Chapter Text
Squirrel that Leaps into Flight, Brook Where Small Fish Swim, Stormfur, and two kits stood at the crest of the last foothill.
"Where should we go?" Brook asked. Pine that Clings to Rock and Lark that Sings at Dawn were huddled between her and Squirrel, eagerly looking out at Clan territory.
"The moor is WindClan, almost definitely," Squirrel said. "ThunderClan could be anywhere."
"RiverClan might be on the island," Stormfur said.
"Where are we going?" Lark asked.
"I think we should see ThunderClan," Squirrel said. "I want to see my family again."
"We're your family."
"I know, Lark. But I left family behind in ThunderClan." She had already explained this to them, but the kits didn't quite seem to understand that Squirrel was born into the Clans, same as Stormfur.
Their father provided them with stories of RiverClan, of becoming a warrior, and she only had three seasons of memories to tell them of.
"I have a littermate, Leafpool," she said. "I haven't seen her in...three seasons, now?"
"Not since last leaf-bare," Stormfur said.
A silence fell over the group.
"Do you want to stay with ThunderClan?" Stormfur asked.
"No," Squirrel said. "Not unless you do."
"I want to see Greystripe. If he made it."
Brook and Squirrel exchanged a glance. It was no secret how much Stormfur missed his father, but it was unlikely he had found the Clans, considering he hadn't made it through Tribe territory.
"So we can start with ThunderClan," Brook said. "And then stay with RiverClan, like we planned."
Squirrel and Stormfur nodded.
"Let's rest here," Squirrel said. "It'll be dark by the time we find them."
"But I want to meet the other cats!" Pine said.
"You'll meet plenty of other cats later," Brook said. "But we'll sleep now."
Stormfur touched noses with her. "Why don't you make the nests, and me and Squirrel can hunt?" He looked back at Squirrel, his eyes shining. "Unless you think you've forgotten how to hunt here..."
"Never," Squirrel said, her voice gruff. "But I'm a Tribe cat, now. Can't blame me for that."
Stormfur dipped his head.
"We all are."
The truth of it hung between them. They were outcasts twice over, once by choice and once by force. There was no guarantee of a home anywhere.
Squirrel blinked, steadying herself. "Let's hunt," she said. "It's been a long day."
When dawn comes, they set out. They walked on the edge of the moor, Lark and Pine overflowing with questions.
"Is this where you were born?" Lark asked Squirrel.
"No," Squirrel said. "I was born in the forest, remember?"
"But this is a forest!" Pine said.
"Good point. I was born in a different forest."
"Oh."
There's a moment of silence.
"So have you been here before?"
Stormfur interceded, answering on her behalf, and she nodded at him, grateful.
"This is definitely the ThunderClan border," Squirrel said. "It's just a matter of whether a WindClan or ThunderClan patrol will find us first."
"Who's WindClan?" Pine asked.
"WindClan is one the four Clans," Stormfur said. "Remember?"
"Yeah, but who are they?"
"Well," Stormfur said. "Tallstar is the leader. And his deputy is Mudclaw."
"Crowfeather is there, too. And Ashfoot, and their medicine cat, Barkface."
Brook waved her tail. "I smell more cats," she said.
Squirrel stood beside her. "It's a ThunderClan patrol," she said. "I can't tell who's there."
A battered group of cats approached them. Squirrel struggled to tell who they were.
"Sandstorm!" she called, bolting forward. She could hear Lark and Pine's cries of confusion, and she knew she risked injury, but she was too excited to see her family.
"Squirrelpaw?" Sandstorm looked confused.
She pressed herself into her mother. "I missed you," she said.
Sandstorm purred, taking a moment to steady herself. "Have you come back?"
Squirrel stepped away, taking a moment to assess the other cats. "Cloudtail, Rainwhisker," she said. "It's good to see you again."
They started mewing out greetings, but she turned and flicked her tail at the others. "Brook and Stormfur, and their kits are with me," she said. "We've left the Tribe of Rushing Waters."
