All Leaves must fall in Autumn

Leafpool stared at her own reflection. As always, it returned the same burning amber glare. Closing her eyes, the young she-cat pictured Feathertail. A sweet, breathtakingly-beautiful she-cat with a stunning silver coat and bright blue eyes. Then she opened her eyes and saw her own reflection. Ordinary amber eyes to match an ordinary brown tabby pelt.

"See?" she muttered to herself. Crowfeather would never want her after Feathertail. And she would never want him. Well, as far as he was concerned anyway. ''No, I don't love him. ''She scolded herself quickly. She was already in love with the ways of medicine. There was no room in her life for selfish, grumpy, mourning, badger-like WindClan toms.

The harsh Autumn wind tore at her face like claws, and the rain pelted down like the waterfall back at the Tribe of Endless Hunting. That was where one of her friends had died. That was where her sister could have died. That was where Crowfeather died inside.

"Concentrate on finding echinacia." Leafpool reminded herself firmly. There was no room for her own emotions here. It would be selfish to risk ThunderClan's future due to her own feelings. But every so often, it was all she could do not to yowl in emotional pain.

"Leafpool!" a familiar voice, though calm, made her jump.

"Spottedleaf!" she exclaimed. Guilt prickled through her pelt. She was standing in a moorland. She must have wondered off ThunderClan territory and had been caught by a StarClan member on WindClan territory! Her face felt hot and flushed when she realized what it must look like to any other cat.

"I am not Spottedleaf, young one. My name is Spottedfall. My father, like yours, would have been Firestar. My mother would have been Spottedleaf." Leafpool looked in astonishment at the young she-cat. Yes, she did have a hint of ginger at the tip of her tail, and instead of amber eyes, this cat had glittering green. Then Leafpool noticed something. The cat didn't have green eyes at all. She had a green eye. One, single, green eye. She didn't have four legs either. Only three; one of her hind legs were missing.

"I'm not a real cat, of course." she explained quickly.

"Am I dreaming?" Leafpool tried to remember falling asleep.

"No, it's a vision, I guess. I came to tell you... do what's right. It wasn't right for Spottedleaf and Firestar to be together. If they did, I would have been born. Can you see me hunting among ThunderClan? A weak, helpless she-cat born with three legs and one eye? No. I'd be a burden to the Clan. Do what is right or you will get what is wrong." the cat concluded. Pain shone in her single eye. Leafpool felt sympathetic for the cat.

"You hunt..."

"Among another sky. It is not your concern where the cats that were never born live. Oh, and Leafpool... remember this. All Leaves must fall in Autumn."

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"Do you think it was an omen?" Firestar mewed, gazing intently at his daughter.

"Do you think?" Squirrelflight mewed sarcastically, rolling her eyes at her father. Leafpool narrowed her eyes slightly. This was not to be taken lightly, yet her sister was mocking it like it was a joke.

"Do you ever wish she was here?" Leafpool blurted out suddenly. Firestar's eyes darkened.

"I miss her a lot, but I'm glad I have Sandstorm. Spottedleaf was then. Sandstorm and you two are now. I will never regret taking Sandstorm as a mate, and it would never have worked out between me and a medicine cat anyway." he mewed, and left the medicine cat's den silently. Squirrelflight and Leafpool glanced at each other awkwardly.

"Squirrelflight, are you okay? Are you sick? Why are you in the medicine cat's den? Was it food poisoning?" a familiar voice broke the silence. Leafpool could sense her sister's annoyance.

"I'm fine, Ashfur. Stop worrying." she mewed briskly, rolling her eyes. Leafpool sighed. Her sister thought she had the hardest life in the world! If only she knew...

"Squirrelflight, we're friends, aren't we?" she mewed. The dark ginger she-cat stared at her sister.

"Of course!" she exclaimed.

"Say I was really close to a tom. Like you and Ashfur." Leafpool began. Squirrelflight looked uneasy, and Leafpool realized that Squirrelflight's heart didn't lie with Ashfur at all.

"Yes..."

"And he didn't know I existed. Would you help me?" Leafpool tried to keep the despairing from her tone. Unsucessfully.

"I'd go to the old forest and back to help you, silly furball!" Squirrelflight purred affectionately. Leafpool knew that her sister was telling the truth, but what she was asking was probably even harder than that.

"It'll be hard." Leafpool warned her quickly.

"Who is it, then? It's not Brambleclaw, is it?" Squirrelflight mewed anxiously. ''And she's not supposed to love him! ''Leafpool thought, amused.

"No, I'll tell you..."

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"...and as soon as they get angry, you have to run. No cat is dying for me today, especially not you!" Leafpool muttered. The two sisters crouched, silent, amongst the hills. As always, Squirrelflight crouched a little before her sister. Protecting her.

"How can you be sure he'll come?" Squirrelflight hissed in reply. Leafpool followed her sister's gaze to a plump rabbit. It tempted her, but not enough to draw her from sanctuary.

"He comes every night. I've scented it."

Leafpool thought of Feathertail, watching from StarClan. Confined to the land of the dead. Watching her true love, his blue eyes shining in contrast to his smoky gray pelt, with another she-cat... well, not really. They weren't together, and they wouldn't be unless Leafpool did something drastic.

Finally, four forms were visible against the gray evening sky. It was too dark to tell whether Crowfeather was among them. The two she-cats waited, tense, until the cats were close enough.

"Now."

Squirrelflight leapt from her hiding place, and strolled confidently away from the border. There was no prey to "steal", to Leafpool's disappointment. She hoped that the WindClan cats wouldn't mind

(TBC)