As she lay in her nest back in FloraClan, Thrushnose's tail draped over her, Robinear wondered curiously how Irisflower already had so much influence over the other Leaders and the Clan.

She was quite certain that that was the only reason she was alive-- she hadn't brought back enough prey two days in a row now-- but now she worried her sister was only doing this because she wanted something from her.

That's all FloraClan's about, she thought glumly. Power, control, and favors.

She exhaled audibly, her breath stirring Thrushnose's long fur slightly. They'd given up even trying to hide it-- although that was an exceedingly stupid decision, now that she thought about it. Leaders, Lesser Leaders or any Hunter or Fighter could turn her in at any moment. She blinked, scooching away quietly from the white she-cat as she tried to make sense of her decision.

It was as if a strange sickness of recklessness had consumed her, made her jump into things without thinking twice. It was very unlike her normal, cautious self.

Her outlook, she remembered now, was something of a "we're already in a rebellion, who cares about being kicked out?". But they'd forgotten, somehow, the executions of Silverfur and Mud.

We won't be just exiled...we'll be killed.

With that phrase echoing horribly in her mind, Robinear disentangled her tail from Thrushnose's and moved her nest, shoving it father and father away so that a tail-length separated them-- a reasonable distance. She let out a deep breath of relief and settled down once more.

She had barely shut her eyes when she heard Thrushnose stir.

"Robinear?" she whispered. "What are you doing over there?"

Robinear flicked her ears back slightly. "Protecting us," she mewed quietly.

Thrushnose blinked. "Oh, I see," she mewed, though she didn't sound completely confident. "But...why?" Her new sounded hurt, discouraged, and Robinear had to resist the urge to pad right back over and wrap her tail around the fluffy white she-cat.

"Don't you remember Silverfur and Mud?" Robinear asked. "If we're discovered, we could be killed. Not just exiled, killed."

Thrushnose frowned. "But...but...you didn't seem to care before," she protested weakly.

Robinear shook her head, struggling to keep her voice quiet. "I don't know what's gotten into me lately," she whispered fiercely. "It's not like me to jump into desicions like this."

Thrushnose's mew was suddenly softer, more understanding. "Robinear, you just lost your kit," she mewed. "Of course you're acting a little...different. But does that really mean that you have to break off from me?"

Robinear shook her head. "No, I don't want that! That's not why I was moving! It was just to erase evidence, make it harder to prove that we are together!"

Thrushnose's tense muscles relaxed, then tensed slightly once more. "That's all it was?" she asked incredulously. "You got me so queried over nothing?"

Robinear winced at the slightly accusatory tone that statement had. "Yes, that's all."

Thrushnose nodded slowly, her eyes suddenly starting to flutter shut. "I'm glad," she breathed out. "I don't want to ever be apart." Her head dropped slightly at she lay on the nest and hey chest rise and feel evenly.

Me neither, thought Robinearcas she felt her own eyes closing. But we don't always get what we want.

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

Robinear didn't know what to think when she woke up to a nearly empty den.

Some part of her wasn't exactly shocked that Thrushnose had left the den without her, and she was even less surprised that none of her other friends had woken her up. It just hurt a bit-- not enough to make her break down, but enough to sting.

She padded out of the den with a lot more confidence than she felt, glancing around the camp as casually as she could manage as she did so. Where is Thrushnose? I thought she understood my action last night...why did she suddenly leave me alone?

Robinear shook out her fur quickly. No, that can't be it. Thrushnose just probably saw me still asleep and didn't want to disturb me...That's what I'd assume ordinarily, and why should today be any different?

She blinked, trying to shake off the uneasiness she felt. Well, in any case, I need to hunt.

The silver tabby spotted Larkfoot quite quickly, and headed over to her briskly. "Hey, Larkfoot! Have you seen Thrushnose?"

Larkfoot turned to face her, confusion in her gaze. "Yeah, she headed out hunting with Swallowtooth a while ago. I thought you were with her-- she mentioned soothing about another Hunter."

Robinear's earsflattered against her head. "Well, clearly not," she sighed. "Anyway, would you like to go hunting with me?"

Larkfoot nodded. "Sure! I approached the Leaders just a bit ago-- they want a shrew or two."

