“I don’t think it’s for me. But I’m grateful to be asked,” Tree answered. Part of him yearned to live with other cats again. It had been good to share a den with Pebbleshine and to fight beside her. But were all cats meant to live in big groups like SkyClan or the Sisters? The happiest part of his life so far had been with just Root beside him.
Pebbleshine looked around, examining the sky and the Thunderpath as if making up her mind which way to go.
“How will you ever find them?” Tree asked, unable to stop himself. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay here?”
Pebbleshine flicked her tail. “I know I’ll find SkyClan eventually. My kits …”
“Have a destiny,” Tree chimed in. Who knew? Maybe they did. That’s SkyClan’s business.
Pebbleshine twined her tail with Tree’s and stood beside him for a moment. “You’ll always be welcome in SkyClan,” she told him.
Tree watched her walk out of sight, her tail held straight up behind her. She looked determined, like she was setting out on an adventure, like she knew where she was going. I hope she finds her Clan, he thought. But I guess I’ll never know.
Tree spent the day wandering through the woods. He caught a few mice and basked in the sunlight for a while, but he felt strangely unsettled. As if he was waiting for something.
He crossed beneath a beech tree, and a pale light up among the tree’s branches caught his eye. Could it be? Was Root nearby?
With a leap, Tree began to climb the beech, his paws slipping on the still-wet bark. Halfway up, he found Root sitting on a branch, his tail dangling, a mischievous gleam in his eye.
“You’re real,” Tree meowed breathlessly, clambering onto the branch beside him.
“Of course I’m real,” Root replied. “I’ve got to keep an eye on you, kit.”
“Yeah.” Tree worked his claws against the branch, suddenly feeling shy. “I’m so sorry,” he blurted out at last. “You died saving me. I never wanted that to happen.”
Root twitched his ear dismissively. “Don’t worry about it,” he meowed. “I wouldn’t say I wanted it to happen, either, but it was definitely worth it. I don’t want you feeling guilty or apologizing or any of that.”
“But … ,” Tree began.
Root sat up straighter and stared directly into Tree’s eyes. When he spoke, his voice had lost its teasing edge. “I was so grateful for you,” he told him. “I thought I was a happy loner, that doing whatever I wanted, wherever and whenever I wanted, was what it meant to have a good life. I was wrong. Dying to save you was the best thing I ever did.”
“But we only had a couple of moons together,” Tree argued, his voice shaking. “It was so short.” We lost so much time.
Root leaned forward and pressed his cheek to Tree’s for a heartbeat. It felt like nothing, except for a faint coolness, but Tree was comforted. “I could be angry about that,” his father told him softly, “but I’m just happy we got to know each other at all. You showed me I was more than just a loner. I want you to know how proud of you I am.”
Tree’s tail drooped. “Proud of what?” he asked. “I’m a loner, too. I saved Pebbleshine, but that was because of you.”
“It was because of you,” Root corrected him. “I only woke you. You saved her yourself.” He looked away across the forest, his tail swinging steadily. The sky was still cloudy from the earlier rain, but patches of sun shone through. “If there’s one piece of fatherly advice I can give you, it’s this: a friendship you choose is sometimes stronger than kinship. You can find some cat to care for.” He looked back at Tree, his eyes affectionate. “Don’t spend your life alone, Tree. Even if you lose a cat you love, it’s better than never having had them beside you.”
“Maybe so,” Tree meowed. He thought of Stream and of his sisters. Of Root himself, and of Pebbleshine, even though he had known her only for a day. Losing all of them had hurt, but they had been worth that pain.
Root was beginning to fade, his edges blurry and faint.
“Don’t leave me!” Tree yowled, alarmed. Had Root returned only to leave again?
But the other cat purred, amused. “Don’t worry about that,” he meowed. “You might not be able to see me all the time, but we’ll speak again. I’ll wander with you from now on.”
Gradually, Root faded, his form growing paler and paler until Tree was alone. He didn’t feel lonely, though: he knew that Root would travel beside him.
Like Root had a few moments before, Tree gazed out over the trees. The sun was low on the horizon, shining a pale, clear violet through what remained of the storm clouds. Something about the beauty of the scene made Tree’s heart lift in hope.
