The Last Descendant

Since that last story didn't get far off the ground, maybe this one will be better. Hey guys! So, back in April of 2012, when I was just starting to get into Warriors roleplaying, I started writing a story that ended up being the longest story I ever wrote. I started it in April and kept going on and off until this spring, at which point my creativity died out. By the time I decided I wanted to continue writing, I felt that the story (which was up to chapter 25 at that point), was in need of a fix, so last month I started rewriting it and, after much laziness, I'm ready to start rolling out some chapters. Unlike most of my stories, this one doesn't have any chapter titles due to the fact that those started happening after this story. So, every so often I'm going to be putting out the reworked chapters, and after each chapter I'm going to be writing down some information about the chapter. For example, I'd write things about the inspiration for characters' names or how certain events happened in the previous rendition, though I'll stop if you all don't think it's very interesting. I ask that you please don't post in this topic, for there will be a comments/criticisms topic that I'll be linking here https://warriorclancats.forumotion.com/t14598-the-last-descendant-comments-criticisms-and-suggestions for you to post in. I'd love if any readers would post there, since I'd enjoy hearing what you thought of the story. This story has been a year and five months in the making, and I'm really hoping that I can finish it this time, since I have a lot more I want to do with it. Enjoy!

Spoiler:

The air was still, silence settling on every object of the house. A patch of sunlight crept through the curtains and swept along the floor, settling between the eyes of a ginger-furred tom. Blinking open his eyes with a hiss of slight frustration, the tom gave up on his sleep and stood up, stretching out his limbs. He broke the silence of the room with a tired yawn, padding sleepily towards where his nose detected food - at least, what passed as food. Two metallic bowls were filled up with his so-called nourishment: one full of water, the other of brown pellets that pretended to be food. He gently lapped his tongue across the surface of the water, ripples softly splashing up against the sides of the bowl. The metallic frame of the bowl did nothing for the taste: the liquid felt empty as it fell down his throat, barely doing anything to parch his early morning thirst. Ignoring the food altogether, he decided that going outside would be a refreshing wake-up call, so he slid through the cat door and emerged into a spacious backyard. Moving towards a fence that separated his backyard from the one next door, he bunched his muscles and leaped gracefully onto the top of the fence. His amber eyes gazed across the yard until they rested on a plump housepet snoozing in the grass, the sun bathing his dark gray fur in a warm glow. Smiling, he jumped down onto the grass and called out, “Ash!”

The gray cat stirred, turning his head towards the loud meow that had aroused him from his sweet slumber. “Rex, do you enjoy waking me up?” He glared for a moment, then smirked at his friend, shaking his head as he slowly stood up and made his way towards his fellow housecat. “You need to learn to sleep longer. Lay in the grass and snooze away, friend.”

Rex laughed softly and touched tails with Ash, purring contently to be near his friend again. Ash was the best friend a cat could ever have, no matter how lazy he may be. Whenever Rex was able to go outside, he enjoyed hopping the fence to spend time chasing the birds that landed in Ash’s yard, though the gray tom never seemed to chase after them himself. Lazy furball, he thought to himself. He couldn’t even remember a time Ash had ever left his yard besides to go inside and eat. “You sleep long enough for the both of us,” he replied with a smirk, prodding his friend’s paunch. “You eat enough for the both of us too.”

“Hey, waste not, want not,” Ash replied in a rather sage tone, though the meaning was lost on Rex. Where does he get all this nonsense? Rolling his eyes, the ginger tom padded around the backyard and looked around for the birds that usually hung out there. Unfortunately, despite the beautiful weather, no birds were flying around. Maybe they knew he was here. “Are you skipping meals again, Rex?” Ash had started talking again, and Rex turned around to see legitimate concern in his friend’s eyes. He shouldn’t have been surprised that his skipping of meals would become noticeable: he was becoming much skinnier, after all, and he was feeling more dizzy than a normal cat should, but he just couldn’t stomach that awful slop they put out for him.

“Yeah,” he admitted with a twinge of guilt, doing his best to ignore the loud growling his stomach was creating. “But I’ll be fine, don’t worry. It tastes awful anyway.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. It tastes just fine to me. In fact, if you’re not going to eat yours, I’ll be happy to eat it in your stead.”

“Sure, buddy. Just hop over my fence and I’ll bring it out.”

