Chapter 15-

Sagepaw eats in silence. That's how it's always been, right? Lonely. 

The patrol of cats, mostly Riverclan but some Shadowclan cats too, arrives shortly after, their tails waving in excitement. Pelts twitch and mouths are upturned. Sagepaw sits with semi-excited Smoothpaw and eerily silent Flickerpaw. 

Aloestar perches on a stack of boulders and smooth stream stones, but she isn't much higher than the crowd. With the pursing of her lips, the buzzing crowd silences, and the quiet is silky and soft on Sagepaw's ears. Finally. 

"Riverclan's leader den still stands," Aloestar booms into the crowd, skipping the calling of the clan meeting, "all kits and queens should leave now.  Cracklight, Flickerpaw, go with them. They'll need hunters and you two can help rebuild the camp." 

Flickerpaw shows no emotion with his nod, but Sagepaw knows he is glad. Ever since the fire, the... death... of Blossomkit, Pondscour has been too broken and angry to care much for poor Echokit. Flickerpaw usually watches after the kit, making his life so much harder. But he doesn't mind, Sagepaw can tell. 

Aloestar discusses more important matters, like rebuilding and perhaps moving farther into the woods north, but every cat disagrees. Finally, after the queens and kits scramble to Riverclan, the remaining cats are left. Aloestar's eyes dart over the gathered crowd. 

"I want us to separate, and go our own ways once more, if that's possible. Both Thunderclan's and Shadowclan's camps are destroyed, but rebuilding is possible. I ask us to speed up the process by returning to our camps and...beginning reconstruction." 

Instantly, the cats are engulfed in arguments and snarling matches, each holding a different opinion. Sagepaw flatten his ears and studies his paws. How destroyed are the camps? Can they really return? 

Turtlesplash's sharp mew silences the crowd once more. "Quiet!" 

The calico she-cat's pelt shines in the evening sun, her orange spots looking as red as the bright vermilion sky. Her eyes flash with anger, before smoothing into something else. Maybe worry. Sagepaw isn't exactly great at reading emotions when he's already struggling to decipher his own. 

"Aloestar's word is only truth," she begins loudly, her words holding power, "Will we stay here forever, moping around? No. We should return to our camps. The queens and kits should not be at Riverclan, or at the river. Shadowclan kits should not be playing like Riverclan kits. They should be in their home, correct?" 

Murmurs and mutters of agreement sound, some enthusiastically, but still. Sagepaw doesn't know if he agrees, but Turtlesplash looks like she knows what she's doing, so he nods. Smoothpaw's face breaks into a smile, her tail waving excitedly. 

"Sagepaw, we get to go home!" she exclaims quietly, leaping to her paws, "We can rebuild, and reconstruct. I'll miss Parsleypaw but-" 

"Who's that?" Sagepaw asks. Not like he cares, but his sister should know he's at least kind of listening. 

"Oh um... not your business. She's a friend, really. She's sweet and kind and funny-" 

"I get it. Sorry for asking," Sagepaw mumbles, eyes glued to Aloestar. The she-cat smiles at Turtlesplash, dipping her head, before jumping into the crowd of cats. Sagepaw can't see her anymore. 

"Will there even be a home left?" 

A new voice breaks in, a familiar voice. Yewpaw. Smoothpaw turns instantly, her eyes already annoyed. "You could've, 'ya know, not eavesdropped. But whatever. Isn't that what toms do?" Yewpaw's eyes flash with a playful challenge. 

"Sure it is. But we're also best at hunting. Right, Sagepaw?" 

Sagepaw blinks, refocusing. Yewpaw's cheeky grin breaks his decent mood. Why is the tom so happy, with all the death and grief? For some reason, Sagepaw feels jealous. 

It is a mostly new feeling, since in his kit-hood he was envied and praised endlessly. He felt like a prince, like royalty. But now, who praised him, and for what? For sitting around? No, he'd regain the praise during reconstruction. 

                                                                  ~~~  

"Come... on!"

Smoothpaw's huff grabs Sagepaw's focus from his muddy paws to her frustrated face. 

"What?" he asks, confused. Smoothpaw has beaten him in den-building so far, her side of the nursery looking much cleaner and smoother. 

"The sticks keep...falling!" Smoothpaw sighs like a kit who didn't get her way, "I liked the apprentice den better."

"That's 'cause you got to sleep in there, lazy mouse," Flickerpaw says in a dead-pan. Smoothpaw glares at the tom, but Flickerpaw doesn't even move. 

The queens and kits came back from Riverclan, tired and annoyed from the back and forth travels. Quickly, the clans were sorted into their groups and they set off with no farewells. Flickerpaw came back with Echokit in his jaws, his eyes sad and concerned. 

"Pondscour hasn't been feeding him... or talking to him... or anything. Echokit only asked to play moss ball... and she said he's a nuisance and that he'll never be as special to her as Blossomkit," he'd explained hurriedly, "I don't want to take him away from his mom...but he has to come back with us. Pondscour won't even look at him." 

But Aloestar had refused, and now Flickerpaw seems more broken than ever. 

Sagepaw feels bad for him, but what can he do? Echokit is probably far away now, all the way in Riverclan, the only clan supposed to be separated from Thunderclan. Alone, hungry, ignored, probably not even knowing Flickerpaw was willing to take him somewhere where he'll be cared for. Or he would've been cared for. 

But that doesn't matter now. What matters is his home, and making sure it's safe. Right now, the apprentice's den and warrior's den are completed, the nursery following. The clan bustles with cats rebuilding the clan walls, collecting moss, and helping Tumblecry find herbs in the barren territory. 

Sagepaw tries to focus on being positive. His mind buzzes with the words at least. Because at least they don't have to eat fish anymore; Fringestrike and Orejump had arrived in camp with three measly mice and one squirrel, spreading word of more of them taking shelter in the already re-growing undergrowth. Yet, most have probably fled north. But that doesn't matter. They have food, even if Sagepaw doesn't get even a bite because of the elders, queens, and kits swooping in to grab up the prey. 

So many at least's. Isn't that a good thing? 

Sagepaw rolls his eyes at huffing Smoothpaw and tries to smile. Smoothpaw smiles back. Flickerpaw doesn't. 

Just as Sagepaw moves to stick more moss with mud to the twigs for extra installation, the new walls rustle, marking some cat's arrival. It seems all eyes turn to the cats entering. 

Their pelts shine, slicked to their skin. They look professional. Sagepaw, however, isn't quite fooled. He narrows his eyes. 

And then he widens them. The scent is familiar. The scent of moor and rabbits and wild-growing heather. Windclan. 

The cat in the front stands tall, his jet-black fur shimmering, a stark contrast to Aloestar's white pelt. Her blue eyes are weary and aggressive. 

"Voidflicker," she spits, "what do you want?" 

The black tom's name sends shivers into Sagepaw, and he lowers his paws from the walls just to cower. Smoothpaw casts him a confused look. 

"We want your kits," Voidflicker's voice booms, echoing through camp, "and we want them now."