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Chapter two of two released on 11/11/17 (please read chapter 11 before this)

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It wasn't that Robinear wasn't a good hunter, it was just that the scent of FloraClan so close by made her so jumpy and filled with so many conflicted emotions that every rustle of a leaf made her almost jump out of her fur.

In fact, it was a miracle that she had managed to catch anything at all so far, because even the scent of mouse hadn't stopped her from thinking that some other hunter was going to leap out of the bushes and catch both it and her.

But she had calmed down now, at least a bit. Now she didn't leap out at any noise she thought was a pawstep, though her fur still spiked and her claws still unsheathed. She stayed focused on her prey, and little by little she convinced herself that there was nothing to be afraid of.

Her mouse and her bird were buried two or three pawsteps behind her, and Robinear's attentions was focused solely on her prey-- a plump squirrel that sat under a birch tree, gnawing on something innocently and obliviously. Robinear's stance lowered ever so slightly as she crept closer and closer towards her prey, until something ahead of her shifted slightly and the squirrel squeaked and bolted up the tree.

Robinear's brain didn't linger on the loss of the squirrel for more than an instant, because she knew for certain this time that it was a cat's pawstep that both she and the squirrel had heard. The scent of FloraClan drenched her, stronger than ever and somehow more foreign than she remembered.

Robinear felt just like a squirrel, and her first instinct too was to bolt up the nearest tree. But instead, the rational part of her brain took control in a rare moment and scanned the area, making sure that she was not technically in FloraClan territory.

By some miracle, she hadn't crossed into it, though the tree the squirrel and fled up was one of the border markers. She was still a good fox-length away from the border. This thought filled her with a brief sense of relief, but then the fear overtook her once more-- would they kill her just for being close?

And worse, had they already seen Thrushnose?

Robinear's claws sank into the soil, despite her knowing quite well that she wouldn't be able to fight if it came to it. There was the faint sound of mews, now, and Robinear's throat closed up slightly as she recognized the mews of Swallowtooth, Owltalon, and...her son.

Somehow, something in her mind had almost succeeded in letting Eaglepaw be forgotten and her emotions be ignored, but whatever that wall was now shattered, causing her to reel back and step on a twig, snapping it with a noise that made her ears flatten in fear.

The mews stopped, and there was an increase in the pace of the footsteps. The silver tabby's breath quickened, and she stumbled back even further from the border, though her legs did not let her spin around and run.

"Owltalon?" asked a small voice that caused Robinear's heart to clench. Her ears twitched and she flinched when the mew broke slightly "Is this...a-an intruder?"

Owltalon's voice came back, hushed. "It may be, Eaglepaw."

Swallowtooth's mew was harsh, matter-of-fact, yet just as quiet as her companion's. "Might be your first fight, trainee."

The footsteps sounded almost deafening to Robinear now, yet her legs still let her do no more than stumble back slightly. It was all she could do to not make her fur stand on end, and she fought hard to stop herself from making any noise.

The bushes before her, now quite a ways away, rustled. They could almost see her now, and as soon as one poked their head through--

A small white-furred face peered through the leaves, his yellow eyes landing on his mother and freezing over in something that Robinear could only call hatred.

Owltalon and Swallowtooth broke through only half a moment later, their eyes widening in a variety of conflicting emotions as they recognized the silver tabby who stood, shivering and almost broken beneath the gaze of her son, who seemed to hate her with every fiber of his being.

"Robinear?" breathed out Swallowtooth. She sounded torn, as if wondering whether she should kill the intruder like her Clan said, or spare her friend instead.

"I...I haven't crossed the border," Robinear blurted out hurriedly. "I was just...just hunting."

Owltalon's gaze softened ever so slightly, and he glanced down at his bristling trainee. "Eaglepaw, let's--"

"No!" spat out Eaglepaw. "No, we are not leaving her to walk free!"

Robinear flinched, her son's words hitting her like a physical blow. "Eaglepaw, my son--"

"I am not your son," Eaglepaw hissed. "I have no mother."

Robinear couldn't breathe, then, and her mind went blank as it tried its hardest not to break down at those four words. "E-Eaglepaw..."

"You left me!" he yowled. "You didn't even care that..that I..."