“… On second thought, I can’t deprive my friend of a much-needed meal.” Rex rolled his eyes again, though he couldn’t help but grin. That was the joking Ash he knew. A light wind began to pick up and blow into the yard, bringing a strange yet pleasant scent to Rex’s nose. It was a scent that he had only dreamed of, and it smelled better than he had imagined: the scent of the forest. The tantalizing tang of the trees calling out for adventure as the longest and bravest of branches swayed near the fence, seemingly just out of reach. If he just stretched out far enough… He didn’t realize he was drifting off until a loud meow sounded in his ears. “Rex! Rex, are you in there?”

“Huh? What?” Snapping out of his daydream, he tilted his head back to see Ash staring at him. “Sorry, I was just...”

“Missing more of my dialogue,” Ash finished, flicking his tail in mock disapproval. “If you’re going to spend all of your time daydreaming, you’ll miss my humble sacrifice of food in the name of your survival. It’s a touching story, truly.”

“Ash, you’re something else, really.” Rex shook his head and padded towards the fence, looking up towards the top. “What do you think the forest is like?”

“The forest?” Ash moved to stand next to his friend, peering up as if Rex was seeing something he couldn’t. “It’s a dangerous place, you know? There are rogue cats everywhere, just waiting to feast on a lost housecat like you and me. There’s no food except for scrawny mice and birds, and if the rogues don’t get you, the foxes will!” He rose up on his paws to give a more terrifying edge to his monologue, though Rex just felt he looked more like a taller, but still plump cat. “I heard that a housecat once went into the forest and fell into a hole, never to be heard from again.”

“Who told you that?”

“One of my friends did.”

“You’re talking to the birds now, then? A little birdy told you?” Rex smirked and placed one paw on the fence, judging the distance between himself and the top of the fence. Maybe if he jumped high enough…

“Oh haha, very funny. At least birds listen more often than you do.” The plump gray housecat prodded Rex hard in the ribs. “Don’t start thinking about hopping the fence, Rex. I just told you it was dangerous out there. I’m not letting you get yourself killed.” Rex sighed and slowly backed up from the fence, looking up at it wistfully all the same.

“You’re right, Ash. I should just-“ He quickly cut off what he was saying as he put on a burst of speed and brushed past the gray tom, leaping as high as he could and grasping onto the fence with outstretched claws. Scrambling up as fast as he could, he finally stood on top of the fence, looking out at the beauty of the forest before him.

“Hey, you got claw marks on my fence!” Ash wailed indignantly, but Rex was in his own little world now. A soft breeze ruffled his fur and he breathed in deeply, savoring the scent of the trees. The breeze shook the thin branches of the closest trees, causing a few leaves to break away and flutter listlessly down to the ground. Rex watched one float by him, and with a quick swipe he snagged it with a claw. He turned it over in his paw, looking it over before letting it drift back to the ground.

“The forest looks amazing!” he yowled down to Ash, smiling broadly at the thought of exploring it all. “Come explore with me. It’ll be exciting!”

“Rex, I just told you that place is dangerous,” Ash mewed with a resigned sigh, curling back up on the ground and closing his eyes. “I’ll stay here where it’s nice and safe, thank you.” Rex frowned slightly – why did Ash have to be such a spoilsport? – but quickly perked up at the prospect of what was to come. He jumped down onto the ground below, not hesitating as he stepped into the dense woods, the wind blowing freely around him.

Spoiler:

The woods felt like a new playground for the adventurous ginger tom. Leaves and branches littered the forest floor as he wandered around, taking in the new sites with an untempered awe. The tops of the tall trees obscured the sun from the ground below, though small slits of light played across the grass whenever it could break through. It was breathtaking. Letting his glee overtake him, Rex smiled and began to run, leaping over tree roots and losing track of time. When he finally decided to stop and take a breather, his eyes lit up when he saw something at the base of a tree: a mouse!

The mouse was seemingly oblivious to the cat standing a short distance behind it as it chewed on a nut it had in its tiny paws. It was live prey, sure, but it looked much more appetizing than that stuff his owners tried to feed him. Pressing lower to the ground, he slowly started to creep up on the mouse, his tail waving in the air in his barely-contained excitement. His excitement, however, blinded him to his surroundings, and just as he was reaching pouncing distance, his right paw snapped a twig. The sound reverberated throughout the area like a crash of lightning, and the mouse’s head shot up in fear, dropping its meal and taking off. Cursing silently to himself, Rex dropped all pretenses of stealth and hauled off after his prey, willing his legs to propel him forward faster to catch that mouse. His speed got him closer and closer, and finally he decided to pounce. The mouse, desperate to avoid becoming a meal, veered hard to the right and out of Rex’s pounce. The ginger tom’s eyes widened as, unable to stop his momentum or change course, he slammed straight into a tree, rolling head over paws before crumbling in a heap at the base.

