Facing A Forest of Shadows

Chapter Thirty-Four

The days stretched on and on. Countless sunrises and sunsets painted the horizon as the ship sailed into the empty distance. After their acquaintance, Captain decided he would stay with the travelers in the hull.

Even now, his bright calico fur was mashed beside Olive and Smog's black coats. He had helped them a lot, with prey and a few herbs he could find amongst the twoleg's belongings.

Drizzle had healed; but, as Brokensong had feared, she had internal injuries. Some mornings she would cough up blood, or she could barely find the energy to breathe.

Pineheart no longer felt nauseated by the constant roll of the boat along the waves. He had even ventured onto the deck a couple of times the past few nights. It had calmed him to see Silverpelt stretched across the night sky, as calm and serine as ever.

Everyone had been aware that the weather they had become accustomed was not the same. The typical cool, alpine breeze had dwindled. At the start of every new day, they were greeted with heat that only got worse with time.

Captain had informed them that this was the path the ship always took down the coast. Soon, they would stop at their destination.

"Hey, would you come take a walk with me?" Elkleap's deep meow snapped him out of his trance.

"Err.. yeah," he replied hastily. Elkleap shot him a questioning glance but didn't say a thing as they trotted out of the doorway. After a short climb up the stairs, they leaped out into the intense sunshine that beat down onto the deck.

Pineheart could hear the constant splash of the waves as they slapped against the boat. There were no twolegs out here now. Or where they Dockworkers?

Everything's just so different out here, he thought in distress.

The pair started to take a straight path beside the raised railing on the edge of the deck. The salty tang of sea air washed over Pineheart's nose.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" He inquired.

Elkleap slowed and turned his head to look at Pineheart. He could see that his eyes were still haunted, void of emotion after Sun'ka's death.

But she could have survived, Pineheart reminded himself. But that was unlikely.

"I wanted to just tell you... how much I appreciate you still being here with us," Elkleap murmured, "I know it was hard to leave Blizzardstar, and our home. I didn't realize that until I had Sun'ka."

Pineheart's heart twisted at his words. "I never really had a family. My mother died when I was young, and my father never really wanted anything to do with me," he confessed.

"Shimmerpaw was my first apprentice," he continued, "I was finally starting to know what it felt like to truly care about another cat."

Elkleap shut his eyes and turned to face away for a few moments. Pineheart could see his tail as it shivered with depression. Pineheart stepped closer and touched his tailtip to his companion's side.

"I could have believed we would have stayed on the Docks with Sun'ka," Elkleap whispered.

"I think we all could have," Pineheart admitted, "and now they had to come with us."

"Do you think they'll want to join IceClan permanently?" Elkleap wondered out loud.

Pineheart realized that he hadn't really thought about that. Olive and Smog hadn't really tried to interact much with the Clan cats since the ship's departure. Talon had stuck close to Sootsplash and Lionpaw. Pineheart knew he still harbored guilt for Meadowshine's disappearance.