Robinear was starting to wonder whether it was worth staying in FloraClan after all.

As Eaglepaw skirted around her for what felt like the millionth time, Robinear felt the pain jolt through her body once more and wondered how much longer she could take this. Clearly, he didn't consider her his mother anymore-- he'd either had his mind scrubbed clean of any sympathy and emotional connections or he hated his mother for some reason.

He'd probably be glad if she left.

But that thought, that promise that he’d be alright if she left him alone in this den of murderers, didn’t stop her heart from crying out in protest. It was emotions that ruled the mind, after all, not logic, and Robinear knew that something inside Eaglepaw had shattered when he took his sister’s life. And FloraClan was promising to take out the pieces and stop them from punching bleeding holes in his body.

What Eaglepaw didn’t realize was that in the process, they’d rip out any free will he had left.

Thrushnose padded over and sat down next to Robinear, who quickly ducked her head so that she couldn’t see the sadness filling her eyes. She knew, though, that Thrushnose could tell how she was feeling simply by looking at her limp tail and tensed shoulders. The white she-cat sat down and wrapped her tail around her, but instead of offering the comforting words Robinear was expecting, she simply hissed out, “Can I hit him?”

Robinear’s head shot up from its drooped position and switched from sadness to anger. “What? No!”

Thrushnose purred softly. “I knew that would work.” Seeing Robinear’s still furious expression, she added, “I see him as my son, too, Robinear. I may not have given birth to him, but I did help raise him.” She paused, a hint of mirth entering her tone. “Although disobedient kits do sometimes need to be hit with a gentle tail.”

Robinear rolled her eyes. “Oh, haha. Hilarious.” The silver tabby glanced around nervously before muttering, “I’m considering leaving.”

Thrushnose’s expression was hard to read, and it seemed like she was feeling various emotions at once. That wasn’t exactly surprising-- after all, Thrushnose had more family to leave behind. Well, loving family, anyway. Though Aldertwig was rather distant, he was there, and he did speak to Thrushnose whenever he remembered she existed, and while Thrushnose’s mother and father had both quietly retired to the elder’s den three moons ago, no cat would want to leave their parents.

It was a bit easier for Robinear, though not by much. Irisflower still clearly cared for her, but her mother didn’t, she had no father that she knew of, and Greyfur was waiting for her in the rebellion. Besides, while Eaglepaw would stay here, she wouldn’t be sorry to leave Willowbranch behind. While Thrushnose might hate him, that wasn’t the same as the hatred Robinear held for him. After all, it was not Thrushnose who was forced to bear his kits. She shuddered as she remembered the night at the pond all of a sudden and her claws unsheathed.

Yes, she’d be quite glad to leave him behind.

As for her friends...well, Quailwhisker didn’t need her, not with Owltalon there. Gingerfur was in love, she’d be fine. And Foxtail hadn’t really spoken much to Robinear either, and though the silver tabby might miss her former mentor, the benefits of leaving far outweighed the drawbacks.

Unfortunately, love was not something logical, and her heart stubbornly insisted that Eaglepaw could be saved.

“It’ll just be hard,” she whispered, leaning her head slightly into Thrushnose’s soft fur.

Thrushnose nodded, and Robinear felt her move and begin grooming the silver she-cat’s fur. “It’ll be ok,” she murmured between licks. “We’ll come back and save them all, won’t we?”

Robinear nodded. “We will.”

Thrushnose’s tail wrapped around Robinear’s and she ceased the grooming. “Then it’s decided?”

Robinear nodded. “We leave on this last hunt.”

~----------------------------------------~

It wasn’t long before the two she-cat were walking into the camp side by side.

Frog was once again guarding the entrance, and he glared at them suspiciously as they passed. Robinear, though, didn’t give a rat’s tail about what he thought this time. After all, they had just cut any ties with the group that they were rebelling against.

Suddenly Robinear understood why no one had liked them much in the Fire-- they were suspicious, could easily be spies waiting to sell them out.

She felt stupid, now, for thinking that they were just cruel.

Amber approached them, looking rather shocked that they’d returned so soon. This was by far the earliest they’d ever gotten here, and if her expression was anything to judge by, she looked certain that they were here because something had gone wrong.

“We left,” Thrushnose mewed by explanation, straight to the point.

Amber blinked. “You...left FloraClan?” She stared at Robinear with a mix of respect, pity, and something Robinear was uncomfortably sure was horror at the fact that she’d abandoned her son.

