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Description

Nightcloud lifted her head groggily from her paws as she spotted a dark gray tom slip out of the warrior's den. He was so swift that she might have mistaken him for a shodow had she not known him so well. The she-cat rose quickly to her paws and silently wove around her sleeping Clanmates as she padded out of the den. Dipping her head out into the open, Nightcloud blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit skies.
The WindClan camp lay in shadows, the lake in the distance glittering with the reflections of a hundred stars. As Nightcloud scanned the moors around her, she noticed a speck of gray moving quickly up a hill, pausing once it got to the top. She began to move toward the hill, her heart lurching with sorrow, for she knew who was there, and why.
For some time now, Crowfeather had been pining for Leafpool and grieving for Feathertail, and it was with some reluctance that Nightcloud climbed slowly up the hill, knowing that she wasn't wanted. Not here, and not now.
Crowfeather had his back to her as he gazed up at the stars. Nightcloud joined him silently, but he didn't turn his gaze away from the sky until she mewed, "Couldn't sleep?"
The gray tom turned to her, his muscles rippling under his smooth pelt. It hurt Nightcloud to see the pain in his beautiful blue eyes, usually so bright and cheerful, but she held his gaze.
"Nightcloud." Crowfeather's voice was flat and tired, his eyes dull.
Nightcloud's eyes narrowed slightly. "You were expecting maybe Leafpool?" she spat resentfully.
Crowfeather shook his head wearily. "Nightcloud... You know how much she meant to me."
"Oh, so now I'm not good enough?" The she-cat turned away, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. "I only came to comfort you, but if you want me to leave..." She began to pad away, but Crowfeather darted forward to block her.
"No! I would never think that you weren't good enough!" He tried to lick her ear comfortingly, but Nightcloud pulled away.
"Then why are you always acting like this?" she shot at him. "Why are you always brooding for her, for them?! I'm right here, Crowfeather! Maybe when you can open your eyes and see that, you'll love me. Maybe-"
"Are you questioning my loyalty to my Clan?" Crowfeather's eyes glinted with anger.
"I'm questioning your loyalty to me!" Nightcloud's eyes went wide with disbelief. "I don't care what Clan those she-cats were in, I just fear that I'll never have your heart. Not truly. Not all of it."
Crowfeather was silent. He looked down at his paws, and fear pierced Nightcloud's heart like a dagger. "Tell me it's not true," she begged. "Tell me you'll always love me more, that you'll fihgt more fiercely than TigerClan to protect me!" She paused, waiting for an answer. "Tell me right now, Crowfeather!"
The gray tom looked up at her. "What do you think, Nightcloud?" he hissed. "Do you think we could ever have been together? She was a medicine cat; she never loved me! Do you think she was ever any competition for my heart?"
Nightcloud met his gaze, her eyes burning with anger, even though tears were dripping from her whiskers. "Maybe she never loved you, but you adored her!" she accused. "What about me? What about our kits?" Her voice was rising rapidly. "What about our lives together, what about our future?"
Crowfeather began to interrupt, but Nightcloud wailed, "How do you think I feel? Do you think I want my kits to grow up knowing that they were almost half-ThunderClan? What do you think it's like to know your mate will never really love you?" Her voice cracked, and she stopped, waiting in silence as Crowfeather met her glare.
"I know what it's like to have a broken heart," he snapped.
Nightcloud stood up straighter, tears pouring down her cheeks. "So do I," she mewed steadily. "But somehow, I know that I'm going to have to get over it." She turned and began making her way back down the hill, her heart breaking. The cat she'd loved from kithood was finally her mate; she was finally carrying his kits in her stomach. But she would have given her life itself to know for certain that Crowfeather really loved her, and nobody else.
"Nightcloud, wait!" The queen didn't slow her pace, or even glance back, as she heard Crowfeather call her. She didn't turn to face him as he fell in step beside her.
"What now?" she sighed wearily.
"I'm sorry," the gray tom mewed, looking away. "I'll try to put the past behind me now."
Nightcloud, who had paused briefly, spun around and kept walking. "Trying's not good enough, Crowfeather. I love you enough to forget all this ever happened, but you'd better do more than just try."
Crowfeather raced forward until he was once again next to his mate. He twined his tail with hers, but this time, Nightcloud didn't pull away.
"You're right," her mate mewed softly. "I'm going to put Leafpool and Feathertail behind me forever. We're going to get off to a fresh start." He mimicked walking up to Nightcloud for the first time, his voice deep and drawn-out. "Helllooo, I dooon't believe we've met. I'm Crooowwwfeather. And yooouuu are?"
Nightcloud burst out laughing, her heart soaring as she looked into the eyes of the Crowfeather she knew. Now, more than ever, she felt that has wasn't a stranger after all, as she watched joy flash in his deep blue eyes, and his face lit up with happiness as he watched his mate laugh.
Crowfeather leaned in closer, and whispered in her ear, "I will never take you for granted ever again, Nightcloud."
Nightcloud looked up, into his soft eyes, and she had never felt so certain that he meant it.

