For a second, she wasn't sure what was real. Was that a dream? Or is this a dream? Sealshadow blinked open her eyes, bleary light meeting her at first before slowly adjusting to be clear. Early morning sunlight streamed in through the camp's entrance and between the brush piled up in front of the exit. She was in the medicine den; she recognized the mud and branch walls.

"Sealshadow?" She blinked and turned.

Piperwhisker! He's... all hurt... The golden and white deputy lay, cobwebs and poultices swaddling his frame, making him look even smaller than usual. So it wasn't a dream.

"You saved me," he whispered. His eyes were weary, barely awake. "I feel bad. I'm your deputy and friend, I should've protected you." He smiled weakly. "Thank you."

"Alright, alright, 'nough talking from you!" Crabberry pad in, a bundle of cobwebs in his mouth. "And you!" he turned to Sealshadow. The ragged, old, red tom gave a grin. "I knew you could do it, prophecy cat! Dark one who walks in the shadows! You've destroyed the light, and saved the Clan!" He swished his tail happily, seemingly proud that he had correctly interpreted the prophecy after seasons of doubt.

"Destroyed..." her eyes wondered up to the top of the cave, "Callashine...? Where is he?" Another form entered the cave, Sealshadow didn't bother to look as she recognized the soft, sweet scent of Albatrossleaf.

"When you didn't come back last night I got worried and went to look for you. I found you and Piperwhisker, but... no Callashine. A patrol went looking for him, but the only sign is high blood down the cliff-face." The gray patched she-cat sat down. Sealshadow looked up at her softly rounded ear-tips.

"He was my friend."

"He was our enemy." Crabberry stayed bluntly. "I'll tell the whole Clan that you saved them, that you were prophecized seasons and seasons ago!" The silvery-muzzled tom purées, excitement in his dull yellow eyes.

"No, no, no!" She backed up, her tail tucking and paws kneading at the ground. Albatrossleaf ducked her head.

"It's okay, Sealshadow..!" Piperwhisper piped up, picking his head up. He winced in pain at the sudden movement. "He won't say a word about the prophecy, I'll make sure of it." Crabberry gaped.

"But— everyone's called me crazy for it! I'm not!" The medicine cat growled.

"You're crazy to put her in the spotlight like that." Albatrossleaf muttered.

"Cats won't like her for her, they'll like her for a prophecy," the deputy murmured, and set his head back down.

"Sealshadow, what do you want, then? Do you want your clanmates to like you? Do you want them to praise you? What do you want?"

Quiet settled in, the dark spotted tabby kneading her paws and swishing her tail back and forth. Callashine promised me he'd make everyone like me... but I think I'd rather just... stick to the shadows. If my clanmates don't like me... then they're missing out.

"I want to hunt at sun high, and then eat my meal right after. I want to take care of Company, and take walks on the beach. ...I don't want things to change. I only want them to change if... if my clanmates have changed and they really want me."

"Fine," Crabberry sighed. "Fine. We won't say anything about it." He flicked his tail and turned. "I'm going to speak with Stonestar and let her know." Albatrossleaf gave a soft smile.

"You know... I think you made the right choice for yourself. I think that's worth everyone's respect." Her soft green eyes closed as she purred, and Sealshadow looked away. Piperwhisker was half-awake, but when he looked up at her, his golden eyes gleamed with pride. He eyes fluttered to a close, and he settled into a soft sleep.

"I should get going. I need to check on Kangaroostep's kits; Avocetkit has a cold and she's scared it's kittencough." She laughed and head into the partially walled off medicine storage before heading out with a bundle of white-petaled flowers and mass of green stems and leaves connected to them.

Sealshadow watched her pad away, and set her head back down. She couldn't help it as her mind wondered back to the familiar blue-eyed white tom. She could remember him passionately talking by the seaside, and defending her in front of her clanmates. He helped hunt with her. He faced off the crab. Callashine... I'm so sorry. She felt her heart ache in a way it had never ached, and she grit her teeth with an unknown pain. He's really gone. Callashine is gone, and he's not coming back. It hurts so much... I really really liked him, but he hurt Piperwhisker and was going to hurt more. She set her head down in her paws. I wish I could go back. Maybe I could've saved him....

+++

Soft waved washed up, the foam licking at Sealshadow's paws. She softly opened her eyes at the sound of her name being called.

