The above picture was drawn by the amazing RosestarofRoseClan11! Please go follow her and check out her art book! Her drawings are amazing and she's so sweet!

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    The sun was beginning to set, casting shadows across the golden grass of the meadow. The hot afternoon had cooled to a mildly cold evening. A rather gusty wind blew across the grass, sending it bowing and jumping up. The sky was bathed in purple, red, and blue hues. Willow was ambling along a dirt trail, his head and tail low. He was exhausted and just wanted to curl up in his nest.    

    He stumbled off the trail, into a small clearing of dirt. In the center lay a single log, propped up against a tree stump. Moss and lichen grew off the bark and branches, shielding the den that was in the center of the branches. Willow weaved his way between the branches until he reached the center. It was dark in the den, with a faint green hue caused by the sun hitting the moss and lichen growing on the branches. His nest was nestled between the roots of the stump.

    It was made of moss, some feathers, and scraps of blankets from the city. The inside of the den was dry, completely protected by the log. Sighing heavily, Willow curled into the bedding, resting his head on his paws. His thoughts were already on Lola's and Robin's fight, his tail flicking agitatedly. He closed his eyes, wanting to sleep, only to find Robin and Stone standing in front of him. The calico couldn't help himself.

    "Why did you do that?" He spat at the she-cat, his fury threatening to suffocate him. Her ears flattened, as if she were offended by what he had said.

    "Because you wouldn't have asked her what was wrong! Someone had to do it!" Robin scoffed, tail lashing. Heart pounding, Willow glared at her.

    "No, no one had to. You wanted to, because you wanted to be nosy like you always are!" He snarled at her. "Everything would have been fine if you had kept your muzzle shut! I could have asked her without her feeling upset! I could have made her feel better, not you!"

    Breathing heavily, he stared Robin down, honey eyes lit up with anger. She stared back at him for a few moments, then hissed at him, turned and walked off. Her russet and white pelt disappeared into the dark of their shared mind. Willow looked to Stone, who stared back blankly, like he always did. He opened his eyes, but his anger continued to persist. 'Lola, please forgive me,' he begged silently as he stared at the branches of the log. 

    Slowly, his eyelids drooped and he fell asleep.

~*~

    Sunlight streamed through the branches, past all of the lichen and moss, warming Willow's back. He purred softly, enjoying the feeling of the warmth. However, his peace was ruined as his thoughts started to flood with yesterday's events. Dejectedly, he opened his honey eyes and sat up. His heart beat painfully at the memory, but he knew there wasn't much he could do. Robin most likely wouldn't talk to him, Lola didn't even want to see him anymore, and Stone wouldn't have any advice for him.

    'What am I going to do?' He asked himself, staring at the branches sadly. He sat there in silence, alone with his despairing thoughts. As the silence continued, Willow could already tell what kind of day it'd be. Another painfully lonely and long day. 'Another friendship ruined.' 

    His heart felt like wrenching itself out of his chest as he thought of Lola. It wasn't until the sun had finally crested the forest that Willow got up and left the den. Shaking his pelt, he began to walk towards the distant trees. There was one cat he could ask for advice from. If he could find her, anyways. 

~*~

    Willow stopped at the edge of the trees. It was getting closer to noon, the sun bathing the forest in golden and black dapples. He hesitated, uncertain. It had been several months since he had last been in the forest. He tried to remember what he was doing there, but nothing surfaced. 'I just need to go in,' Willow tried encouraging himself. 

    However, his paws seemed rooted to the floor. His muscles fought against his brain's commands. Every part of his being told him to turn and run, as fast as he could. He waited, and waited, and waited. He just couldn't move. He was paralyzed.

    "Do you truly want to go in there?" Stone's voice broke the never ending silence. Willow released the breath he never knew he had been holding.

    "Yes... I have to," he whispered breathlessly, his ears flattening partially.

    "Then why are you hesitating?" Stone muttered. "Go in there. You'll be safe. I promise." It was as if the spell had been broken. Willow glanced over his shoulder, then trotted past the trees and dove behind some ferns. At first, he stalked along a trail.

    When his heart began to beat fast, his legs raced to keep up. He felt excitement crackle and buzz through his fur. He could barely remember the last time he was in the forest, but he did remember living there. Specifically in his kithood. It wasn't that long ago, but it felt like years to Willow. He stopped beside a pond, a waterfall cascading down into the pool below.

    The creek struggled out of the left side of the pool, weaving through the woods and into the meadow. He spotted a gray she-cat, who's dark orange patches glowed in the sunlight. He raised his tail in greeting, but she hardly glanced at him. Shaking his head, Willow padded along the trail. His paws felt lighter here than they did in the meadow. The forest scents overwhelmed all of his senses, bringing hunger with it. 

