Warriors #1: Moondance of Fate ✓

Chapter 11

I yawned as I made my way to the heart of the warrior's den. I hadn't slept much last night, my thoughts consumed by what I had said to Lionpaw and how he had reacted.

I truly hope he'll remain my friend, but perhaps it's not the end of it. He just wants to be more... I sighed as my thoughts continued to whirl. Oh, for the sake of StarClan, who knew that love could be so complex?

"Hello, Moonfall," purred Squirrelflight, casting me a friendly glance. "Hello," I meowed back, brushing her shoulder with mine. "Would you like to go for a walk?" she asked, and I shrugged. "I could use some exercise, yes," I replied.

She smiled. "Come on then, we're going out with Thornclaw and Brambleclaw." I hurried after the ginger she-cat and saw the two toms standing at the entrance to the thorn tunnel, their tails flicking. "Finally," grunted Thornclaw, dipping his head to me. I smiled, and together, we squeezed out of the thorn tunnel and into the woods. It felt good to be outside, feeling the wind ruffle our fur and rustle the leaves beneath our paws.

I knew for certain that leaf-fall was approaching. "How are your duties going?" Brambleclaw asked as he walked beside me. "They're going well so far," I said, keeping my eyes fixed on the ground to avoid tripping over stray branches.

"But," Brambleclaw prompted, his eyes drilling into my side, "well... there are some strange encounters," I continued, frustrated, which made Squirrelflight look up with sparkling eyes. "Oh, do I smell love?" she teased, and I playfully flicked my tail at her. "Shh, and it's not love, not between me and Lionpaw..." I stopped, knowing I had said too much.

Squirrelflight howled with laughter and playfully shoved me. "Oh, I didn't know you liked my son!" I hissed, feeling my fur grow warm. "I - I don't," I stammered. Brambleclaw wrinkled his nose. "Sure you don't, so why are you avoiding her gaze?" he hissed, and I turned away from ThunderClan's deputy. "Please, I don't want to meet her gaze; I need to concentrate!" I said as I sat down and gazed into the tall trees.

I heard my patrol follow after me, and soon enough, it felt like it was just me and the forest. It felt so good to be free. However, I stopped when I realized I had reached the Owl Tree. It always smelled nice here, but something crept into the back of my mind, and I shuddered before setting off again, this time heading toward WindClan's border.

I blinked uncertainly, wondering why I was here in the first place. I hadn't intended for my paws to lead me to this spot. But before I could run back towards ThunderClan, I heard the ferns rustle, and I stared at them, lips pulled back in a growl. "Who's there?" I hissed, and out emerged the sleek, black pelt of Breezepelt. I stared, unsure of how he would react. This troublemaker had been acting strangely at our last gathering, as if he wanted to talk to me, but the voices of our clans had kept him away.

"Well, well, look who's here," he purred and flicked his tail. I dug my claws into the ground, refusing to respond to him.

"Answer me, I know you heard me," he meowed, and his yellow eyes turned playful. But I continued to refuse, backing away, my reluctance growing. "Moonfall, come on," I sighed, turning to face him with my blue eyes burning. "What do you want, Breezepelt? You've been acting strangely since the Gathering," I hissed. The black WindClan cat purred and shrugged. "Well, I didn't know if I should talk to you or not. It was a truce, so..." He trotted closer and rolled his eyes. "But of course, my emotions are always playing the wrong tune."

I just glanced up at him before flicking my tail and moving a distance away. "Well, I don't want us to make the same mistakes as so many cats have in the past," I growled, starting to back away. But before I could delve deeper into my territory, I was shoved to the ground, paws pressing down on my shoulders so I couldn't turn. "You're not going anywhere," Breezepelt purred, and I snarled. "Let me go, you rabbit-brained furball," I spat, struggling, but Breezepelt held on, keeping me pinned just as the bushes around us rustled as if something was about to burst out. And out from them emerged Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw, and Thornclaw, all with bared teeth and unsheathed claws. "You step off our clanmate, Flarepelt," Thornclaw growled, his tail erect with anger.

Breezepelt laughed and dug his claws into my skin. I yelped and clenched my teeth, determined to keep the pain inside. Brambleclaw hissed softly and stepped up to the WindClan warrior with bared teeth. "Let her go now," he said in a tone as cold as ice. Breezepelt just leaned down, licking me over the ears before stepping away and running off without so much as a word of farewell. I got to my feet, rolling my sore shoulders. "Are you alright?" Squirrelflight meowed, all anger gone from her voice as she licked the small, barely bleeding scratches. I simply allowed her, saying after a while, when I had gathered my thoughts, "I'm fine."

Squirrelflight's warm breath brushed over me, carrying with it the scent of the forest. She regarded me with a touch of concern in her emerald eyes, like leaves rustling in the gentle breeze. "Are you certain?" she inquired.

I met her gaze and nodded, the bond of trust between us unbroken. Side by side, we retraced our steps, returning to the shelter of our clan's camp.

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As soon as I entered the camp, Lionpaw dashed over to me and opened his jaws, eagerly drinking in my scent that clung to me. His eyes flashed with anger. "Why do you have WindClan all over you?" he spat, but I raised my tail to silence him. "I can talk about it later; I need to rest," I calmly meowed, trotting towards my warrior's den. I settled into my nest, and sleep enveloped me like a comforting quilt.