Smurfs: Azrael's New Life

Chapter 17

Azrael stretched and yawned as he left his nest. Once his paw touched the ground, it became cold. He brought it back and looked around, seeing a white blanket of fluff all around camp. Snow! Leaf-bare had come. Azrael left the warriors den. He had only seen snow a few times when he was still Gargamel's ally, but it wasn't as beautiful as now.

Whitestar and Willowfur's kits were playing in the snow. "Hey Stonekit! Look at this!" Cloudkit said as he burrowed through the snow. "I want to try!" Silverkit said as she followed her brother. Stonekit stayed in the nursery, a little scared. Azrael purred and made his way to them. "Azrael! Did you see what I did?" Cloudkit asked.

Azrael let out a mrrow of laughter. "Yes, I saw. Stonekit, why don't you come out to play?" He asked the small kit. "I-I don't know. It's cold!" Stonekit squeaked. "Don't worry. It is cold but you'll get used to it quickly," Azrael said. Stonekit looked at him before stepping out of the nursery. He shivered but quickly got used to it. "This isn't bad!" Stonekit squealed as he joined his littermates.

Azrael smiled at the kits and thought for a moment before making a decision. He looked around and spotted Honeypelt talking with Ashflight. Gulping, he made his way towards her. "Um, Honeypelt? Would you like to go outside of camp for a walk?" He asked while shuffling his paws nervously.

"I would love that," the she-cat answered. Azrael smiled and led her out of camp. The snowflakes falling made everything look calm and peaceful. "It's so beautiful out here!" Honeypelt said as she walked forward. "Yeah. It is," Azrael agreed, looking at Honeypelt with a smile. The light brown she-cat met his gaze. Azrael quickly looked away, his fur feeling hot. Honeypelt smiled at his reaction.

Trying to find something to change the mood, Azrael got an idea. "Hey. Bet you can't climb that tree as fast as me," he challenged. "Oh, you're on!" Honeypelt gleamed. The two raced over to an oak tree and quickly climbed it. Azrael quickly made his way to the tallest branch and waited for Honeypelt to follow him. "Wow. You're fast," Honeypelt panted as she sat next to him on the branch. "Heh, I've had years of practice," Azrael said.

"Yeah. You told me you used to chase blue creatures. What were they called? Snuffs?" She asked. "Smurfs," Azrael corrected. "Yeah! Those things!" Honeypelt said while laughing. Azrael couldn't leave his gaze off of Honeypelt. The way the snowflakes fell on her pelt made her even more beautiful than she already was. Azrael knew he had to tell her.

"Honeypelt, the reason why I asked you for this walk was that I wanted to confess something to you," Azrael said. "What is it? You can tell me anything," Honeypelt replied. Taking a deep breath, his yellow eyes met her light green ones. "Honeypelt, we've been friends for a while, ever since I joined Thunderclan. And I've always felt happier when I'm with you. I always thought it was because we were close, but I realized that it was something else," Azrael began. He sighed.

"I-I love you, Honeypelt. Ever since we became close friends," Azrael confessed. Honeypelt looked at him with warmth in her eyes. "I love you too, Azrael. I was worried you wouldn't feel the same way," she said. Azrael smiled happily and licked Honeypelt's cheek. She smiled and rested her head on his chest. 

Azrael purred as he nuzzled her. Both cats intertwined their tails together, sitting while the snowflakes fell around them. And both of them couldn't be more happier.