Book 2: City of Ice and Fire (a warriors cats and shadowhunters crossover)

Chapter 19: A Secret Meeting at FourTrees

****Arrowheart's POV****

Arrowheart wakes up to the feeling of someone wrapped around him, a reassuring warmth pressed up against his back. The pitch blackness of the night sky lets him know that it's still nowhere near morning, and that he must've been out for awhile.

The scenery around him is different from what Arrowheart remembers. Deep green forest surrounds them, with a prickly thorn bush right in his line of sight a few tail lengths away. He has to lift his head up slightly to examine it more closely as he must be in a hollow of sorts, dug out if the scuffs in the earth are anything to go by.

Sleepily he looks down at the paws on his chest, the ginger and black coloring of them familiar and comforting in equal measures. Patchfur continues to sleep on soundly beside him with a peaceful smile on his face. Arrowheart licks one of the paws fondly, his blue eyes warm.

He can't recall how he managed to get here, but if he had to guess the others had to have brought him here. I must've passed out. I was really tired after fighting that dog, so it makes sense. Arrowheart remembers how he'd ripped chunks of flesh from the dog's back; how he'd scratched the dog in the eyes and ears.

Attacking another animal in such a way wasn't the preferred fighting style by any means, but Arrowheart was willing to do whatever it took to keep the mad dog away from his boyfriend and friends. The fearless rune had given him the strength he needed to take down the slobbering mutt, but apparently he also lost all his energy in the process.

"Arrowheart, are you awake?" Patchfur asks with a sleepy yawn.

Arrowheart turns in the other tom's arms to face him. Even in the night, Patchfur is a vision to behold. The bicolored tom lays on his side sleepily, his big golden green eyes blinking lazily. The warlock's tail thumps behind him pleased, going to interlink itself with Arrowheart's tail. He hopes that Patchfur can't see his blush as he can feel the prominent blood rushing to his cheeks.

"Y-Yea. I'm awake." He stutters out.

Patchfur lets out a small exhale, the puff of air sending a spool of warmth across his muzzle. In the darkness, he can faintly see the other tom smile at him. That upturn of Patchfur's lips makes him feel all fuzzy inside, butterflies restlessly fluttering in his stomach.

"That's good to hear. You had us all worried when you passed out. I especially was concerned."

"Oh, you were?" Arrowheart can't help feeling surprised.

He'd never been in a relationship before Patchfur, and he was uncertain as to how strongly the warrior felt for him. Patchfur nods before leaning in to press his forehead against Arrowheart's. This close up, Arrowheart can see the flecks of darker gold in the bicolored warrior's eyes. Up close, his eyes were an even more breathtaking sight to behold.

"Of course I was. I'll always be concerned for you Arrowheart. For so long, I closed myself off for feeling anything for anyone. You've unlocked something in me." Patchfur tells Arrowheart.

The young Shadowhunter can feel his heart skip a beat, his blue eyes widening as the other tom presses his nose to Arrowheart's nose to give him a nuzzle. When the older warrior pulls back he still feels as though he's out of breath, and he almost misses Patchfur's next words.

The bicolored warrior rises to his paws. "C'mon. You must be starving, and thirsty too. We can eat the squirrel I hunted down last night and then drink something from the puddle over there." Patchfur flicks his tail in the direction of a small puddle underneath an old cedar tree.

Arrowheart gets up onto his paws, shaking out the clumps of moss from his pelt. It's still dark out, but he can still make out the shapes of the rest of their companions. Sparkpaw and the vampire are curled up together in a gap between two of the tree's roots. The tabby tom almost envelopes Sparkpaw completely. In fact, the only way he new his apprentice was there was the flame colored tail resting over Simon's hindquarters.