The Moon's Shadow (Warriors fan universe)

Chapter Eleven

Jaywing squeezed back into the cave, a vole dangling from his mouth. He looked down at Silverstorm, who was curled up in the middle of a moss nest. His heart warmed at the sight of his friend. But his head ached with concern.

She had spent the night with him in their secret place. He had barely gotten a moment of sleep because his heart was beating so loud. But he enjoyed her presence anyway. She made him feel less alone.

Although he loved her, he knew deep down that she shouldn't be there. She never should've been there. All she should've ever been was a friend. No, not even a friend. Meeting you changed me, Silverstorm. I don't know if it was for the better or worse. Jaywing sighed, and set the vole in front of her. He sat, and stared out of the cave, watching the sun rise.

He also knew that he was partially responsible for the pain she was feeling. If only he'd been brave enough to warn her... Maybe, if I wasn't such a coward, I could've saved you. He looked over his shoulder at her. She looked so at peace.

"Jaywing?" A quiet voice startled Jaywing, and he whipped around. Cloverleaf was peeking into the cave. Instinctively, he moved in front of Silverstorm.

"Wh-What are you doing here?" He said stiffly. How did she find us? He was confused at the betrayed look in her eyes. Cloverleaf sighed, her expression sharpening.

"I followed your scent, fish-brain. Did you really think that none of us knew where you've been disappearing off to!?" She hissed, and Jaywing just stared at her. She stared back, yet after a few moments she shifted on her paws anxiously, glancing away.

"They didn't come to look for me?"

Cloverleaf was quiet.

"Cloverleaf!"

She snapped her head up, her eyes defiant. He squeezed out of the cave, ignoring how the walls scraped at his shoulders. Despite her being older, he towered over her now, his eyes narrowed as he looked down. He wasn't ready to argue with her. After all she had helped him through, he didn't deserve to argue with her. But as her fur bristled along her spine, he realized he had no choice.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice stern. He felt like he was scolding a kit.

"I should be asking you that question. Never mind that, what is she doing here!?" Cloverleaf's tail lashed as she looked behind Jaywing, into the cave. His ears flattened against his head.

"She needed somewhere to grieve."

"She can grieve on her own! Great StarClan, Jaywing, she's a LightClan cat! Since when did you care so much!?"

Fury flooded through Jaywing's limbs, burning in his chest like a cold fire. He pounced at her, snarling. She hit the ground, dust flying up around them.

"Because she cares about me!" He found himself shouting. Making an effort to calm down, and not wake Silverstorm, he lowered his voice. "She's the only one who's ever cared about me." Jaywing suddenly felt exhausted, yearning to go back to his den with Silverstorm. He looked into Cloverleaf's big, green eyes, and found sadness. His old friend slithered away from his grip, and he let her go.

"But I care about you, Jaywing." Cloverleaf choked back a sob, and squeezed her eyes shut. "I was just trying to protect you! I know how important she is to you and you should know how much trouble that can bring." Jaywing didn't know how to respond to that.

"... We're mates now, Jaywing, we have to at least pretend." She stepped closer. Jaywing recognized a glow in her eyes, one that he had seen in Silverstorm so many times. The way her whiskers twitched, and her muscles flowed smoothly as Cloverleaf approached him was all too similar. He stepped back.