Dazed, Rex slowly got back onto his paws, stars swimming around in his vision as he searched desperately for the mouse, but it had escaped. ”I almost had it!” he muttered to himself, shaking his head to try and shake the stars from his vision. When he opened his eyes once more, he noticed the stars hadn’t disappeared… a few twinkling lights were showing in the sky above him, mostly obscured by the tops of the trees. It had become nighttime: how long had he been lying there? Panic began to slowly build inside him as he gazed left and right, but nothing looked familiar. Where had he come from? He honestly had no clue… he was lost.

Stepping forward, Rex was almost compelled to just start walking, but nothing was coming of his pointless meandering. All of the trees looked the exact same, and every step he took just got him more and more lost. Finally his panic set in completely, and the poor tom cried out into the night. “Help!” Several times he screeched out this call, but no one heeded it, leaving him feeling more alone than ever. He gave up at that point, curling up under a tree and placing his head between his paws. His resting spot was dirty and uneven, but he didn’t have another choice. Closing his eyes, Rex slowly fell into a fitful slumber.

The snap of a twig jerked Rex awake, his eyes wide as he cast his gaze across the shadowed forest. It was still pitch black, and he couldn’t tell where the sound had come from, but he was appropriately spooked. Another snap, this time closer, got Rex onto his paws as his body shook with nerves. By the time a third twig was broken he was off, running as fast as his paws would allow him. The forest was even harder to traverse in the dark, and many times the ginger tom would stumble and have to pick himself back up. On and on he would run, until he could run no more, at which point he would collapse against a tree trunk, only to be forced to run again at the continued sounds of broken twigs and what he could have sworn were pawsteps. Eventually he couldn’t tell whether or not he was awake or asleep, for every time he thought he fell asleep, he was always running away from something he couldn’t see, and when he thought he had awoken from the dream he was still on his paws, running. He was caught between a dream and reality when he heard something new now: a voice, calling his name. “Rex.”

Rex’s head shot up as he stared into the dark, knowing he wasn’t imagining the voice he just head. Was he dreaming, though? “H-hello?” he called out shakily, trying to convince himself this was all a dream. The voice spoke again, however: clearer, and distinctly behind him.

“Rex.” The ginger tom whipped around and was met with a brilliant, blinding light shining down on the forest floor. He had to use a paw to cover his eyes as his entire body shook from outright fear. When the light finally died down, Rex lowered his paw, his eyes widening when he saw what stood in front of him. A cat, apparently having appeared through the light, with eyes as green as emeralds and alight with warmth. His fur was the color of flame, not all that different from Rex’s own, though what was particularly startling was the starlight that was shining in his fur.

“Who… who are you?” he whispered, finally regaining his voice.

“Hello Rex, I’ve been waiting for you,” the starry cat began. My name is Firestar.”

Spoiler:

Rex stared incredulously at the cat who had descended from the stars, barely able to comprehend what was happening to him. “Wh-what are you talking about?” he whispered, trying to make his paws move so he could turn and run, run from the insanity that was developing before him, but it was like he was rooted to the spot. The starry cat crossed the clearing until there was almost no space between the two, his eyes boring into the trembling tom before him.

“You wouldn’t know who I am or what I speak of,” Firestar mewed, his voice soft, yet very authoritative. “I was alive long before your time. I am a warrior of Starclan, and we need your help.”

“M-my help?” With his paws frozen to the spot, Rex could do nothing but stare at the supposed Starclan warrior before him, unable to truly believe that a dead warrior had descended from the sky to enlist his help. It had to be a dream; it just had to. “H-how am I supposed to help you?”

Firestar sat on his haunches, encouraging Rex to follow suit. As if his paws were thawed out, he found himself sitting down next to the starry warrior. “Many seasons ago, four warrior clans ruled the forest: Thunderclan, which I was leader of, Riverclan, Shadowclan, and Windclan. These clans would hunt, patrol, and raise their kits in their territories, and once a clan cat passed on, they would join the ranks of Starclan, where our ancestors would roam Silverpelt and watch over us. But…” A darkness flashed across Firestar’s eyes before he continued. “Moons after I joined the ranks of Starclan, power-hungry cats took power within the clans and tore them apart. The forests ran red with blood, the clans were destroyed, and Starclan was torn apart. Without the clans to keep our memories alive, most of Starclan vanished. I can no longer be sure how many of us remain.” He emitted a weary sigh, his bright green eyes clouded with sorrow.

