Crowfeather x Leafpool: The Aftermath (Book 1)

Chapter 11: Benefit of the Doubt (Pt.2)

Quick A/N guys! (Promise :p) Ok, so I know I'm putting pt. 2s on Crowy's parts only, but come what may, Leafpool will have part 2s as well (pretty pointless A/N, but the next few chapters will be loong) Also, this book will sadly have to end soon. I have a general idea of what I wanna do (HINT HINT EPIC CLIFFHANGER HINT HINT [Hopefully]) and make a sequel book which will be shorter than this one, I can guarantee that! Anyway, hope you peeps are enjoying (not so short sorry) and without further ado, let's get back to Crowfeather and Nightcloud! ~Jayjay <3

~Nightcloud's P.O.V.~

"Crowfeather, Onestar would like to see you in his den,"

Ashfoot, the Clan deputy, mewed urgently. "Ok, Thanks Ashfoot," Crowfeather mewed with a knowing look in his eyes. I looked at him, worried he might be in trouble. "Are you in trouble? What's wrong?" I asked, genuinely concerned for my mate (for once). He touched his nose to mine. "Nothing's wrong, my love," he replied reassuringly. Our tails twined for a heartbeat. I sighed and gave in, nodding in response to his 'reassurance'.

I sighed as I watched the smoky gray Tom practically prance over to Onestar's den, head and tail high. He looks... proud?? Why would he be proud of going to the Clan leaders' den?! I thought curiously as I took my last bite of the rabbit we had shared. I will ask him later, I told myself. Right now I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts.

It was in that moment I realized just how TENSE I was; like, every muscle in my body felt like I was holding my breath for something. As I let out that breath I'd been holding, I relaxed 😌. I can't believe that Crowfeather thinks I'm in love! My flirting charade is working... good.

Smiling, I pictured Crowfeather and I with kits of our own. WAIT WHAT AM I THINKING???!! I mentally scolded myself for getting carried away. It probably won't happen anyway, he'll just find someone else. But then again, he had confessed that he 'wanted me' and I could finally have him... I felt so flustered when he did that with his tail, too. Ugh! Why do toms have to be so complicated!! Shaking my head to clear out all of these confusing thoughts, I stood up and glanced over at Onestar's den. I hope he's okay. Sighing, which I seemed to do all to often these days, I walked casually over to the warriors' den. I didn't feel like sharing tongues tonight, which was odd for me.

Upon my entry, Whitetail, one of the senior warriors, noticed my gloomy face "Hey Nightcloud, what's up? Why the face?" she asked politely. "Oh nothing much," I replied vaguely, surprised at her question. "Is it Crowfeather? Or are you sick? Do you need to see Barkface??" By now the questions aimed at Nightcloud felt like a dog chasing her down. I grunted, not really wanting to answer; but if I didn't, Whitetail would become suspicious, which I don't really need. Now that I thought about it, I had been feeling very worn out lately; and I ran out of breath easily, which was unusual for a WindClan cat. I also felt heavier than normal, as if I had been eating too much. "Nothing, I'm just tired after hunting and patrolling today, that's all. Thanks, Whitetail," I said, trying to believe what I had said as I fell into a dreamless sleep that night.

~Crowfeather's P.O.V.~

When I got to Onestar's den, I didn't bother announcing my arrival. Onestar would've scented me already, and besides, I was summoned to go talk, wasn't I? Taking a deep breath, I smiled smugly and held my head high as I took a seat across from my leader. Whether or not this talk would end well, I couldn't tell. Being the cheerful, optimistic cat I am (sarcasm noted, I hope?), I went for a cheerful yet slightly proud greeting. "Heyy, Onestar, what's up? Hunting is GREAT today, prey is running so well! Thank StarClan for—" I started to say, trying to hold in my laughter.

"Nice to see you too, Crowfeather," Onestar said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I'm glad the prey is plentiful and hunting is successful, but we both know that's not what we are going to talk about, am I right?" Now he was serious, looking at me curiously. I nodded in complete agreement, a small giggle escaping my lips. A giggle! Warriors don't GIGGLE when their Clan Leader wants to talk about something serious!! Get it together, Crowy! I thought, reminding myself why I was here in the first place.

"Of course not, Onestar, forgive me," I said, snickering on the inside. GET IT TOGETHER, CROWFEATHER. "So, tell me, Crowfeather, how has your... hmm, how do I put this? (A/N: I was actually thinking the same thing writing this lol.) How close are you to completing your task, so to speak?" The clan leader asked. Something about him, something in his eyes made him look like he already knew. I smiled smugly. "Oh, Onestar, haven't you heard? Nightcloud is head over paws for me, and she can't get over the fact that I 'love' her now," I drawled. "All she wanted was me anyway."

Onestar had a thoughtful expression. He nodded slowly. "Hmm. I see," he said in this weird, trancelike voice. "Uh, Onestar, you OK bro?" I asked, poking him with a paw. His eyes had glazed over. Ok, something is REALLY wrong here, I thought, poking him again. This time, he jumped slightly and landed with his claws unsheathed and tail puffed up. He whipped his head around and stared at me with wide eyes. "Yes, of course I'm fine, you idiot! And don't call me 'bro' either!" he snapped, sitting back down and giving his chest fur a couple of embarrassed licks. I've never seen him like that before. I wonder what happened.. I shook my head, trying to make sense of what just happened. "Well, it seems your business here is done," Onestar mewed curtly, signaling that our 'little talk' was over. The WindClan leader was clearly still shaken from the 'trance' ordeal.

I took my leave and took a deep breath of fresh air as I emerged from the stuffy den. I don't know how he sleeps in there every night. It's so lonely.. I thought as I trudged to the warriors' den. Most cats were sharing tongues, while others were finishing up their evening meal. I scanned the crowd of WindClan cats for Nightcloud. Surprisingly, she wasn't there. That's odd, she normally loves sharing tongues. I hope nothing is wrong. I was concerned for my mate, and I didn't want something bad to happen to her. WAIT, since WHEN did I CARE about NIGHTCLOUD?! Of all the cats, StarClan, why did you have to make me be mates with Nightcloud?!!

I looked one last time for the black she-cat, and when I didn't see her, I went inside the den. "Nightcloud?" I called quietly, not wanting to wake a sleeping Whitetail. "Yes?" came the soft reply of my mate. I let out a sigh of relief (what is with all the sighing these days??) and walked over to my mate, taking great care not to make noise or mess up the other warriors' nests.

"Are you OK, my love?" I asked gently, nuzzling her cheek. Just then I realized how sweet her scent smelled, how warm her breath felt on my cheek. I nuzzled her again, glad to know she was OK. "Of course, Crowfeather, stop worrying so much! I'm fine," she said, but I could hear the fatigue in her voice and see the anxiety in her amber eyes.

"Are you sure you're fine, Nightcloud? You don't look fine to me. The mouth can lie, but the eyes hold the truth," I told her, my own eyes wide with worry. Upon hearing my mate exhale sharply, it increased my suspicion that something was, in fact, wrong. "Do I need to get Barkface?" My nose touched Nightcloud's for a heartbeat, until she pulled away. She took a deep breath. "Crowfeather, you probably didn't know this but..." She paused to consider her words carefully.

"I think I'm expecting your kits."