Chapter Text
Silent pawsteps pushed aside the tiny mushrooms growing along the mossy trunks of ancient trees, glowing spores releasing into the air and entering their dance with the cold wind. It came from the frigid north, rustling the tops of large fern plants with its now gentle touch, pacified by the old forest.
A cat stepped out from behind the trees, casting their wistful gaze across the border between the snow-covered pine forest and the soft grass of the old forest that tickled their toebeans. They could feel the wind ruffling their dark brown fur, empty and haunting, the lands beyond their sight devoid of any signs of life.
Bright yellow eyes shimmered in the low light of the setting sun, darkness encroaching the cat as night fell. The longing in their eyes dimmed, fading away as the being the cat yearned for never showed up. They had been coming here every sunset, right at this exact spot to wait for their beloved, hoping that day would be the day she'd return.
And yet every day they left back for home, alone, disappointment dragging their ears down against their head. Their heart aching with an everlasting sorrow and a hint of light nostalgia for times now long past.
That little spot of open grass between the ferns, trees and snow had been their spot, theirs and hers. Memories of long nights playing under the stars rose up unbidden in the cat's mind, of paws sinking into cold snow as they chased each other, of two bodies curling up together under the ferns to sleep the end of the night away.
And now she was gone.
She had promised to return and they had promised to wait for her, no matter how long that would take. They were going to keep that promise, having sworn it on their magic.
Days passed.
Moons passed.
Seasons passed.
Until one day the cat didn't set their paws in the little grass clearing. They didn't brush the mushroom aside or cast a wistful gaze at the freshly fallen snow, they were never there at all.
"Where did they go?" Birchkit asked, cutting into Flowerbreeze's story.
"Who were they waiting for? Who's 'she'?" Ebonykit mewed, tilting their head in confusion. "And why did she go away?"
Flowerbreeze chuckled good-naturedly, "you'll get your answers in time little ones, but the story isn't there yet. Shall I continue?"
The kits nodded their heads, settling back down to hear the rest of Flowerbreeze's tale.
Flowerbreeze took a deep breath and continued on,
More days came and went and the cat stayed away. The snow across the border piled up as Leaf-bare arrived, clouds showering the world below the sky with a flurry of gleaming snowflakes until the grass in the old forest was buried under a blanket of white. A strange cat appeared, cloaked in ice and snow, stepping away from the pine trees and into what was once the little grass clearing.
The spirit of Leaf-bare glanced around, eyes dazzling in the glow of the mushrooms which still stood firm despite the cold. When the spirit did not find who she was looking for, she turned towards a gap between the thick trees of the old forest and slipped through, leaving bits of frost in her wake.
The path ahead of her was overgrown with old thorny brambles and littered with dead leaves, but with every step taken the spirit brought Leaf-bare along with her. The cold she carried within her heart shrivelled the brambles up until they were nothing and she could easily pass through. Roads that had not been walked in seasons opened up for her and the forest seemed grateful for it, finally able to breath with the thorns now gone.
Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, freezing before they could fall down her cheeks, she never should have left her forest this long. Without her decay it had grown stale, kept in an eternal Leaf-fall that choked the forest with its roots. New things could not grow and old things could not die. She wished she'd never had to leave.
With every pawstep, she feared for the fate of her dear friend (perhaps, more than friends?). Her departure must have pained them greatly, even though they both knew she'd had no choice. Yet, with the forest's current state, she could not imagine how Leaf-fall's spirit was faring now. They'd kept the forest alive but potentially at a great cost to themselves.
That thought spurred her on to move faster, her wispy form wavering as she ran through the woods. Finally, she emerged at the top of a sloping hill, staring down at the few cats milling about. They looked tired, no doubt worn-out from the long unchanging season of Leaf-fall. They didn't notice her at first but once she began to make her way down her presence caught their gaze, eyes changing quickly from disbelief to joyous recognition. They crowded her, purrs winding soflty around her cold heart, their warm welcome melting some of her snow.
She loved her Clanmates, she really did but there was one she'd missed above all else. Where were they? Her icy eyes scanned the camp, landing on a strange trail of familiar leaves leading into the medicine den. Fear twisted itself into her chest at the sight, like the thorns she'd broken down mere moments ago.
Leaf-bare's spirit hurried into the den, ice creeping up on the walls as she stood staring at her oldest friend. Leaf-fall's spirit looked exhausted, the red-golden-brown leaves that usually grew from their body were strewn around on the floor, their pelt matted with knots and tangles. Amber eyes dull and for a moment she feared the worst but then, something sparked in those eyes and her friend lifted their head to bump noses with her, a purr starting up in their throat.
Still worried but also relieved, she curled around the other spirit. The two sharing words that were only to be heard by the two of them.