Rex stared at Firestar, curiosity starting to push aside some of his fear, though he still felt overwhelmed by all the information he had just been told. However, for a reason he couldn’t explain, he could hear the truth in the fiery cat’s words. “I’m sorry for what happened to your clans, Firestar, but I still don’t understand how I can help you. I’ve never even been to the forest before tonight. What do you expect me to do?”

“Don’t doubt yourself so much, Rex. The clans run in your blood, although you haven’t realized it yet.” Firestar gently laid his tail on Rex’s shoulder, speaking in a voice so clear and full of authority that all other sounds seemed to die down in its presence. “Rex, you are my last descendant, and it is your destiny to reunite the clans!”

Spoiler:

“My destiny?” Rex repeated what Firestar had said, eyes wide as he processed what he had just been told. This wasn’t possible; there was no way. Even if he was actually the descendant of a clan leader, he didn’t have any ability to lead. “No, I… I can’t. I’m not a leader, Firestar. I’m not.” Slowly he began to back away from the starry warrior, fear now coursing through his veins; the fear of all he had been told, fear that he was going insane, perhaps even the fear of having to shoulder so much responsibility. It was too much for the overwhelmed tom. “I’m sorry, I-I can’t, I can’t…” Fear fully overtook Rex now, and he gave one last look at the one who claimed to be his ancestor before turning tail and running, no longer caring or even thinking about how he had no idea where he was going. He heard Firestar call out to him, but the words were already far away as he ran. No, he’s wrong… I’m no leader! This can’t be happening! These thoughts of fear and doubt replayed over and over in his mind as he kept running, running away from the forest, the cat with stars in his fur, and maybe even his destiny. When he felt he could run no more, he stopped and hung his head, breathing heavily as his eyes took in something familiar. He lifted his head and saw a fence: his fence. He had made it home! Summoning as much energy as he could, he raced out of the forest and leapt onto the fence. As he landed, his paws gave way from under him, and he fell awkwardly onto the ground below, hitting the earth with a loud thump. The sun rising to the top of the sky was the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes, and all was dark.

Rex finally opened his eyes, training his amber gaze on the sight in front of him. He knew that he had landed in his backyard before everything had gone dark, but now he was in the forest again, no sound registering in his ears. Soon, however, a soft pattering of footsteps sounded from far off, disturbing the silence as it got closer and closer. By the time Rex was able to determine where the noise was coming from, it had become deafening. It sounded like a whole forest of creatures were descending upon his position. The trees began shaking violently as a massive throng of cats streamed into the clearing, fear and pain visible in their wide, terrified eyes. Before the startled tom could move out of the way, another tom with massive shoulders slammed into him, knocking the wind out of his chest as he was thrown out of the way. Gasping for air, Rex slowly stood to find a group of cats surrounding him, creating a circle to block his passage. They glared menacingly at him, the pain and fear in their eyes matching the eyes of those cats fleeing behind them. “Who are you? What do you want?” Rex asked weakly, any form of confidence draining from him as these scared, yet battle-hardened cats moved in on him, leaving no way of escape.

“You have to save us!” a she-cat wailed, her eyes boring deeply into the shaking ginger cat’s, keeping him rooted to the spot. He tried to avert his eyes from the pain and anger radiating off of the she-cat, but he found himself instead staring at a much larger tom, his lips curled back into a snarl. “You were destined to save us!” he hissed angrily, his hot, rancid breath making Rex sick. “Are you too scared, kittypet?”

The circle closed in further as cat after cat wailed in anguish, their voices coalescing into one elongated, tortured yowl. Their menacing glares burned into Rex’s fur, forcing him onto the ground until he could only cry out weakly like a sick kit. He put his paws over his eyes, desperate to block out their furious faces, their withering glares, until a bright line shined down upon the circle, encroaching on the darkness of his shut eyes. He slowly opened them once more to find Firestar walking towards him, breaking through the tight circle of angry cats. “The clans were destroyed due to relentless war,” Firestar mewed in the same authoritative voice he had used last night. “It is time for a cat who knows only of peace to bring the clans back together. Do not let us be forgotten, Rex. Please save us.” All Rex heard after that was his name being repeated, over and over again, as he slid back into the darkness.

