"Alright, Mist, I'm throwing this up to you!"

"Ready!"

From the chair I was currently standing on, I gaped open my jaws and braced myself for the weight as I watched Wendell toss up a sturdy red sofa cushion up to me. I let out a grunt as I just barely was able to get it in my jaws.

Below me, I could see Wendell's eyes briefly flashing with panic. "Hold on! I'll be right there!"

You best.

I tried my best to keep my grip on the heavy object, attempting to just focus on Wendell's dark brown tabby pelt as he jumped up swiftly, first landing on the chair that I was on, and then leaping up just a couple of tail-lengths on top of a stack of other cushions and boxes. I then couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as I saw him lower his head and open his own jaws.

With all of the strength that I could muster up, I thrusted the cushion up to my mate with a determined growl. I then let out another relieved sigh as Wendell made an impressive catch despite my flimsy throw.

As soon as I was sure he had it in his jaws, I then leapt up to where he was, and then leapt up another couple of tail-lengths to another stack of items. "Okay, throw it to me!"

Just a moment later, Wendell threw the cushion up to me, and now despite my growing fatigue and weakening teeth, I caught the cushion once again.

I'm almost done.

Now filled with a new rush of adrenaline and determination, I made sure that I had a firm grip and simply began to drag the cushion away from the edge of the box I was on. Once the cushion was fully on the flat top of the box, I readjusted my grip on it and simply scooted backwards until it was more centered on top.

I stopped once I didn't have many more room to go backwards, and I let out a huff and took a moment to catch my breath. Geez Louise, how have we been doing this all night and all morning?

"You alright up there?" I heard Wendell call up to me.

"Yeah..." I murmured in reply, immediately taking another deep breath. "Oh, yeah."

I then took one last leap, landing on top of the red cushion. Then, as I looked down from the top of our several stacks, I let out a sniff as I saw Wendell, who was now down on the basement floor. "Aw, you look so small down there."

Wendell also let out an amused sniff and tilted his head. "Am I seriously what you're looking at right now?"

I cocked an eyebrow back at the tom and gave a shrug. "I mean, you're pretty nice to look at."

He then rolled his eyes and purred. "Thank you, you're nice to look at too." I then watched curiously as he let out a sigh and flicked his tail, his eyes fill of certainty and sorrow. "But I'm just saying, you may want to look behind you."

Oh, dear.

For a moment, I could only return Wendell's look, almost not wanting to do as he said. I knew what I would find.

But at the same time, it was my excitement that finally brought me to turn around.

Right in front of my, there wasn't just a dark, sad wall in front of her. In fact, I was practically blinded by the morning sunlight as I was pretty much staring straight into the basement window – a basement window that once stood several tail-lengths above me.

Here it was. My way out of here.

And now all that was standing between me and the rest of the world was a small lever on the window that would unlock it, and allow me to open it.

Below me, I could practically feel Wendell's anxious, anticipating gaze on me. And at this point, I could hardly stand to look back him, let alone look into his eyes.

It hurt even more now to hear him speak. "Well, all you need to do now is pull that lever to the right..." When I didn't answer, I heard his pawsteps padding up closer to our stack of things. "Right?"

"I..." I trailed off, trying to make an attempt to look back at him, but quickly realized once again that I couldn't. I then looked down at my paws and let out a shaky sigh. "I don't know..."

Almost immediately after my words, I could hear Wendell letting out an understanding grunt from below, and the next thing I knew, I could hear him making his way up to me.

And considering I couldn't even turn my head to look back down at him on the floor, I couldn't help but screw my eyes shut once he leapt up and landed beside me. "Hey, are you okay?" he murmured to me in a concerned, tender voice.

I immediately let out a sigh, almost happy that I was receiving an excuse to stand here longer. "Wel... it's all finally hitting me, I guess," I eventually answered.

I then opened my tightly shut eyes and forced myself to look at Wendell. And even after seeing the caring, yet dismayed look in his eyes, I forced myself to keep his gaze. "I can leave. Right now."

"Isn't that what you've wanted since the day you got here?" Wendell asked, quoting me on something I was sure I'd said countless times up until now.

I gave the tom a shrug as I then began to let my thoughts pour out. "Most definitely, but... I guess it felt impossible for a while," I began. "So, I just seethed while I was under the assumption that I was here forever. It felt unbearable, but then we became close, and it wasn't as unbearable."

"Thank you?" Wendell purred as he cocked an eyebrow.

