Thanks soooo much
Cinderstorm killed the rabbit with a bite on the neck. Her best friend, Acornpaw, praised her. "Good job." He said.
"Thanks!" Cinderstorm said. The hunting patrol leader, Dust Nose, led the way back to camp. Cinderstorm's littermate, Emberblaze, sat down to eat with her. When they finished, Cinderstorm noticed Acornpaw looking at her with an expression she had never seen before. "What?" She asked, "do I have blood on my muzzle?"
Acornpaw looked surprised that she had noticed. "Huh? N-no, not at all!" H shook his head. "Sorry, um, bye!"
"Huh. Weird." She turned back to Emberblaze, who was grinning with a teasing glint in her eyes.
"Well?" Emberblaze asked.
"Well what?" Cinderstorm said, trying not to think about what he would say next.
"What about Acornpaw?" Shee pressed. Cinderstorm forced herself not to blush.
"What about Acornpaw?" she said, slightly annoyed.
"Well the way he looked at you was...?" She trailed off, grinning wildly at her. Cinderstorm felt the hat rise.
"What are you implying?" She snapped.
"Oh, nothing, nothing at all!" Emberblaze practically sang as he padded away. Cinderstorm shook her pelt. What just happened with Acornpaw meant nothing. Right?
"Hey Cinderstorm, can you help me?" Asked Acornpaw.
"Sure." Cinderstorm padded up to him. "What is it?" She asked. She froze in her tracks as she saw all the mouse bile.
"Oh no, no, no, no." She backed away slowly. "That's apprentice's job, I will not clean the ticks off Blindeye! Do you know how many ticks she has!?"
Acornpaw grinned. "Come on Cinderstorm! I dare you too!"
"No way." Cinderstorm protested. "No dare."
"Are you a scary-mouse?" Acornpaw teased. He knew exactly how to get to her.
"I am not, I just don't want to clean the hundreds of ticks on her!"
"You are!" Acornpaw said with a dramatic gasp, "you're a scaredy-mouse!"
"I'm not!" Cinderstorm said annoyed now.
"Prove it." Acornpaw grinned. "Scaredy-mouse." He whispered.
"Ugh! Fine, only once though!" Cinderstorm said angrily. "Hmp! I bet I'll regret it!"
"See you in Bindeye's den!" He called as she stalked away. "Wait, are you not going to help me carry the mouse bile?" He called. "Wait, Cinderstorm!"
"So..." Cinderstorm's other littermate Skyflight said. "What was that about Acornpaw...?"
"What are you saying?" Cinderstorm said.
"I can't help but notice that me and Emberblaze have mates, and even kits," Skyflight looked pointedly at her rounded belly. "And you don't yet."
Cinderstorm snorted. "I have no love interest thank you very much, just because you guys are lovesick and have mates and all, doesn't mean I have to have one, besides, I want to focus on being a warrior, not a mate," But Cinderstorm couldn't help but think how wrong those words were.
Skyflight rolled her eyes. "So you and Acornpaw don't have MAJOR crushes on each other?" He asked in exasperation. "Please don't tell me you guys think that we haven't noticed! The whole clan knows that you guys have feelings for each other!"
"Wait— what?!" Cinderstorm said. "The whole clan knows?" She glanced around.
"Well, you guys weren't exactly being subtle about it." Skyflight pointed out a bit rudely.
"Yes we were!" Cinderstorm said, then panicked. "I mean, not that we do like each other, we don't, besides, Acornpaw's not even a warrior yet."
"He doesn't have to be. And you just admitted you guys do like each other." Emberblaze said.
"What, no I don't, I am totally done with this conversation!" She padded away with a huff. she bumped into her mother, Shellspiral.
"Oh Cinderstorm!" She said. "I have been meaning to talk to you about Acornpaw, you know, your crush."
Cinderstorm blushed head to toe. Did everyone really know? Not that she liked him or anything. "What about him?" She asked.
"Well, I think you guys go so well together, wait until he's a warrior, then you guys can have kits and everything!" She said excitedly.
"Woah, Shellspiral, calm down, we don't like each other, and also, does the whole clan think we do?" Cinderstorm asked worriedly.
"Still in denial, Emberblaze said you would deny everything. Of course, the whole clan knows, you aren't exactly being subtle about it." Shellspiral pointed out bluntly.
"Great, you and Skylight are exactly the same." Cinderstorm rolled her eyes. "Bye, I have to go!" She hurried away.
"Oh, meeting with Acornpaw again, I heard about your mouse bile thing yesterday!" Shellspiral called.
"Ugh." Cinderstorm said. She bumped into her father, Cedarwood.
"Oh, Cinderstorm." He said. "About Acornpaw, do not mate with him. He is a nuisance, he is a very bad influence to you." He said sternly.
Cinderstorm wanted to snap at everyone. Why? She said in her thoughts. "Really good, yup, pleasure talking, got to go!" She dashed away.
"Not to see Acornpaw I hope!" Her father called after her.
"Nope!" She called back. She crashed into another cat, she looked up to see Acornpaw's friendly face. "Oh, hi, sorry about that." Cinderstorm said, her face was feeling very warm. She looked at her paws in embarrassment.
"It's alright." Acornpaw said softly. "Did you notice how everyone seems to think we have crushes on each other?"
"Yes!" Cinderstorm cried. "It's so annoying, we don't have crushes on each other!"
Acornpaw's face fell slightly, but he smiled. "I do." He said softly.
Cinderstorm felt so much emotion at once. She leaned closer. "Me too." She whispered.
Acornpaw's face brightened. He nuzzled her. A teasing grin enters his eyes. "I never knew we were so obvious about our crushes." He said.
"Me neither." Cinderstorm laughed.
A few moons later:
Cinderstorm was kitting, Acornfur, her mate was by her side. Now that Acornfur was a warrior, they had mated, and now would have kits. "Almost there!" Acornfur said. "They look just like you!" He said proudly. Cinderstorm finished kitting, they had beautiful and handsome kits.
"I love you." She said sighing. "And our new family."
Acornfur nuzzled her. "Me too Cinderstorm."
I'm pretty sure this is the right order. Thanks sooooooo much for this story it is awesome! :)
