Heartstar's rise : Book one

Ch. 45

Heartpaw looked up at the stars. He knew his parents were there, watching him. He smiled sadly. Another cat slipped next to him. 

           "You alright?" asked Honeypaw. 

          "Sure," said Heartpaw. But he wasn't. Why hadn't Ivypaw met him? Was she hurt? Did someone find out? Did she not like him anymore? 

           "Heartpaw, how do you feel about me?" asked Honeypaw. 

          "What do you mean?" asked Heartpaw. 

          "I don't know..., sometimes I think we both feel the same but other times..., I'm not sure," said Honeypaw. "You keep acting weird. You're always going out at sunset." Heartpaw turned his head to her. 

          "What do you mean?" he asked. 

          "At sunset," frowned Honeypaw. "You always leave. You say you go hunting but... you come back so late." 

           "How do you know?" Heartpaw almost growled. 

           "Well..., I... we're going off topic. What do you really feel about me?" Honeypaw sighed. "I really thought we felt the same." 

           "Honeypaw, I don't understand," said Heartpaw. 

           "Do you love me?" asked Honeypaw. Heartpaw's eyes went wide but he quickly looked away. "What?" was his only thought. Instead he said, "Of course, you're like a sister. My family." Honeypaw looked down.

           "What's wrong?" asked Heartpaw, concerned. 

           "I thought you loved me," whispered Honeypaw. "I thought we could be mates." 

           "What...?" whispered Heartpaw then gave Honeypaw a comforting nudge. "I'm sorry..., I thought we were just friends. You're like my sister." 

           "B-but we hang out and sometimes our p-pelts brush and we twirl our tails together," stammered Honeypaw. 

           "I have never done that," Heartpaw said, suddenly remembering Ivypaw. He had to stay loyal to her. "You do it. If you've realised, I've never done it." Honeypaw snorted and growled then stomped away into the den. Heartpaw slipped in after her. She was curled up in her nest. 

          "Honeypaw?" Heartpaw murmured. She turned away. 

         "Honeypaw..., I'm sorry," whispered Heartpaw. Firpaw looked up. 

        "Shut up!" he snapped. Heartpaw glared at him and padded nearer to Honeypaw. He bent over but she turned around and faced him, her eyes sharp and angry. 

           "Go away," she growled softly but menacingly. Heartpaw backed away, he had never seen her scared. 

           "I'm sorry," he said. She didn't answer. He crawled into his nest. He really needed to see Ivypaw now.