Flamepaw's Destination

Chapter 10

            Flamepaw was aroused by Barkpaw's gentle lick on her cheek. She slowly opened her eyes, watching the sunlight gleam off his striped pelt. His green eyes shone brightly in the sunlight, causing Flamepaw to purr in satisfaction.

            "Wake up, sleepyhead," Barkpaw murmured jokingly, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

            Flamepaw let out a quiet laugh and gently pushed him aside, her heart pounding each time he looked at her. She was glad she and Barkpaw had expressed their love for each other. But to think of the future...of them being mates...it had to be put off until the clan situation was solved. She couldn't have him entirely yet.

            It had been a few more days since the cats had taken off on their expedition, and Flamepaw still had no idea where Krait was leading them. She wasn't even sure what the objective was. Was it to look for that cat Jetfur that Tigerstripe kept mentioning? Was it to look for her kits? Flamepaw assumed the latter, but she had a feeling Tigerstripe thought otherwise.

            Meanwhile, there had been no interaction with RiverClan cats. Though Flamepaw had been disappointed, she knew this was better than lying around camp all day waiting for her clanmates to never appear. Still, a part of her wondered if maybe they had returned by now and this whole quest was just a waste of her and Barkpaw's time.

            Flamepaw had expressed these doubts to Barkpaw only the night prior, but he had calmly pushed them aside and let her know that this was their best option. Flamepaw just hoped that they'd hear some news about RiverClan soon. She was beginning to get impatient.

            She'd talked plenty with Krait already, asking her as much as she could, but the Siamese had not seen nor heard of the clan until Flamepaw had mentioned it. Apparently she and Tigerstripe had been traveling quite some time together and had not come across any new cats besides Flamepaw and Barkpaw.

            When Flamepaw tried speaking to Dusty, he admitted the same, claiming he'd seen no new cats and heard nothing of RiverClan. Flamepaw's heart sank with every account, and she felt farther away from RiverClan than closer.

            She kept her distance from Tigerstripe, still fearful of the tom. She decided to take Krait's word for it that he had seen nothing either. After all, she had heard mentions of him previously belonging to a vicious clan that had slaughtered many cats in battle. She wasn't exactly eager to become friends with the menacing tom.

            It seemed prey had already been caught for breakfast. Flamepaw found Krait and Dusty sharing a mouse together (it seemed Krait had forgiven him for losing their children by this time) while Tigerstripe munched on a squirrel by himself.

            "You're going to love me for this," Barkpaw spoke excitedly, padding over toward the others.

            "For what?" Flamepaw asked.

            "I caught a fish!" he exclaimed, picking up a scaly fish from the ground. Flamepaw squealed in excitement, her stomach rumbling.

            She had not had a fish since they had taken off on their journey since they were rarely by rivers and streams. When they were, it was not often to fish, and with Barkpaw and Flamepaw being the only ones who knew how to catch fish anyway, it wasn't like they wanted to keep the others waiting. In addition, it seemed forest prey was more common, and while Flamepaw could choke down a mouse, she longed for the salty taste of fish.

            "Sorry I slept in again," Flamepaw murmured as she sat down across from Barkpaw. He bit into the fish and shook his head.

            "You helped us find this little clearing last night. Krait insisted you needed rest. Plus, I was able to catch this amazing fish for us," Barkpaw explained.