Chapter Text
Sunbeam had been curled around her nest, not daring to move until she knew for sure that Finchlight was fast asleep. Everything had felt so awkward after that moment, and she just wanted to claw her eyes out every time she thought of it.
She didn't want to talk to Finchlight ever again. She never wanted to see Finchlight again! She hated ThunderClan cats, and she hated Nightheart, so surely she should hate Finchlight? Sparkpelt was definitely annoying, and she just wanted to shut Nightheart's mother up. She thought of how Sparkpelt gave her a loving glance, as if Sunbeam were her own daughter.
Finchlight felt herself shudder from ears to tail-tip when she remembered that. Her real mother would always be Berryheart, not some ThunderClan molly! Especially one who was related to Nightheart... She dug her claws into the moss of the nest, a low growl rumbling in her throat.
Suddenly, a faint rustling came from around the edges of the stone hollow, and the sounds of claws scraping echoed through her eardrums. They're here. She realized, the beats of her heart pacing faster as she began to scramble to her paws. She didn't expect them to be here so soon, and there wasn't much information she could give to the cats.
She looked down at her paws, which trembled violently as if she might fall of at any moment. Was she feeling fear? But she still had information, didn't she? Sure, there was only one piece that was important, but still!
She quickly slipped through a gap between Finchlight's nest and a brown tabby tom's nest, which had been decorated with stale feathers that seemed to be from... A hawk?! She stiffened, her heart pounding hard against her chest. Where could this cat get hawk feather from? A normal cat like him couldn't defeat a single hawk. He looked nimble and skinny, and his tail had looked like it mid-swept around a pure-black mollies back.
She shook her head, growling deep in her throat. She didn't have time to wonder about a ThunderClanners' life! She had more important things to do.
She slithered through the thorn bushes guarding the entrance, her pelt brushing against the brambles. She tried to keep her tail lifted as long as she could, careful not to let thorns poke her. She finally pushed through the thorns and brambles, letting out a soft breath. She whipped her head to look over at the top of the hollow... But no cat was there; just stones jutting out from the edge of the hollow.
...Stones... She had remembered Cloverfoot saying that the stones were meant to tell her to follow the cats. She forced that into the front of her mind, narrowing her eyes down at her paws as if mad at herself for being this stupid.
Nightheart had gone back to the moonpool with Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw... Again, she thought, grunting as she slipped between the thorn bushes around the main-entrance. She hated Nightheart, so very much, and she didn't care if he'd be okay there or not. She actually hoped a badger found him, sitting helplessly around the open clearing of the moonpool, and killed him. Her claws scraped across the dirt of the gorse tunnel, hissing softly.
After a while of stumbling up the gorse tunnel, she emerged from the numerous mounds of thorn barriers reinforcing the main-entrance to the camp, with thickets keeping the camp entrance hidden from predators lurking around ThunderClan territory.
She opened her mouth, and tasted the scent of the oak trees lining around the undergrowth. She could scent some prey, the oak trees and the leaves that were covered with bird nests, and the disgusting scent of ThunderClan, of course...
Her nose twitched as a distinct smell struck through her like lightning, pricking her ears, only to hear the sounds of an owl hooting through the trees, and crickets chirping as they crawled under her forepaws, but quickly hopped to any bushes near them as they realized who those giant things belong to.
Berryheart decided to venture down the undergrowth, her tail dragging along the grass beneath her paws. She could hear the crickets chirping louder, as if taunting her for thinking that they were here. Of course they weren't, she blinked down at her paws, furrowing her brows. They would have--
"Pssssssssstttt.... Sunbeam...." a whisper suddenly echoed from beside her, and when she whipped her head toward the whisper, she had realized there were several brushes rustling, as if signaling her to follow whatever was behind it.
Sunbeam decided to lower her head, leaning it slowly, towards the distinct brush that had been giving out faint rustles. "...Berryheart," she murmured. "Is... That you...?"
The rustling abruptly stopped. A sudden purr escaped through the leaves of the brush, and a voice came out of the foliage... More clear; "Hello, Sunbeam." Sunbeam felt reassurance flooding her entire body, knowing that the mother she loved was finally here. Here to comfort her after her long torment in ThunderClan.
"Come through the brushes, there is a clearing for where we can discuss the information you have gathered." Berryheart mewed, and suddenly, her tail had emerged out from the leaves, flicking her round tail over to the other side of the foliage. "With Cloverfoot and Tigerstar, of course," she added, though there was a slight taste of bitterness when she said 'Tigerstar'.
Now Sunbeam could hear murmurs through the brushes. Worried, panicked murmurs, which may have erupted into a whispering battle between the two cats.
