For generations, four clans have shared the forest. But ThunderClan is in severe peril, and the other three Clans grow stronger every day. In the midst of this turmoil, appears two house-cat's named Rusty and Star... who both may turn out to be the...
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THE NEXT DAY came so soon for Whiterose. She opened her eyes and found herself alone in the nest. Tigerclaw must have crept out quietly, so he didn't wake her. Whiterose blinked drowsily and looked around to see Whitestorm sleeping peacefully beside her. The den was pretty much vacant save for a few sleeping warriors. She noted Graystripe a few nests away.
Silently, she stepped out of the den and blinked at the bright sunlight. Things seemed much calmer this morning, but some cats gave her glances as she stepped towards the fresh-kill pile. No one, however, spoke about the confrontation yesterday.
She grasped a mouse in her jaws and carried it over to her brother who was eating a finch nearby. "Have you seen Brindleface today?"
"Yes," Fireheart meowed. "I brought her some fresh-kill. Ashkit and Fernkit seem to get along with Cloudkit and Blackkit quite well."
"How are they?"
"They have a good appetite and slept soundlessly through the night," Fireheart informed his sister, taking a bite out of his prey. "She didn't need anything else but if she did, I told her to yowl like Yellowfang."
Both cats purred out their laughter.
Once Whiterose finished her meal, she said goodbye to her brother before he left on patrol. She then padded across the clearing to Redstream's den. Padding through the ferns, she ducked her head to find Yellowfang sorting through a diminished pile. When Whiterose approached, Yellowfang huffed out a greeting. "Finding herbs are getting harder, but let me check your injuries one more time."
Whiterose laid down and to both she-cats satisfaction, they found that her stump of a leg can rise as high as any leg can go without it being painful.
"Give it another day and I'm sure you'll be back to chasing squirrels in no time!" Yellowfang purred, nodding her head. "I heard that you brought in two new kits? What prompted you and Fireheart to do such a thing?"
Whiterose was instantly on the defence. "We needed warriors, and they are perfectly capable of being warriors. They're of my and Fireheart's blood, Yellowfang."
Yellowfang wasn't fazed, she just simply nodded along. "Never said they wouldn't, but much can go wrong as well. I know how an innocent kit can turn out..." Yellowfang trailed off, her eyes far away and unseeing.
"But Cloudkit and Blackkit will be great warriors, I can feel it!" Whiterose reassured, pressing her nose into Yellowfang's shoulder fur.
"I'm sure, why don't you find your apprentice and try to go hunt?" Yellowfang suggested, flickering her tail dismissively. "StarClan knows you'll need to practice."
"I'll be sure to do just that!" Whiterose meowed back, and headed out of the medicine cats den. But was stopped half way by a call. "Where were you last night? You weren't in your nest?" Yellowfang meowed.
Although, Yellowfang seemed to have guessed.
"I was somewhere else." Whiterose said and quickly left so as not to explain further. When Whiterose arrived outside the clearing she looked around and padded silently to the apprentices den. But as she peeked her head inside, she found it vacant, not an apprentice in sight.
"Longtail and Runningwind took them to the sandy hollow for some training!" Frostfur's voice called out, Whiterose turned her head to see the white she-cat sitting outside the nursery, grooming herself.
"Thank you, Frostfur!" Whiterose called back and padded through the gorse tunnel, her intentions to go see how her apprentice, Shinypaw, was doing.
She reached the top of the ravine to find Tigerclaw, Willowpelt and Darkstripe had arrived from their patrol of the RiverClan border.
"Any sign of RiverClan?" she asked, ignoring Darkstripe's sneer and Willowpelt's dismayed look. It was Tigerclaw who answered. "Yes, scents of RiverClan was on our border." He growled out, his tail lashing in territorial frustration.
"I was planning to find Shinypaw," Whiterose meowed gently, thinking it best to change the subject. "I was planning to try hunting again."
Once again, she ignored Darkstripe's snort as he pushed past her, Willowpelt following after him and shooting her an unamused look.
"Shinypaw is fine," Tigerclaw meowed dismissively, flicking his tail. Then, his amber eyes had a sort of glow to them. "But we can go hunting together?"
"I'm not sure," Whiterose mewed, playfully. "I don't think you can keep up with me since I've been getting good at running on three paws!"
"We'll see..."
"After you, then, you furball," Whiterose teased, making Tigerclaw snort at the nickname. Tigerclaw took the lead, setting a fast-paced trot, one that Whiterose found easy to keep up with. But soon enough, she found herself racing through the woods with Tigerclaw, although, not as fast as she used to – fast enough to keep up with moving prey, at least.
It wasn't long before they found a pigeon on the forest floor, looking for worms. Whiterose crouched low to the ground and leaped. She forced the pigeon under her paws and broke it's neck, making it twitch before going limp.
"Your technique is all over the place," Tigerclaw meowed in amusement, using a paw to flick off a down-feather stuck on Whiterose's muzzle.
"I still caught it, though!" It was the first prey she had caught in moons.
Whiterose buried the dove to come back for later, and then they continued hunting. Whiterose watched in awe as Tigerclaw stalked a fat rabbit and two shrews. She found it amusing how sometimes Tigerclaw would shift into mentor mode, instructing her how to hunt again and figuring out ways to hunt with one leg. Although, it wasn't all that different, she just had to find balance more to keep up.
They buried their prey near the pigeon as the sun began to set, but neither cat seemed to care that it was getting dark.
Their flanks brushed as they stared up at Silverpelt from the clearing at Fourtrees, both contents to watch the stars together as they appeared in the brightening sky.
Tigerclaw was silent for a moment before speaking. "I think StarClan ca show us what we can do, but it's up to us to know what we want our fates to be."
Whiterose nodded lightly and pressed her side into his. Even when she was basically fully grown, she was still two heads shorter than he was.
"Don't you think StarClan knows about us?"
The question took Whiterose by surprise, and heat invaded her pelt. "W-what do you mean?"
"I..." Tigerclaw looked into her eyes. "You said something to me in the medicine den that night."
"What did I say?" Whiterose hoped she didn't say anything that ruined them.
"You said you loved me."
Whiterose felt her fur prickle in shock, embarrassment, and anticipation. "A-and do you love me back?"
"Yes, I think I have for a long time now." Tigerclaw's voice that held such certainty, and soothing rumble made Whiterose's chest fill with happiness. She felt so many emotions flow through her that she didn't know what to say.
Finally, she found the words she was looking for.
"I love you, Tigerclaw," Whiterose whispered, pressing her head into his broad shoulder.
"I love you, too, Whiterose." Tigerclaw whispered back, his tail twining with hers as they stayed together at Fourtrees that night, gazing at Silverpelt.
