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Description

Alone on the moor, a small black cat sat, looking out at the lake. Tears dripped down his face slowly, silently, leaving long wet tracks behind. Everything was wrong. So wrong.
"Sootpaw?" The black tom turned, blinking in surprise. His eyes swept across the pretty tabby face of his denmate before he lowered them in shame, conscious of the tears in the corners of his eyes.
"Oh, Sootpaw..." The tabby apprentice curled herself around him and began bathing his ear, like she had so many times before. "I know how hard it is for you..."
Sootpaw shook his head, a lump in his throat. The tears threatened to spring out of his eyes again. "I can't love her, Duskpaw. Not when I have you."
Duskpaw leaned forward and gently licked his tears away. "It's not your fault," she whispered. "And you know I'll wait for you forever. I'll never doubt you."
The black tom buried his head into her side. "But I know it's wrong," he replied, her fur muffling his voice. "Especially after..."
Duskpaw smiled softly. "I know. That really tore you up, didn't it?"
Sootpaw was silent. After a minute, he raised his head to look at her. "She loved him, Duskpaw. Loved a traitor! To his Clan, to his family..." His voice trailed off in sorrow and disbelief.
The tabby apprentice nodded sullenly. "Lionclaw, wasn't it?" Sootpaw cringed at the name. "And after the Crowfeather thing... You must feel that you need to prove yourself more than ever."
Sootpaw was silent once more. What more could he say? Duskpaw was always right.
His friend continued, "But just because your Grandpaw had kits with a ThunderClan cat and your mother fell in love with another ThunderClan cat, a traitor, doesn't mean that you, Sootpaw, will make the same mistake." She paused, appraising him with glowing eyes. "Didn't you ever wonder why I decided to join WindClan in the first place?"
Sootpaw shook his head silently.
"Because after I was apprenticed I fell in love with you." She met his astonished gaze evenly. "Don't look so amazed; you know I've always loved you."
"Yes, but enough to leave your birth Clan for me?" he asked. "When you weren't even sure that you'd like me when you got to know me?"
Duskpaw was quiet for a moment, flicking her tail. "It was hard," she admitted. "I had friends in ThunderClan, and being without trees was like missing a paw, but I guess it was worth it. Because now I do have you, in a way."
"But you must miss your parents...?" Sootpaw prompted.
Abruptly, Duskpaw's soft gaze turned hard and cold. "Not a bit," she growled. "My parents were Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw; Lionclaw was my older brother." Sootpaw stared in shock. "It was the perfect opportunity to get out; nobody trusted me, and I was beginning to feel like running away anyway. Though I do miss your uncle, Jayfeather. He was so kind to me... I think it comes from having his mother die at the paws of his own cousin." She paused thoughtfully. "But they never loved me. They just wanted to prove themselves loyal to their Clan."
Sootpaw whispered, "I heard that the ShadowClan deputy left ThunderClan for the same reason. Tawnypelt, right? Your aunt."
Duskpaw shrugged. "We're getting off-topic."
At once, Sootpaw remembered the tear-stains on his cheeks and the pretty ThunderClan apprentice he'd been crying for. Such a sweet smile, so much like... He blinked. "She's your sister!"
Duskpaw stared at him. "Ravenpaw?" she mewed in surprise. "That's the cat you're so obsessed with?" To Sootpaw's surprise, she burst out laughing.
"You aren't jealous?" he asked, a tad annoyed.
"No, why would I be?" she giggled. "You think you're worse off without her; you're lucky you don't know her! Besides, she's head over paws for Berrynose's son, Robinpaw."
Sootpaw felt his heart aching as she told him who her sister loved. "Darn Honeyfoot," he muttered. "Why'd she have to go on having kits with him?"
Duskpaw giggled again. "Don't blame Robinpaw or his parents. It's not his fault he's so cute!" At her friend's glare she purred, "Oh come on, you know I think you're cuter."
Strangely, the last comment made Sootpaw feel better. "Really?" he asked, joy and doubt struggling for a place in his tone. "You do?"
Duskpaw rolled her eyes. "As if I haven't told you every day since I got here!" She cuffed her friend's head. Sootpaw felt his ear burning where she had touched him, and he felt his pelt flush warm with excitement.
At that moment, a gruff voice behind them mewed, "Sootpaw! What are you doing out so late?" The black apprentice jumped to his paws at once and spun around to face his father.
Breezepelt's voice and face were stern, but his eyes sparkled playfully. "Just wait until I tell your mother!" He gazed past his son to see Duskpaw, looking somewhat embarrassed and awkward. "And you! Don't make me go over to ThunderClan and tell your parents!" Duskpaw got to her paws and dipped her head to the older warrior.
"I'll get right back to the den, Breezepelt, I'm sorry," she meowed softly. She hurried past the warrior but paused before passing Sootpaw.
"Tomorrow's a new day," she reminded him softly. Brushing her tail along his flank, she added, "And we get to do whatever we want with it." Then she turned and began padding back to camp.
Sootpaw watched her go, dazed and light-headed. He glanced at his father, who was smiling at him openly. "Nice choice," the warrior grunted. "But you've still got to get back to sleep. C'mon."
Walking back to the WindClan camp beside the cat he idolized, Sootpaw breathed in the clean, open air of the moor and grinned. Tomorrow was a new day.
And he got to do whatever he wanted with it.

