𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 #3: 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

Spottedsong returned to the camp with the rest of the hunting patrol. Over the last day, she had spent a little more time with Gorseberry. She always felt nervous around him, too nervous to admit her feelings for him. But something inside her told her that he felt the same way too. He never showed affection like most cats would, he just spoke and looked at her like he liked her. But perhaps he was just scared to admit it, too.

"Hey, good catch!" Cloudsky was replacing his nest in the warrior's den with some fresh bedding when Spottedsong walked in. He nodded to the two plump mice in her jaws.

Spottedsong looked up and smiled at her brother. She nodded toward the fresh-kill pile and quickly dropped off her catches. "Thank you," she meowed.

"Of course. You're a talented hunter." Cloudsky paused for a moment as if he were trying to figure out if he should say something. "You seem happier lately. What's the occasion?"

"Oh." Spottedsong was surprised Cloudsky was so observant. "Well, remember a couple days ago when Gorseberry and I went hunting?"

Cloudsky looked at her skeptically but with humor. "Yep."

"Well, he also showed me the slope behind the camp that led to the top of the waterfall, and it was kind of . . ." Spottedsong trailed off, trying to find the word. Cloudsky looked at her expectantly. "We connected a bit more. That's all."

"How much?" Cloudsky asked.

Spottedsong knew she couldn't hide anything from her brother. "Oh, fine, I think I like him. A lot."

Cloudsky's blue eyes shone with excitement. "That's great! Does he know? Does he feel the same way?"

"Calm down." Spottedsong purred at her brother's excited tone. "Taking it slow is the best strategy. I'm going to get to know him a bit more before I say anything."

Cloudsky looked slightly disappointed. "You've known him your entire life. Why do you need to get to know him more? You can just tell him now."

"Yeah, well, this is a different kind of relationship. I need to know if he's actually a good choice. He said when he showed me the top of the waterfall that he wanted to be like Skystorm, with a happy mate expecting kits. But he also said he never found the right cat, which makes me a little scared to tell him. What if he doesn't feel the same way?" Spottedsong fretted, glancing over her shoulder toward where Gorseberry was sharing fresh-kill with Whitefoot.

"Maybe you just have to take your chances. It's hard to believe he wouldn't fall for you," Cloudsky pointed out.

"Why?"

Cloudsky's eyes shone with brotherly affection. "You're brave, loyal, and kind. Most of the time," he added with a mischievous twitch of his whiskers. "Isn't that enough?"