She could only nod in response, not trusting her voice after the look Amber had given her.

“That’s great!” Dove suddenly approached them. “FloraClan is probably regretting driving you two away-- especially since you’re Hunters. Servants they can live without, but without Hunters they’ll starve.”

Robinear was a bit taken aback by Dove’s view on the situation, but didn’t comment.

Thrushnose still stood silently by her side. “Uh,” she suddenly mewed, her white fur pricking up ever so slightly. “Now that we’ve, you know, officially ditched FloraClan, can’t we meet Lightning? I understand you not wanting to let us see your leader when we were still in FloraClan, but it’s a little unnerving to be following someone you don’t even know.”

Amber and Dove exchanged glances. “Lightning isn’t here,” Amber mewed. “They’re out recruiting beyond the Great Field, hoping to get more recruits. Hopefully they’ll be back soon.”

“I see,” mewed Thrushnose, sounding rather relieved. Her slowly swishing tail suddenly stilled, and her expression turned wary. “Do we have to report to Frost?”

“No matter,” mewed a voice from behind them. Thrushnose and Robinear whipped around to see the ginger tom staring at them steadily. “I heard. Good to see you’ve got any nerve at all.”

An awkward silence followed, as Robinear felt that Frost had something else to say. But after an uneasy moment, the second-in-command simply spun around and walked over to someone else.

“That was...unsettling,” muttered Robinear. Her pelt was still on end from the shock of Frost being right behind them, and a quick glance beside her showed that Thrushnose was the same.

Amber flicked her tail. “He’s always like that. Unsettling.”

Dove nodded. “He gave me the nastiest looks for quite a long time.”

Thrushnose whipped her tail. “What’s his deal?”

A long-furred brown tom then approached, standing next to Amber almost protectively. “It’s...complicated,” Volethroat mewed. His tail draped over Amber’s body, and she shied away from him, a purr escaping her body. Robinear watched the exchange with a certain amount of amusement before she couldn’t help herself any longer.

“What do you mean?” meowed the silver tabby.

“Well, to begin with, Frost doesn’t hate the fact that you're both she-cats, not really. He just more or less hates anyone in a relationship, those who get a happy ending, since he never got his.” Volethroat’s expression clouded with sympathy, and Robinear blinked in confusion.

“What do you mean?” asked Thrushnose.

“His mate was killed by FloraClan for accidentally crossing the border,” Amber explained. “That’s why he joined the rebellion, of course.”

Robinear blinked. Oh. “What was her name?”

“His,” Volethroat corrected. “And it was Noah.” He paused, then added, “He used to be a kittypet.”

“I see…” mewed Thrushnose, her voice soft.

Another, more somber silence fell on them, and Robinear felt the urge to break it before it solidified into a block of ice that would drive them apart. “Is Lightning a tom or a she-cat?” she asked randomly, feeling like an idiot immediately following the question.

Amber flicked her tail. “It depends.”

“Huh?” Thrushnose and Robinear blinked at the light grey she-cat in confusion, as they’d never heard of anything like that before.

Amber, however, looked rather understanding of their confusion. “Some days they feel like a she-cat, but most days they feel like a tom.” She paused before adding, “And don’t ask what they were born as, that’s just kind of rude.”

Robinear nodded, a bit shocked by the news. “I...I see. Where are they from?”

Dove spoke up this time. “I believe the Twolegplace far to the east, where the sun rises,” she mewed. “Their name was...oh, Belly or something similarly ridiculous.”

“Bella,” corrected Amber. “Not that I know what in the world that means.”

“Bella,” Robinear mewed in curiousity. “What a strange--”

Suddenly, a breeze washed towards them from over the lowbush barrier, bringing with it the scents of dozens of scents.

“That couldn’t be Lightning by any chance, could it?” Robinear mewed, voice shaking slightly. “With a surprising amount of recruits?”

“Not a chance,” Dove replied, falling into a fighting stance.

“I didn’t think so,” Robinear mewed, voice unsteady, right before yowls and the thundering of pawsteps rang through the air.

Dun dun duuuuun! Cliffhanger!

I'm evil aren't I xD

So, I'd LOVE to hear your thought on this chapter! What do you think of Frost? Feel sorry for him? What about Lightning?
Who's your favorite character so far?

also do you ship AmberXVolethroat???

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Chapter seven will probably be out tommorrow :)

~Ember