Gingerpaw

The Sunstones Are Waterclan's

Gingerpaw realised something as she was escorted to the camp. Foxpaw would be there. Gingerpaw felt a wave of warmth, longing and apprehension at the same time. It hurt her to be away from him. The thought of him filled her with a peaceful joy that even Lionpaw's touch didn't give her.

I-

No. She wouldn't think those words because if she did, they would be true. She couldn't allow them to be true. If they were, those three words, her world would turn over. She would be torn apart. But Gingerpaw couldn't help wondering if it would have been worth it.

And then they were at the camp. Pondstar watched them with her amber eyes as they approached. "Pondstar," Whitefoot meowed. "My patrol found these cats near the Great Birch Tree."

"Well done Whitefoot." Pondstar replied. Her gaze had turned icy as she took in the news that Featherstar had taken his cats over the border.

Gingerpaw noticed Foxpaw watching her tentatively from near the fresh-prey pile. There was both hurt and longing in his gaze. Gingerpaw's mind flashed back to the last time she had seen him, at the Meeting, when she was run away from him without looking back. Her pelt prickled with shame and her gaze dropped to her paws.

"What do you want, Featherstar?" growled Pondstar. "Have you come to formally admit that your clan is no match for ours and we own the Sunstones?"

"No, Pondstar." Featherstar replied cooly. "You and your clan have until sunhigh in three sunrises to return the Sunstones to us. I will visit Sunstones at the promised time. If you and your clan are there, we will fight for Sunstones. If not, we graciously accept your defeat and advise you not to try anything like this again."

"No!" Pondstar spat. "The Sunstones are Waterclan's."

Featherstar dipped his head in acknowledgment. "Then I will meet you at the Sunstones at sunhigh."