Robinear's tail drooped. "Do they have any idea how rare those are?"

The light grey she-cat shook her head in amusement. "Of course not. But who doesn't enjoy a bit of a challenge?"

Robinear purred in response. "I guess that's one way to look at it!" She paused, glancing towards the camp exit. "So, where do you normally find shrews, anyway?" she inquired.

Larkfoot purred. "Where do you think? Pretty much anywhere, add long as there's enough cover!"

Robinear groaned. "I was hoping there was someplace like the Miracle Grove..."

"Nope! So we better start searching!" Larkfoot mewed, passing though the exit and entering the forest at a brisk pace. With a quiet sigh, Robinear followed her.

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

Robinear ducked under a low-hanging tree branch as she searched for a shrew.

FloraClan wasn't particularly well-known for being home to shrews, or much other than squirrels and mice for that matter. But that didn't stop the leaders from deciding to make them search for them anyway.

Robinear exhaled sharply, her breath stirring the earth beneath her,her nose close to the ground. She couldn't find any shrews at all. She could only help Larkfoot had better luck.

Technically, they probably weren't supposed to have split up, but the leader's request had been so ridiculous Robinear didn't really care. She was tired, exasperated, and somewhat offended that Thrushnose had left before she was even awake-- too annoyed to care about the rules.

Which was a bit ironic, considering why Thrushnose was probably angry at her in the first place.

A strange scent finally hit her nose, and she prayed to the sun and moon that this was the scent of a shrew. She couldn't be certain, of course, as they were so rare she'd only scented them once or twice, but her instincts told her she was right,.

A sudden scurrying sound caused her ears to prick in both excitement and in order to pinpoint the sound. She was close, so close to the cursed prey that the leaders had made her search for. Her deep breathing decreased to the normal light breathing in order to not disturb leaves and her pawsteps became extra cautious.

Her whiskers twitched as the scent intensified, and she could see the tiniest speck of brown. her pace increased then, and her heart pounded loudly as the small brown shape got closer, and closer...

Robinear pounced.

She landed squarely on the creature, her well-timed leap one of moons and moons of practice. her claws sunk into its neck, an instant kill, and she felt a surge of satisfaction and accomplishment.

I did it!

She picked up the piece of prey triumphantly, quickly trying to recall where she'd promised to meet larkfoot. Was it by the stream? Her tail flicked slightly as she tried to remember, before her eyes lit up in recognition and she nodded.

She headed downhill toward the stream, the shrew held firmly in her jaws. She could taste the scent that now bathed her mouth, a bit earthy and not really to her liking. But she'd done it, no one would suspect her now. Irisflower wouldn't have to cover for her anymore.

She also felt a surge of pride that maybe Thrushnose would be proud of her catch, but that faded slightly when she thought about the fact that she probably wouldn't be back yet.

The silver tabby shook her head sharply.

No, I'm just overthinking this, she told herself. There's no way Thrushnose is that worrying about me trying to protect her!

But maybe she thinks I'm trying to leave her... Nothing could be further from the truth! I love her, and I just don't want her to get hurt.

I hope she understands.

Robinear padded to the river, and Larkfoot was already there, four mice and a squirrel in her jaws. She looked smug, and she shoved two of the mice over to Robinear. The silver-furred hunter dipped her head in thanks-- there was no way she would have completed the hunting requirement without her.

The two she-cat padded toward the camp, catches in their mouths and tucked under their chins, and they deposited their prey triumphantly in the pile. Robinear then turned, scanning the camp for Thrushnose, but she was nowhere to be seen.

I'm just overthinking things, she reassured herself, but the nagging feeling didn't go away.

(grabs shield to save myself from the incoming wave of rotten fruit)

Wow. Uh, sorry for the extremely late update. 

I've sort of started running low on inspiration? Idk, but I've been procrastinating a lot and stuff. Heh, and I also gave up on chapter titles on this book at all, they always gave too much away anyway.

Anyway...what do you think of Robinear's fear? is it just paranoia? And what do you think of Larkfoot? I know she hasn't been in the books much, but I felt like she should come back :)

I hope you enjoyed this super late update!

~Ember