I let out a sniff, nudging my mate with my tail. "And then I found a way out of here, but then I found out that I was expecting Oreo, so even if I could get out of here, it wouldn't be for a while... and now he's gone, and we're here now, and..."

I then felt a heaviness in my heart as I flicked my tail ahead. "There's the window," I then breathed. "I now have the choice to leave when for so long, my mind was wired to think that I was stuck in here no matter what. I haven't thought about what it would be like to actually be out of here as much as I have just been trying to find a way to do it."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Wendell give a nod as he listened intently. "And now that I have... it's hitting me pretty darn hard." With each word that I spoke, I found my voice growing thicker and hoarser. "Now it's hitting me fully that I'm leaving you. And it's happening right now."

I'm not sure if Wendell had maybe been trying to suppress his emotions up until this point, or if things truly hit for him in that moment, but I turned to look at him again to find him closing his eyes and giving a slow shake of his head. "Hey, it doesn't have to be over just yet..."

I then watched, now feeling a twinge of curiosity as Wendell brushed past me, padding ahead of me towards the window. "I'll help you open this window, and I can walk you outside."

For a moment, I couldn't even speak as I was filled with so much love and gratitude. "I'll take it," I nearly whispered before following the dark brown tabby tom.

I then sighed as I followed Wendell, pausing for a few heartbeats and watching as he unlatched the knob on the window and proceeded to slide it open.

And as the outdoor air was able to flow inside, I couldn't help but immediately close my eyes in pure bliss as the outdoor smells and the breeze seemed to take over my senses, flooding through my nostrils and lightly brushing my fur. Wow...

I then opened my eyes after a few moments, quickly feeling a wave of sadness as I met Wendell's regretful, but certain and reassuring gaze.

"Come on," he then meowed quietly to me. "No reason to not let you fully enjoy it."

I then was overwhelmed with emotion as Wendell stepped to the side, allowing me to slide outside of the window before he did. And after taking a deep breath, I padded forward towards it. It didn't even feel real – it's like I'm in a dream, and I'm going to wake up in that stupid cat bed upstairs at any moment.

But before I crawled through, I paused for a moment as I met Wendell with a warm, but immensely dismayed gaze. But I'll miss sharing that stupid cat bed with him...

I then brought myself to crawl through, closing my eyes once again as my paws touched the soft grass. Sure, I had been able to touch grass several times when I went into the backyard, but something about this grass – grass that wasn't surrounded by a fence or was tainted with Twoleg stink – felt like nothing else.

And just like I had that one early morning when I'd been wandering around in the Twolegplace, away from BloodClan's camp, I couldn't resist the temptation of letting out a purr and letting myself roll in the grass – enjoying its wonderful smell and its touch.

I could quickly hear Wendell's amused purrs as he followed me outside. "See – if there's ever a doubt in your mind that you shouldn't have left this house, I think you should reconsider just by remembering this moment."

"Oh, don't worry!" I purred as I rolled over onto my stomach. "There's no doubt."

"That's what I thought," Wendell meowed evenly before letting out a long sigh. "How does it feel?"

I could tell that Wendell was trying to appear as chipper as possible as I stood up and padded towards him. "Better than I ever could have thought. Again..." I then let out a huff and shook my head in disbelief. "It's all just now hitting me." I am free! I thought excitedly to myself. I am actually free, after so long. I can return to the Clans now... find Wrenkit... it all feels too good to be true!

I then pulled myself away from my thoughts as I noticed Wendell nod. "Good!"

I then felt my heart sink as he then let out a sigh and sat down, almost as if he was finally letting himself relax after trying with all of his might to hold them in. "Good..."

I then watched sadly, feeling my heart now seem to slowly break in half, as he closed his eyes and seemed to take several moments to collect himself. "Gosh, am I going to miss you, Mistpelt," he then meowed out in a voice barely above a whisper.

Oh no, not this.

My legs were now practically shaking from all of the sadness and emotion that was now flowing through my blood. "And that goes both ways, Wendell. You have no idea," I breathed, my voice shaking just as much. "I will think of you every day."

"And me you, trust me," Wendell meowed softly, his voice even but his eyes full of sorrow. "It will bring me so much joy just to think of you running freely through the forest – your Clanmates, and maybe even your daughter at your side."

Still overwhelmed with emotion, I let out a sigh and bent my head forward to touch it with the dark brown tabby tom's. "I promise you – somehow you'll hear about it. One day I'll try to find my way back here and visit you."