"Sealshadow, it's time to head back to camp! Let's get something to eat." She turned to see Piperwhisker standing on top of the rocky outcrop lining the beach, the avocet they had both taken down at his paws. His long, thick fur was now broken up in a few spots where scars marred his pelt, but they had healed fine over the past few moons.

"Coming...!" She purred, taking one last glimpse of the lazy clouds creeping across the azure sky. She could remember sitting and watching those same clouds with Callashine just a season ago, but as she made her way to the golden patched deputy, she pushed the memory away. 

"It's beautiful out today," he remarked as she bunched her muscles and leaped to the top of the rocks. She nodded in response.

"I saw some turtle eggs in the brush over there!" She remarked with a smile. "I hope a crab won't find them...," she sat down and Piperwhisker gave a small purr. 

"We'll have to come back and check on them, then," he picked up the long, peach necked water bird. 

"But if there's a crab coming after them, we can't fight a crab!" She gaped, looking over to the shorter tom. He gave her a side-eye and a smile. 

"I'd scare that crab all the way back to its nest; it's wish it never left it's hole." She nodded in understanding.

"You are the deputy; you're super strong even though you're small!" He visibly shrunk at the backhanded compliment. "I mean, your mind is strong! It makes up for your size." He purred at this. 

"You're pretty strong, too. I bet if we worked together, we could take on a crab." Her face lit up at this. 

"Really?!" Piperwhisker nodded as they came up to the camp's entrance. 

"Mmhmm! Here, why don't you carry in the avocet? You're the one who sniffed it out!" She shrugged and grabbed the bird from him, though found it difficult to squeeze into the hole with the massive wader. 

"Wow, Sealshadow, did you catch that?!" She made her way into camp, and was met by three bouncing apprentices. Kangaroostep's three kits had grown and been apprenticed, Ternpaw dancing around her paws as she made her way down. 

"Well--er, Piperwhisker and I both did...,"

"That's huge! You know, I'm named after avocets!" Avocetpaw meowed proudly, pushing her brother aside. 

"Did you finish cleaning the elder's den?" Piperwhisker looked down on Avocetpaw, and she laughed sheepishly. 

"I mean, we started, and then we went to get more feathers, and then Ternpaw said he wanted to show off a cool move he learned from his mentor--" The deputy gave one look to his apprentice, and she ducked and darted away to return to her chore. Her siblings followed suit, tails tucked. His eyes gleamed with a joyful happiness, even with his apprentice's failure. 

"You like having an apprentice?" Sealshadow set the great bird down on the pile. Her eyes went to a bass sitting on the top, and her mouth watered at the opportunity to have fish that day. 

The golden and white tom nodded, eyes closed with happiness. 

"Yeah, it's a lot of work, especially with what's happening with Stonestar...," he looked up to the leader's den, where Albatrossleaf was disappearing into with a bundle of herbs. "It may have been best to wait until after she got better to get an apprentice, but I'd rather not miss this opportunity...!" They made their way to just in front of the emergency exit, their new spot to relax. 

Sealshadow glanced over to the dark, secluded area that she once had found solace, where the discarded palm branches had grown stale and dead. That spot was from a time of solitude. She smiled as she settled in a patch of sunlight, setting the thick bass down in between the two. However, before they could dive into their meal, Piperwhisker's name was called. They both looked up to the leader's den, where Albatrossleaf had a worried face. The deputy grimaced and stood. 

"I have to go... Save me a bite?" He gave a side-smile, looking to the spotted tabby for a ray of light in his stressful job. She nodded quickly. 

"Of course." He made his way up the winding path to the constructed den on a ledge, and she turned back to the meal before her. 

She took a bite of the bass, her mind flashing to the time she had given a bass to Kangaroostep's kits with Callashine. The white tom smiled in her memory. He was always smiling in her memories. Even in the end... he was smiling. She sighed, and bit into her meal. He was smiling... but she knew what had lay under the smile. A vision of light, a vision of pain. She choked down the bite, and sunk into another bite of fish. A vision that had to be stopped. I did the right thing... I did the right thing.... 

But I wonder if I'll ever get over it? I wonder if I'll ever see myself as someone who did the right thing. 

Sealshadow blinked slowly, looking up to where the sun poured into camp, so bright that only the white light  blinded her for a heartbeat. 

I wonder if... I'll ever get his face out of my head. 

end