Heart Of The Storm (A Warriors AU)

Chapter 1

^.^ This means the cat POV has changed FYI

Stormheart padded through the forest, her paws pressing into the soft earth as she made her way back to camp. The leafbare air was cool against her sleek gray fur, the scent of pine and damp leaves clinging to her whiskers. Above her, the sun was setting, and the sky was scattered in clouds, but something about the evening felt wrong, like the forest itself was holding its breath.

She shook the feeling away, her mind returning to the patrol she had just finished. Everything had been quiet-too quiet if she was being honest with herself. No signs of prey, no strange scents. Just silence. As much as she tried to dismiss it, a nagging sense of unease clung to her, refusing to let go.

The clearing that marked the entrance to camp came into view, the bramble walls looming like dark shadows as the suns light lowered. Stormheart slowed her pace as she approached, her ears pricked for any sign of movement. The camp was still, the soft murmur of cats barely audible. Yet, as she slipped inside, her blue eyes immediately found the figure she had been unconsciously searching for.

Sunwhisker was sitting alone near the medicine den, her head bowed as she sorted through herbs. Her sleek pelt shone even in the dim light, a quiet radiance that always seemed to draw Stormheart's gaze, though she never lingered too long.

Stormheart hesitated for a moment, her paws slowing as she watched Sunwhisker work. The medicine cat's tail flicked back and forth, her movements quick, almost impatient. There was a tension in her posture that made Stormheart's fur prickle. Something was wrong.

"Sunwhisker?" Stormheart's voice was low, just above a whisper. She padded closer, keeping her tone even, careful not to draw too much attention.

Sunwhisker glanced up, her green eyes meeting Stormheart's briefly before darting away. "Stormheart," she murmured, her voice steady but lacking its usual warmth. "You're back from patrol early."

"Nothing out there today." Stormheart sat down across from her, watching her closely. "Are you alright? You seem... distracted."

For a moment, Sunwhisker didn't answer. She continued to sift through the herbs, her paws moving a little too quickly, a little too precisely. Stormheart could see the slight tremor in her movements, the way her whiskers twitched as though something weighed heavily on her mind.

Finally, Sunwhisker sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly. "I've just been busy," she said, her voice tight. "With leafbare here, I'm running low on herbs. And there are cats who -" She stopped, biting off the end of her sentence.

Stormheart frowned, not quite believing her. Sunwhisker wasn't just busy-there was something else. Something she wasn't saying. But pressing her wouldn't help, not here, not now. Not with so many eyes and ears around them, even in the stillness of the night.

"Is there anything I can do?" Stormheart asked softly, keeping her tone casual.

Sunwhisker's gaze flickered to her for the briefest moment, something unreadable in her eyes before she looked away again. "No, it's fine. I can manage."

A silence stretched between them, one that should have been comfortable but felt oddly strained. Stormheart could feel it-the distance between them, though it wasn't something anyone else would notice. To an outsider, they were simply a warrior and medicine cat, exchanging words in the quiet of dusk. But to Stormheart, every moment felt charged with something unsaid, something that weighed heavier with each passing day.

Stormheart let her tail brush the ground ever so slightly, just a flick near Sunwhisker's paw. It was nothing, a meaningless gesture in the eyes of anyone who might see, but to her, it was enough. Enough to say, without words, that she was here. That she understood.