To my surprise, Wendell let out a snort at my words. "Oh, I am certain that once you're back in ThunderClan, going anywhere else, let alone the Twolegplace, isn't going to be at the forefront of your mind."

For a moment, I could only stare back at the tom, shocked. But before I could protest in any way, he began to shake his head and put the tip of his tail on my shoulder. "I understand. I won't expect it." He then pulled his head away from mine as he stroked my face with his tail. "All I expect you to do is go home. Go to the place that you belong and makes you happy."

Before I could protest again, I actually stopped myself, feeling my heart break all over again as I looked deep into his reassuring gaze. "I'll be okay," he then whispered.

I remained speechless for a few heartbeats, although I almost wanted to let out a yowl to somehow let out all of the remorse and grief that was overwhelming me so much I wanted to collapse.

But instead, all I found that I could do was touch my head to Wendell's all over again. "Oh, Wendell... thank you for everything," I nearly cried out to him. "Thank you for appearing with... all of your snarkiness when I first got here and tried to break open an unbreakable window, which surely would have caused me to hurt myself a lot."

Wendell let out a chuckle as he nuzzled his head into mine. "Well, when you see a really pretty cat causing mischief in your house, you just have to see what is going on. Good thing I did too."

He then pulled his head away again, and I was met with affectionate, warm, and sparkling pale blue eyes. "Think things turned out pretty well for the two of us, huh?"

They did, I then thought to myself as I brushed Wendell's cheek with my tail. Too well. If I had just remained apathetic towards him, leaving like I'd always wanted to would be so much easier, Great StarClan!

I then gave my head the slightest shake. I wasn't even sure if Wendell noticed it. It would have been impossible. Not finding affection for a cat like Wendell is impossible, I then thought to myself. And anyway, he – along with the son he brought me - is the reason that I will be able to look back on this time of my life fondly.

And why I will now understand the kind of love I really deserve. That romantic love like what my parents has really exists, for StarClan's sake!

"Wendell, thank you for showing me what true love is like," I then told the tom out loud. "For a while, I didn't think it was possible."

Wendell gave me a single nod, one of the most sincere I'd ever seen. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity."

As much as I could have said after that, I found myself holding back, simply staring into the tom's pale blue eyes for several moments, making sure that I would never, ever forget that warm, loving look. While searching for love is not something I will be prioritizing in the future, if at all, I want to be sure I remember him, and remember this, and what I should look for.

But also, I knew that this might be the last time that I ever see Wendell – this tom that I had such a deep love for, and had been my saving grace in the last several moons.

Words couldn't encompass how much he would mean to me, forever. "I love you so much," I then whispered to the tabby tom.

"I love you too, Mistpelt. More than absolutely anything." Wendell immediately replied. I then watched sadly as the tom them squinted his eyes, raising his gaze up to the sky. "It... it looks like it's nearly sunhigh now. You'd better head out and get a good start before it gets dark."

He then seemed to hold back a gasp as he gave an alarmed flick of his ears. "You don't even know how far you're traveling, do you?"

I widened my eyes back at the tom. "Wow..." I then let out a snort. "I guess I don't!"

Wendell then gave me a teasing look, and for a moment it was almost as if our last few words hadn't happened... as if it was just a normal day in the nest when he nuzzled my head with his tail, causing me to purr. "Ha, that's okay," he meowed warmly. "I might be able to give you a start."

I nodded eagerly as he peered ahead of me. "Very luckily for you, our house is pretty close to the edge of this Twolegplace," he muttered as he thought out loud. "I wish I could be sure of where ThunderClan was, but they live in the forest, right? A forest begins in this direction eventually if you just keep going."

I gave the tom a single sharp nod. "Then that is where I shall try first!"

But almost immediately after my words, I gave a quick shake of my head as if to take them back. "As soon as I find Wrenkit," I told Wendell. "The Clans are her home as well as mine, and my journey would never feel complete unless she were with me."

I was now the one flicking my own ears in alarm, and I flashed Wendell a dismayed gaze as I meowed, "And Oreo-"

"Will be on my radar constantly," Wendell insisted to me, his eyes full of certainty. "If I find him, he will be here with me, right here if you ever can manage to visit."

But... is that enough for me? I thought to myself initially. What a joy it would be to have both of my kits together... but...

I then forced myself to take a deep breath and think more rationally. I can't keep Oreo from his father, or from the only kind of life that he knows... oh, but it hurts. It hurts so much...

I then had to close my eyes for a moment, realizing that after some moons, I'd finally been able to make a decision on my son's destiny.

