The Loner's Trial (A Shrouded Path book 2) {COMPLETE}

Chapter 25

For a heartbeat, Minnow could hear nothing but the sound of wind rushing in her ears as she stared wide-eyed at the river. Before she knew it, her paws were pounding across the stones as she raced for the river's edge, her eyes locked on Apollo's flailing form the entire way. The black tom's face held panic and terror as he thrashed in the quick-moving current, and Minnow knew that all his swimming skill in the pond would do nothing for him in the river, especially with the recent rain. She moved faster, ignoring every ache and still-bleeding wound. "Apollo!" she screeched as she neared the water's edge. The gathered RiverClan cats watched in horror as the black-pelted tom tumbled downstream, and Minnow barely met Birchstar's gaze before she threw herself into the river.

    Minnow churned the water with her paws, swimming harder and faster than she ever had before. She streamed quickly through the water after Apollo, but he was still several tail-lengths ahead of her, fighting desperately to find a rhythm. His movements were growing slower and weaker, and Minnow kicked faster, praying desperately to reach him in time. Her heart dropped as she remembered her curse, and a new wave of panic gripped her tight as she thought about the consequences of returning to the Clans. It will take those close to you, she heard the words hauntingly in her mind. She had left the forest to protect the cats close to her, but since leaving, Apollo had become the closest cat to her; he had become her greatest friend. And maybe, a small voice said in the back of Minnow's mind, it was more than that. And now she had brought him into Clan territories, into danger, with her.

    Apollo still drifted farther away from Minnow, and now he seemed to be unconscious, carried along solely by the roaring river. Minnow pushed on, willing herself to move faster, so she could reach him before they got to the deadly gorge. StarClan, don't take him from me, too! She thought frantically. She was getting closer to him now, and she could barely breathe; every muscle in her body ached and her lungs were on fire, but she knew she couldn't stop. Three tail-lengths, two, one...

    Minnow slammed into Apollo's water-soaked body, grabbing his scruff in her teeth. Her head pounded and for a moment the forest swayed in her vision, dizziness threatening to drag her beneath the surface of the river. Apollo weighed her down and she slowed, trying to turn towards the river bank. She could see the RiverClan cats, along with Jay and Smokey, bounding along the edge of the water towards her. It looked like they were calling to Minnow, but her hearing was fading, and she knew she wouldn't last much longer in the river. She swam madly for the river's edge, and black spots started to appear in her vision. The tips of her claws grazed stones on the riverbanks and she knew she just had to push a little harder, but carrying Apollo onto the bank seemed impossible. Craning her neck forward as far as she could, she weakly tossed his body halfway onto the bank, safely out of the current's reach.

    As soon as the extra weight was off of her, Minnow was torn from Apollo and spun uncontrollably back into the river. She flailed and grasped for something to hold onto, but she was growing weaker, and her hearing and vision were quickly fading out. Is this it? She thought weakly. Her claws met something that felt like a thick branch, and she grabbed on tight just before her world faded to black.

All Minnow knew was that her pain was gone. The sting of her wounds, the burning in her lungs, the pounding ache in her head; all gone, replaced by the most comforting warmth she'd ever known. It reminded her of suckling at Ashflower's belly in the nursery, sweet and soothing and safe. Minnow wanted to feel like this forever.

Then Minnow's eyes opened and she found herself staring at the empty hollow of Fourtrees, the darkness of night broken by the silver moonlight that washed the ground. The tall grass swayed gently, and no noise sounded. Minnow stood, inspecting her pelt, but she couldn't see any of her wounds, and she felt better than she ever had in her life. She glanced around, confused, seeing nothing but Fourtrees and the moor. But she could smell starlight, and the distant but familiar scent of StarClan cats, and as soon as she recognized it, anger pulsed through her.