nope, not me. Must have been someone else.”

        “There’s no one else! It was you! It’s embedded in my memory, River!”

        “Perhaps it was a ghost.” River grinned, and Echokit finally seemed to catch on. With a playful growl, the she-cat pounced at the brown kit, and the two engaged in a game of tag through the snow, disturbing more and more of the white blanket until finally, they collapsed together, sides heaving with laughter, panting breaths steaming in the air.

        “Got you to laugh again.” Echokit giggled.

        “Still wasn’t me.” River meowed. Her heart was skipping happily as she stared up at the sky. I’m glad I could have this moment...before I leave…

        She closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of contentment and peace.

        “If you need help with anything, Stonekit and I would never abandon you.”

        River opened her eyes quickly. She sat up, looking over at her friend. Echokit’s golden eyes were shining.

        River felt the smile leave her face.

        “You’ve only known me for seven days, Echokit.”

        “The time doesn’t matter, River. I know how I feel. You’re one of the coolest friends I’ve had.”

        “I highly doubt that.”

        “Then you’re a mouse-brain.” Echokit raised her tail and flicked River playfully. “Come on, let’s go annoy Stonekit until he wakes up. He’s missing out on all the fun!”

        The small she-cat padded away toward the nursery, but River stayed where she was, watching her. Slowly, her eyes flicked to the leader’s den, then to the camp entrance.

        I just need one more day.

        The brown she-cat stood and followed Echokit into the den.