Description

Alone on the moor, a small black cat sat, looking out at the lake. Tears dripped down his face slowly, silently, leaving long wet tracks behind. Everything was wrong. So wrong.
"Sootpaw?" The black tom turned, blinking in surprise. His eyes swept across the pretty tabby face of his denmate before he lowered them in shame, conscious of the tears in the corners of his eyes.
"Oh, Sootpaw..." The tabby apprentice curled herself around him and began bathing his ear, like she had so many times before. "I know how hard it is for you..."
Sootpaw shook his head, a lump in his throat. The tears threatened to spring out of his eyes again. "I can't love her, Duskpaw. Not when I have you."
Duskpaw leaned forward and gently licked his tears away. "It's not your fault," she whispered. "And you know I'll wait for you forever. I'll never doubt you."
The black tom buried his head into her side. "But I know it's wrong," he replied, her fur muffling his voice. "Especially after..."
Duskpaw smiled softly. "I know. That really tore you up, didn't it?"
Sootpaw was silent. After a minute, he raised his head to look at her. "She loved him, Duskpaw. Loved a traitor! To his Clan, to his family..." His voice trailed off in sorrow and disbelief.
The tabby apprentice nodded sullenly. "Lionclaw, wasn't it?" Sootpaw cringed at the name. "And after the Crowfeather thing... You must feel that you need to prove yourself more than ever."
Sootpaw was silent once more. What more could he say? Duskpaw was always right.
His friend continued, "But just because your Grandpaw had kits with a ThunderClan cat and your mother fell in love with another ThunderClan cat, a traitor, doesn't mean that you, Sootpaw, will make the same mistake." She paused, appraising him with glowing eyes. "Didn't you ever wonder why I decided to join WindClan in the first place?"
Sootpaw shook his head silently.
"Because after I was apprenticed I fell in love with you." She met his astonished gaze evenly. "Don't look so amazed; you know I've always loved you."
"Yes, but enough to leave your birth Clan for me?" he asked. "When you weren't even sure that you'd like me when you got to know me?"
Duskpaw was quiet for a moment, flicking her tail. "It was hard," she admitted. "I had friends in ThunderClan, and being without trees was like missing a paw, but I guess it was worth it. Because now I do have you, in a way."
"But you must miss your parents...?" Sootpaw prompted.
Abruptly, Duskpaw's soft gaze turned hard and cold. "Not a bit," she growled. "My parents were Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw; Lionclaw was my older brother." Sootpaw stared in shock. "It was the perfect opportunity to get out; nobody trusted me, and I was beginning to feel like running away anyway. Though I do miss your uncle, Jayfeather. He was so kind to me... I think it comes from having his mother die at the paws of his own cousin." She paused thoughtfully. "But they never loved me. They just wanted to prove themselves loyal to their Clan."
Sootpaw whispered, "I heard that the ShadowClan deputy left ThunderClan for the same reason. Tawnypelt, right? Your aunt."
Duskpaw shrugged. "We're getting off-topic."
At once, Sootpaw remembered the tear-stains on his cheeks and the pretty ThunderClan apprentice he'd been crying for. Such a sweet smile, so much like... He blinked. "She's your sister!"
Duskpaw stared at him. "Ravenpaw?" she mewed in surprise. "That's the cat you're so obsessed with?" To Sootpaw's surprise, she burst out laughing.
"You aren't jealous?" he asked, a tad annoyed.
"No, why would I be?" she giggled. "You think you're worse off without her; you're lucky you don't know her! Besides, she's head over paws for Berrynose's son, Robinpaw."
Sootpaw felt his heart aching as she told him who her sister loved. "Darn Honeyfoot," he muttered. "Why'd she have to go on having kits with him?"
Duskpaw giggled again. "Don't blame Robinpaw or his parents. It's not his fault he's so cute!" At her friend's glare she purred, "Oh come on, you know I think you're cuter."
Strangely, the last comment made Sootpaw feel better. "Really?" he asked, joy and doubt struggling for a place in his tone. "You do?"
Duskpaw rolled her eyes. "As if I haven't told you every day since I got here!" She cuffed her friend's head. Sootpaw felt his ear burning where she had touched him, and he felt his pelt flush warm with excitement.
At that moment, a gruff voice behind them mewed, "Sootpaw! What are you doing out so late?" The black apprentice jumped to his paws at once and spun around to face his father.
Breezepelt's voice and face were stern, but his eyes sparkled playfully. "Just wait until I tell your mother!" He gazed past his son to see Duskpaw, looking somewhat embarrassed and awkward. "And you! Don't make me go over to ThunderClan and tell your parents!" Duskpaw got to her paws and dipped her head to the older warrior.
"I'll get right back to the den, Breezepelt, I'm sorry," she meowed softly. She hurried past the warrior but paused before passing Sootpaw.
"Tomorrow's a new day," she reminded him softly. Brushing her tail along his flank, she added, "And we get to do whatever we want with it." Then she turned and began padding back to camp.
Sootpaw watched her go, dazed and light-headed. He glanced at his father, who was smiling at him openly. "Nice choice," the warrior grunted. "But you've still got to get back to sleep. C'mon."
Walking back to the WindClan camp beside the cat he idolized, Sootpaw breathed in the clean, open air of the moor and grinned. Tomorrow was a new day.
And he got to do whatever he wanted with it.