“Rex, wake up! Are you okay? Rex!” Something was poking him in the flank, causing him to stir with a groan. The voice sounded so far off… who was it? Ash? Realization came flooding back to Rex and he sat up with a jolt, opening his eyes to see Ash staring with concern at the exhausted tom. The sun was blazing above them, and it only took a cursory glance for Rex to figure out he was in Ash’s backyard. He must’ve jumped into it last night by mistake. “Finally, you’re awake!” Ash purred with relief, touching Rex’s tail with his own. “When you didn’t come back last night, I was sure you had gotten lost. Thank goodness you got back safely!”

“Ugh, how long was I out?” Rex slowly ran a paw across his face as the memories of last night came back to him, the nightmare had had just experienced leaving him hollow and guilty inside.

“The entire morning. I found you passed out here when I woke up. What happened out there? Did you get attacked by rogues? What did you see?” Ash was pacing around his friend, curiosity prickling his pelt. Rex sat up completely, trying to shake off the feeling of dread that stuck to his fur like burrs, but it just wouldn’t go away.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he muttered.

“Try me.” So Rex told his friend everything: about nearly catching a mouse, about getting lost, about the starry cat named Firestar with his four ancient clans and the destiny that Rex now held, about the dream where the clan cats were running for the lives with pain and sorrow in their eyes, and finally Firestar’s words that only Rex could save the clans. When he finally finished, he searched Ash’s face for any indication of belief, but his gray-furred friend only stared at him curiously.

“Well, what do you think?” he asked.

“… You’re right, I don’t believe you.”

Rex sighed and collapsed back to the ground, knowing that his friend probably thought he was insane. “I know it sounds crazy, but… it felt so real. What if those cats really need my help and I’m turning my back on them? It felt so real…”

Ash pressed himself against Rex, offering his encouraging warmth. “Dreams sometimes feel extremely real, buddy, but it was just that: a dream. You’re just tired from being in the forest all night, that’s all.”

“It felt so real, though…” Rex repeated these words, but it was more for his own benefit than Ash’s. Maybe it all was a crazy dream, that he had no real destiny. He felt even emptier now than when he had first woken up.

“Come on Rex, just get back to your house, get some food, and relax. You’ve had a very trying night.” Ash helped the tired tom up to his paws and hopped onto the fence, though he was forced to scramble with his claws to get his hefty frame to the top. Once up there, he stretched out his paw and helped Rex get himself onto the top as well, grunting as he had to grasp his friend by the scruff to haul him up the full way. “And you said I couldn’t jump up here,” he smirked, always trying to inject humor into the situation.

Rex could only smile weakly and shake his head. “I guess I was wrong. See you later, Ash,” he called out as he jumped down to his own yard, hitting the ground and falling over, his paws still unable to support his exhausted frame.

“Do you need help down there?” Ash called down to him.

“Nah, I’m okay. Thanks for the help!” As Ash bounded back down to his own backyard, Rex dragged himself through the cat door and back into the kitchen. The now-stale food pellets he had left yesterday were still there, looking even less appetizing than they did before, but he pushed his muzzle into the bowl and ate greedily, having not had anything to eat in over a day. He ate until the entire bowl was empty, then lapped at the water until his vision started becoming fuzzy and he was forced to lie down. Crawling to his nest, he flopped down into it and shut his eyes, ready to let sleep take over him once more. Ash is right: it must’ve all been a dream. I’m not special, Rex thought to himself, that hollow feeling once again gnawing at his heart. I’m not special.

Spoiler:

The next half moon went by in a blur for Rex. He hadn’t ventured into the forest since that fateful day, and he never brought up the subject with Ash again, but the memories of what had happened there still haunted him. Night after night his dreams were filled with cats wailing in agony, begging him for help, and every time he would jolt awake, feeling scared and empty. They were only dreams, but they felt so real to him.

He knew he was dreaming again. He was out in the forest once more, surrounded by angry, hissing clan cats. They cried out in pain to him, their blame searing into his fur. Their words were sharp and biting, admonishing him for how weak and useless he truly was. Their claws gouged deep into the ground below, though Rex felt as though they were meant for him, and never once could he voice his guilt. All he could do was stand there as they yowled at him, their pain becoming his pain. Then, like every other time, the cats were bathed in a bright light, and when Rex would look again they were gone, leaving him all alone. The light wasn’t completely in his dreams, though. His eyes slowly blinked open as he realized the light was the sun streaming in from an unprotected window. Suppressing a yawn, the ginger tom stood and stretched, heading outside for a breath of fresh air. His stomach growled in protest but he ignored it: he had lost his appetite since that night. When he slid through the cat door and out into the backyard, he was surprised to find Ash standing there waiting.

