White nodded. "A dream? So you knew this would happen?"
"Yes." Thin felt guilty. "This probably could've been avoided." She flicked her tail at the healing hole where Chestnut was treating Cloud.
"That's not your fault, Thin-tail," White said gently.
"It feels like my fault though..."
"It isn't."
Thin started to feel dizzy and she almost fell over. She suddenly felt as though she was just watching herself but she wasn't actually doing anything. She shook herself. And the feeling went away.
"You ok, Thin-tail?" White asked.
"Yeah..." Thin replied. "Fine..."
***
A moon cycle later, she woke up with that same feeling and went up to White to tell her.
"Good morning, Thin-tail." White dipped her head. "I've already sent out a group of scouts to check the forest for other cats and another group to go hunt."
Thin noticed that the thicket was mostly empty except for Chestnut. "How's Cloud doing?" she heard herself say.
White's smile dissolved. "He's still injured. Chestnut is starting to think he may never fully heal."
"The fox didn't do that much damage."
"It wasn't the fox. He healed from that ages ago remember? It was that attack from the other groups. Even you knowing it would happen and they still hurt him badly."
"I knew?"
"Are you ok? You might want to see Chestnut. You seem to have some memory loss, leader.
Leader? Thin heard herself wonder. She shook her fur. "So what were you saying about sending out hunting and scouting groups?"
"I sent Storm and Gold to scout our territory. I know it's small but I decided we still need to defend it. Wave is collecting healing plants as usual while Storm-flight and Maple are out hunting. Pine is still here though. He's gaurding the thicket."
"Good," Thin said. "I'm going to go check up on Cloud. You go find some more bedding. Some of the beds probably need it."
"Yes, Thin-tail." White hurried off.
Thin went to check on Cloud. He was laying unconscious on the bed. Thin looked at Chestnut.
"I don't know if he'll heal, Thin-tail," she said. "He hasn't woken up yet. It's been one moon cycle."
"He'll get better." Thin acted hopeful, but she knew he might be like this for the rest of his life. He might never fully heal.
Thin shook herself. What happened? She thought. She vaguely remembered that happening in a dream...
"Chestnut? I think I just lived out a dream..." Thin began to tell Chestnut about the feeling and the dream.
"You would have to ask Cloud about that. I'm no expert with dreams..." she glanced at Cloud. "If he wakes up."
"But he has to..." Thin stopped herself as she realized she'd thought that when the dream had ended moon cycles ago. Weird. She shook herself again.
"I know, Thin-tail, trust me on one thing though," Chestnut looked at the unconscious cat. "He won't die. He'll be ok... I just don't know how long he'll be unconscious."
***
Snow-season kept coming closer and closer. Cloud wasn't waking up and Storm was injured after falling off a tree when he was trying to catch a squirrel.
Thin crept up on a mouse. With Cloud unconscious still, Thin had decided to take his place for a while. She was a fighter and leader at the same time.
Thin crept closer and closer. She stepped on a twig and it snapped, causing the mouse to run off.
"Grr," Thin growled with frustration. "I'll never be a good hunter."
"It's ok, Thin." Wave walked up to her. "You just need more practice. You'll get it eventually. You'll probably be the best fighter ever!"
Thin laughed. "I wouldn't go that far."
Wave said, "I would." before walking ahead of her.
Thin followed close behind. "Just because you're my trainer now doesn't mean you get to go ahead of me all the time." Thin trotted up next to him so they were going the same pace. She'd decided to assign Wave for her training since the day before he'd begged her to make him her trainer.
So now, two days after, Thin was walking alongside him, their fur brushing. Which meant they were really close since Thin had short fur.
She decided to bring it up. "Remember how you were crouched practically begging me to make you my trainer?" she purred.
His eyes narrowed. "Do we really have to bring that up, Thin?"
"Hey, at least I finally let you start calling me Thin." She hated the sentence as soon as she said it. She hated her nickname so much.
Wave smiled. "True. I don't know why you don't like it. I think it's cute." He giggled when the leader glared at him.
"Yeah yeah." Thin rolled her eyes.
"Anyways, here looks like a good spot to train."
The area was a huge flat rock with a log laying up against it on one side. Parts of it had moss growing.
"Ok. You were crouched wrong so I'll teach you that..." Wave explained.
They trained long into the day. Thin never got the crouch quite right.
"It's getting late. But that's ok! We can train tomorrow," Wave said.
Thin nodded and they walked back to the thicket.
As they were walking, Wave began to start up a conversation. "You did really well today, Thin," he meowed.
"Thanks but I should know this stuff already," she replied.
"That's not your fault," he said, stopping and turning towards her. "You weren't trained correctly if you were even trained at all."
"I guess so," she said. But it's why I'm not special. I can't do anything even when I try.
But there's leading. Wave's voice sounded in her head. You're a great leader.
Is that what's special about me? Thin wondered. Was I really meant to lead?