Ravenpaw's farewell

Another sleepless night, this time sleeping in a bush on the bank of the river, always with the sound of voles jumping into the creek.Ravenpaw woke up at dawn and went to catch a fat young pigeon.Riley shares it with Bella, who squints her eyes as if to imply that Ravenpaw knows the rules when eating food.

Seeing the young cats eating, Ravenpaw felt sorry for them.They were so far from home, and though they were not very big, they were brave enough.Maybe it's a good sign to start the day on the road.

"Do you want to teach us some fighting moves before we go?"

"I need to be able to remember!"

The eyes of the two kittens became bright. "Please!" Bella meowed, jumping up.

"Real samurai moves?" Riley asked, grunting for Ravenpaw's nod.

"We'll start with the hunting crouch motion," Ravenpaw explained.He lowered his stomach and put the soles of his feet under it.

"We all know that," Riley meowed. "We do it when we jump."

Ravenpaw looked up at him. "It's not just for hunting, is it? It's a good attack, especially when feinting. Find your balance, breathe, strike!" He jumped out and almost landed on Bella .

"Great!" Riley snorted.

"You try now," Ravenpaw gasped, trying to ignore the pain in his stomach.

The young cats crouched on their hind legs and jumped out one at a time.Bella nearly fell and Riley missed the jump, but that was only the beginning.Ravenpaw dragged a branch from the bank.

"Pretend this is your enemy cat," he gasped. "I want you to get your front paws here." He made a gash in the branch.

Bella did a good job this time, landing lightly on the imaginary enemy's neck.Riley split the branch in two.

"Well, at least you can touch them," Ravenpaw commented, looking down at the tiny scratches on the branches.

"Teach us something else!" Bella begged.

"Teach one more; and off we go. Try a forepaw strike." Ravenpaw gestured to Riley with the tip of his tail: "Imagine us face to face in a fight. I strike forepaw as fast as I can, and stand up if I can't reach it." , but you see that my stomach is exposed a lot, right? So hurry up!"

Bella stood in Ravenpaw's place and patted her brother on the head lightly. "Too slow," Ravenpaw warned.

"He's sure to know what you're going to do next. Riley, you can duck and dodge it. Tuck your hind legs under you and jump out of range. Nice job!" when Riley hopped like a shot At the edge of the path, Ravenpaw praised. "But don't fall into the river," Ravenpaw added.

Riley and Bella switch places and try again.Bella jumps well, but Riley's broad shoulders give him more power, which allows him to strike very fast.

"You'll all be warriors!" Ravenpaw announced. "Good job!"

Riley looked at him, his flanks rising and falling: "This is so much fun!"

"I can't wait for my first fight," she meowed.Ravenpaw shook his head. "Don't even think about going to war," he whispered. "Whatever comes will come." He thought of Violet, how frightened she would be if she knew her children were preparing for danger.Fortunately, he was prepared, Ravenpaw told himself. "Come on, you two. Let's go." He flicked his tail, and the cats quickly followed him.

After walking a long way, they came to a Twoleg lair made of discarded red stones.But there was no Twoleg smell, not a sound.Ravenpaw glanced at his companion.

"Want to explore?" he suggested.

"Okay!" Riley meowed.

Ravenpaw followed them in.The ground was covered in rubble, with some Twoleg stuff strewn about.A wooden ramp led to another level, and looking up, Ravenpaw could see the sky through the hole.

"Look at this!" Riley yelled.He hopped onto the nearest Twoleg thing, then up the wooden ramp.It creaked when he stepped on it, so he jumped to the ground again, and there was a cloud of dust.

"It's so funny!" he gasped.

"I'll chase you!" Bella meowed, jumping up to chase him.Riley slammed on the brakes and sprinted out again.It passed by Crow Claw all at once, smoothing all the hair on his body.

Ravenpaw began to worry that something was listening to them.He opened his mouth to keep them quiet, and when a shadow appeared in the doorway behind him, Ravenpaw stretched out his claws and turned slowly, ready to fight.He stared for a moment in amazement.

"Barry!"

Ravenpaw's first thought was to fly into his old friend's arms and lick him frantically.But he calmed down, and he remembered the heart-wrenching conversation between them when they finally left.

Barry spoke first. "I'm sorry," he blurted out, "I shouldn't have stopped you from helping Violet's child. You're brave and generous, and I don't deserve you…" Ravenpaw jumped forward and nuzzled Barry's cheek. "Don't be so stupid. You are right to care. It is indeed difficult, but we are fine now." He felt his throat was stuck: "It will be better with you."

Barry pressed his forehead: "I followed you shortly after you left. I thought my home was in the barn, but I realized afterwards that there is no home without you." He took a step back, Blinking at Ravenpaw: "I... I thought you left because you didn't want to be with me anymore."

"How is this possible!" Crow Chow said, "I'm sorry I didn't bring you with me. I miss you every step of the way."

"Whoa! It's Barry!" Bella was tearing down the slope.Her brother's footsteps thundered, and Ravenpaw looked worriedly at the trembling ceiling.

With a clatter, Riley rushed down to join them.

"Are you going to the Celestial Clan with us?"

Barry nodded: "Your adventure can't be without me, right?"

"Great!" Bella meowed, which was beyond Ravenpaw's expectations: "There was a very big dog, and we had to hide on the hedge!"

"That's all right," Riley interjected. "We stayed quietly until the dog was gone. Ravenpaw didn't let us down until he was gone."

"He also taught us great fighting moves!" Bella yelled, "We learned hunting crouches, front paw strikes, and dodging!"

Barry glanced at Ravenpaw. "Glad to hear he admires you so much," he snorted.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, but just like calling the shots," she added.

"That's how it should be!" Barley said, "Only he knows everything about the life of the group, and you should listen to him." He looked at the abandoned lair. "Now, do you want to rest here, or go?"

"Let's go!" Riley yelled, and he rushed out the door, followed by Bella.

Ravenpaw winked affectionately at Barry: "You are very good at it!"

The black and white tom rubbed the tip of its tail against Ravenpaw's flank: "It's nothing to do this for you. You're right; they should choose their own path. Just like we did a long, long time ago. "

They walked shoulder to shoulder to the land of the sun.Ravenpaw couldn't feel the fatigue in his legs as he ran beside Barry.Riley and Bella ran ahead, telling the older cats every new smell, every wave in the river, every fallen leaf as they ran.

"They have sharp eyes," Barry commented.They all stopped to look at a dragonfly that Bella had spotted in the reeds.As twilight fell they reached a shallow pool with a small waterfall.Ravenpaw and Barry curled up on the gentle, flat pebbles, enjoying the warmth in the last rays of light, watching the young cats play happily under the cascading rainbow at the edge of the pool.Riley plopped into the pool.Bella squeaked in fright, but after a while his brother appeared, covered in drops of water and with a fish in his mouth.Climb up and place it proudly in front of Ravenpaw and Barry.

"Look what I've caught!" he announced.

"Did you catch it? Or did it fall into your mouth?" Barry teased.

"No matter how you catch it, it's the best prey we've caught recently." Ravenpaw snorted, "Nice job, Riley!"

The gray tabby shook its fur as the water splashed on Bella, causing her to jump out screaming.He realized that Barry was standing very close to him, watching the young cats eat the fish.

"I can't believe they actually blended into the wild." Barry murmured, "Good job."

"They're brave," Ravenpaw replied. "I'm very proud of them."

Barry stepped forward and leaned against him, smelling warm, soft and close. "Indeed." He whispered.