“Rex! You have to come see! You have to… woah, are you okay? You look terrible.” Ash frowned as he looked over his friend’s dull, unkempt fur, having gotten that way due to a lack of grooming from the apathetic tom.

“I’m fine,” Rex shrugged, not wanting to admit to even his best friend how unhappy he was at the present moment. Pushing aside his negative thoughts, he concentrated on what Ash had been talking about. “See what exactly?”

“Huh? Oh! May just had her kits and you have to come see! Come on!” Before Rex could react, Ash had already hopped onto the fence and had started running across the fences connecting each house, faster than Rex had thought possible for that chubby cat. Sighing softly, he summoned up his energy and hopped up as well, doing his best to chase after his friend. When he finally caught up, Ash had already hopped down onto the ground below and was talking excitedly with a pale she-cat, two tiny kits nuzzled into her belly. Looking down on them, Rex felt a sudden twinge of envy squeeze his heart: they looked so happy together, as a family… It was with a jolt of realization that Rex figured out what he had just thought, and he noticed the familiar fur color of one of the two kits. Obviously May’s kits were fathered by Ash… How could he not have known until now? Had he been so blind to things going on outside his own life? Am I really that selfish? he thought glumly to himself.

“You know, they remind me of my own kits,” a voice mewed gently next to his ear.

Rex turned his head in shock, nearly falling off the fence as he located the sound of the voice. “Firestar” he gasped in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I just thought I’d see the kits,” he replied simply. “Kits have always been very special to me. They represent new life and new opportunities. They have the chance to be whatever they want to be, and it’s a wonderful feeling to watch them grow up.”

Rex could only nod numbly in reply, the same feelings of guilt creeping back up to gnaw at his heart. “You shouldn’t have come back, Firestar. I failed you. I abandoned you and all of those ancestors when I ran away.” His amber eyes bored into the ground below, sadness and guilt clouding his vision. “I’m not the cat you thought I was.”

Firestar’s tail gently rested on Rex’s back, the Starclan warrior giving him a sympathetic look. “No, you are still the cat I know you are. I apologize for burdening you with so much information when you are still so young. I’m sure this has been incredibly difficult for you.” A smile played on Firestar’s lips as he looked at the kits again. “I may have said you have a destiny, but no one’s destiny is set in stone. We all still have a choice, and I know that whatever choice you make, you will follow your heart. Just know that no matter what you decide, I will always be there for you.”

The young tom glanced upwards, a single cloud crossing the pale blue sky. “Firestar… Thank you. I don’t deserve your kindness.”

“Rex? Are you going to stay up there all day?”

“Firestar?” Rex looked back, but the starry cat had disappeared. He stared at the spot in confusion for a moment before realizing that someone else must have called him. He looked into the backyard to find Ash standing and staring at him, so he quickly hopped down next to him. “Sorry Ash,” he mewed softly, gazing over at May and the two kits.

“They’re my kits, you know,” Ash meowed proudly, his eyes glowing as he gazed over the two bundles of joy he had fathered, and Rex didn’t think he had seen his friend more excited about anything, not even a meal. “Come on, I want you to meet them.” Following him, Rex was led over to the two kits, who were now sleeping against their mother’s belly fur. “The gray tom is Smoke, and the pale she-kit is Silver.” Ash touched each kit’s head gently with his tail tip, smiling happily as he introduced them.

“They’re beautiful,” Rex whispered, meeting the gaze of the two new parents. “You’ll make great parents. I’m so happy for you two.”

“Thanks Rex,” Ash mewed, touching tails with him. “It really means a lot. I was so excited to let you know, but I wanted to wait until they were born. It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it sure is.” Rex forced a smile, but in truth he felt like he was losing his friend, no matter how selfish the feelings may have been. Leaving Ash alone to be with his mate, he hopped up onto the fence and made the trek back home, slinking through the cat door and curling up in his nest, though sleep wouldn’t come easy. Ash is really happy with May. You should be happy for him too. Don’t be selfish, he scolded himself, but idle words weren’t going to chase away his more upsetting thoughts. He was just going to have to settle in for yet another nightmare-fueled sleep. Don’t be selfish.

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