Skylight (Warrior Cats)

Chapter 9

Skypaw whipped around, her tail bushed and her fur spiked. She gazed at the surprise visitor with wide eyes. Realizing who it was, she immediately relaxed, and purrs escaped her throat.

"Hawkspirit!" She meowed, dashing over to him. Touching noses, Hawkspirit's purrs reached her ears.

"What are you doing here?" The ShadowClan medicine cat inquired before his eyes grew wide. "We weren't supposed to meet tonight, were we? I hope I didn't leave you out here waiting alone!"

"No! No, we weren't," Skypaw meowed reassuringly. Hawkspirit immediately looked relieved before curiosity filled his blue eyes. Once again, Skypaw found herself wondering how he managed to change emotions so quickly.

"So, what are you doing here then?" He asked once more.

Pausing for a moment, Skypaw tried to think of a response. Surely she couldn't say she had secretly met the cat behind those amber eyes both of them had seen lurking around. She knew that his response would be similar to Willowleaf's, saying how crazy and wrong it was to meet a Dark Forest warrior, so she didn't want to tell him. She hated keeping secrets from the ShadowClan medicine cat, because he was the one she was able to tell anything she wanted to without judgment, but this simply didn't apply.

Thinking quickly, she meowed, "I - I followed a bird here," She lied. Hawkspirit's ears perked. "ThunderClan is under strict orders to hunt anything we find."

"But...this is no Clan's land," The shadowy cat meowed, confusion evident in his voice. "Hunting here is forbidden."

Skypaw's ears burned hot with embarrassment. Mousebrain! She cursed. How could that have slipped her mind? Now she lied about breaking the code when she hadn't done anything!

Well, she hadn't hunted prey on the Gathering island, at least. She hadn't broken the code that way.

"What are you doing here?" The ThunderClan apprentice quickly turned the tables. I have just as much right to know what he's doing here as he does to know my whereabouts!

"Sometimes I like to come here," Hawkspirit admitted shyly. "It's like an escape. I don't have to think about ShadowClan when I'm here. I don't have to think of herbs or healing while I'm here, either. It's just a nice place to think." The ShadowClan medicine cat's voice trailed off as he finished speaking. "And it's as close as I can get to you without being yelled at by somebody."

Skypaw's ears warmed again, only this time, her heart fluttered. Hawkspirit comes to the Gathering island just to think of me?

Skypaw purred as Hawkspirit's eyes lit up at her response. His throat rumbled with purrs as he gazed into the ThunderClan apprentice's eyes.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here tonight," Hawkspirit continued, "but I'm glad I did."

Skypaw nodded her head, agreeing quickly. She was grateful that they had met so coincidentally as well, for it had been quite a few days since she had last seen him. She hadn't had enough time to realize how much she had missed him during their absence from the Gathering island because of her swarming thoughts about the prophecy.

Skypaw's heart sank when she thought about the prophecy once more. The dreams, the warnings, the meetings with cats from other worlds, the argument with the ThunderClan medicine cat. She wondered how much simpler her life would be if she wasn't the sky. She wouldn't have to worry about any of this, and she wouldn't have to be bothered with the burden of it all.

"Bet I can beat you to the top of the tree!" The ShadowClan medicine cat's playful meow snapped Skypaw from her thoughts as he dashed off towards the big tree. Skypaw let out a meow of surprise, not expecting the sudden challenge. Bounding after him, the ThunderClan apprentice's paws carried her as quickly as they could go.

Snow flew up from Hawkspirit's hind paws, hitting Skypaw directly in the face as she ran closely behind him. Not letting it phase her, she cursed when he bounded up the trunk of the tree that the leaders addressed the Clans at. Although she wasn't far behind him, she knew it would be difficult to pass him while climbing.

Skypaw's own paws gripped strongly to the slippery wood, darting up the trunk of the tree quickly. She was close enough to the tabby cat that she could bite his tail if she so desired. Using the realization as encouragement, she strived to pass Hawkspirit.

She huffed when Hawkspirit sat happily on the RiverClan leader's branch, whose branch was the highest of the four leaders'. His eyes filled with triumph, he gazed down at the scurrying apprentice as she made her way up the last tail length of the trunk.

"Mousedung!" Skypaw muttered, annoyed. "I could have won if you hadn't gotten a head start!"

"Oh, stop making excuses," Hawkspirit's paw cuffed Skypaw's ear playfully as she sat down beside him, curling her tail over her paws. "I didn't start running until I finished speaking."

"So?" Purrs escaped Skypaw's mouth as she bickered with the ShadowClan medicine cat. "I didn't expect it, so you still had an advantage!"

"Aren't warriors always supposed to be prepared for surprises?" Hawkspirit responded, clearly amused. Purrs escaped his throat at the non-serious bicker.

Skypaw studied her surroundings. The Gathering island was white with snow, sparkling against the moonlight. The Gathering tree, which was normally green as could be, was also white, its brilliant leaves missing. Skypaw was amazed at the transformation, since she had never seen the Gathering island in leafbare.

The only sound that could be heard was the rumbling of the two cats' purrs as they combined, creating a perfect harmony. Skypaw turned her head to look at the ShadowClan medicine cat, whose eyes were already staring at her.

Her eyes roamed over Hawkspirit's shadowy gray pelt. It was well groomed, as always. Despite the fact that the tom was a medicine cat, muscles were still visible beneath his fur, putting together a strong, healthy cat. His fur shined in the moonlight that was flooding the clearing. Her eyes moved back up to meet his dark blue ones, which sparkled as she looked into them.

 Skypaw couldn't believe the way the ShadowClan medicine cat managed to make her heart pound and her emotions flutter. All her instincts were screaming at her to stop every time she saw his warm and inviting gaze, but no matter what she did, she couldn't. However, no matter what Skypaw told herself, she wouldn't admit that Hawkspirit had a power over her that she didn't understand, because it scared her down to the core.  

Right when Skypaw was about to dismiss herself back to her Clan, Hawkspirit said three words that made her thoughts immediately freeze.

"Skypaw, I love you."

ALRIGHT I KNOW THIS IS SHORT BUT WASN'T IT WORTH IT?

NOW IDC WHAT YOU SHIP BUT HAVE FUN ARGUING ABOUT IT IN THE COMMENTS

LET ME GO DROWN IN FEELS AS I WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER AFTER A BREAKUP BYE

SQUEE

when Skypaw has a better love life than you and she's a freakin cat