They're Not Gone

This page contains a fanfiction written by Bramblefire3118. This page contains the opinions of the original author(s), and is not patrolled for factual accuracy. Remember that this story is non-canon. It may contain false characters, plots, or locations. Responses, comments & other feedback should be made on the comments section below.

This is a short story for The Soaring Wren Series. It contains spoilers for Book 2, Wren's Song, and Book 3, Wren's Wing. If you want to read the series from the beginning, read Wren's Flight.

Adder had always believed that his two littermates were still alive - even when they had gone for moons. After an argument, he flees to find them. But when Adder finds his brother, he's in no way that Adder expected. Should he keep his new life - or go with him, when his brother knows the fate of his sister?

This is going to be told in Adder's point of view. (Well, I did say his name three times in the blurb, didn't I?)

They're Not Gone

I knew they were still there,

But they never believed my words,

I went against their will,

And left to forge my own.

I wish they believed me,

I proved them wrong one day.

But never then did I know that

That decision changed what I knew.

~_~*~_~

Adder skulked at the edge of the clearing, his eyes scanning the scene on front of him. He was hiding behind that prickly bush, its sharp leaves poking in his fur.

He saw a silver tabby tom round a corner, a plump mouse in his jaws. Adder's father, Rock, mumbled something through the mouse that Adder didn't catch. The other cat in the clearing, a dark brown tabby she-cat, sighed.

Rock dropped the mouse at the cat's paws. "Are you ever going to get over it?" he whispered under his breath.

Adder was furious. Since the fire six moons ago, his mother, Bramble, had kept on getting depressed every so often. It was bugging Adder a lot - it seemed to him that she had given up on the hope of finding his littermates alive.

He didn't remember his sister - Wren - at all. When he was a young kit, Bramble and Rock had to flee from some wild cats, and had accidentally forgotten about her in the process.

"She was a dark brown tabby, like me," Bramble had sniffed, when he had asked what Wren had looked like. "But she had blue eyes, like your father."

But Adder did remember the day his brother had disappeared. A fire had raged through the forest, and Rock and Adder had gone ahead safely. But when Bramble had come across safely, his brother, Dew, was barred by a wall of flame. Bramble had begged him to go, and he had obeyed.

Adder had never seen him again.

Poking his head out from the bush, he mewed: "Is Bramble depressed again?"

There was no verbal reply from Adder's parents. Finally, Rock nodded, and Bramble looked down at her paws, not willing to do anything.

I've had enough of this, Adder thought suddenly. I don't want to live with them anymore.

Why don't you go find Dew and Wren? another voice in his head asked.

Maybe I will, was the reply.

In his rage, Adder started yowling: "I'm sick of it! Will you ever stop, Bramble? Most cats would be over a loss by now. But it's been moons now. Why aren't you over it?"

Adder could tell that his parents were shocked at his words. Their two gazes were pinpointed at him; Rock's mouth was hanging open.

"I'm going to find Dew and Wren," he continued, without bothering to care about what his parents thought about it. You two could've searched for them. But you haven't!"

Adder was almost at the breaking point now. Almost yowling now, he ignored their vacant stares once again. "I want to find them. I know they're still alive. I know they are."

There was no reply from Bramble or Rock, and Adder didn't want one. He quietened down his voice, and made it cold. 'You can't stop me. I'm leaving."

Bramble winced as he said the word leaving, but Adder - in the state he was in - didn't care. Without waiting for a reply, he said "Goodbye,"; turned his back on his parents for the last time, and ran.

~_~*~_~

Adder knew where he was going to go. Fleeing away, away from his parents at long last, he knew he had the freedom to finally look for his littermates.

Bramble's voice, from many moons ago, echoed in his ears: "We accidentally abandoned her by the willows."

Adder knew what direction the willows were. After the fire, from where he had sat with his parents, he could see the willows - their leaves blossoming far away.

Dew went that way when he fled after the fire, Adder thought. Maybe he and Wren are over there, somewhere...

Taking the thought of his littermates away from his mind, he focused his thoughts of getting to the willows.

Find the willows, he thought to himself, trodding over birch and oak roots as he sprinted past, their pale and dark trunks passing by in a blur. Wren, Dew, Rock, and Bramble entered his thoughts once again, and Adder let them stay there this time.

Now it's my turn, he added to his thought.

More trees went past him. Adder swore his paws were starting to ache from moving so far in such a short time. But despite the pain, he continued on, urged on by his thoughts.