    'I'll get food after I see Blaze,' he thought as he leapt atop a fallen tree. Gazing around, he took in the bright green of the forest floor. The sunlight added to the glow of the trees and surrounding plants. Jumping down the other side of the trunk, Willow continued his trek, his head low as he tried to find her scent. When the calico couldn't find it, he bounded ahead. His ears were pricked as he listened for any noises that could indicate another cat was near. The farther he went, the more relaxed he became. 

    A snapping twig behind Willow caused the tom to spin around. A dark silver tom slipped out from beside a clump of bracken, eyes narrowed. 

    "What're you doin' here?" He growled warily at the calico tom. Willow took a step back, ears drooping slightly. 

    'Please stay hidden,' Willow pleaded in his head. 'I don't need any more trouble.' He took a deep breath as he addressed the tom. "I'm trying to find someone, a she-cat. Her name is Blaze." He stuttered over his words and he twitched his tail nervously. 

    The silver tom sniffed, eyes narrowing at Willow. 

    "You're one of those meadow cats, ain't ya?" He grumbled after a few heartbeats, his own tail flicking. The calico nodded, swallowing, hoping the tom wouldn't attack him. Willow had already experienced a few altercations with some of the other forest cats. He didn't need another one. 

    The unknown tom's eyes seemed to glint with interest. "How 'bout this," the tom continued in his heavy accent, "if I tell you where to find Blaze, you tell me about another meadow cat. Deal?" Willow tilted his head, confused. What would this tom want with another meadow cat? As far as he knew, the meadow cats usually stayed away from the forest. He hesitated, uncertain, but nodded after a few moments.

    "Alright, deal. Which one are you asking about?" Willow's heart beat fast, like a rabbit running. He hoped he wasn't getting one of the cats into trouble. In the back of his mind, he could practically feel Stone getting ready to pounce. 'Don't do anything, don't do anything…' he begged.

    "Her name is Pebble. I just need to know how she's doin'," the dark silver tom rumbled. Willow's honey eyes partially narrowed at this. It had already been a surprise for Pebble to have a mate. The chance of her knowing this cat was even lower. 

    "She's doing good. I just saw her yesterday, actually," he answered curtly, careful to avoid mentioning the kits. He didn't know this tom, and he wasn't sure what he was capable of. 'Great, now Stone is starting to rub off on me,' Willow thought grumpily. He could still feel alter pressing in on him. The unknown tom's eyes seemed to brighten at the calico's answer. 

    "That's good ta hear. Thank you," he rumbled. "Well, if ya want to find Blaze, she's usually hangin' around a big pile o' rocks, back that way." The tom angled his ears in the direction Willow had come from. "If you find that pond, with the waterfall, it should just be a straight shot across the trail," he explained. "I hope that helps. Good luck." 

    With a brief nod to the calico cat, the dark silver tom stalked off. 

    "Thank you!" Willow called after him. After watching him disappear, he quickly looked around, then hurried back towards the pond, tripping over his own paws as he went. 

    When the honey-eyed cat reached the pond, he quickly dove to the left, onto a small trail that led away from the main one. Willow weaved around brambles and ferns until the trail opened into a small grass clearing. In front of him, was a pile of boulders. Some of them stacked at the top, creating a large opening. He paused. 

    It felt as if the shadows had gotten darker. Willow shivered as a cold breeze ruffled his pelt. Had it been this cold a moment ago? The fur on his back began to stick up as he stared at the rocks. His lungs felt like they were caving in, shoving all of the air out of themselves. His heart beat began to pick up as he felt himself start to wheeze. 

    'W-what's happening to me?' He felt terror fill his body from nose to tail-tip. His lungs struggled to open up, making his head dizzy. His ears flattened and his pupils narrowed in fear. 'H-help!' He screeched in his head, claws unsheathing and digging into the ground. Suddenly, his head felt light. 

    He reeled backwards as Stone pushed Willow into the back of their shared mind. The calico blinked, still struggling to breath, as Stone took control. Robin practically engulfed Willow, pressing his face into her shoulder. 

    Stone crouched cautiously, honey eyes glaring around, before he silently stalked across the grass. The tom was deathly silent as he made his way to the pile of boulders. Once more, he glared around, before scrambling onto the rocks. He stopped beside the large opening, head turning back and forth, ears swiveling every which way. Opening his jaws, the scent of a she-cat instantly bathed his tongue. 

