Shining of the Four

Chapter 30

            "Make sure that moss is nice and dry!" Firelight snapped at Lemonpaw. She rolled her eyes, squeezing water out of the moss and onto the forest floor.

            Another moon of training, and Firelight hadn't gotten any better with her. Coming to training was an absolute torture each day. She was this close to talking to Silverstar about finding her another mentor.

            It wasn't that Firelight's training methods were bad. In fact, she'd learned a lot about fighting and hunting. It seemed like he could get along with every other cat except her, and she wasn't sure why.

            "Is this good?" Lemonpaw asked.

            Firelight eyed the moss she had gathered, then hesitantly placed his paw on the moss.

            "There's still some water in there. Keep trying," he instructed, refusing to make eye contact with her.

            Lemonpaw rolled her eyes, continuing to pump water out of the moss. She did this for a few more minutes, then handed it towards Firelight again.

            "Better," he grumbled. "Come on. Let's head back to camp."

            Relieved her day of training was over, Lemonpaw picked the moss up in her mouth, padding back with Firelight to camp. They remained quiet the entire way there, making an awkward situation.

            "Go ahead and switch out the nests when you get back to camp," Firelight spoke at last. "And get a good night's rest for tomorrow."

            "What's tomorrow?" Lemonpaw asked.

            "More fighting styles."

            "Okay," said Lemonpaw, padding into the NightClan camp with Firelight. The tom immediately strode off to the side, leaving Lemonpaw in camp. She padded into the elders den, still clutching her mouthful of moss.

            She found Raspberrypaw and Thymepaw seated next to Bluefur, chatting away.

            "Bluefur, I've got you some more moss!" Lemonpaw called.

            "Thank you," the she-cat purred, handing Lemonpaw her old, dry nest.

            "Did I miss a lesson?" Lemonpaw asked, glancing at Raspberrypaw and Thymepaw.

            "Oh, no, we were just talking," Raspberrypaw explained.

            Thymepaw nodded beside her.

            "Oh..." Lemonpaw replied, glancing up at Thymepaw once again. Something had changed between them over the past moon. They were still good friends, him being one of her best friends, but she had grown a crush on him. Now, she became nervous each time she saw him, and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She had only realized a day before that she loved him.

            Lemonpaw wasn't sure how it had all happened. She and Thymepaw had been friends for so long, she never expected to fall for the tom someday. They had been sharing a mouse the day before, chatting together (or signing, for that matter), when Lemonpaw had locked eyes with him for a brief moment, butterflies flooding her stomach. She had thought back to all the moments they had shared together, and in that brief moment, she realized she loved the tom as more than a friend.

            "Firelight still giving you troubles?" Raspberrypaw asked, breaking off Lemonpaw's thoughts.

            "Oh, he's not that bad," Lemonpaw admitted, though she thought otherwise as she handed out the rest of the moss to the elders.