CHASE

Chapter 19

The smell of fresh rain lingered over the forest in the morning. Chase slowly opened her eyes, finding bright sunshine flooding over the damp earth. She could see Yew's silhouette outside the den and remembered suddenly that she had spent the night. Though she longed to linger, she knew it would be best to head home.

Chase stood up and stretched her limbs before exiting the den. Yew turned his head to look at her and gave her a faint smile. Perhaps she had only imagined him curling up next to her the night before.

"I should head home," Chase said.

"I'll take you back," he offered, though Chase clearly knew the way these days. She didn't argue though, not minding a bit of company as she began the short trip back.

The meadow began to come into view shortly into their journey. Chase hid her frown and continued walking alongside Yew. She expected him to stop with her at the meadow's edge, but he walked through the tall grass with her, up toward her den.

Apple was sitting outside of the den, and at the sight of Chase approaching, Chase watched her mother's shoulders visibly sag.

"Oh, thank goodness. We were worried you had gotten caught in the storm!" Apple exclaimed, rushing forward to her daughter and rasping her tongue over Chase's forehead.

"S-Sorry to worry you," Chase murmured, surprised at the bit of affection. "But Yew and his family allowed me to spend the night."

As Apple began thanking Yew, Chase watched the rest of her family creep out of the den. They did not appear as relieved as Apple, just as Chase had suspected. 

"I should be off now," Yew said.

"Yew, you should stay and eat some rabbit my father caught this morning," Whorl interjected.

Chase tilted her head at her sister, unsure of the motive behind such a comment. Her paws prickled with something akin to envy. She was about to assure Yew that he was not obligated to stay, but Yew spoke before she could.

"I should really get back to my family. Maybe another time though," Yew offered.

"Next time for sure!" Whorl called, waving her tail at him.

"Bye," Chase murmured quietly as Yew began to disappear into the tall grass. 

"What made you think to go out in a storm?" Copper grumbled as Chase headed back inside the den. "Your mother was going insane, thinking you had died of the cold."

"I was fine!" Chase argued, her hair standing on her back. Suddenly she had no appetite. She spun around, back toward the entrance of the den.

"You better not be taking off again," Copper warned.

"I'm just going to sit outside. Relax," Chase growled as she exited the den once more. She could hear the pleasant chatter of her parents and siblings. Once she had wished for that happy family dynamic to return, but now she was content being away from it.

At the sound of footsteps exiting the den, Chase turned her head to notice Whorl. Once, she and her sister had been close, but Chase had since lost those deep connections with all her family members.

"Yew should come again sometime," Whorl said.

"Why? You barely know him," Chase commented.

"I think he's a handsome fox," Whorl responded.

Chase's claws dug into the earth, the comment bothering her more than she thought it would. She had heard her parents mumble about how Yew's family could bring forward potential mates for their kits. But what made Whorl think that Yew was going to choose her as a mate?

"You don't even--"

"I don't even what," Whorl growled.

"You don't know him," Chase said.

"I could!" Whorl exclaimed. "I could know him! Introduce me to him."

"No," Chase responded.

"You want him all to yourself?"

"What? No! I--"

"Where is it that you head off to each day? Is it to his den?" Whorl asked.

"Not all the time!" Chase growled. "Sometimes I just wander around the woods. I don't think you're his type."

"And you are?" Whorl retorted, shattering Chase's heart.

"Look, I'm not going to set you up with Yew. If you want him so much, go introduce yourself. That's not my responsibility," Chase responded.

"What a cruel sister you are. First, you get Rush killed, and you won't even help me out--"

"I did not kill Rush!" Chase said, standing up and slashing her tail. "And I'm certainly not going to aid a sister who just accused me of doing such a thing." She began walking away, furious with Whorl. It was hard to believe the two had gotten along so swimmingly as young kits.

Chase wasn't sure where she walking. A part of her wanted to see Yew, but he had just left, and what would she tell him? That Whorl was fighting over Yew with her? Chase admitted she was feeling a twinge of jealousy, but she could not admit that she and Whorl had been arguing over him.

Chase began meandering toward the FoxClan border without even realizing it. She had to refocus on her main goal--creating an alliance between the foxes and cats. Moonkit was always someone friendly to talk to when Chase was feeling down.

She crossed over the border carefully, finding the silver-blue kit sitting under a tall tree that was painted with red and orange leaves. A stray leaf lost its grip on the branch and drifted down toward Moonkit's nose. Chase watched the kit lift her head up to the sky to admire it.

"Hi, Moonkit," Chase said, that little bit of enthusiasm always in her voice a bit absent.

"I was wondering when you would visit! I was waiting all morning!" Moonkit exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. I just got into a bit of a fight with my sister," Chase admitted.

"Owlkit and I have fights sometimes, too," Moonkit responded.

"Well, it was a bit more than that."

"What was it about?"

"Oh, some tod I spend my time with that my sister apparently fancies," Chase responded, taking a seat.

"Do you have a crush, Chase?!" Moonkit exclaimed.

"Oh, not me," Chase replied. "But my sister does, I suppose. I don't want to talk about the argument though."

"Sometimes I wish I had a mate," Moonkit said, glancing around.

"But you're still very young," Chase pointed out. "I'm young too. It's really best to wait--"

"When I get a mate, I'll introduce you to him," Moonkit said, flashing Chase a smile.

Chase felt a bit uneasy at Moonkit's excitement over love. It seemed odd for a kit as young as her (even if she was close to apprentice age) to be so enamored with the idea of love already. Desperate to move the conversation away from romance, Chase asked, "How have things been going, Moonkit?"

"My mother continues to get on my nerves," Moonkit growled. Chase watched the she-cat flex her claws slightly, noticing the glint that came off the sharp edges.

"I'm sorry," Chase said. "But soon you will be an apprentice, and you'll get to work harder toward becoming leader."

"I'm looking forward to it," Moonkit replied.

Their conversation ended slightly after, though Chase had sensed something off about her interaction with Moonkit. She brushed the thought aside. It must have come from the events that had occurred earlier in the day. Moonkit was still just Moonkit. That's who she had always been.