    "Blaze?" Stone called out, his voice low and raspy. Staring into the shadowy opening, he could hear rustling. Walking into view was a dark gold and cream she-cat. Her muscles rippled with every step and her eyes blazed a flame yellow as her face came into view. 

    "Willow?" Asking curiously, she tilted her head to the right. Stone, still trying to act as Willow, dipped his head to her.

    "Yeah. I need to talk to you. But can we do it away from here?" He muttered, causing confusion to flash in her eyes. 

    "Well, yeah, we can, but there's no other cats here," she told him. Stone shook his head, already turning and stalking off. 

    "Just, please, can we talk somewhere else?" He grumbled. Blaze heaved a sigh, but followed him away from the pile of rocks. Stone made his way back onto the side trail until it opened back up to the main one. For a moment, he stood completely still as Blaze faced him. Stone's head leaned forward as Willow slipped back into control. 

    "Alright, what's going on Willow?" Blaze demanded, her tail flicking side to side. "Why'd you drag me out all of this way?" For a moment, he remained silent, staring off into the woods. When he looked back at Blaze, his honey eyes were glazed. 

    "I visited Lola yesterday… But, I think.. no, I did make her upset. I-I… She was acting really weird, and I was worried and I just.." He paused for a moment, took a breath, and continued. "I kept pressing her, asking her what was wrong and why she was acting so strange… Afterwards, she basically told me she didn't want to see me anymore." 

    Willow's eyes welled up, causing him to look down in shame. He muttered softly, "I don't know what to do… She's one of my best friends… I can't lose her…" His voice choked up and he went quiet. For a moment, the two cats stayed silent. 

    Without a word, Blaze rested her tail across his shoulders. Looking up, he saw sympathy and understanding in her yellow eyes. 

    "It's going to be okay, Willow. I promise," she reassured him. "The best thing you can do, as of right now, is give her space," Blaze suggested. "Wait a few days for both of you to cool down. Afterwards, you should go see her again." She paused, made sure Willow was still paying attention, then continued.

    "When you do, you need to explain that you were worried about her and you weren't trying to make her upset. Tell her that all you wanted to do was to help her." She paused again, touching her nose to his ear tip then pulled away. "You should apologize to her, for the prying and making her upset. After that, it'll be up to her to decide what to do. And whatever she decides, you'll know that you at least tried." 

    Nodding as she spoke, the calico sniffed, his nose starting to run. He looked brighter than when he had first showed up. His eyes were still glazed, but his demeanor had changed.

    "O-okay! I can do that!" He pawed at the ground, happy that now he had a plan in mind. Blaze twitched her whiskers as she sat down. 

    "Good. Now, is there anything else you needed?" She curled her tail around her paws as Willow sat beside her. For a moment, he sat there with his head tilted, not saying anything.

    "Yeah," he finally meowed. "Who's that dark silver tom? He was further down the trail. He was the one who told me to come here, but he was asking about Pebble," the calico explained to her. Blaze snorted amusedly.

    "That's Whisk. From what I heard, he was once a mouser, but after his owners died, he had to live somewhere else," she told him. "I guess he found this forest. He's been here for about four months now. He'll visit the meadow from time to time. Other than that, I don't know much about him," she explained. Willow nodded, tail flicking. 

    "I see. Thank you, Blaze. I really do appreciate you helping me," he told her. He pressed his muzzle against her's as Blaze flicked his shoulder with her tail, purring.

    "You're welcome, Willow! Just know I'm always here whenever you need me," she reminded him. He dipped his head to her.

    "I know. Thank you, again. I'll see you later, Blaze. Good-bye!" Waving his tail, Willow trotted away. Blaze flicked her own tail after him before she turned and walked back down the side trail. He continued his way out of the forest. By now, the sun was on the cusp of beginning to set. The meadow was nearly surrounded in shadows and a cool wind whisked the golden grass.

    "Did you get the help you were looking for?" Stone suddenly asked, startling Willow. 

    "Yeah, I did. Thank you, Stone, for helping me," the calico purred gratefully. The other tom grunted. 

    "It's no problem. It's why I'm here," he muttered. All went silent except Willow's thoughts.

    'I wonder what he means by that. I didn't know they had a reason to be in my mind… If they have a reason, can I even control them around my friends?' 

~●《☆》●~

Author's Note

What do you think was happening to Willow?

What do you think Stone meant when he said, "It's why I'm here"?

What do you think Whisk wants with Pebble?

For a word count, I got 2,703 words.

If you liked this chapter, please vote & comment! It let's me know that you're enjoying the book and want to read more!

1st Revision: December 8th, 2020

~Paige