Rise

Chapter 17

The elders, Windstorm and Cloudrunner, carried Maple's limp body out of camp.
There had been many rumors spreading around camp or who the father was.
Some thought it was Vinespots, others Grayflight, but it was uncertain.
Tension hung in the air and Novapaw noticed that the silvers had stopped talking to reds.
"Do you want to go hunting?" Wolfheart asked Novapaw.
She sighed and meowed, "please! I need something to distract me."
Thunderpaw wished them good hunting as the left the camp and he went to talk to Duskfur.
They went to the meadow to hunt for rabbits, and Novapaw scented one right away.
She dropped into a hunter's crouch and stalked the small creature.
It's ears twitched as it shuffled around searching for prey. As soon as it heard Novapaw's loud paw steps, it turned and ran.
Novapaw gave chase, and followed it all the way to the forest, until her paws were too tired to keep going.
"Fox dung!" She hissed under her breath as Wolfheart cane running towards her.
The dark tom chuckled. "You looked like a badger chasing after that rabbit!" He teased.
Novapaw frowned. "I'm too slow and lopsided."
"Hey, it was one rabbit. You'll catch the next one." He purred.
She shrugged, "I'm a horrible hunter."
"Well that's what the reds are for anyways." He pointed out to her. "Silvers are more for fighting, even if there are some red fighters."
She looked at her paws. "I suppose."
Wolfheart's nose twitched and the smell of a mouse filled the air. He motioned for her to catch it.
Novapaw dropped into a crouch and lightly placed each paw in front of the other. She leapt, and landed on the mouse and killed it with a swift bite.
"See? That was easy." He praised her. "I bet Limestar makes you a warrior soon."
She sat down and purred. "I almost mastered my ability."
He looked her in the eyes and smiled warmly, "It can't be easy. Whispers are the most powerful cats next to silences. Learning how to use my powers as an eye wasn't too difficult."
"Sometimes I wish I wasn't a whisper. It's a lot of pressure to live up to someone like my mother." She sighed, feeling comfortable spilling her feelings out to Wolfheart.
He rubbed against her. "I understand, but you're doing great. There's no other cat I can think of that would be better as a whisper than you. Why do you think you inherited your mother's ability and not your father's?"
She hadn't thought of that. She always knew it was odd that she received her mother's power instead of her father's. Maybe it was a sign from their ancestors?
"Thanks Wolfheart." She purred, still pressing his gray pelt into his.
Something flashed in his eyes, and she wondered if he was using his ability right now. Novapaw didn't know why he would need to, if they were just sitting there.
"Novapaw." He meowed nervously, and gulped.
"Yeah?" She looked up into his eyes.
His heart starting beating faster, "I like you. L-like as more than friend, I mean. I don't know if you like me-"
"I do." She meowed warmly and licked his chest fur. She was amused by his nervousness, but she felt all warm inside now.
He heaved out a relieved sigh. "I know you're not a warrior or anything, but I just wanted you to know."
She smiled, "come on, let's go back to camp."
Novapaw lifted her haunches and stretched her paws before padding back in the direction of camp.
She walked side by side with Wolfheart and neither of them said a word on the way back.
'I can't believe this day has come! I think I'm in love...'