"What happened?" Sandstorm was looking at her with concern. She flicked her ears, trying to brush off any worry.
"It's a long story," she said. "Let's do introductions."
Pine and Lark were standing close to Brook. Squirrel touched noses with them, whispering, "It's just my old Clan," hoping it was reassuring.
"This is Pine that Clings to Rock and Lark that Sings at Dawn," she said. "They're five moons old, kits of Brook Where Small Fish Swim and Stormfur."
She pointed out her old Clanmates with her tail. "Pine, Lark, this is Sandstorm, my mother, Cloudtail, and Rainwhisker."
"All of their names are weird," Pine said.
"They're all like mine," Stormfur chided. "I'm sorry. We've been travelling a long time."
"I can imagine," Cloudtail said. "Well, it's not as good as prey, but we should head back to camp."
"Not as good as prey?" Squirrel yelped. "We're better."
Cloudtail laughed.
"Then you can be the one to tell the elders." Squirrel laughed. The conversation felt light and easy. She had missed the cats of ThunderClan, as much as she loved the Tribe.
But the ThunderClan cats were mostly quiet on the walk back to camp.
Pine and Lark peppered them with questions, and Sandstorm was mostly happy to field them, but Squirrel could tell something was wrong.
"This is our camp," Sandstorm said. "We just...there were badgers."
"Is everyone okay?"
"Mostly," Sandstorm said. "Cinderpelt died. Sorreltail was kitting."
"Oh." Squirrel felt her heart fall. She had never been close to Cinderpelt, but she was Leafpaw's mentor, and a good medicine cat. "I'm sorry," she said.
"Don't be," Sandstorm said. "At least you're home."
She ran into camp, bunting against Firestar. Squirrel made eye contact with her father, and he closed his eyes, then ran towards her, as if he doubted she was really there.
"Squirrelpaw!" he called. She purred, letting him encircle her. "I'm happy you're back."
"Why does everyone keep calling Squirrel 'Squirrelpaw'?" Lark asked. Stormfur bent to whisper an explanation.
"Did your name change?" Firestar asked.
"Squirrel that Leaps into Flight," she said. "Or just Squirrel."
He purred. "It's..."
"Yeah," she said. "You have Stormfur and Brook to thank for that."
"Leafpool will want to see you," he said. "I'm sorry that everything is a mess."
"Don't be," she said. "I heard what happened."
He rest his forehead against hers. "I'm still happy you're home."
Squirrel felt the guilt rise in her throat. "It's good to see everyone."
Firestar pulled back, blinking slowly at her. "I'm going to announce your return."
"This is Pine that Clings to Rock and Lark that Sings at Dawn," she said. "They're Stormfur and Brook's."
"Congratulations!" Firestar said.
"Is Graystripe...?" Stormfur's voice caught.
"We haven't found him," Firestar said. "But we haven't seen him in StarClan yet either."
Stormfur's eyes closed, and he leaned against Brook.
"I'm sorry," Firestar said. "I wish I had good news."
"It's alright," Stormfur said. "Thank you for your honesty." His voice was raspy, and Squirrel knew he was grieving.
Firestar dipped his head, than turned away.
"Let's go inside," Squirrel said. Her grief for Stormfur's father couldn't overwhelm her excitement at seeing her sister again, even though the tragedy at camp had tamped down the bounce in her step.
She walked into camp, scenting the air and scanning her surroundings. It looked nothing like the old camp, but it still smelled like ThunderClan.
Leafpaw — Leafpool, now — was sitting next to Sorreltail, her head bowed.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"
Most of ThunderClan seemed to already be sitting outside, so there was little movement. Squirrel froze in her steps, deciding to wait until after to greet Leafpool.
"A border patrol today found Squirrel that Leaps into Flight—" Firestar paused, looking pointedly at Squirrel, "as well as Stormfur, Brook, and their kits."
Leafpool had seen Squirrel, and she flicked her ears encouragingly. Squirrel twitched them back, promising she'd greet her as soon as the meeting was over.
"Are they coming back to ThunderClan?" someone called.
