Lightning's Storm

Beginnings

Even though new-leaf was here, leaf-bare refused to give up its grasp of the forest so easily. New-leaf showed its hesitant face in the form of longer days, warmer sun-highs, and more prey, but it was continuously battled back by leaf-bare in the form of cold nights and chilly mornings.

After I spent a day in the medicine cat's den recovering from the head injury, I returned to my training. As a few sunrises passed, Wolfshade and I began to piece our friendship back together. The progress was a bit slow and awkward, but it was good to have him back as my friend. Still though, I could tell there was something different between us now. A certain amount of tension still lingered. Something had changed.

We had not talked about the words that were said, or not said, that day in the medicine cat's den. But, they still charged the air between us like a thunderstorm in green-leaf. I could feel the words when our pelts accidentally brushed, and my fur flushed with heat at the touch. Or, when I turned and caught him looking at me with his intense green eyes from across the camp, and I felt like fire was racing through my blood.

I was curled up in the apprentices den in a light, dreamless sleep when I felt a soft paw on my shoulder, gently shaking me awake. My eyes flickered open, and I glanced up to see Wolfshade blinking down at me. I felt a small jolt of surprise and happiness.

"Hey," I meowed through a yawn.

I stretched my forepaws out in front of me before arching my back languidly and stretching each hind-leg behind me in turn before straightening. I shook out my pelt.

"Is it time for training already?" I meowed, peering over his shoulder to look out at the sky.

The sky was barely lightening; it looked like it was a little before dawn.

"No," Wolfshade replied with a purr.

His eyes were shimmering. I tilted my head at him inquisitively, intrigued by his unusually good mood.

"Then what's going on?" I meowed.

Nightpaw let out a loud, pointed sigh in his nest near by mine, and curled up tighter, tucking his nose under his tail.

"Sorry," I meowed to Nightpaw, lowering my voice.

Wolfshade gestured with his tail to the entrance, and we padded away from my sleeping den-mates and to the mouth of the cave.

"It's Cherrytail. She had her kits last night, and she was asking for you to come see them before we started training today," Wolfshade said with a soft purr.

I gasped.

"Well, why didn't you say so?!" I meowed, my voice still hushed but vibrating with excitement as I brushed past Wolfshade, leaping out of the den and rushing up the cliff-face.

The paths on the sides of the sandy cliffs were still wreathed in shadows, but my paws were certain on the trails as I quickly scaled the cliff towards the nursery. Wolfshade was close behind me as I approached the entrance to the nursery, where I hesitated for a heartbeat.

What if Cherrytail or the kits were resting? Was I allowed to just go inside?

"I can smell you hanging around out there, Lightningpaw. Come on in," Cherrytail's teasing voice called out from inside the dark nursery.

I gave a soft purr to myself at my former mentor's playful tone, and I padded inside the den, leaving Wolfshade waiting outside.

I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the low light of the den. I slowly made my way towards the back of the nursery, where Cherrytail was lying with Sharpclaw curled around her. Sharpclaw's massive ginger form looked dramatically out of place in the cozy milk-scented nursery to me, but when he saw me approach, he looked up with fierce pride and love in his clear green eyes. I purred warmly. Maybe he wasn't out of place after all.