Blazing Darkness

Chapter 29

"Rainshine! Rainshine! Rainshine!" the whole of Cloudclan cheered for the new medicine cat. It was the day after the half moon. Cherrystem had come into camp telling the clan that Rainshine had received her full medicine cat name.

Squirrelleap was delighted to see her friend so happy. She almost jumped out if her fur when she felt a cat brush up against her. She turned her head to see Nightpelt beside her. He flicked her ear with his tail playfully. She purred and sat down next to him.

"Its so good to see the clan so happy for Rainshine," Nightpelt meowed. Squirrelleap purred, "Yes, it is." She was about to go get a nice of fresh-kill when movement at the edge of camp caught her eye. She turned just in time to see a ginger tabby tail disappear into the Holly Tunnel. Blazeclaw!

"I will be right back," Squirrelleap meowed to Nightpelt. "Okay. Hey, do you want to meet at the lake at sunhigh to go hunting?" he asked. Squirrelleap purred, "Sure."

She quickly bounded after Blazeclaw. Once out in the pine forest she found his scent almost immediately. She followed it all the way to the border where his scent was the strongest. "Jack, you will be leading the first attack," she heard Blazeclaw meow from up ahead.

Squirrelleap crawled under a bramble bush to hide herself. She then carefully peeked out from under the bush to watch silently. Blazeclaw was sitting with his tail rapped neatly over his paws. Six cats stood in front of him. Squirrelleap wrinkled her nose at the scent of rogue.

A tabby tom was looking at Blazeclaw with an excited gleam in his eyes. "Why Jack? All he does is jump around like a kit," a big black and white tom meowed in annoyance.

"Because I said so. Now, Oreo if you want to disagree with my plans then you may go find your own territory without my help," Blazeclaw growled. The black and white tom, Oreo, dipped his head, "I'm sorry Blazeclaw. I will always agree with you from now on."

Blazeclaw looked pleased at the toms defeat. "Now go, all of you before I rip your pelts off," Blazeclaw growled. The six cats turned and ran into Sunclan territory, not even noticing the border. Squirrelleap held her breath as Blazeclaw padded past the bramble bush where she was hiding and back to camp.

She cautiously crept out from under her hiding place and stared after her brother. I wonder what he is planning? And what did he mean by attack? Squirrelleap didn't have an answer to any of her own questions so she shrugged off her worries and walked towards the lake.

She was almost to the lake when a heavy weight knocked into her shoulder. Squirrelleap grunted as a heavy cat stood on top of her. But when she looked up she saw a pair of playful yellow eyes. "I got you!" Nightpelt meowed triumphantly.

"Fine you got me, now get off me you big badger before I claw your ears off," she growled back playfully. Nightpelt crawled off her. Squirrelleap heaved herself to her paws and shook out her pelt. "So where do you want to hunt?" Nightpelt meowed.

"Lets try the marshes," she meowed back. Nightpelt nodded and padded next to her to the marshes on the far side of the territory.

The marshes quickly came into view. Squirrelleap caught the scent of frog and she dropped into a crouch. The fat green creature hopped into veiw a few moments later. Squirrelleap stalked forward on light paws. When she was a few mouse lengths away from it she bunched up her hind legs and leaped.

She landed squarely on top of it and delivered a killing bite to its neck. She quickly buried it and went on hunting with Nightpelt.

At the end of the day she caught a pigeon, a crow, and another frog. Nightpelt caught a startling and a scrawny rabbit. She and Nightpelt walked into camp with their mouths full with prey. Dustfur padded up to them and purred. "No cat will go hungry tonight," the brown deputy meowed.

Squirrelleap purred through her mouthful of prey. She set her catches down on the fresh-kill pile next to Nightpelt's.

She started to pad away until Nightpelt jumped in front of her. "U-umm, I need to ask y-you something," he stuttered nervously. She looked at him, completely confused.

"But not here, follow me," he meowed and dashed away. Squirrelleap had to run to keep up with him as he ran out of camp and into the pine forest. She almost ran into him when he suddenly stopped in front of the lake.

Nightpelt beckoned for her to sit beside him. She hesitantly sat down beside him and looked out across the lake. The sun was casting out bright colors as it began to set. Nightpelt suddenly turned towards her. Squirrelleap followed his lead and turned to look at him.

The tom had affection showing clearly in his eyes. A peaceful silence fell over the two as they stared into each others eyes. "I need to ask you something," Nightpelt meowed nervously, breaking the silence between them.

"Go ahead," Squirrelleap pressed. Nightpelt looked at his paws but meowed loud and clear, "U-umm Squirrelleap, w-will you be my m-mate?"

Squirrelleap eyes widened in shock. Nightpelt noticed and meowed quickly, "I-I mean you don't have to say yes. We can take it slow and maybe I can ask another..." "Yes," Squirrelleap found herself cutting him off. "W-what?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Squirrelleap meowed again, regaining her thoughts from the shock. Nightpelt's eyes widened with ours joy and he bounced around like a kit. Squirrelleap couldn't hold back a laugh at his silliness.

Nightpelt laughed as well and rubbed her muzzle against her muzzle. Squirrelleap purred and let him rap his tail around her. "I promise to you Squirrelleap that I will protect you at all times and love you till I die," he murmured. Squirrelleap looked up at him, "I have no doubt about it."

Nightpelt purred and pulled her close to him. Squirrelleap felt safe against his muscular body and warm under his soft black fur. They sat together staring at the sunset for what seemed like moons. Until Squirrelleap felt something cold touch her pelt. She looked over to see a speck of white on her dark russet ginger pelt.

Then another and then another. She looked up at the sky and saw thousands of small white flakes floating down to the forest floor. "Its finally starting to snow," Nightpelt meowed. Squirrelleap nodded and shivered. "Lets head back to camp now," Nightpelt meowed as she shivered once more.

Squirrelleap and Nightpelt padded back to camp with the snow falling on their pelts and their tails entwined.