Mossdapple watched as Sandpaw, Dustpaw, and Graypaw chased each other around. Ravenpaw watched from the apprentices den, looking as if he wanted to join in but was too nervous to. He had been anxious from the day he was born.
Frostfur, Brindleface, and Speckletail all made their nests in the nursery now.
Mossdapple sighed. She was going to leave this camp, this life, behind. Today was her last day here. She had to say her goodbyes. But she kept putting it off, afraid of the reactions she would get.
"Mossdapple!" Spottedleaf mewed loudly. Mossdapple turned her head and saw her friend sitting next to her.
"I've been sitting here for ages," she grumbled.
"Sorry!"
She shook her head. "It's like even when you're here, you're far away."
Mossdapple looked at her paws. She had heard this lecture countless times.
"You're there every night these days. What's going on?"
Mossdapple looked at her friend. Her eyes were clear, as if she knew exactly what Mossdapple was thinking.
"It's about a tom, isn't it?"
The fur on Mossdapple's neck stood up on end. "What?"
"It is!" Her eyes went wide.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Mossdapple insisted.
"I thought I was your best friend," Spottedleaf muttered.
"You are!"
"Then why are you lying to me?"
Mossdapple looked at her paws. "I'm sorry," she mewed.
"Who is he?"
Mossdapple took a deep breath. It was time.
"His name is Birchface."
"Birchface," Spottedleaf repeated. "I haven't met him."
"He's been dead for a long, long time," Mossdapple sighed. "Longer than either of our lifetimes."
"How long has it been going on?"
Mossdapple shrugged. "A few moons now."
Spottedleaf looked at the clouds. "That explains so much," she sighed.
Mossdapple hesitated. "I'm leaving tonight."
"Leaving?" Spottedleaf turned to face her.
"I'm spending a moon in StarClan," she mewed.
Spottedleaf's gaze filled with sadness. "But we need you."
"No, you don't."
"We're getting into more battles every day," Spottedleaf mewed. "There's been so much sickness lately. And the Clan is weaker than ever before."
Mossdapple looked at her paws.
"And how do you think Bluestar and Oakheart would feel? Or Mistyfoot and Stonefur? They'd never forgive you for leaving them."
Mossdapple twitched at her words.
"I can't go, can I?" she whispered.
Spottedleaf's gaze grew soft. "We really need you here, Mossdapple."
Mossdapple looked to the sky.
"Spottedleaf, Mossdapple," Bluestar mewed, approaching them. "I need to speak with you."
YOU ARE READING
Mossdapple's Faith
FantasyBluefur is a ThunderClan warrior who has had a prophecy hanging over her head since she was a kit. She has broken the warrior code by taking a RiverClan tom, Oakheart, as a mate, and is now expecting his kits. What will become of her half-Clan kits...
