They Will Never Understand(Book 2)

.•/Chapter~2\•.

Fernheart watched her from behind a bush filled with small flowers. He watched her as she picked small green leaves from the ground. A cold wind made her hunch over. Fernheart shifted where he sat, rustling the bush.

The she-cat flicked her head to face the bush, her eyes flashing with fear. Fernheart ducked down as she squinted at him.

"Fernheart, is that you?," she asked nervously.

Fernheart stood up and shyly padded out from behind the bush.

She smiled and shook her head. "You were trying to scare me, weren't you."

"Umm, yeah." Fernheart nodded. "You're not supposed to be out here alone. It's dangerous."

The she-cat rolled her blue eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Because Amberclan's gonna attack a medicine apprentice," she said sarcastically.

"Well you have trained to be a warrior," Fernheart said as he walked up to her and sat down.

"I only trained for a couple of moons before I realized I preferred to help cats rather than hurt them," Irispaw said.

"You could've been a nursery-helper."

"I was going to be one, but then I found out how old Blossomroot was," she laughed.

Despite looking young, Blossomroot was older than Rainstar.

Fernheart smiled but huffed. "You could've been a warrior with Whitehawk and Swallowshine already."

Irispaw turned back to picking leaves. "My brothers accepted my choice to change. Everyone did. Well, except my best friend." She looked at him through the corner of her eye.

Fernheart felt slight sadness at being called a friend, but only flicked his ear. "I just always imagined us fighting together."

She snorted. "That was before you got attacked."

Fernheart sighed and looked up at the sky. The dark grey hinted at rain. Fernheart hated the rain.

"We should head back before we get pissed on by Starclan," Fernheart said.

Irispaw paused and looked up. "Yeah. If the leaves aren't dry when I put them in storage, they can get moldy." Irispaw picked up the herbs and nodded to Fernheart.

They padded back to camp side-by-side. Fernheart kept looking around to make sure no one was following them. He wouldn't attack, of course, but flee with Irispaw like a scared rabbit.

Fernheart had been friends with Irispaw since they were kits. Fernheart had developed feelings for her soon after they became apprentices and always suspected she liked him too. After Irispaw stopped training and began becoming a medicine cat, Fernpaw was devastated and confused. Why would she get a job where she couldn't be with anyone if she liked him?

She must like me, he had thought and always thought. She was friendly towards him, laughed with him, and always backed him up.

Fernheart always enjoyed her company and always suspected that she liked him. He never wanted to be without her.

The two padded through the thick bramble entrance into camp. Fernheart thought the camp was quite large compared to Amberclan's. The two siblings Aspenpaw and Flamepaw were tussling on the ground with their mentors watching over. Rainstar, Ripplefall, and the leader's sister, Twilightpond were having a heated conversation, but their noise was drowned out by the howling wind. Blossomroot and Ashtail were chasing after leaves that seemed to be alive. Fernheart couldn't stifle his laughter.

Irispaw chuckled. "I have to help them. Talk to you later?"

Fernheart nodded. "See ya later." Fernheart watched as she scampered away and immediately began springing in the air after the runaway herbs.

Fernheart looked around for something to do, and, spotting Whitevine sitting alone at the edge of camp, padded towards him. Fernheart sat next to the white tom.

"You ok?," Fernheart asked his friend.

"Can't Rainstar just exile me and end the war? I'm willing to confess if it'll stop all this," Whitevine said sullenly.

"Haven't you already tried that?"

Whitevine sighed. "Yes, and she said that it's just the fact that they would blame us that we should continue this war." Whitevine huffed. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm pretty sure Rainstar has a thing about winning every argument she has."

They both sat quietly and watched the camp. The silence was only broken when Stormheart walked up to them.

"Have you guys seen Dustsparrow? I've been looking everywhere," she said, irritated.

Fernheart and Whitevine shook their head. "Ask Redleaf. He would probably know where his brother is better than us," Whitevine said.

"I told that bumble-headed tom that I didn't want him going out of camp alone," Stormheart growled loudly.

"He's your mate, not your kit, you know." Fernheart looked at her with amusement.

"With him, it's basically the same thing," Stormheart said.

"Well I hope you find him soon. Ripplefall will want to send out a midday border patrol soon." Whitevine licked a paw and ran it over his face.

Stormheart nodded just as a strong wind blew across camp, making Fernheart and Stormheart huddle, but only making Whitevine sway. Fernheart envied his thick fur.

"Were you looking for me?," Dustsparrow suddenly trotted through the entrance of camp and padded towards them. "I was checking if there were any snakes hidden in the rocks again."

Stormheart gently swatted his face. "I was worried about you!"

"I know! Amberclan could probably hear you from their camp," Dustsparrow laughed.

Fernheart watched, amused, as Stormheart and Dustsparrow got into a humorous argument.

"I'm gonna go get some prey, you want any?," Fernheart asked Whitevine.

Whitevine shook his head. "I think I'm just going to take a nap."

"Well have fun with that," Fernheart said as he padded away towards the freshkill pile.

Fernheart grabbed a mouse from the top of the pile and sat down next to Rosestorm, who was laying next to Skynose and Cliffrose.

"Do you really think Rainstar's gonna make us capture an Amberclan cat? How would we even do that?," Cliffrose was saying worriedly.

"They destroyed our herbs and made us susceptible to illness. You almost died from an infected cut!," Skynose said as his tail flicked back and forth.

"We'd probably only capture one or two cats any ways," Rosestorm said.

"Did she say this when I was out?," Fernheart asked after he had taken a bite of prey.

Rosestorm and Cliffrose simultaneously nodded.

"Why does she want us to do that?," he asked, confused.

"She says we'll trade them for part of their land. We're bigger than they are, and yet have the same amount of territory."

"They'll just attack us. Won't they?" Fernheart didn't want to partake in this kitnapping.

"We'll be able to fight them off. I trust that Rainstar can make this work," Rosestorm said calmly.

Fernheart sighed and ate the rest of the mouse.

"I just don't want to fight anymore," he said quietly after he had finished, but Rosestorm heard him.

"You have to fight to stay alive, Fernheart!," she growled. "If you're weak or soft, you die. I don't understand why you don't understand that." She shook her head disapprovingly.

Fernheart looked down in fear. He knew she was right.

And he knew if they kept fighting, he would die.