Hollyleaf's Story/Chapter 10

==Chapter description==
:Hollyleaf is trying and failing to sleep, finding it hard to even remember the last time she slept peacefully through the night. She reminisces on an earlier dream where she had been back in the ThunderClan camp, before she gets up and traverses to the river-cave, finding Fallen Leaves in his usual place by the water. She settles behind him and begins to apologize, having made her decision to go back home. He tells her that he understands and that he wishes she could stay, since he has never had anyone to share a home with, but knows that her Clan needs her more. Hollyleaf looks at her paws and remarks that she doesn't know how she'll go back after being gone for so long and Fallen Leaves tells her that she will know when the time comes, then disappears while she is looking away.
:A moon passes and Hollyleaf has regularly been creeping into ThunderClan's territory before dawn. She is still unsure of how to return to her Clan and how they would react. She wonders, looking out over the Clans at the Gathering, if they even remember her anymore, which plants seeds of doubt in her her, causing her to retreat back to the tunnels to curl up in her nest. She dreams of attending a Gathering where cats jeer and glare at her for being a loner who wants to join ThunderClan, and awakens with a start, questioning if she was still a warrior. She remains in the tunnels for a few days after this, contemplating what Fallen Leaves had said about knowing how to return when the time is right, hoping he was correct and that her opportunity hadn't already passed.
:While fishing one day, Hollyleaf is surprised to see Fallen Leaves, as it had been a while since she last saw him. Before she can really speak, he holds up his tail and tells her that there are cats in the tunnels. She can hear voices coming from a path that leads to the moor, noting that it was WindClan in the tunnels this time, not ThunderClan. She does recognize one of the voices as Sol, however, and wonders what he is doing back. Sol is calling that it is time for them to claim glory and that Onestar's want for peace is a weakness. He tells the cats to attack ThunderClan through the tunnels as it will be an easy ambush, and Owlwhisker joins in, claiming that they've all listened to Onestar for too long and that they need to show ThunderClan that WindClan is stronger than they think. Other cats yowl in agreement while Fallen Leaves breathes into Hollyleaf's ear that there are more cats in the tunnel. She can smell two ThunderClan cats in a side tunnel, identifying them as Dovewing and Ivypool. One of the WindClan cats asks if anyone heard anything as Hollyleaf tries to get to the sisters, and Fallen Leaves tells her that she needs to get them out of the tunnels and warn ThunderClan of WindClan's incoming attack. Hollyleaf asks if it's time and he nods, telling her that he will never forget her.
:A louder crack rings out, and Owlwhisker asks if they are being spied on. Ivypool says that they need to get out, but Dovewing tells her that she followed the voices to get to this point and she doesn't know the way out. Hollyleaf creeps over to the sisters as the WindClan cats begin to investigate. She makes a quick decision that she must reveal herself, as she would be unable to simply lead them from the shadows. She orders to the sisters to come with her, but Ivypool hisses that she could be with the cats within the tunnel. Hollyleaf tells her that she isn't and snaps that she shouldn't need to prove it when Ivypool demands for her to. Dovewing's eyes widen when she hears her speak of StarClan, and when Ivypool demands again for proof that she can be trusted, Hollyleaf reveals herself to them.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Important events==
*Hollyleaf decides to make her return to ThunderClan.
==Trivia==
*This chapter aligns with chapter thirteen of The Forgotten Warrior.
==Notes and references==
fr:L'Histoire de Feuille de Houx/Chapitre 10
Category:Chapter subpages
Category:Novellas
Category:Hollyleaf's Story