Run to the willows. To the willows. I need to find them.

Adder knew - somehow - that Wren and Dew were alive. And he wasn't going to let that slip easily. He had to find them - even how impossible it may seem.

But how would Adder know when he reached the willows? As if his mind knew what he was thinking, another one of Bramble's words to him had come up in his head: "Willows have narrow, drooping branches."

Adder felt himself cheer up after that. Easier to search for my littermates - I'm pretty sure my parents think they're both dead.

In front of Adder, the landscape was changing. Adder gasped. There were less birch and oak trees now, and more of...

Willows! Adder thought joyfully.

Leaves were covering most of the willow trees that Adder saw. Occasionally, he would see a few golden leaves, sometimes a few gaps where leaves had fallen. A leaf-fall breeze ruffled past Adder, and it made him shiver.

The miserable grip of leaf-fall, he thought skeptically. Adder had never liked leaf-fall - and leaf-bare wasn't much better either.

All of a sudden, Adder stopped. He slid on the leaves, making him nearly lose his balance. Skittering, to regain it, he stood up, and tasted the air.

There was a strong smell nearby - reasonably fresh, Adder presumed. He padded closer, and sniffed again.

He flinched. He recognized one of the scents.

Dew!

~_~*~_~

Sitting in his new nest that night, Adderhelp thinking of the day's events. He could see his day flask by in his mind:

"That's a good catch," Bramble muttered, as he had come into their camp with a huge rabbit. "That will feed us all."

Rock purred. "Yes."

Adder puffed up his chest in pride. That was the biggest bit of prey he had ever caught...

The rabbit had been polished off quickly after Adder had caught it. Then the scene changed, to what had happened at sunhigh...

In his rage, Adder started yowling: "I'm sick of it! Will you ever stop, Bramble? Most cats would be over a loss by now. But it's been moons now. Why aren't you over it?"

Adder could tell that his parents were shocked at his words. Their two gazes were pinpointed at him; Rock's mouth was hanging open.

"I'm going to find Dew and Wren," he continued, without bothering to care about what his parents thought about it. You two could've searched for them. But you haven't!"

Adder was almost at the breaking point now. Almost yowling now, he ignored their vacant stares once again. "I want to find them. I know they're still alive. I know they are."

There was no reply from Bramble or Rock, and Adder didn't want one. He quietened down his voice, and made it cold. 'You can't stop me. I'm leaving."

Bramble winced as he said the word leaving, but Adder - in the state he was in - didn't care. Without waiting for a reply, he said "Goodbye,"; turned his back on his parents for the last time, and ran.

He was still furious with them. That had seperated him from his parents - how long, Adder didn't know. Then the scene changed once again:

All of a sudden, Adder stopped. He slid on the leaves, making him nearly lose his balance. Skittering, to regain it, he stood up, and tasted the air.

There was a strong smell nearby - reasonably fresh, Adder presumed. He padded closer, and sniffed again.

He flinched. He recognized one of the scents.

It was Dew's!

The visions faded, and Adder looked around the makeshift area. Finally, he closed his eyes, and gave way to sleep.

~_~*~_~

Adder stretched, his back arching in a rare patch of warm leaf-fall sun. He gazed at the place where he had scented Dew once again.

He padded over, his footsteps faltering as he reached the invisible line. He could still scent Dew - although not as much as the previous morning.

Suddenly, he stiffened as he tasted the air. There were cats approaching.

A wiry white she-cat was leading the group of cats as they approached the line. Behind her were a dark silver tom with lighter stripes, a dark brown tom, and two black cats - a black she-cat with blue eyes, and a smaller tom which looked younger than Adder.

The white she-cat met his eyes. "You'd better not wander on our territory," she hissed, her green eyes blazing. "You will be clawed if you do."

She dousn't sond very nice, Adder thought.

Meanwhile, the black tom had started to bounce around his like-pelted friend. "Is that a rogue?" he mewed excitedly. "Can I attack him?"

"No," interrupted the white she-cat, who had turned at the tom's words. "He hasn't gone onto our territory."

"However, you are right, Lightningpaw," added the black she-cat. "That is a rogue."

Lightningpaw? What sort of a name is that? Adder thought. But before he could get a better look at the group, they moved away again.

I wonder if Dew lives there? I must go into their territory to have a look - even if it is against that white she-cat's rules.

~_~*~_~

To Be Continued...