Warriors: Shadows in the Light - Tainted Honey [Book Three]

Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

HAZELWILLOW | THUNDERCLAN TERRITORY

"We should take her back to ThunderClan camp - where she rightfully belongs." Lynxpaw meowed.

Aqua seemed reluctant to let her go, but she turned to Hazelwillow. "It is up to you."

"I want to go." Hazelwillow meowed without thinking. Would she remember certain things if she saw certain cats or objects?

"Will you stay?" Dewpaw cocked her head, leaning in.

"Maybe..." Hazelwillow ducked away, ears flattening. "Are you coming, Aqua?"

Aqua shook her head, though she looked quite conflicted.

Hazelwillow shot her a desperate look. These cats may be kin, but she would feel safer around Aqua.

Aqua looked away. "Fine," she relented.

Dewpaw and Lynxpaw led the way. As Hazelwillow stared at Dewpaw's tail, she remembered the faintest memory.

"You'd be named Dewtail, because you're a pain in the tail!"

Was that what she had said? Why would she say that? Dewpaw seemed super sweet, anything but annoying.

"If we are spoken to, let me do the talking." Aqua warned quietly.

"Okay." Hazelwillow mindlessly agreed.

The four cats walked a little bit further until Lynxpaw stopped.

"We're here." He gestured to a hole in the ground. "Go ahead."

Hazelwillow hesitated at the lip of the hole, but any fear or anxiety within her was pushed away as she dived in.

On the other side were cats. Lots of cats. So many she couldn't even begin where to start counting.

Dewpaw and Aqua appeared by her side, followed by Lynxpaw.

"What are those-" a cat came marching at them, fierce voice fading when her eyes rested on Hazelwillow, then Aqua. "Honeystar!"

Movement drew Hazelwillow's attention to a rock. A tom appeared from a small cave, loping down the rocks that led up to the main rock.

"Do you recognize him?" Aqua whispered.

"No... should I?"

Aqua didn't respond.

The tom's green gaze landed on Hazelwillow, seemingly surprised by her presence. Then he shifted his gaze to look at Aqua.

"I thought it was clear you are never to return." He - presumably Honeystar - spoke to Aqua, voice cropped and cold.

Aqua lowered her head, no words leaving her mouth.

When he spoke to Hazelwillow, he was warm and cheery. "Welcome back, Hazelpaw! When you were pushed by that-"

"Shut up, you liar." Aqua snarled.

Honeystar narrowed his eyes slightly. "Excuse me?"

"You pushed her."

Pushed me? What's going on? Hazelwillow took a step back, accidentally stepping on Lynxpaw's paw.

The camp was quieter now. Most cats were looking at Hazelwillow, disbelief in their expression.

Honeystar sat down, tail curling over his paws. "What do you mean? I'd never kill a fellow Clanmate."

"Likely story." Aqua threw a desperate glance at Hazelwillow's so-called siblings, but they stayed completely silent, terror fresh on their faces.

"Aqua, you can't come in here and try to accuse Honeystar because you're bitter." A silver she-cat sidled up to Honeystar, voice like ice.

Hazelwillow was about to study the silver she-cat, but she noticed Honeystar staring at her. In his eyes, he seemed to be questioning himself.

"Let's see if Hazelpaw thinks it was me." Honeystar chimed in.

"For what?" Hazelwillow murmured, still not sure what was going on.

Honeystar's tail flicked. "Who pushed you into the water? Me or the rogue?"

"What rogue? When? Water?" Aqua was trying to shush her, and Honeystar's eyes gleamed.

"She has no memory." Mistysong meowed, bewildered.

"Try to remember..." Aqua murmured. "You know it somewhere deep inside of your head. You have to!" her voice rose.

Hazelwillow frowned in concentration.

Rogue, water... Honeystar - wait, no, pool - wait, what?

"Your name was Honeypool?" Hazelwillow asked.

Honeystar didn't answer. He stayed silent, eyes watching her closely. He gave away no indication it was his former name, but Hazelwillow figured it probably had been.

"I... don't know. Probably the rogue."

Honeystar gave her a light smile. "The correct answer."

"But I saw you slam into her!" Aqua protested. "It was a set-up!"

Dewpaw muttered behind her. "He did lead us to a battle with the same rogue, so it could've been..."

Hazelwillow twisted to look at her. "What does the rogue look like?" Dewpaw opened her mouth to answer, but Lynxpaw beat Dewpaw to it.

"Cream fur..." Lynxpaw paused. "I didn't get a good look at her, but she was sort of skinny."

"I see..." she looked back at Honeystar. He looked back, his head tipped to the side with curiosity.

The silver she-cat spoke up. "Well, that's that. We have Hazelpaw back now, so you may go now Aqua."

"I don't want to stay." Hazelwillow meowed.

"But this is your Clan." The silver she-cat pointed out. Something clicked in Hazelwillow's brain and she remembered her name.

Mistysong.

"Aqua promised to take me to SkyClan. Visit them." Hazelwillow grew uncomfortable with all the stares on her pelt.

"Go, then." Honeystar meowed gently, making Hazelwillow feel better. "Come back after visiting. We'll accept you."

Hazelwillow got up, paws numb. Aqua wrapped her tail around Hazelwillow's shoulders, guiding her out of the camp.

"I don't understand."

"Nor do I." Aqua meowed gravely. "Honeystar has managed to-"

"Not about him. Well, yes, about him, but about everything! How'd I lose my memory? I didn't fall from a tree like you said."

"No, you did not." Aqua meowed. "Honeystar slammed into you and sent you flying. Your head hit a rock and... that is probably when you lost all your past memories."

Hazelwillow's whiskers trembled. "But it wasn't Honeystar. He's too-"

"Nice?" Aqua spat. "That is what I initially thought when I first met him too."

Hazelwillow just followed Aqua quietly, then Aqua stopped.

"I do not know entirely where SkyClan is. Going to ThunderClan's camp threw me off." Aqua meowed.

"It's this way." Hazelwillow didn't question why she knew.

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yay hazelwillow chapter - i need to write more in her pov 😬

-artemis