"Eaglepaw, let's go," mewed Owltalon, a hint of franticness in his tone.

Eaglepaw hissed. "No! We are not leaving her unpunished, are we?"

Owltalon's gaze hardened. "You will listen to your elders, trainee," he spat. "We are leaving."

Something in Eaglepaw's gaze shifted to an emotion that Robinear knew all too well-- fear. "Very well, Owltalon," he mewed icily. "I will leave my mother to rot on the forest floor."

Robinear still couldn't think, and all that she felt was pain throughout her whole body as her son spun away from her as if she was lower than crowfood. It wasn't normal pain, though, no, because it radiated out from her heart, pain that couldn't be cured with herbs or cobwebs. It was something else that ached inside her, not a cut or a wound yet somehow stinging worse than both.

My son hates me...

She must have stood there, frozen, watching them all walk away for quite a bit, because that was how Primrose saw her, staring blankly ahead with her ears flattened, tail drooped, and posture defensive and hurt.

"Robin, we have to go," Primrose told her, whacking the shivering she-cat slightly with her tail. "We have to find your girlfriend and get back to camp."

Thrushnose!

Her mate's name snapped Robinear out of the frozen position she'd been stuck in, though her mind was still reeling and broken from her son's betrayal. "She's alright, isn't she?" Robinear asked quickly, not even stopping to think before asking the question.

Primrose rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't know, would I?"

Robinear's head dipped. "R-Right." She paused before realizing that Primrose likely didn't know about what had just happened. "There's a patrol..."

Primrose's fur rose slightly. "Oh, that's not good," the tortoiseshell mewed. Her voice still sounded almost nonchalant, but Robinear noted a small shiver in her tail.  "Let's find Thrush, shall we?"

Robinear nodded, and the two began walking off towards the direction that Thrushnose had originally headed. Robinear's claws sank into the forest floor in worry, her eyes darted from side to side, and she could hear her heart pounding in her chest.

It wasn't even a moment later, though, when Thrushnose burst out from behind a tree, panting heavily and with a look of terror and panic in her eyes.

"T-They..." Her chest heaved as she fought to breathe in and out properly, and Robinear hurried over to her side to try to support her. "T-They saw me..."

Primrose's green eyes blazed. "Who?"

Thrushnose breathed in deeply, her eyes meeting Primrose's and her tail twining with Robinear's. "Just Quailwhisker," she mewed.

Primrose's tail lashed. "Just Quailwhisker?"

Robinear turned to face the tortoiseshell, her tail held upright as if to tell her to wait. "Quailwhisker's a friend," she began explaining. "She won't-"

"There are no friends in FloraClan," hissed Primrose. "Tell me, Thrush, did she ask you anything? About where we are?"

Thrushnose shook her head. "N-No. Just if we were alright..." Her gaze met Robinear's, and Robinear let the white she-cat bury her face in her fur.

Primrose relaxed ever so slightly. "Then why did you run?"

"Someone else was coming," mewed Thrushnose, her fur spiking up again at the memory. "I knew they wouldn't be as...as kind as Quailwhisker..."

Primrose narrowed her eyes. "Then why--"

Robinear spun to face Primrose furiously. "Leave her alone, will you? She's terrified!"

Primrose hissed. "Exactly!" But something in her eyes had faded, and her stance had relaxed significantly. "Ah...I'm sorry, Thrush, it's just..."

Robinear nodded in understanding. After all, most of the cats in the Fire had a tragic past with FloraClan. "We're all fine, alright? Let's...let's just go back. I'll go fetch my prey. Did you catch any, Thrushnose?"

Thrushnose shook her head. "I-I was too nervous the whole time and then Quailwhisker found me and--"

"It's alright," mewed Robinear, staring into Thrushnose's eyes kindly. "You're alright now."

"Right," Thrushnose agreed, but her fur didn't flatten completely.

Primrose flicked her tail. "Let's get back to camp, alright?"

"Sure," mewed Robinear, turning to face her mate. "You ready to get back, Thrushnose?"

Thrushnose nodded, but Robinear noted that her legs still shook.

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 

Just a couple questions for you all! What do you think of Primrose now? Eaglepaw? Robinear's reactions to everything? How about Thrushnose?

I look forward to seeing your reactions!

~Ember