Waging War Book 3: Blood Red Moon {COMPLETE}

Chapter 22

Mountainstar struggled to focus on her hunting, between the harsh cold and the anxieties and doubt burning deep in her mind. She had managed to catch two squirrels but her paws felt numb from the cold and she could barely focus on anything she was doing. It had only been a few days since Flintfoot left and he hadn't returned, there hadn't been a single sign of him except for his fading scent trail towards the path they took to enter the territory.

I know he doesn't believe in you. Mountainstar thought, glancing towards the pale sky. But please keep him safe. She didn't know why there was a part of that expected Flintfoot to return, she was the one who told him to leave after all.

Their entire interaction played in her mind over and over, and she desperately wished she could go back and do things different from the very start. She would trust Flintfoot more, she would help him understand why the warrior code and borders were so important to begin with. But you can't go back. Nettleheart's voice echoed in her mind. Her deputy had been telling her the same thing over the past few days.

She was grateful for Nettleheart, the past several days she had been keeping Mountainstar grounded as much as she could. She only seemed to feel peace when Nettleheart was at her side, she had been sharing a den with her every night since Flintfoot left. She felt relief whenever she woke up and saw that Nettleheart was with her. As long as I have her, I can get through this. Mountainstar told herself.

She decided to head back to camp, giving up on her hunting mission. She found her two squirrels and started the long walk back to camp. She had found herself near the river border with the gathering hollow, and she was taking her time walking back to camp.

She couldn't help but feel like she had disappointed her Clan. Many of them assured her this wasn't the case, but she still couldn't shake the everlasting feeling of guilt that shadowed her. Deep down she knew that she that she had to stop sulking in her own self-guilt, she was a Clan leader and she needed to act like it.

During the rest of her walk back to camp she did her bes to let her mind clear and to let her problems melt away like the snow under her paws, but it wasn't easy. She finally reached camp and looked around. It seemed as if most of her warriors were hiding away from the harsh cold weather. She could see the stone floor of their camp covered in many pawprints, but the camp seemed almost empty.

She was fairly certain that Nettleheart was leading a patrol right now, so she would have to wait to see her. Mountainstar nestled her fresh-kill away in the small crack in the stone wall where they kept all their prey. She looked around briefly, making sure that everything seemed okay before returning to her den.

She had moved her nest to the back of the den and added extra moss so she could stay warm, but it had been a lot easier with Nettleheart sharing the den with her. Mountainstar would have to make due without her for now. She settled in her nest in the back corner of her den, tucking her paws underneath her chest.

She rested her chin down on the plush moss and closed her eyes. She tried her best to keep her mind clear and free of the stress that had been plaguing her the past several days. Even if I failed Flintfoot, I can make it up to the rest of my warriors. I have to make it up. I just have to.

****

"Mountainstar." A voice spoke through the darkness. Her eyes flittered open, just realizing that she had fallen asleep. She opened her eyes to see Nettleheart standing in front of her, a plump vole sitting at her paws. "Good morning." Nettleheart said, her voice soft. "Or evening, I should say."

Mountainstar yawned and sat up, stretching out her limbs. "I didn't mean to fall asleep." She explained.

"You don't need to justify yourself." Nettleheart assured her. "There's not much to do when it's this cold. I'm sure plenty of our warriors are doing the same. In fact I'm sure of it." She sat down across from Mountainstar and nudged the vole towards her. "Now eat up, I figured the two of us could share this. I caught it by the river while on a hunting patrol."