Warriors #5: Heart of Fire

Chapter 13

Lilypetal's POV

Another cold shiver ran down my spine as Thornclaw retracted his tail from my back after helping me step over a fairly tall log.

"Lilypetal," Thornclaw meowed once he was sure I was steady on the other side, "As much as I want to walk with you, and help you in the process, are you sure that you feel up to this?"

I simply gave my mate a half-amused, half-questioning look.

After a few heartbeats, I purred with amusement as Thornclaw rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright," Thornclaw sighed, nuzzling my cheek affectionately with his muzzle. "We'll keep going, if that's what you want."

I then had to suppress another purr as the golden tabby tom seemed to feign a stern, hardened look. "But the moment that you show any signs of exhaustion, I will use any means of persuasion needed to get you back to camp."

I pressed closer to the golden tabby tom as we padded on. "I'm so scared," I meowed with laughter in my voice, licking Thornclaw's cheek. "Thank you."

"I probably wouldn't have even taken you out on this walk if it wasn't for the purpose of you needing to clear your head," my mate muttered as he watched me step over a root.

"Oh, of course," I teased as I looked back at Thornclaw. "Because she-cats expecting kits must be locked up forever, and never to see the light of day again!"

After Thornclaw snorted and rolled his eyes once again, he padded up to meet me again, his gaze softening. "Oh, come on," he meowed softly as he wound his tail around mine. "You know that I'm just immensely worried about you. I don't want you to push yourself beyond your limits."

"And I appreciate that so much," I reassured Thornclaw. "But don't worry, I won't!" I then let out a sigh as Thornclaw and I began to pad ahead side by side once again. "I just knew that a peaceful walk out in the forest with you was what I needed right now." More than I could ever explain to you!

Just a bit earlier in the day, just a bit past dawn, I had been wide awake in the warriors den, tossing and turning.

It hadn't been that way just this morning though... more like every single night and morning since I'd found out that Mistpelt had hidden the fact that I have more kin, which was a couple of quarter moons ago as of now.

This tossing and turning I had been doing unfortunately, today, had woken up Thornclaw. As soon as he had raised his head, and I met his loving and compassionate blue eyes, I knew that I wanted nothing more than to take a walk out in the forest, just me and him, so that I could clear my head and separate myself a bit.

And some clearing and separating I was doing, indeed! Even just the travel through the camp entrance had made a significant difference, because yes, that's how much Mistpelt's actions had urked me. Even days later.

I could never deny the fact that finding more kin was absolutely amazing to me, but the circumstances that it had all been under was a bundle of mouse droppings.

Luckily, Oreo and I were still on perfect terms - I had known since meeting my brother that I wasn't going to let my bitterness towards Mistpelt mess with our relationship.

In fact, once Oreo had left the elders den, I had taken him around camp to introduce him to some cats that were actually willing to talk to him. Goldenshine had been incredibly friendly. And Thornclaw, actually, had been fairly warm towards my brother as well. Despite his reputation for being quite hostile towards outsiders, he had managed to carry a conversation with the black and white kittypet.

But not to my surprise at all, the first thing that Thornclaw had asked me once Oreo happened to be out of earshot, was what an Oreo was.

Then, the travel that Oreo and I had taken to escort him back was incredibly fun. Just as we had on the way to camp, we talked like we were old friends. Almost like we were "catching up" in a sense, even though we had never met until just earlier that day.