Tails From DesertClan

Late Night Flowers

-This story takes place over 2 years after the formation of DesertClan-

"Shhhhh, you'll wake everyone else up."

"I'm trying!"

"You're supposed to be sneakier, with your dark pelt all blending in!"

"That's not how it works!"

Two cats climbed the steep, rocky path out of DesertClan's camp. Ravenwing was walking as quietly and carefully as possible but she couldn't avoid sending cascades of pebbles down the cliff side.

"Silvershade. It literally doesn't matter if anyone hears us."

The pretty she-cat lifted her nose, "It's the nice thing to do. We wouldn't like it if some big mousebrain was stomping around late at night!"

"I'm not stomping!"

"Nobody said you were."

Shaking her head, Ravenwing made it to the top of the ledge. The sun had set long ago and the full moon was shining high in the sky. Despite how late it was, the area was well lit. Silvery light washed over the red rocks and scrubby grass. Her pelt is better suited here anyway, I still sorta stand out. She snickered.

Silvershade was already starting down the other side of the rise around the camp.

"Hey slow down, what's the rush?"

"I'm much smaller than you, you'll catch up."

She was right, Ravenwing was almost with her already. This was the way their night walks always went. They would sneak out and wander the hills, sometimes hunting, or just sitting and watching at the stars.

Today they were going to Silvershade's favorite place.

Looking at the dry desert that the aptly named DesertClan called home, you wouldn't know how much life it could hold. It was true that most life couldn't survive here. Bright green flowering plants, like the ones that her twoleg had grown, would die quickly.

Instead, cacti and wild grasses grey in abundance. Yuccas, mesquite trees, short, twisted pines, dogwood, and more. The plants were always covered in grasshoppers and other bugs. Mountain lions hunted the giant elk that ran across the wide expanses. Bobcats chased hares into their burrows.

Her mate loved the wildflowers that grew in bunches across the sandy soil. There was a wide variety. Purple cactus flowers. Deep red blooms with fuzzy brown centers. Small orange ones with only three of four petals.

Silvershade loved them all. She would pick the prettiest blossoms and decorate her nest. They were always finding new kinds and Silvershade got super excited every time.

On one of their moonhigh strolls, they had stumbled across a small pond. Shielded slightly from the sun by an overhanging rock, the pool was surrounded by a dense mass of flowers.

Since then, Silvershade was always clamoring to go. It had become their secret spot. They could go and goof off or just relax, away from the needs of everyone else, where all they had to worry about was each other.

"I wonder if anything else will have bloomed since last time."

"Probably, weren't there buds last time?" Little blue ones, I think.

"Oh yeah!" Silvershade's ears perked up with excitement and she picked up her pace even more.

The little oasis was a good walk away from the camp, which was probably why no other cat had found it yet. Ravenwing broke in to a run, passing Silvershade who laughed and ran with her. Tails streaming behind them, invigorated by the cool night air, the pair made it to the flower pond in record time.

"You we're right!" Silvershade mewed around her panting. "The buds have bloomed, look!"

Ravenwing turned to look at the delicate, azure flowers clustered in bunches against the rock. She smiled. The flowers were pretty and Silvershade was elated. Could this night get better?

"I love you." The words were easy, she had said them many times.

"I love you too, sorry for calling you a mousebrain earlier."

Ravenwing feigned shock, "So you were talking about me!"

"Ha ha."

The grass by the pond was much softer than normal grass and Ravenwing laid down as Silvershade sniffed a few more blossoms.

"These ones are a little dry, the patch has spread too far from the water."

Those flowers must only grow right here, most desert flowers aren't anywhere near water.

"Maybe... splash them?" As she talked, Ravenwing rolled over to face the water and scooped a bunch up in her mouth. Getting up, she spit it on the flowers.

"That's a good idea, maybe wait until I've moved farther away next time." Silvershade laughed.

"It's not going to work forever though, we can't come here to water them everyday."

"Oh yeah." Silvershade frowned and after a pause, mewed, "Doesn't Rabbitpad do something when she finds dying herbs?"

"Yeah she does, I haven't paid much attention though."

"We can ask her tomorrow I suppose."

"That's a plan. Now come lay by the water, I think there might be some tadpoles."

Author's Note
Well after not uploading any short stories for a while, I wrote this in an hour on a car trip. Ravenwing and Silvershade are my comfort OCs so that probably helped. This story was partially inspired by an Artfight attack I received from ClumsyCavalier and an "Ask My Characters" question from Animary31 on deviantART.