last breath before living (shadowfur va #2)

[occultation]

A den within a hill. Steep, rocky slopes. Surrounded by pine forest, with a stream at the base of the hill.

Over and over he repeated Lily’s instructions in his mind, clinging to it as hard as he’d ever clung to anything before. If he forgot even one detail, he wouldn’t find him. Shadowfur had come too far to let that happen.

It was very dark in the forest he walked through, the forest ceiling too thickly-wound for much moonlight to come through. He still felt immensely comfortable in the shadows, and that was unlikely to change. Even though he’d given up the title of ShadowClan warrior, it seemed their ways would always have a place within him.

The lively sounds of greenleaf nights had faded, replaced with the eerie silence that heralded the coming of colder weather. Leaf-fall had recently begun, turning the leaves varying shades of orange, red, and yellow and sending prey scurrying deeper into their holes. Without Khabib, finding food had been more difficult. It took Shadowfur a lot of time, which did nothing short of aggravate him.

If he could somehow find a way to summon prey from the sky, he’d give his left eye to do so. Anything to allow him to get to Alderpaw as quickly as possible. He didn’t even know if his friend would still be there; Lily had said he might not be. He hated entertaining that possibility, but it would be stupid of him not to.

It was times like this when somewhere, deep in his heart, he found himself missing Clan life. He’d spent so long as a warrior that to be a loner felt foreign to him. He doubted he’d ever return to ShadowClan. Dawnstar wasn’t exactly known for her forgiving nature; he doubted she’d understand his reasons for leaving out of the blue. His feelings towards the leader were… complicated, to say the least.

When Khabib had come to him, saying that he had reason to believe Alderpaw was alive, there was no way he could stay. Of all the cats in the world, Khabib was one of the very, very few he trusted wholeheartedly. After all the other tom had done to help him throughout the season-cycles, he had no reason to doubt his words.

There had been some times, of course, when he’d wondered if Khabib had somehow been mistaken. If the cat he saw on his journey back from the Twolegplace had been some other green-eyed red tom. But now, he had more evidence. Another cat. Someone to corroborate Khabib’s beliefs.

Shadowfur’s claws slid out as he walked. He would never be the relentless defender of the innocent that Khabib was, but he wasn’t going to let his loved ones come to harm without someone having to pay for it. Whoever it was that was holding Alderpaw against his will, they’d pay.

Somewhere, in the distance, he thought he heard the sound of rocks falling.