Miles Apart - a Warrior Cats fanfiction (Leafpool/Crag)

Chapter 4

Leafpaw woke at the very crack of dawn that morning. Crag was still asleep; his body tangled in her own.

Leafpaw was unsure of what to do. She'd been hoping Crag would wake before her.

She looked over at him. His gray light gray chest rose and fell as he slept, he looked so peaceful.

Just as Leafpaw began to untangle herself from Crag, his eyelids fluttered open.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Leafpaw mewed.

"No, no, t'wasnt your fault." He murmured, his voice was thick with sleep.

"Sorry."

Crag purred. "Stop apologising."

He lifted his head from the moss nest and brushed his muzzle aginst hers.

Leafpaw purred. Crag purred.

They lay together, nose to nose, for what felt like seasons before she managed to mutter something like 'we should be getting back'.

"Yeah, you're right. Your Clanmates will be looking for you by the time we get back."

                               XXX

"Leafpaw! Great Starclan I've been wondering where you got to"

Cinderpelt bounded away from speaking to a Windclan tom and stopped in front of her.

Leafpaw dipped her head to her mentor and mewed,

"I'm sorry, Cinderpelt. Crag and I went for a walk and it would have taken us too long to get back."

Cinderpelt's eyes flashed with an emotion Leafpaw couldn't quite recognise. Was it sadness? Pity? Jelousy?

"OK. Don't let it happen again; you had everyone worried sick. Firestar was frantic!"

"Yes, Cinderpelt, I'm very sor-"

Cinderpelt continued her lecture.

"Sandstorm looked ready to be sick, Squirrelpaw wanted to go looking for you, Crowfeather volunteered to lead a search patrol..."

Cinderpelt didn't appear to have taken a single breath in her vent and was now breathing very heavily.

"I'm sorry, Cinderpelt. I wont let it happen again."

"OK. Now come, you'd better tell Firestar you're OK."

"yes, Cinderpelt," Leafpaw turned to Crag who had been standing awkwardly at her side throughout Cinderpelt's lecture.

"I'll see you later Crag."

He nodded.

"Bye, Leafpaw."

She turned back towards her mentor. Her eyes were narrowed very slightly.

"Firestar is this way."

She turned and padded away towards a small cave.

Leafpaw followed, head bowed, wordlessly.