I then opened my eyes again when I felt Wendell's tail touch my shoulder. "I can promise you that Oreo is safe, even though our Twolegs were idiotic to send him away from us," the tom tried to convince me. "I'm certain that he is living comfortably in another one of these nests just like I am."

I simply stared back at Wendell for a moment. "You're sure?"

"I am," he replied simply. And as worried as I still was, I knew I believed him. "I promise."

I nodded back at him once again, more slowly and hesitantly this time. "Okay..." I breathed, now having to cope with the fact that I may never see my son again. But at least I will know that he is happy and safe, and that it all that matters. "If you see him, please tell him that I love him so much."

Wendell nodded right back at me. "I would have even if you hadn't told me to."

I then practically had to hold back a whimper as he looked up at the sun once again, his eyes wiping over with sadness. "Now, go," he urged me softly. "Go and find your daughter, and go and find your Clan."

It's really happening...

All I could simply do at first was give a weak nod as I forced myself to begin to pad away from the tom, and the love of my life. "Goodbye, Wendell."

"Goodbye, Mistpelt," Wendell called out to me as he began to pad back towards the basement window, his eyes still dismayed, but now seeming to glow with excitement for me. "Good luck."

I then gave another weak nod, hardly being able to handle my emotions as I held Wendell's gaze for just a few more moments, and then watched in complete sadness as he crawled back through the window, his tail disappearing into the darkness of the basement.

And that was that. Goodbye, Wendell. I love you.

I then shut my eyes for a moment, a shudder running down my spine. And goodbye, Oreo, my sweet son.

For a moment, I couldn't even move, and for a moment, only for the briefest moment, did I feel a pang of regret.

I had literally said that Wendell had shown me true love, true support and true companionship. After all of the belittling, ridiculing, and abuse that Scourge had shown me, why would I let this go?

Thank StarClan, for me, the answer to that came as quickly as lightning strikes the ground in a thunderstorm. Because as amazing as it all was, for me, that isn't what I necessarily seek out in life, is it?

Adventure, freedom, and being a wild cat was.

If love was something that stumbled along the way for me – great, but it wasn't mattered to me. Losing this amazing love was a sacrifice I had to make to get this adventure and freedom I sought out. And I'm about to have it.

And as this thought hit me, it almost seemed to create the adrenaline and determination that then seemed to rush through my blood and bones, and finally brought me to begin padding away from the house. As I did so, I did not look back at all – it wouldn't do anything good for me.

I was filled with both a sensation of wanting to yowl out in grief, and a sensation of wanting to squeal in excitement and pelt ahead as my freedom, as well as what I was leaving behind, continued to process.

But right now, I couldn't focus on either of those. Wrenkit is somewhere out there, I told myself. Great StarClan, where will I even start?

Of course, I hoped that I would eventually be able to find my way back to where I currently was in order to find my way back to the forest, and of course, I also hoped that I wouldn't be found by some other idiotic Twolegs and be taken into their idiotic nest.

But these were just the risks I'd have to take if it meant finding my daughter one day. I was more than willing.

I then paused in my tracks, letting out a startled yelp as I ran straight into something that was in front of me – something so embarrassingly obvious that I'd missed when I was deep in my own thoughts.

I gave a shake of my head and my fur and then backed away, and was shocked to be looking at a large bundle of tall lilies – fully bloomed, bright orange, fiery and beautiful lilies.

And as the breeze brought them to slightly quiver, I was met with the flower's wonderful smell – sweet like any other flower, but definitely a scent that had a sharper sort-of tang to it – it was one of her favorites aside from lavender.

As the light breeze continued, it was blowing the lilies so that they were leaning slightly to my right – the direction the wind had been blowing since I left the basement.

So, of course, I was more than surprised when the wind very abruptly changed course, causing the lilies to blow in a totally different direction within half a heartbeat. They now were blowing away from me completely.

Not only that, but the wind was suddenly blowing so strongly that the lilies were completely leaning over, almost as if they were pointing?

...pointing straight towards the direction that Wendell had sent me to, I then realized as a chill ran down my spine. Towards the forest.

Almost simultaneously as I came to this realization, I was then filled with a weird, once again abrupt and sudden sense of ease and certainty.

I knew that this was no coincidence. Not at all.

Now feeling completely shocked, I stared at the blowing lilies for a moment before staring past them into what would eventually lead to the forest.

I now was certain – whatever it was, StarClan maybe, it was telling me to go straight into the forest, and to find the Clans first.