Sunbeam swallowed. What was happening back there? Why were Cloverfoot and Tigerstar arguing? Was it over the possibility of war? Was it because sending Sunbeam out as a spy was a bad idea? Her forepaws shifted uncomfortably, and Berryheart had finally leaned her head through the messy foliage, revealing her black-and-white face. Her eyes gleamed against the moonlight shining around the brushes, and she impatiently flicked her tail.
"Come on," Berryheart hissed. "We have to discuss."
Sunbeam swallowed, but she lifted herself up, and straightened. She puffed her chest out as she disappeared into the mounds of brushes, the leaves nudging against her brown-and-white pelt.
It took a short while, but Sunbeam finally burst through the messy foliage, leaves sticking to her pelt as she squeezed away from the brushes. She spat, and a pile of leaves coughed out of her throat. H--how did they get in there? Was I swallowing leaves?
She shook her pelt out, and gradually the leaves that came from the brushes had flew out of her puffed out fur, and waved down onto the grass. She lifted her head, and flinched back once she realized that Cloverfoot and Tigerstar were just two fox-lengths away from her, hissing to each other quietly, and Cloverfoot gritting her teeth back at Tigerstar with a low growl rumbling in her throat.
Berryheart had emerged from the bushes, but had remained clean and unharmed. Sunbeam glanced down at her mother, who gave a small, proud smile at her own daughter.
Sunbeam felt her heart explode with joy. She's proud of me. My mother is proud of me for choosing this path. She thought, lifting her head with pride making her heart lurch a thousand of times.
Tigerstar huffed, stomping to the young molly, her pelt bristling indignantly. "So," he said as he finally skidded to a halt, narrowing his eyes down at Sunbeam. "What did you gather?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunbeam had been laying down with her paws tucked underneath her chest. She had been enjoying her meal of the day, which was a fat squirrel Thriftear had caught for her as a late-welcome gift. It was nice, and Thriftear was actually one of those ThunderClan cats Sunbeam had almost tolerated. Almost. She still couldn't shake that uncomfortable feeling she felt every time she was around a ThunderClanner. But she didn't want to get rid of that uncomfortable feeling. If she did, she could get along with her own enemies!
A cold wind had spiraled through the hollow, making Sunbeam shiver slightly.
"Mind if I join you?"
Sunbeam was really hoping that she was on patrol or something, but no. Just my luck. Sunbeam hissed softly.
"Go ahead, I don't mind." Sunbeam mewed, suddenly feeling regret swipe at her like a cat's claw as she felt Finchlight's pelt brushing against her own. She is laying down right next to me.
Finchlight had set down the mouse she was holding between her jaws, and once she raised her head, she let out a small sigh.
"So, how is ThunderClan?" She asked, frowning a little awkwardly.
Sunbeam paused her chewing, searching for answers that whirled everywhere around her head. "I--erm--I guess I like it here," she finally responded. "It's not exactly ShadowClan, but I am... enjoying it." She knew that was a lie. She knew she was lying to Finchlight, but why should she care? Why was she even caring that she was lying to this random molly who she barely called a friend.
She is exactly like Nightheart. She will abandon you the moment you even develop a slight connection with her.
I can't trust Finchlight, Myrtlebloom, Bayshine, Sparkpelt, Squirrelflight... I can't trust anyone who is friends or related to Nightheart. I can't trust anyone who is in ThunderClan.
Sunbeam gazed back at Finchlight, who drew a little smile across her muzzle.
"I'm at least glad you are adjusting," she mewed, a little spark of excitement glinting through her amber eyes. "A lot of cats here like you! Including me," she added, a purr suddenly erupting from the tortoiseshell. "I'm... Honestly kind of glad you came to ThunderClan..."
Sunbeam paused right when she was about to bite another piece of her squirrel, and she shot her head up. "You... Are?" She asked, flattening her ears. Suddenly, she could feel her heart pulse, and she immediately wanted to run away and bury herself in her nest.
Finchlight nodded. "You've really helped Nightheart become a better cat," she purred. "And... Maybe, you could help me become a better sibling... Especially to Nightheart." Her excitement that sparkled in her gaze suddenly faded, and she turned her head over at the other side of the main-clearing. "I've been horrible to him. He even says it himself."
Sunbeam suddenly shook her head, forcing her usual thoughts back into motion. I hate ThunderClan. I hate Finchlight. I hate Sparkpelt. I. Hate. Nightheart.
A commotion erupted from the main-entrance of ThunderClan camp, and Sunbeam immediately lifted her head, and looked around the camp to see where the commotion was. Her eyes shot wide in astonishment, as she had realized, Squirrelflight was back with Brambleclaw, and several of their clanmates were curiously huddled around them.
Sunbeam winced, knowing that a particularly annoying tom would be amongst those cats. She scanned nervously around the mess of colors from the cats whose tones seemed to have... Worried mews in them...
Sunbeam felt realization strike through her head.
Nightheart is missing.