Lightclan Shorts

Falling For You

The golden she cat gritted her teeth as she landed clumsily on a thick branch, shooting pains running down her injured wing. Even after moons and moons of resting, her wing was still hurt. She feared she'd never be able to fly again. I hate you Zerec! I'm glad you're dead!

Flare sank her claws into the branch, preparing to leap again. She looked for a branch to aim for, quickly spotting on in the thick tangle of trees she was practising in. She was far outside of the Dark Forest's territory, away from prying eyes. Nobody could see her like this. Nobody could know how much her broken wing upset her.

Breaking away from the branch, Flare spread her wings. She ignored the sharp pain in her right wing, trying desperately to remain in a straight line as she glided ungracefully to her target. The wind- thankfully- pulled her in the right direction and she made it successfully to the next branch.

Already panting heavily, Flare sat down to rest. It's not fair! She looked up at the sky, yearning be be back up there in the clouds, free like a bird. Instead, she was grounded. Forced to waddle around camp like a useless kit. These treetops were her only escape where she could be closest to the sky she once flew in.

Lashing her tail with determination, Flare unfolded her orange feathered wings again. She looked up at a branch above her head and leapt for it, flapping her wings. She managed to just make it onto the branch, her foreclaws digging into the wood to haul her body up. In her haste, she knocked her tender wing against the bark of the tree and she forced down a yelp of pain, stars dotting her vision as she clung frantically to the narrow branch.

Less than a heartbeat after reaching that branch, she leapt for the next one. She scrambled onto the branch, her yellow eyes bulging from the effort to pull herself onto the branch. Her injured wing throbbed painfully, flailing erratically at her side but she ignored it. She was going to make it to the very top of the tree. She could do it this time!

Pausing for only a moment, Flare looked up to see she wasn't far from the treetop. Only a few more jumps. She was so close. She'd never made it this far before. Her body shivered with excitement as she made her way up to the next branch and then the next. The leaves were thinning out- she was nearly there!

As she leapt for the final branch, she made the terrible decision to not flap her wings a second time. Her forepaws brushed against the branch but she couldn't find a secure hold. A screech left her lips as she felt herself begin to plummet, her wings flapping wildly to get herself back up. Orange feathers showered down the tree below her as she struggled to stay in the air.

No matter how hard she flapped her wings, Flare fell. She passed at least four branches before finally catching one- unfortunately she caught it with none other than her injured wing. It slapped against the branch and was flung at an awkward angle, agony shooting down the feathered wing. The collision with the branch sent her spiralling faster down the tree, hitting more branches along the way. Her paws reached out for anything to grab, but everytime her pawpad brushed against something she could never cling to it to stop her fall.

The ground was growing closer and fear spiked within the golden she cat. If she couldn't get herself to stop falling soon, she'd be fatally injured from the impact. Flare tried again to twist herself around but she failed. Her wings were completely useless. They were just weighing her down, making her fall faster and leaving her unable to flick onto her paws to land.

Just as she lost all hope, and the ground came rushing to her face, she felt the air slow down around her and the noise died completely. Had she hit the ground? Why couldn't she feel it then? Peaking her eyes open, Flare was met with a cloud of red mist surrounding her. She was floating just above the ground, completely paralysed with fear.

As her body started to respond again, she let out a yowl. She didn't know for sure what was going on and she looked around wildly but all she could see was the thick red mist. Her mind was reeling, unable to think straight. Her paws churned the air, desperate to touch solid ground. Her wings hung limply as her sides, the longest feathers brushing gently across the tall grass.

"Aren't you glad I was watching you." A voice rumbled behind her and the mist slowly disappeared, allowing her to glide gracefully onto the soft grass. Once the mist completely left, Flare whirled around to see Zephyr standing calmly in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded, her fur growing hot with embarrassment. He had been watching her that whole time? Why?

The grey tom opened his mouth, and Flare prepared for one of his usual cold replies, but instead his voice stumbled. "I saw you leaving camp regularly these past few moons. I wanted to know where you were going and so.. I followed you." His paws gave the slightest shuffle, his red eyes burning into her as he awaited her answer.

"You've been watching me everytime I go out here?" Flare blinked, her heart pounding in her throat.

"I-I know it sounds creepy and you probably really hate me but.. At least I just saved your life, right?" He gave a soft, nervous chuckle.

Flare swallowed thickly, looking at the Promethean standing before her. This couldn't be Zephyr, it was like she was looking at him but listening to a completely different cat. When did he ever stutter?

"Flare?" He asked, his red eyes shimmering with worry. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah.." Flare mumbled, sitting down with a faint huff of pain. "It's just... You're acting different."

"I am." Zephyr nodded, looking down. "And I'm sorry. It's just.. hard to talk when.. You're here." His gaze stayed glued to his forepaws, not daring to look up at her reaction.

Flare narrowed her eyes. Surely he didn't mean that in a negative way, right?

Noticing his unclear words, Zephyr quickly added. "I-I mean, uh, it's hard t-to talk because you're just so beautif-ful.." The final word stumbled the most, almost as if he regretted saying it. Flare looked into his eyes to see a look of pure embarrassment shining in them. She almost smiled at the sight.

Zephyr slowly looked up at her. "Erm.. Flare..?"

"Zephyr.." She started uncertainly. "I... I don't know what to say. D-Do you really think that?" She glanced at her injured wing, then at her messy fur and last but not least, flicked her paw over the ugly scar on her neck from her times as an apprentice of Flameclan.

Zephyr's nose suddenly brushed her neck fur and his tongue flicked gently over her scar. "Your scar is beautiful, Flare. It shows you are strong." He said into her chest fur, his voice sending vibrations through her body.

"That scar is from the wound that killed me." The golden she cat whispered back, not moving away from Zephyr. "And it's not just the scar... I also can't fly anymore, as you may have noticed."

"So? It doesn't make me love you any less." His words were rushed, but also carefully thought out. He had made a leap of faith to see what her reaction would be. Had he made a terrible mistake or not?

Flare's breath caught in her throat and she took a step back to look at him. "Did you say l-love?" Zephyr gave a faint nod. "You l-love me?" He nodded again, worry clear on his face. Flare didn't waste another heartbeat in pressing her nose to his, almost laughing with joy. "I-I think I love you too." She gushed, her heart pounding in her chest.

Somebody really does care about me.

But what she didn't know, was that the exact same thought was running through Zephyr's mind as well.

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