"We haven't discussed it yet," Firestar said, "but Squirrel will always have a place here, and they are welcome to stay for the next few days." He jumped down, and cats went back to their previous business.
Leafpool launched herself at Squirrel.
"I can't believe you're back!" she said. Her voice was hoarse, but her joy shone through her eyes. "I missed you so much."
"I heard about Cinderpelt," Squirrel said, even though the words felt hollow. "I'm so sorry."
Leafpool purred, bunting against Squirrel's head. "I'm happy you're back," she said, in a voice that was quiet and small. "I'm glad I'm not alone."
Squirrel purred, guilt seeping into her chest. "It's good to see everyone," she said. "I missed you all."
Night fell. Most of ThunderClan was asleep, or at least on patrol.
"Do you want to stay?" Brook asked.
Squirrel shook her head. "It's not my home," she said. "I'd rather be with you."
Brook purred, licking Squirrel's shoulder affectionately.
"We'll leave soon," Stormfur said. "Tomorrow or the next day."
"Everyone is assuming I want to stay," Squirrel said. "I don't want to disappoint them."
"You're not," Brook said. "They're happy to see you, but you made your choice, and they've all come to terms with it."
"Leafpool will still be disappointed," Squirrel said.
"Cats will always be disappointed," Stormfur said. "Greystripe was disappointed when Feathertail and I didn't come to ThunderClan. It just means they love you."
"I know," Squirrel said. "I'm going to sleep."
She turned, heading towards the warrior den. Brambleclaw had said there were nests for her and Stormfur there, and that Brook could take Pine and Lark to the nursery.
She circled an empty space, missing the cave and the water of the Tribe. The sleeping cats around her didn't flinch, but she no longer found their scent familiar and home.
Squirrel wondered if it was possible for that to change again.
They stayed for two days, but Stormfur was getting anxious to see RiverClan again.
Pine and Lark were fascinated by Clan life, but they missed the mountain.
Squirrel and Brook struggled to explain they weren't going back.
She spent her time with Leafpool and her family. Leafpool was nervous about being the only medicine cat, and Sandstorm and Firestar had questions about her life.
The details of Clan life had faded from her memory. Brambleclaw was the acting deputy, and he put her on a few patrols. She felt uncomfortable on patrol, and she missed hunting with Storm and Grey. Everyone wanted to talk to her, but she felt out of time.
Whitewing and Spiderleg weren't the cats she had grown up with, not anymore. They had all changed.
Yet still, when she announced she was leaving for RiverClan with Stormfur and Brook, she was met with shock.
"Brook and Stormfur are my family," she said. "And my Tribe. I can't leave them."
Leafpool watched her with sadness. They hadn't had a chance to talk about it, but Squirrel knew she had left with Crowfeather, only coming back in the midst of the badger attack. She didn't protest that Squirrel was leaving, only touched noses with her.
"You just came back," Sandstorm said. "How can we lose you again?"
"You're not losing me again," she said. "But I can't leave Pine and Lark anymore than Sorreltail could leave behind her kits."
Even if Brook wasn't her closest friend, she had spent a moon travelling with them. Pine had already overtaken her, and Lark isn't far behind him, but they still looked up to her. Metaphorically, at least. She knew how scared they were, how uncertain the future seemed, even if they were easily distracted by the novelty of it.
She would have stayed with Brook and Stormfur without them, of course, but she couldn't even consider letting them go without her.
"Please reconsider," Firestar said. "ThunderClan has missed you."
It's frustrating, because she did this before, and her answers haven't changed.
"You'll see me at Gatherings," she said. "But this is my family. I can't leave them."
Sandstorm and Firestar dipped their heads. She bunted up against them. "You'll always be my family, too," she promised. "But I have helped raise Pine and Lark."
"I understand," Sandstorm said. "I am thankful for the time we had together."
"As am I," Firestar said. "And there will always be a place for you in ThunderClan."
"Thank you," she said, her voice quiet.
"It's time to go," Stormfur said, guiding her away gently.
She could feel their eyes on her back long after they had left camp.