A friendship you choose is sometimes stronger than kinship, Root had said. Surely, somewhere there was another cat who could touch Tree’s heart. Some cat who would make caring worth the risk.
For the first time since Root’s death, Tree’s heart began to fill with excitement. There was a whole future out there, toward the horizon, and he could go anywhere he liked.
And, someday, maybe another cat would walk beside him.
Dedication
Special thanks to Clarissa Hutton
AllegiancesRIVERCLANLEADERLEOPARDSTAR—unusually spotted golden tabby she-catDEPUTYMISTYFOOT—gray she-cat with blue eyesMEDICINE CATMUDFUR—long-haired light brown tomWARRIORS(toms and she-cats without kits)BLACKCLAW—smoky black tomHEAVYSTEP—thickset tabby tomSTORMFUR—dark gray tom with amber eyesFEATHERTAIL—light gray she-cat with blue eyesMOSSPELT—tortoiseshell-and-white she-catAPPRENTICE, SWALLOWPAW (dark brown tabby she-cat with green eyes)HAWKFROST—broad-shouldered dark brown tomMOTHWING—beautiful golden tabby she-cat with amber eyesQUEENS(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)DAWNFLOWER—pale gray she-catSKYHEART—pale brown tabby she-catELDERS(former warriors and queens, now retired)SHADEPELT—very dark gray she-catLOUDBELLY—dark brown tomTHUNDERCLANLEADERFIRESTAR—ginger tom with a flame-colored peltDEPUTYGRAYSTRIPE—long-haired gray tomMEDICINE CATCINDERPELT—dark gray she-catAPPRENTICE, LEAFPAW (light brown tabby she-cat)WARRIORSMOUSEFUR—small dusky brown she-catAPPRENTICE, SPIDERPAW (black tom with amber eyes)DUSTPELT—dark brown tabby tomAPPRENTICE, SQUIRRELPAW (dark ginger she-cat with green eyes)SANDSTORM—pale ginger she-catAPPRENTICE, SORRELPAW (tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes)CLOUDTAIL—long-haired white tomBRACKENFUR—golden-brown tabby tomAPPRENTICE, WHITEPAW (white she-cat with green eyes)THORNCLAW—golden-brown tabby tomAPPRENTICE, SHREWPAW (small dark brown tom with amber eyes)BRIGHTHEART—white she-cat with ginger patchesBRAMBLECLAW—dark brown tabby tom with amber eyesASHFUR—pale gray tom with dark blue eyesRAINWHISKER—dark gray tom with blue eyesSOOTFUR—lighter gray tom with amber eyesQUEENSGOLDENFLOWER—pale ginger she-cat with yellow eyesFERNCLOUD—pale gray she-cat with green eyesELDERSFROSTFUR—beautiful white she-cat with blue eyesDAPPLETAIL—tortoiseshell she-cat, the oldest cat in ThunderClanSPECKLETAIL—pale tabby she-catLONGTAIL—pale tabby tom with dark black stripes, retired early due to failing sightSHADOWCLANLEADERBLACKSTAR—large white tom with huge jet-black pawsDEPUTYRUSSETFUR—dark ginger she-catMEDICINE CATLITTLECLOUD—very small tabby tomWARRIORSOAKFUR—small brown tomAPPRENTICE, SMOKEPAW (dark gray tom)TAWNYPELT—tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyesCEDARHEART—dark gray tomROWANCLAW—ginger tomAPPRENTICE, TALONPAW (pale gray tom)TALLPOPPY—long-legged light brown tabby she-catELDERSRUNNINGNOSE—small gray-and-white tom, formerly the medicine catWINDCLANLEADERTALLSTAR—elderly black-and-white tom with a very long tailDEPUTYMUDCLAW—mottled dark brown tomAPPRENTICE, CROWPAW (dark gray tom with blue eyes)MEDICINE CATBARKFACE—short-tailed brown tomWARRIORSONEWHISKER—brown tabby tomWEBFOOT—dark gray tabby tomTORNEAR—tabby tomWHITETAIL—small white she-catELDERSMORNINGFLOWER—tortoiseshell she-cat