Description

Nightcloud lifted her head groggily from her paws as she spotted a dark gray tom slip out of the warrior's den. He was so swift that she might have mistaken him for a shodow had she not known him so well. The she-cat rose quickly to her paws and silently wove around her sleeping Clanmates as she padded out of the den. Dipping her head out into the open, Nightcloud blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit skies.
The WindClan camp lay in shadows, the lake in the distance glittering with the reflections of a hundred stars. As Nightcloud scanned the moors around her, she noticed a speck of gray moving quickly up a hill, pausing once it got to the top. She began to move toward the hill, her heart lurching with sorrow, for she knew who was there, and why.
For some time now, Crowfeather had been pining for Leafpool and grieving for Feathertail, and it was with some reluctance that Nightcloud climbed slowly up the hill, knowing that she wasn't wanted. Not here, and not now.
Crowfeather had his back to her as he gazed up at the stars. Nightcloud joined him silently, but he didn't turn his gaze away from the sky until she mewed, "Couldn't sleep?"
The gray tom turned to her, his muscles rippling under his smooth pelt. It hurt Nightcloud to see the pain in his beautiful blue eyes, usually so bright and cheerful, but she held his gaze.
"Nightcloud." Crowfeather's voice was flat and tired, his eyes dull.
Nightcloud's eyes narrowed slightly. "You were expecting maybe Leafpool?" she spat resentfully.
Crowfeather shook his head wearily. "Nightcloud... You know how much she meant to me."
"Oh, so now I'm not good enough?" The she-cat turned away, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. "I only came to comfort you, but if you want me to leave..." She began to pad away, but Crowfeather darted forward to block her.
"No! I would never think that you weren't good enough!" He tried to lick her ear comfortingly, but Nightcloud pulled away.
"Then why are you always acting like this?" she shot at him. "Why are you always brooding for her, for them?! I'm right here, Crowfeather! Maybe when you can open your eyes and see that, you'll love me. Maybe-"
"Are you questioning my loyalty to my Clan?" Crowfeather's eyes glinted with anger.
"I'm questioning your loyalty to me!" Nightcloud's eyes went wide with disbelief. "I don't care what Clan those she-cats were in, I just fear that I'll never have your heart. Not truly. Not all of it."
Crowfeather was silent. He looked down at his paws, and fear pierced Nightcloud's heart like a dagger. "Tell me it's not true," she begged. "Tell me you'll always love me more, that you'll fihgt more fiercely than TigerClan to protect me!" She paused, waiting for an answer. "Tell me right now, Crowfeather!"
The gray tom looked up at her. "What do you think, Nightcloud?" he hissed. "Do you think we could ever have been together? She was a medicine cat; she never loved me! Do you think she was ever any competition for my heart?"
Nightcloud met his gaze, her eyes burning with anger, even though tears were dripping from her whiskers. "Maybe she never loved you, but you adored her!" she accused. "What about me? What about our kits?" Her voice was rising rapidly. "What about our lives together, what about our future?"
Crowfeather began to interrupt, but Nightcloud wailed, "How do you think I feel? Do you think I want my kits to grow up knowing that they were almost half-ThunderClan? What do you think it's like to know your mate will never really love you?" Her voice cracked, and she stopped, waiting in silence as Crowfeather met her glare.
"I know what it's like to have a broken heart," he snapped.
Nightcloud stood up straighter, tears pouring down her cheeks. "So do I," she mewed steadily. "But somehow, I know that I'm going to have to get over it." She turned and began making her way back down the hill, her heart breaking. The cat she'd loved from kithood was finally her mate; she was finally carrying his kits in her stomach. But she would have given her life itself to know for certain that Crowfeather really loved her, and nobody else.
"Nightcloud, wait!" The queen didn't slow her pace, or even glance back, as she heard Crowfeather call her. She didn't turn to face him as he fell in step beside her.
"What now?" she sighed wearily.
"I'm sorry," the gray tom mewed, looking away. "I'll try to put the past behind me now."
Nightcloud, who had paused briefly, spun around and kept walking. "Trying's not good enough, Crowfeather. I love you enough to forget all this ever happened, but you'd better do more than just try."
Crowfeather raced forward until he was once again next to his mate. He twined his tail with hers, but this time, Nightcloud didn't pull away.
"You're right," her mate mewed softly. "I'm going to put Leafpool and Feathertail behind me forever. We're going to get off to a fresh start." He mimicked walking up to Nightcloud for the first time, his voice deep and drawn-out. "Helllooo, I dooon't believe we've met. I'm Crooowwwfeather. And yooouuu are?"
Nightcloud burst out laughing, her heart soaring as she looked into the eyes of the Crowfeather she knew. Now, more than ever, she felt that has wasn't a stranger after all, as she watched joy flash in his deep blue eyes, and his face lit up with happiness as he watched his mate laugh.
Crowfeather leaned in closer, and whispered in her ear, "I will never take you for granted ever again, Nightcloud."
Nightcloud looked up, into his soft eyes, and she had never felt so certain that he meant it.